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Ssmookler · 08-20-2014, 07:27 PM

Just made the leap and purchased a1986 sovereign 25'. My wife and I have been on the search for nearly a year. Found ours in the airstream classifieds last Thursday located in Georgia . Went over the weekend and the owner was extremely helpful and we purchased on Monday . Surprised at the amount of storage space in it. Will be taking it to the factory for inspection.
Now the fun begins...

msmcv51 · 08-20-2014, 07:47 PM

25' Sovereign, great sized trailer, big enough yet small enough. Good choice. Hope to see at some of the joint unit rallies in the future.

Glen W. · 08-24-2014, 03:21 PM

Hi, I'm looking at a sovereign 25 in fair condition, but a dented body. It's the length we want and from the few fotos posted, it looks like the interior configuration we want. Where can I find photos and floor plan of a 25-foot Sovereign? They seem to be rare.

airdreamers · 08-24-2014, 05:07 PM

Ssmookler,

Welcome to Sovereign ownership as you will find they are great in many ways!

msmcv51 · 08-24-2014, 05:16 PM

You can find floor plans, depending on the year at airstream.com

Ssmookler · 08-25-2014, 05:52 AM

Thanks Airdreamers! My wife and I are extremely excited about learning the ins and outs of our new Sovereign. We are planning on bringing it up to the Airstream factory for them to give it a once over so that we can be assured that the overall integrity is ok and there are a few things we want addressed. It has a very musty odor in the closets and under the bathroom sink and we are concerned that there is either current or a past water leaks.

astrocaver · 02-08-2015, 02:30 PM

Did you get your unit back to the factory? How did that go? I have had my 25' for two years now and have learned a lot, some of it the hard way. This forum is great though and you can learn a lot from people who have been thru it before. Dan in Denver.

Ssmookler · 02-09-2015, 06:42 AM

Great timing! We're on our way to Jackson Center! 10% discount on work done during winter. We'll start with 27-point inspection and take it from there.

So tell us: what did you learn the hard way--so we don't have to?

Thanks,
Steve

NavyCorpsman · 02-09-2015, 07:12 AM

I remember the day I got mine....I still feel the same way today. You will too.......

astrocaver · 03-09-2015, 04:53 PM

So how did your Jackson Center trip go? Did you get into snow?

One thing I learned was to double check the jacks before pulling out. Someone in the campground yelled at me ,so I only got a few feet. I was able to beat it back into shape. I know better but must have gotten distracted on my way around the trailer. Treat it like an airplane an do a walk around before moving.

airdreamers · 03-10-2015, 10:00 AM

Wow! We have yet to use the
levers. Since we had an older class that did not have them, it's all what you are used to. I would also be afraid of driving off like you did. Hope no serious damage.

Ssmookler · 03-11-2015, 06:53 AM

We spent 3 hours going over some of our concerns with the AS Factory Tech and it took a week to get an estimate back from them on the things that need to be done and the things we thought we wanted done.

We received their estimate of work following the 27 point inspection and it was an eye opener. My wife and I narrowed down the things we are going to have done to what is needed. The inspection indicated that we need a new converter and I got advice on getting a three stage converter to replace the univolt. I also asked to have the grey and black discharge valve looked at because it was hard to open and close. The factory said they could do it but the valve replacement was $50 buck but 5 hours of time. So.....I looked at some videos and thought I could replace it. Since I don't have the AS available, my memory was that the valve was accessible and not buried inside the skin so it should be pretty easy to replace. Am I right???

85 Sovereign · 03-19-2015, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ssmookler

... Since I don't have the AS available, my memory was that the valve was accessible and not buried inside the skin so it should be pretty easy to replace. Am I right???

I just acquired an '85 Sovereign myself. I'm sure there are some differences, but probably more similarities. The valves on the '85 are inside a tank shield. I haven't looked to see how difficult it would be to access them, but it may not be as quick and simple as one would hope. Good luck!

I hope to read and learn more from your experiences in preparation for my own. I suspect I'll have a lot more work to do on mine.

Ssmookler · 03-20-2015, 05:36 AM

We decided to let the factory do the tank valve replacement. They estimated it would be five hours of work and with everything else we're going to do ourselves we chose to let them do it for us.

85 Sovereign · 03-20-2015, 05:45 AM

That sounds like a perfectly reasonable idea. I'm doing the same with my truck. It needs front brakes. I normally do that myself, but since its going in for some steering work and alignment, they're going to have the front end apart and might as well put the brakes on for me while they're at it.

Aside from saving you the time and hassle, you're also not solely responsible if the job isn't done correctly. I think a little added insurance never hurts.

Ssmookler · 03-21-2015, 08:08 AM

What size sovereign did you purchase?

85 Sovereign · 03-21-2015, 08:27 PM

Mine is a 1985 31' with rear twin beds. It's still 250 miles away, but I'll go finish getting it road ready and bring it home to start renovations next month hopefully.

Ssmookler · 03-23-2015, 06:41 AM

That's great. I don't think I can be much of a help with me being a new owner myself but you never know. I can't wait to get ours back from the AS Service Center. We are going to put new counters and a new floor in. Also doing some painting. We will see how it all goes.

85 Sovereign · 03-23-2015, 10:56 AM

I hope you're pleased with all the work being done.

I plan to do all my own work, if I can. I'm not in a time crunch and money to throw at the trailer will come in its own time, so I won't be rushing things. I know that flooring (hopefully not the subfloor) needs to be replaced and I'll do something other than carpet for the replacement. Likewise, all upholstery will be replaced along with counter tops and plumbing, most likely. Good luck to you on your projects!

frscott · 04-10-2015, 06:31 PM

Hearing this (though an old post now) reminded me of buying my 1986 25' sovereign over 7 years ago. I had asked the seller to have it set up and running so I could inspect it, bad choice. He jury rigged it all to run, and by the second trip I new I had issues all over the trailer. I have replaced or overhauled almost every system and appliance on my 25', the other day I just passed 10k in updates. As I looked at my trailer though, I could honestly say it's worth it! Other than my children--who have exceeded 10k in expenses--I can't think of any other thing I could spend that much on and still feel happy!