I really need some help and guidance here making a decision.  Currently I own a 2001 Exiss, 3H Slant, 6' short wall.  It is insulated, has an awning and an AC with heat strip.  There is no walk through between the dressing room and horse area.  It weighs 5200 lbs empty. I have found a 1994 Sundowner, 3H Slant, 6' Short wall with walk through.  It has an awning and living quarters, including a 2 burner stove, AC, seperate heater, microwave, refrig, escape windown on both sides of the bunk (the Exiss has tiny windows without the safety escape latches).  The Sundowner also has a roof rack with ladder and each slant area has feed mangers with outside access doors (great for storing those lawn chairs, etc).  It also has a shower and toliet.  The Sundowner weighs 7500 lbs.  The Sundowner is everything that I want.  I mean everything....Except it is 2" narrower than my Exiss.  Also, I am a bit concerned about the weight, although I have a 1 ton F350 to pull it.  So what do I do?  The Sundowner is $2,500.00 more than what I paid for my Exiss and we are pretty sure I can get what I paid for the Exiss.  Should I make the move, or should I stay with the Exiss and finish it out myself?  There is a difference in years here and a difference in weight.  Also, the Sundowner has the camper certification sticker as the living quarters were professionally installed.  HELP me make a decision.  Thanks! 

The materials used in a full LQ with a bathroom will cost in excess of $2500 and consume an inordinate amount of labour to construct. Not only must you be a good carpenter, but a cabinet maker, plumber, electrician and sheet metal worker.

A used trailer that has the layout you want, but may have some minor issues is less expensive if you consider your time is worth something. You can enjoy it sooner and fix just what is wrong instead of having to build it first. You can spend the better part of a year that it would take to complete, enjoying your horses and family.

We were going to buy a dressing room model and build the LQ. Then we looked at purchasing a shell and having a conversion company do the LQ installation. We ended up buying a used trailer with a LQ that was larger and better equipped than we had initally considered. This worked out so well that this summer we purchased a second used trailer. Our total cost for the two trailers is less than the price of one new one. We have endured only minor issues and couldn't be more pleased with our decision.

There are hundreds of trailers for sale. A search will probably result in one that is what you want. Most prices are not absolute and some negotiations are possible making a newer or better equipped trailer more accessable than you initially envisioned. If there are any issues with equipment or repairs, they can be used as bargaining issues. Private sales usually result in better prices than through dealers.

Selling and purchasing trailers through HTW have been simple and satisifying experiences.

BOL  Gard

Chiming in to agree with what everyone else has said, and add a couple of points.....

The weight difference is negligible with a one ton towing rig, and you will probably add the difference in weight if you finish out your current trailer to make it a LQ

Definitely consider the age of the Sundowner, and the appliances inside.  Find out if any have been replaced and when.  If not, factor in the inconvenience of losing your fridge, A/C, furnace, etc. at the most inopportune time.   14 year old RV applicances are pretty old and are due to be replaced if they haven't already.   Might even be ready to be replaced a second time at that age. 

I did the same comparison you did, do I upgrade my dressing room to a LQ, or do I sell it and buy a trailer already set up with LQ?  I found that selling my non-LQ trailer and buying a very lightly used LQ trailer was a better deal.  I got more LQ features by buying used than if I had upgraded my dressing room to a LQ. 

Happy shopping, this is definitely the time of year to do it!