Well, by now, a 2013 model will have all the warranty bugs worked out. By now, any cables that will break, have already broken. Any problems have been identified and "hopefully" fixed. Because of it's age, you should get a good price offer and if everything looks good on it, it should be a good trailer for a long time.
Slide cables can "go" at any time. There is no guarantee how long they will last. It's a cable, it rubs, it moves. It goes over pullies and is driving by a motor and a chain. It's mechanical, and it get used a lot. No one can say how well or how long any one of the 8 cables on any one of the 4 slides will last. They might last forever, and one may break the second you drive the camper home.
Cables cannot be "fixed." They are replaced. 90% of the time they break at the point where they connect to the slide at the very end or at the motor end. The other 10% is caused by rubbing, usually at the holes where they pass through the wall of the camper from the outside.
One of the first things you need to do is educate yourself on how cable slides work. There are 8 cables. 4 pull the slide in. 4 pull the slide out.
2 are on the top, 2 are on the bottom.
What that means is, of the 8 cables:
2 on top for pulling in
2 on bottom for pulling in
2 on top for pulling out
2 on bottom for pulling out.
If 1 cable breaks, the slide will still work. But it is important to untangle the frayed wires so the frayed wires do not damage the pullies or jam up passing through that small hole in the wall.
They do require some attention. You cannot simply ignore them. You need to simply wiggle them, when slide is pulled in and slide is pulled out. You wiggle them to make sure there is no slack in them. If you find one that has slack, they tighten up very easy.... exactly the same way as tightening a bicycle brake cable on the handle bar.
YouTube is full of videos on how to maintain, and replace broken cable slides. It will be your best friend. And yes, replacing cables is something you can do yourself. It really is not hard. But it does take some creativity because space to work on them is always tight.
Slide cables are nothing to be afraid of. They really are easy to work with.
Again, considering yours is a 2013, the bugs are worked out. If the tires are good, the roof is good, no leaks, no evidence of water damage, the floor is solid, all the appliances work, it's clean, and looks good, then you'll have a good chance of getting a really good camper that will serve you for a long, long time.
Do make sure the holding tanks are cleaned out before you take delivery of the camper. There's nothing worse than cleaning out someone else's poo.
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2019 Montana High Country 375FL
2014 Chevy Silverado Duramax, 6.6L Dually
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