Sovereign vs. Excella

[ricksre]

OK, very basic question. I'm a former Airstream Land Yacht motorhome owner, and a soon to be travel trailer owner. I'm about to look at a '87 Sovereign. I'm familiar with the Excella in a similar vintage, but the Sovereign is new to me. In the trim line, can someone explain the food chain?
Am I to assume the Sovereign is the line below the Excella?
Thanks for someone answering a basic question

[j54mark]

Originally Posted by ricksre

OK, very basic question. I'm a former Airstream Land Yacht motorhome owner, and a soon to be travel trailer owner. I'm about to look at a '87 Sovereign. I'm familiar with the Excella in a similar vintage, but the Sovereign is new to me. In the trim line, can someone explain the food chain?
Am I to assume the Sovereign is the line below the Excella?
Thanks for someone answering a basic question

This is correct. Throughout the 80's "Excella" was an upgrade in trim and options. While the gap could be narrowed with the selection of options, there were some basic differences which would remain. Primarily the differences were oak vs. plastic in tambour, the spice rack, dividers, that sort of thing.

At this remove, the condition would be far more important than the trim itself.

Good luck,

Mark

[Hit'nMiss]

Rick your are correct as far as the 70's decade goes, Actually the Excella then was just about a half step above the Sovereign. Same with a very few ups such as a built in vacuum and pocket door between gally and bedroom area, different credenza, different outside decorative trim band, etc.

Sometime in the 80s the model/trim, guidelines went goofy IMO so you are going to have to get someone elses opinion on that.

Flicka

[ricksre]

Thanks much! That's what I suspected. This one is advertised with oak cabinets, and the pictures indicate pretty good condition with the original upholstery ('87). Of course that could be oak veneer. Any "trouble" spots I should look for?

[nickcrowhurst]

Rick, lift up the lid to the rear storage hatch in the back bumper, where the electric cable and water hose are stored. At each end, inside the storage area, short lengths of the box frame are exposed. There is a hole in each length, on the side. This hole is about 2 and a half inches in diameter. Look in these holes with a bright flashlight to assess the extent of frame corrosion. These frame sections are visible from the outside for about 8 inches. Sometimes these parts have rusted right through. I saw one for sale at Melbourne where a piece of thin steel had been pop-riveted over this area to disguise the corrosion. When I pressed hard on the steel I could hear the frame disintegrating! If the frame is bad, I would not bother to go any further. If the frame is good, floor rot from water leaks from the windows and bathroom is the next big issue. After that, check for no serious dents in the skin. If the frame, floor and skin are sound, the rest can be fixed with TLC and a few $k! Nick.

[ricksre]

Nick,
Thanks for the tip! This trailer has spent it's life in Texas, but it never hurts to check for frame rust.
So you spend the three days it's summer in England, and the rest of the time in the USA?

[nickcrowhurst]

Rick, you must have visited England in a good year! Nick.

[ricksre]

Nick,
My family came over from England in the late 1600s and settled in the Chesapeake Bay area. Last year when I queried one of my cousins who lives near Norfolk, UK about summer he said it occurred between about 1 and 3 PM on the 23rd of July.
That said, I'm very proud of my British heritage.