A while ago a member posted that she was having difficulty selling her trailer, even though it had been advertised for some while, at a reasonable price. One photo was of the stall flooring taken while the mat was pulled back, exposing the metal. You couldn't tell if it was covered in 55 gals of coffee grinds, liquid manure or totally corroded. A couple of dealers chimed in, saying that they often received trailers in similar conditions, intending to be sold. When the OP owner was advised that she might have better luck if the trailer's floor were cleaned and rephotographed, she said that she would wait a while and do it later.

Many years ago when we were trailer shopping, my wife and I went to a dealer looking for a used trailer. He proudly took us to one that he had just "completely overhauled". Indeed it looked impressive and quite desirable. When I went to lift one edge of the mat by the escape door, it wouldn't come up. I pulled harder and realised that I could see the tips of several screw heads sticking slightly proud of the mat's surface. I pulled harder and the mat came free. I was now looking at half a dozen new sheet metal screws sticking up through the flooring. Underneath, were some straps supporting newly repaired plumbing.

These screws were floating in a urine bath that completely covered the flooring. If a horse stepped in that area, the mat would have compressed and the screw tips could have impaled the frog of the foot. Corrosion was everywhere. I played dumb and asked the saleman what the greyish, brown colouring was on the aluminum. "That's just a little dirt. It will clean right up". Some dealers are not guilt free with their advertising and maintenance habits, nor their thruthfulness in advertising.

At Congress when we were shopping for a trailer, we observed on more than one occasion, potential customers discussing a particular purchase, based on the window treatments and interior furnishings of the LQ. They had never seen the stall area, what the flooring was or how it was constructed. Their comfort was more important. I guess the fact that this was afterall, a "horse trailer", had no bearing.

For many, the floor is just part of the trailer that is ignored, until something fails. We've had a poster complain about the quality of her trailer. This occured when it was FIRST observed after SEVEN years of ownership, that the flooring had corroded. Why wasn't this damage covered by some kind of warranty? What a piece of JUNK this trailers is; how inconsiderate the manufacturer was, and don't anyone else buy such a piece of trash. Maintenance? An eleven letter word that should be avoided at all costs.

Some owners are fastidious, others are not. I think one poster had it right. If the trailer owners' take care of their houses, then their trailers probably will be too.

In many retail situations, first impressions are formed within the first ten seconds of seeing the item. If they are favourably impressive, you'll more than likely make a sale. If they are not, the customers will usually walk. If someone wants to sell an item, it's in his best interest to make sure it's bright, shiny and appealing. If he's too lazy to do so, he may not make the sale, or have to sell the item for less than its worth. Of course if he is that lazy, he probably doesn't care anyway.