25' 1985 Sovereign query

[Montana Bill]

What is the price range on a 1985 25-foot Sovereign in "good" condition? I am totally new to travel trailers other than having friends that own Airstreams and Avions.

I am thinking of a Sovereign that has most of the bells and whistles available back in 1985, where all work, there are no big dings, no leaks, excellent tires, solid floor...

Is there something to be on the lookout for in that model and year?

I appreciate any help that can be provided.

Thanks in advance,

Montana Bill

[dwightdi]

You can look at the listings on this site would be a good place to start. Then there is Ebay. I personally like the swash programs that look at all the Craiglist sites. Here is a link site mash : airstream : combined classified and auction listings

That should give you a start.

[davidz71]

I have an '86 Sovereign 25' side bath, corner bed and I really like it. The only problem I have experienced is a water leak around the rear ZipDee awning mount at the top which allowed water to leak in and swell the floor slightly on that curb side as evidenced through that side compartment opening. I have also experienced a couple inches of floor rot on the street side rear under the bed due to a missing roof rivet. These issues stopped after proper tightening of the awning bracket, new roof rivet and caulking around these areas. I has been over a year and all looks good. I will treat the floor area in those compartments next summer with some type of floor rot stuff.

There have been no frame issues except I did remove some rust from the rear frame rails next to the lower panels on both sides and under the belly pan in the rear. The frames were treated with POR15 and top coated with the silver POR Top Coat. Oh yes, I replaced the outrigger behind the street side rear axle because it had rusted through. In a couple years the one on the curb side will have to be done but I have that outrigger in the garage all ready for that project.

[Aage]

Montana Bill,

Welcome to the group! You will find that there is an incredible wealth of information available here from a friendly bunch of people.

I have the feeling that you have seen one available in your area and are trying to get an idea if what the owner is asking is fair. As in anything that isn't a "commodity" (such as Airstream trailers in relatively low population parts of the country), the answer you seek isn't something that's fixed in stone.

As an example, I live near Toronto, Ontario, a region with about 5,000,000 people and it took me about 6 months of regular searching to come across the unit I wound up buying. It wasn't the exact one I wanted, but the condition, size, and features that I deemed necessary were all there.

Because an Airstream trailer has many of the things a real home has, the condition of a 25 year old trailer such as the one you are considering is something that can really only be reliably checked by an expert. There are "amateur experts" available from the membership of this group in many parts of the country, if you wish help with the compexities involved.

By the way, I say "amateur" only because they don't charge for the service. The list is available from a link on the "Portal" page, I believe.

If you want a wild guess, I would hazard to say a low of $5,000 for the low end of the range of condition (things would NOT be perfect, one or more systems would be either missing or defective) to a high of maybe $10,000 for one that has been well-maintained, and in which all the systems (heat, hot water, electrical, axles, refridgerator, and so on) are present and in good condition.

Now, this is only one man's "guesstimate", so take it with a grain of salt.

If you want to discuss things to look for, please tell us more about the details of the one you are looking at. Photos are always a help, the more the merrier.