The ad on Craigslist called this trailer a teardrop. The photo posted with it made clear that that was not the case, but it's clearly a cozy-sized vintage eminently towable little thing. Cute even, or so it seemed from the ad. So I took an hour's drive past the ruins of mining days casually decaying to see the thing in Central City.
Of course it's nowhere near as cute in person. That's white house paint covering aluminum, and not doing the best job. The owner says he has to paint every couple years to keep it well sealed, and he also says he's owned it for 20 years, but nothing like 10 coats of paint are in evidence. Maybe that's a good thing, as the paint could more easily be stripped off and the aluminum buffed out. That's after resealing all the seams, of course.
The good news is, no musty nasty smells, which I had fully expected, and not all that much water damage inside. Also no rodents appear to have taken up residence, which could reduce the interior to a pile of goo in an instant. Maybe two instants, but still.
Bad news includes deterioration of the particle board underfloor that would require repairs of unknown scope. Some water damage is quite noticeable in the corners inside, but the clearly original veneer paneling is solid and quite refinishable, looks like. The mattress is a very new looking futon made special about 3 years ago, sez ownerboy. All the cabinetry looks original and in need only of sanding & finish. On the main closet door hangs most of a full length mirror with the bottom broken off that the owner has screwed on all off kilter -- quite the bachelor pad mystique. The two burner propane stove, ice box, and heater look original, although I share the owner's trepidation about running that open-flame heater inside what amounts to a pile of kindling.
Somebody could put a ton of work into this thing, but he'd have a really nifty, homey little rolling home-box for his trouble. Thing is, it's at least twice the size I've been thinking about, and I'm a little nervous about my 6-cylinder Jeep hauling it around. I suspect I'm worrying too much about that part.
