Used 2013 ST32FR (Hopefully)?

Mbrockman5 · 04-12-2021, 03:14 PM

Hello all, I'm new to this site, so I apologize ahead of time if this is posted in the incorrect location....

My wife and I currently have a 2006 Forest River Salem 23FBL, but as our 4 daughters (5-12) have grown, our family has outgrown it and we have been looking to upgrade. We looked at a 2013 Crossroads Sunset Trail ST32FR at a local RV lot and immediately fell in love with it as the floorpan and size is perfect.

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or opinions on this year/model. It does have the faded front cap that I've been reading about (and how I found this online community), but based on some of the posts I've read, that is something we can fix.

Are they any specific things I need to look at/for or inspect before we purchase it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

travelin texans · 04-12-2021, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbrockman5

Hello all, I'm new to this site, so I apologize ahead of time if this is posted in the incorrect location....

My wife and I currently have a 2006 Forest River Salem 23FBL, but as our 4 daughters (5-12) have grown, our family has outgrown it and we have been looking to upgrade. We looked at a 2013 Crossroads Sunset Trail ST32FR at a local RV lot and immediately fell in love with it as the floorpan and size is perfect.

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or opinions on this year/model. It does have the faded front cap that I've been reading about (and how I found this online community), but based on some of the posts I've read, that is something we can fix.

Are they any specific things I need to look at/for or inspect before we purchase it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

Can't help with advice on the rv, but you are increasing length & weight considerably, be sure to crunch the numbers on your tow vehicle carefully before biting off possibly more than you have truck for.
You have lots of people that require lots of stuff (5 girls = LOTS of stuff) which doesn't take long to reach the GVWR of a rv & exceed the payload of your vehicle.

Mbrockman5 · 04-12-2021, 06:09 PM

I appreciate it... That was the first thing we made sure of.��

**Lloyd** · 04-12-2021, 06:45 PM

Mike what I would add is if you don't already have a PDI list, there is one in the document section here on the forum. You can download it, print it out and take it with you if you are going to buy this unit.

Mbrockman5 · 04-12-2021, 06:59 PM

Ok. I’ll definitely do that. I know there’s a couple things that need to be fixed. For example, the left side “Secure Stance” fender skirt needs to be replaced and probably some fresh batteries. Just some minor stuff we can do ourselves.

It is on consignment, so the dealership is limited as to what they’ll replace, but it’s in pretty decent condition. The slide seals look good, the appliances look barely used at all, and the TVs are brand new. The important stuff will be gone over before we make the final decision

**Lloyd** · 04-12-2021, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbrockman5

Ok. I’ll definitely do that. I know there’s a couple things that need to be fixed. For example, the left side “Secure Stance” fender skirt needs to be replaced and probably some fresh batteries. Just some minor stuff we can do ourselves.

It is on consignment, so the dealership is limited as to what they’ll replace, but it’s in pretty decent condition. The slide seals look good, the appliances look barely used at all, and the TVs are brand new. The important stuff will be gone over before we make the final decision

That's true, but if the seller and dealer want to move it bad enough, i would one or the other might be inclined to fix whats needed.
Anyway good luck with it.

**DavisK** · 04-14-2021, 11:58 AM

Welcome to the forum! Good luck with purchasing a larger RV.

**dagst1** · 04-14-2021, 12:39 PM

Just ask the seller to fix the things that are wrong or deduct for there cost. The worst they can say is no and you are back where you are now.

Mbrockman5 · 04-14-2021, 01:10 PM

Well... Its looking like we pick it up on the 21st. In the mean t time, the dealership is going to do an inspection and fix/replace whatever needs to be before we take it home. They said they won’t sell an RV with anything broken or missing. In between now and then we’ll find out what’s what and go from there.

**dagst1** · 04-14-2021, 01:12 PM

Good deal!!

**Lloyd** · 04-14-2021, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mbrockman5

Well... Its looking like we pick it up on the 21st. In the mean t time, the dealership is going to do an inspection and fix/replace whatever needs to be before we take it home. They said they won’t sell an RV with anything broken or missing. In between now and then we’ll find out what’s what and go from there.

Well that's sounding positive.

But just because the dealer told you that, doesn't mean you should not do a PDI on it before you plunk your money down. Dealers are notorious for not being real forth right.

Mbrockman5 · 04-14-2021, 05:15 PM

Oh, I am aware��.... Hence the “we’ll find out what’s what...”.

I know it will need new tires before any sort of long distance tow since the current ones are old and showing some “slight” cracking down in the tread. Also the batteries look a little old. So, if the dealership doesn’t replace any of those then I’ll have to plan for that.

I’ll probably get the tires at Costco. They’re $89/each and I’ve had good experiences with their tires on my current Forest River TT. As for the batteries, I’m not sure what to get. I’m torn between the Duracell deep cycles at Sam’s Club, or the Interstate deep cycles at Costco.

**dagst1** · 04-14-2021, 05:36 PM

My advise on the tires is to get the best you can afford. Otherwise what you save now you will pay later. Fender skirts are not cheep. Back in the day we bought some cheap tires and while going down the highway the tread came off one but the tire did not blow. The tread came thru the floor and wrapped around the pipes under the kitchen and ripped it all out. Broke fittings off at the water heater pulled the water pump out destroyed the kitchen sink when it pulled the faucet thru. The money i "saved" on tires totaled my camper.

Mbrockman5 · 04-14-2021, 08:10 PM

Thanks for the advice, @dagst1.... We actually had that happen to us on our way back from a camping trip in Ventura, albeit not nearly that bad (the slapping just shredded a 1’x4’ strip of the bottom of the TT).

So far, the tires we got at Costco have been fantastic. After looking at Sam’s Club trailer tire selection and reading the reviews I’ve decided to go with Costco.

Mbrockman5 · 04-22-2021, 10:01 PM

Well... We picked it up yesterday morning and everything turned out pretty good. They replaced the batteries with brand new Interstate deep cycles, only one tire needs to be replaced, and they fixed or replaced most (if not, all) of the little things (like burnt out bulbs, some minor trim pieces, etc). All in all, we are pretty happy.... Looking forward to our maiden voyage here soon to play around with it.

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