1987 23' sovereign value?

[jcramer]

I have come across a 23' sovereign for sale and was wondering if anyone has any idea what a reasonalbe price to pay might be. This trailer has a dinette which I have not seen many airstreams that have had this but I'm also fairly new to this.

[overlander64]

Greetings jcramer!

Welcome to the Forums!

Originally Posted by jcramer

I have come across a 23' sovereign for sale and was wondering if anyone has any idea what a reasonalbe price to pay might be. This trailer has a dinette which I have not seen many airstreams that have had this but I'm also fairly new to this.

The smaller Airstream Coaches tend to be among the more sought after models. A 23' coach is toward the upper end of the small-sizes that are quite popular. While it isn't quite a Vintage coach, you might want to read through the criteria for assessing a Vintage Coach at:

http://www.vintageairstream.com/rr_t...condition.html

The suggested values for the late 1970s 23' Airstreams probably aren't too far removed from the values for an '87 depending upon the region where you are located - - there is still a little variability in values based upon geographic location, but they are rapidly disappearing (values on either coast seem to be a bit higher than in the Midwest).

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin

[66Overlander]

Wow, a late 80's 23 footer. I've never seen one, but according to the Airstream Web site they did make 'em in 1987 when it was the shortest model available. If the dinette looks original, I can only guess that the floor plan might be similar to the early 90's 21' Sovereigns, with the dinette up front, a kitchen in the middle and a corner bed and bath at the rear.

On the other hand, since there is some confusion on the way Airstream measures trailers, I suppose it could also be a 25 footer. These have front couchs, mid kitches, mid bath's, and rear bedrooms. If you included the tongue and bumper in the 23', it's a 23 footer, if not, it's probably a 25 footer. Either way it's a desireable Airstream. As Kevin noted, the shorter late 80's Airstreams seem to be quite in demand and fetch almost as much as the longer models.

So what are they worth? I've watched prices for the last several months leading up to the purchase of our '85 25' Soveregn and since then, too. My opinion is that pretty much regardless of length, late 80's Airstreams are generally offered for sale at prices between $9K and $15K if from private individuals - a little higher if from dealers. I have no idea of the final purchase prices, but I doubt they are too much lower. You will occasionally find some offered above and below this range. More than age, what determines their values are condition and options. Late 80's Airstreams below $10K probably need a little work, are untested, and/or don't have too many options. I'll assume but can't really prove that those priced higher don't needed as much work and can prove everything works. I have noticed that higher priced Airstreams often are optioned with several of the following: window awnings, rock guards, solar panels, microwaves, special hitches, etc.

Now with that in mind, only you can determine the true value to you. Is the size right for your expected pattern of usage (i.e. weekenders, multi-week vacations, or "full timing"). Is the condition of the trailer right for you (perfect, or needing a little work). Are the options right for you.

As far as conditon, there are many message strings on this web site as to what to look for, so I won't go into that. An 80's Airstream is old enough to have many "needs" if not cared for properly, but many are in great shape. Good Luck.

[jcramer]

Well Thanks for the feedback on values... it made the 1600 mile trip to Texas a little more easy to commit to. I was not able to see any photos of this trailer but I spoke several times witht the PO and decided if if was what he descrbed, it was worth the trip and worth the chance.

It is a 23' sovereign and I have posted some photos of our new trailer upon arival back to Idaho (see link below). This trailer did come with a dinette or sofa option across from the galley and we definitely like the dinette. We had been looking for about a year and most of the trailers we have looked at were around the $5,000 range and were of the early '70's vintage...we had never seen a late 80's trailer let alone see any advertised in the papers. We found this one in the thrifty nicke on line and believe we were very fortuante to pick it up for $7,000. The amazing thing I supose for this amount it that everything works and seems to be in very good condition. The only item that needed work was the water heater and that was fixed with 65$ on a new electrode and the furnace needed a good cleaning.



http://www.airforums.com/photos/browseimages.php?do=member&imageuser=7414

[66Overlander]

Wow, I've definitely never seen one of those before - front couch and side dinette - side kitchen - rear bath. Definitely different from the early 90's 21's. And it's a plus that yours has awnings all around.

It's a very interesting and probably rare Airstream, but one that we would never consider. We wanted a full time bed to make 2-3 week vacations easier. On the other hand, this does not seem to be an issue for many of the "vintage folk's" that seem to prefer smaller airstreams (generally 20' and under) that often have no "permanent" bed. Apparently they are OK making one of the goucho's up into a bed from scratch each night. Perhaps that is because they do more weekender type trips.

In any case, nice find. I hope you really enjoy it.

Joe

[Over59]

You did good, real good. That's a nice unit. You'll have no trouble selling it for that price for a long time to come should you want something else.