Having just went through this I'll chime in on my experience and a couple of observations.
First off - and most frustrating of all - if you are on the West Coast (or Canada) you are going to miss out on some great deals. If you look at Racing Junk or Ebay (or listen to about 80% of the people on the forums) you'll see a ton of awesome looking trailer for sale at dirt cheap priced. None of which will be anywhere near you. Then when you look locally you'll gradually become more and more frustrated that you're paying at least 2K more than what anyone in Wisconsin would even consider to be a good price. That's just reality.
Second - size - I think that the sweet spot (depending on your truck and your trailer towing tolerance) is 24 feet (for an enclosed). 20 feet will work but you lose flexibility for carrying extras and the like. 28 feet is oh-so-tempting but it is a lot bigger than it seems (that said I know of a great deal on a 28 in CA that I was sorely tempted to act on despite being convinced my truck would have been too small). Focus on 20 - 24 feet.
Third - capacity - 3500 pound axles are probably too small 8 times out of 10. Figure that your trailer (at 24 feet) will weight 3500 pounds +/- meaning that you have 3500 pounds -/+ of rated capacity left. You'll see some axles rated at 4950 pounds (9900 pounds total) but they are really 5000 or 5200 pound axles derated to keep the trailer capacity below 10,000 which has some extra DOT implications for the manufacturer. At 10,000 pounds you have 6000 + of capacity which should be more than enough.
Fourth - layout and accessories - there are ton's of cargo trailers with car hauler options and (by and large) they are all the same. Some have better plywood on the inside and some move the breakaway battery around but beyond that I didn't see much (amongst like manufacturers) - at least until you get to actual "race car trailers" like a Haulmark Edge or the like. So when looking try to find something where someone has already invested in some goodies but, at the same time, be mindful of the effects of those goodies. The 24 with the lift looks cool but I have to wonder how much weight that adds. E-track, O-track, cabinets, spare tires, insulation, lighting, walls, ceiling, floor, shore power, generator, winch, etc. - get as much as you can for your money.
If I had not bought a trailer I would be really looking hard at the Pace - good brand, perfect size, looks like great condition and a fair price.
I wound up with this one - a 24 foot Blaze with 4900 pound axles.
I will be adding a load leveling hitch and a RideTech TowPro setup to balance things a bit better.
It's been fully insulated and pre-wired for AC and has O-track on the floor and E-track on both walls. I'll probably add some carpet to midway up the walls in the future.
I has 120-volt AC shore power for the lighting and has a battery charger and inverter pre-wired. I'll add an OPTIMA Blue Top and a winch this weekend. Greg was spot on on the winch ratings - unless you foresee a day when you're trying to winch a car in that no longer rolls freely you're fine with a "smaller" rated winch. Remotes, however, can be an important consideration.
And it has some decent pre-built cabinets and workspace. I'll add some stuff from Pit Pal to equip it better but for the same price as a new bar cargo trailer of the same size it's better suited to what I want to do. I lost the warranty but it came with 2 spares - and it has the EZ lube axles which makes maintenance a bit easier.
Good luck with your hunting.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
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