- We renovated a 1989 Jayco pop-up camper we found on Facebook Marketplace for $700.
- The paperwork to buy and register the vehicle in our name was more complicated than we expected.
After seeing how our neighbor's homemade
Campers vary drastically in both size and price but we decided after minimal research that we wanted one around 20 feet that'd be easy to maintain.
So when we found a 1989 Jayco for $700 online, we hopped on the opportunity, despite having little-to-no experience with pop-up campers.
Here are the 10 things that surprised us most about the entire process.
I was surprised we managed to get this camper in the first place
When a road-ready camper is listed at an affordable price on an online marketplace, it's typically swarmed with inquiries. Unless you are one of the first three to respond, the chances of scheduling a meeting time are slim.
One evening, I saw a 1989 Jayco pop-up camper on Facebook Marketplace for $700. Although we didn't really have concrete plans to buy a camper, I figured it was worth reaching out about.
I sent a message asking if the camper was still available and if there were a lot of inquiries. Within 10 minutes, the seller responded that she had over 10 requests, but I was second in line.
Five minutes later, she shared that the first person was unable to pick it up, so we exchanged info and set a time for the next morning. Fortunately, the seller was located less than 10 minutes away from our house.
It can almost feel like a lottery when you can get a really good deal for something, especially when the seller trusts that you will make the scheduled time instead of following a first-come-first-serve basis.
The camper was actually in decent condition
Campers listed at this price are typically gutted or have major damage from a water leak but that wasn't the case with this one.
I researched what to expect from the camper with Google images and YouTube. I found floor plans, basic set-up guides, and possible problems to look out for.
When we checked out the camper, everything was intact, even a lot of its 1989 personality. The roof's metal coating had a mid-tone fade, the paint was dulled, and the vinyl graphics were cracked.
But after just 10 minutes of inspection, we were ready to make the transaction.
The paperwork and buying process was complicated
When buying something with wheels that'll likely have a title, I typically bring several generic bill-of-sale forms, pens, and registration paperwork in case I need a signature from the previous owner.
But the seller brought us a binder with paperwork and documents, including the original receipts dated over 10 years ago from an RV dealership and a title with the previous owner's name.
During the transaction, she explained she wasn't the registered owner, only a middle woman. This would normally be a red flag, as I usually like to buy something from the registered owner, but I felt comfortable working it out in this case. Plus the seller was able to help me get connected to the owner.
Although we wouldn't usually jump through these hoops, we figured that worst-case scenario, we'll have a camper that'll require more paperwork and trips to the registration office to get the title under our names, which is not a step you should overlook.
Not registering the title is like buying an Apple device with a locked iCloud account. It helps make the next ownership transfer easier, plus having proper documentation is important if you get into an accident or pulled over.
I was eventually able to go to the owner's house and have him sign the proper documents we needed to transfer ownership, like the bill of sale, the title, and a state-issued registration-transfer form.
Our home vacuum and washing machine made a pretty big difference
When we got back, we immediately got to cleaning. Assessing the smells and visuals, we realistically considered the best ways to restore the camper to its fullest potential without tearing everything apart.
We started by vacuuming all of the dirt and debris inside, plus cleaning out a few retired wasp nests and the signs of a mouse that used to live in there. It was nothing a basic industrial vacuum couldn't handle.
Every cushion still had its original, plaid upholstery, so we unzipped and disassembled all four rectangular cushions and washed the covers, which had the musty odor of a jacket that's been in a closet for too long.
There's only so much you can do with 25-year-old cushion covers without damaging them, but the washing machine restored them to about 90%. Amanda eventually created new covers to give the bench cushions a livelier look.
We also sprayed diluted detergent on the actual cushions and let them bake in the sun.
Renovations can be expensive, but we were able to find some replacement parts online and at Goodwill
The camper's sink faucet was too old — they're vulnerable to breaking since the sink assembly is constantly flipped over for storage when in transit — but we were able to find a comparable replacement online.
And when we removed the wood-vinyl box we suspected was a refrigerator, we discovered it was actually an old icebox. We ended up replacing it with a mini-fridge I had previously purchased from Goodwill for $20.
We had to slightly modify the original cabinet's sides, but luckily the dimensions were similar enough, and the power cord fed through a small compartment that allowed us to connect it to a basic 110-volt plug.
We were able to patch the canvas instead of replacing it
The exterior had some outdoor algae and other debris on it.
We had learned early on that the water pressure from a power washer would actually penetrate and tear through the fabric of canvas. Though, this also allowed us to test for leaks.
We were able to fix up the top with an RV roof sealer that cured fairly fast and was similar to a thick paint.
The canvas was old and had a few rips in several spots, but instead of replacing it, we used an awl and tried to sew some of the rips as well as create reinforced patches for certain areas. We also added a water-repellent spray over it.
We didn't expect our renovation process to get so much online attention
In the midst of our progress, Amanda made a
But the first camper-progress video she uploaded got an abnormally high number of views — 10,000 in the first evening.
It was like a game. We would check back in and guess the view count that kept growing.
Over the next 24 hours, the video had over 100,000 views and her account had amassed close to 8,000 followers.
Viewers asked lots of great questions, gave helpful feedback and advice (like explaining why it's dangerous to paint a propane tank black), and really liked that we were restoring an old camper.
We've since posted other videos, and the original TikTok now has over 3 million views.
Our homeowners' association has caused us some trouble, but everything is going well so far
As much as TikTok, our community, and we enjoyed the camper, our neighborhood HOA wasn't a huge fan.
We would get notices from the homeowners association saying to "remove it from public view" or move it to the side of our house until we eventually got fines to order it "out of public view."
After checking our cameras, we found out a contracted ordinance officer in an unmarked vehicle would patrol our neighborhood every two to three weeks for abnormal things, like campers, cars in yards, overgrown lawns, or items over fence lines.
Within two months, we racked up over $300 in fines, but with some calm negotiations with the HOA manager, they were waived after we moved our camper out of sight.
For now, it sits in our backyard, "out of public view," while we work on cosmetics tweaks and plan our next trip.