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Old 10-28-2006, 10:45 PM   #1
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Exclamation 68 Safari...Deal or No Deal?

I know, I know...everyone says read the price vs condition page, but feel free to sound off here. I have located a 1968 Safari about three hours from me. It is road worthy, all appliances work, has all original interior, plumbing works, gas is ok, new bearings on the wheels, yada. He is 3500 Firm on it.

I know I will have to put work into it to make it the trailer of my dreams, but does anyone think that this is an outrageous asking price for this trailer? There are only a few dings in the exterior, and the usual suspects (Dirty, some bumps and bruises, and some rusty hardware), but everything seems to look good from there. A single drawback is that they tried to put a TV into the front cabinetry and had to cun a small piect of trim out of the SKIN!!!!!

Not knowing much about this trailer since there are few websites out there in the ring with 68 Safari's I don't know anything about waste/black water tank holding capacity or anything.

What does everyone else think? I was considering paying $2000 for a 67 trade wind that had two new custom interior pull out beds, new water heater, and the underbelly was completely redone. Of course, there was no run plumbing, no run gas line, and the bathroom was COMPLETELY MISSING! I would have had to start from scratch...including the subfloor as I found it was missing.
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Old 10-29-2006, 05:58 AM   #2
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Hole in the Skin -- Hold on the deal!

There are more out there. Unless you just fall in love with it...

Some people do some crazy things, don't they?

Just my opinion. Free advice, and you get what you pay for...

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Old 10-29-2006, 06:01 AM   #3
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! If you love it, can live with the price, and don't mind some body work...go for it!
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Old 10-29-2006, 06:02 AM   #4
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Hello soldiermedic -- and welcome to the Forums!

It's a bit hard to know what you mean about the TV installation. A small piece of trim out of the skin? Do you mean interior or exterior skin? A picture could be helpful.

On the other trailer ... No plumbing or electric? Hmm.. An Airstream does not have 2 layers of subfloor and underlayment like a house. There's just a single approx 1/2" layer of plywood for a floor.

I'm glad your thread got a boost here. I hope for more input for you.
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Old 10-29-2006, 06:43 AM   #5
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Thanks for the replies. Here is a current pic of the TV in the slot. THe owner has no other pics, but states this, "A tv in it when I got it. I will leave it in. Looks like they cut some of the trim and edge to put it in..easy fix.



Perhaps they only mean the trim of that cabinet.
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Old 10-29-2006, 07:07 AM   #6
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If I had found it when I was looking I probably would have bought it. That said check it out as close as possible for floor rot.
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Old 10-29-2006, 07:11 AM   #7
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Are the biggest culprits for flooring rot due to the bath area and water hearter, or is the kitchen prone to leaks as well?
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Old 10-29-2006, 07:29 AM   #8
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Safari, certainly seems to be a good buy for $3,500. We paid a lot more for our 1967 GT. But we were not experienced and did not know the prices and costs of restoring. We had been searching for a long time and could not locate one to view within 2,000 miles. So when the GT appeared for sale and 100 miles away we went to view and purchased it.

There are many variables to be considered. How long are you willing to wait?
How far are you willing to travel? And how much money are you going to invest in restoring? And more and more variable. Aria
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Old 10-29-2006, 07:40 AM   #9
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Soldiermedic,
IMHO that is a decent price. I know people that have paid more and had to do complete teardowns. I paid a bit less than that for my 1975 Sovereign, but those are a dime a dozen

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Old 10-29-2006, 07:43 AM   #10
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68 Safari...Deal or No Deal?

Greetings soldiermedic!

Quote:
Originally Posted by soldiermedic
Thanks for the replies. Here is a current pic of the TV in the slot. THe owner has no other pics, but states this, "A tv in it when I got it. I will leave it in. Looks like they cut some of the trim and edge to put it in..easy fix.



Perhaps they only mean the trim of that cabinet.
So long as the floor is solid, the price certainly seems to be in-line for a coach of this Vintage and size in the Midwest (IMHO).

The television installation is attractive, but does raise at least two concerns. That roof locker is a pre-formed fiberglass or ABS Plastic unit, and the question is: How is the the television mounted to insure its safety/security when in transit? If the television is relying only upon attachment to the the ABS Platic/Fiberglass enclosure, I would be rather concerned about long-term durability as these units have something of a reputation for cracking under normal designed use. I wouldn't expect that they have cut the interior aluminum paneling if there is any behind the pre-fabbed cabinetry (however, they may have if the television has an unusually long picture tube). If the television is firmly attached to one or more of the ribs, there may be no real issue other than aesthetic -- is this a deviation from original that you can live with?

Good luck with your investigation!

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Old 10-29-2006, 07:49 AM   #11
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Doesn't look too bad in the photo

Quote:
Originally Posted by soldiermedic
Thanks for the replies. Here is a current pic of the TV in the slot. THe owner has no other pics, but states this, "A tv in it when I got it. I will leave it in. Looks like they cut some of the trim and edge to put it in..easy fix.

Perhaps they only mean the trim of that cabinet.
OOOHHHHH! Not bad at all. That's different altogether. I must have had a short in a circuit somewhere. I thought sure you meant some PO had cut a hole in the SKIN to make room for a tellie. The picture looks pretty good. Might be just what you need.

You probably already know (took me a while when I was new here) but you can use the "search" function hidden in the top blue ribbon to find all threads giving all kinds of really good advice from experts telling you what to look for. What you like is the most important thing (he says in his decidedly NON-expert opinion)!

Good luck. Let us know, btw.

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Old 10-29-2006, 07:55 AM   #12
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Looks pretty in the pic, Check for rot at the entry door and in the rear. That would drive the $ down for sure. G'd luck
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Old 10-29-2006, 08:06 AM   #13
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Thanks to all for your comments. I see a majority of people think it is a good deal. I know it needs a new water heater. The TV dismounts for transit..(An obvious concern of mine).

So...if you were in the market for an A/S and were 3 hours from said trailer for this $3500 price tag...you would buy it?
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Old 10-29-2006, 09:02 AM   #14
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more pics on eBay

Hi Soldiermedic -

I saw this airstream on eBay the other day and thought it looked pretty good for the price. Here's the item # if you want to look it up - 230043738880

I am no authority on the subject, as we just bought our first airstream (a 67 Safari) this past summer. But, we did pay more for ours. It had new fridge, water heater, toilet and more. So far the only thing we've had to do it replace tires, exterior lights, and redo curtains and upholstery. The only major repair we need to do (so far) is replace 4 plexiglass windows.

Good luck and welcome to the club!
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Old 10-29-2006, 09:11 AM   #15
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Hi Soldiermedic!
If all is well with the flooring (leaks) then it sounds like a reasonble price to me. We paid a good deal more for our '64 Tradewind and have been slowly working on it ever since (i.e. been slowly "paying" for it ever since ) but that's NOT to say we don't LOVE it!! It just really is a labor of time and money too! However, that said, we also were inexperienced and in a very pricey Southern California market. Ours was only about 1 1/2 hours away from home. That was definitely an attraction for us because my husband and I both work full time and have two kids. A long, long trip was really out of the question. Would it be out of the question for you?

I wasn't sure from your posts, but have you seen it yet? If not, then I would definitely jump in the car to go check it out in person. (That's what we did.) Then I'd be willing to walk away if it didn't look right to me. There really will be other opportunities and you will know when it's a good deal or not if you follow the advice of all the knowledgable people around here! Good Luck!
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Old 10-29-2006, 09:54 AM   #16
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Down payment made

I will be starting a new thread, but the down payment was made, and will be picking up next week.
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