1991 Land Yacht 36'

[brcompton]

Note: Note is is a second post. I think I may have lost the first post? Sorry!



I am looking at purchasing an Air Stream 36' "J" built in 1991 with the 454 CU IN chev engine. It has about 40,000 miles and has been setting under cover for the past 5 years. It does start and run and the interior and exterior look very
good considering the age. It also has a fairly long options list, including
hydraulic leveling jacks, backup monitor and converter/inverter package.
The tires will need to be replaced and all batteries. If I make an offer it
would be contingent on a complete inspection by a professional.

In looking around the internet I can't find much information about this unit. Were these good units and can one get service for them? Sure would like to talk with someone that has owned one of these.

Bill

[swebster]

Bill,
Welcome to the forum! There are a number of LY MH owners on here that can give you specific advice. All of us MH owners share the P30 chassis and 454 (albeit a few diesels and Fords) and most of us Classic owners have units far older than the 91 your are looking at - so you coud say we all specialize in age

Check out Fred's Airstream Motorhome Website (www.airstreammotorhomes.com) for some pictures and information on all of the AS Motorhomes. Also try searching the forum from Land Yacht for more information.

One thing to be extra careful with is the condition of the engine/transmission. It's likely that it could need replacement, not because it was absued or over used but rather because it was under used. Engines, Gensets and Trannys like to be run often and lack of use or long term storage can lead to premature failure even with low mileage. Make sure you get things checked out by a mechanic and let him or her know about length of time this unit has been sitting. Also ask the owner what maintenance has been done and how often they run the unit. The fact that it needs tires is not a good sign in that it probably has not been run on trips for quite a while.

I'm sure more will chime in on this topic as well.

Of course, depending on the condition and maintenance you might have found a real gem. Make sure everything works (genset, fridge, airs, heaters). AS's are typically very well appointed units and were the "top of the line" when new. Many of us keep much older units than the LY's on the road year after year and the maintenance can be quit a bit, but we get to enjoy the benefits of a high end coach for a fraction of the cost of a new one.

[brcompton]

Steve,

• Thank you for your assistance. I took another look at the MH yesterday (all covered with snow!). The unit is located at a travel trailer dealer. They are selling this unit for the orginial ower. Asking price is 40K which is above the NADA price. If the engine and transmission are in good order, I plan to offering about 20K. The unit needs new tires, brakes, and it needs to be serviced througout. I estimate I will need to put about $5000 into it to get it ready for the road. Does my offering price seem fair? Everyone is invited to comment.

[danwhite84]

I purchased my 1993 Legacy Laast year at a local dealer in Michigan. It is excellent condition, 50,000 miles, new tires, new brakes wihch wear replace as part of the purchase price. I was able to buy it at $25,900 with the agreement that everything would be working at the time of delivery. I was glad that I did get that in writing from the deal. The were very good about repairing things that were not correct. The ended up puting about another $1,800 into the unit after I purchased it and got it home. I beleive the should have don a better job going over the inspection points before the sale of the vehicle. Most of the expense came from brake work that was not done properly the first time and dash heat, dash AC, and instument cluster problems. One issue that did not get resolved by them was the roof. They were veery honest with me with the problems but I had a roof leak shortly after purchase that they said the could patch but would not geet into and wood rot in the roof.

Check that roof carefully for weak flexing spots in the fiberglass.

I would say that the 1991 36' in good woring order would go for about $25,000-$30,000. I think your $20,000 is a good staring point. Don't appear to be to anxious to buy the unit, walk away if you need to, and when you return you will end up saving a few thousand dollars!

Here is a sit with a 91 30' for sale.
http://www.chooseyouritem.com/rvs/fi...500/73726.html

Other may be listed in the links below:
http://www.chooseyouritem.com/used-r...-for-sale.html
http://www.rv-online.com/

Hope this helps!

Dan