Vintage Trailer Buyer's Inspection Checklist: 55 Checks Before You Buy

Walk an older travel trailer top to bottom, in order, before you hand over the money.

55 practical checks in six areas, in the order you walk a trailer at a showing:

• Outside walk-around (11): skin, rivets, seams, windows, door, rear end and bumper, hitch, lights, shore power cord, city-water inlet
• Underneath (10): frame rails, rear frame ends, belly pan, floor edge, axles, tire date codes, brakes and bearings, drains, propane line
• Roof (4): vents, skylights, seams, anything screwed through the skin
• Inside (9): smell, soft floor, moisture readings, stains, cabinets, toilet, wall panels, past floor repairs, layout changes
• Systems (14): water, pump, water heater, tanks, electric on shore power and battery, alarms, propane, stove, furnace, fridge, air conditioner
• Paperwork (7): title, serial number, lien and stolen checks, bill of sale, records

Every check gets OK, WATCH or WALK AWAY, with a line for notes and a repair estimate. Then five questions to ask the seller, a 1 to 5 score for 10 areas (out of 50), and a repair budget and offer page with your walk-away price.

Also included: a fill-in spreadsheet. Pick OK, Watch or Walk away on each line, add repair costs, and it totals your score, counts the walk-away marks and suggests buy, negotiate or walk away.

8 printable pages plus the spreadsheet. Instant digital download. Nothing ships.

An educational buyer's checklist, not a certified inspection. Bring a qualified technician for electrical, structural or gas concerns.