Need purchasing advice- 1982 Airstream Excella

[whatisand]

1982 Airstream

I'm a newbie and don't know anything about Airstreams except I love them! And I love this one but I want/need to be smart about it. I would appreciate any and all advice! Also, is there anyone in the area that could inspect it for me? What questions do I need to ask? What specifically do I need to look for? Again, any and all info is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[perryg114]

Unless all the work including the condition of the floors prior to remodel has been well documented I would not touch it. Granite does not belong in a trailer because of weight. Maybe other things that have been done that add to the weight. Floor rot is a major issue on trailers of this age and it can mean major work and a complete gutting of the interior to fix the problems and maybe hiding under all that pretty remodel.

Based on the amount of wood in that thing you are probably at or above the GVW for the trailer with it empty. It does look nice. I would not touch it if I planned on towing it much.

Perry

[webspinner]

It would make a great cabin if you plan to park it somewhere permanently. Otherwise, I'd have the same concerns as Perry.

It sure is pretty, but a camping trailer needs to have other qualities as well. A light weight trailer tows much more easily.

[DKB_SATX]

I've seen that trailer in the local Craigslist and had similar thoughts to those above... this trailer is going to be HEAVY, and I doubt anything was done to the frame or axles to compensate. The axles don't look to be too low, but nothing is mentioned about replacing them, so it's a question to be answered.

I'm guessing just the boards they've used to cover the walls add 300 lb to the trailer, to say nothing of all the furniture and cabinetry being heavier than original.

I agree that this would make a pretty park trailer, but would likely be problematic for lots of traveling.

[whatisand]

Thanks everyone! The supplied information was greatly needed!!!