Fair sale value of '93 Excella

[DodgeDave]

Is $19,000 excessive for a restored 34 foot 1993 Excella. It has had all carpet and fabic replaced and has new fabric on exterior window shades. Smells good inside, everything works and is in excellent shape. I want to buy it but this seems like too much money. Thoughts?

[Aage]

Yes. The solution? Offer a lower figure or find another one.

Seriously, I've noticed lots of 34-footers on ebaY and the other forums that re-sell trailers.

Even here on our very own Classifieds!

For some reason, they don't appear to hold their value as much as say, a 25-footer. The sellers' pain, your gain. (I would LOVE a Big Boy 34' unit!)

[DodgeDave]

Thanks, Aage. How would I find the fair market value for it?

[Aage]

I don't think that there is a good simple answer to that, Dave. If you keep looking around long enough, at some point everything should just click together.

You'll look at a trayla, hear the price and think "Hmm, I wonder what's wrong with it?"

If the answer to that question is "Hey, not much!", and you find yourself getting all misty-eyed when you think of it, then slap your money down and start to polishin'!

Seriously, apparently the NADA guides' pricing looks like the writers were smoking the carpet when they came up with the numbers, and since it is unlike cars, where for most models there are tens or perhaps even hundreds of a particular model available at any given time, you have to educate yourself.

Pour over newspapers, Craigslist, ebaY, local and regional papers, and on-line sites like our own Classifieds here. Up here we still have Kijiji, which is where I found our trailer. But we looked for about a year.

The more time you can take to find the one that's right for you, the better your chances are to come out with the right trayler for you at a fair price. If you are in a hurray, or don't have the time to spend doing the looking, spending more might reduce your chance of buying a lemon, but it's no guarantee.

Of course, new AS trailers have a warrantee. You don't get that luxury with used ones.

Sooner than you think, you will get a good idea of what you should have to pay. Of course with used vehicles, especially the older ones, condition is King, you also need to educate yourself on what to expect and what the amount of work or approximate costs might be.

[Aage]

Ps: you have here a great resource to lean on to help you buy a trailer. I would ask them any question, and be confident that I will get a good answer.

Also, knowing what to look for is important: I have attached an Excel file that was created by someone on Airforums, and it is a very detailed check-list of all the things you should look for when you are lout to view a prospective trailer.

Please notice the tabs on the bottom, LOTS on stuff to look at.

Good luck, and don't forget to read here and ask questions when a search doesn't find what you want to know.

[DodgeDave]

Aage,
Very kind of you to take the time and effort to share your thoughts. Your replys were helpful and thought provoking. We are thinking of taking a loop through Ontario in late May or early June.
Thanks,
DodgeDave

[wasagachris]

Hey DodgeDave what will you be looping in. Drop by to see me I would love to see your airstream if you get one. Discount offered on camping to TAC members.

[DodgeDave]

Plan on having a 2001 Cummins/6 spd manual/Jake brake to pull the 34 foot Excella. Want pass through the Niagra area and circumnavigate Lake Superior. Will be watching for Morel mushrooms.

[sandlapper]

DodgeDave
We have two 34's, a 90 & 93. The 90 we gave considerably less than 19,000 the 93 just a bit more than 19,000. Our 93 is pristine , inside & out. We felt like we got a fair deal on it. Condition is everything, it is all original , the skin so beautiful most folks think it is new or refinished. The 90 is very nice also , but not as nice overall as our 93. It had more use, shows more wear, doesn't shine quite as much. Still a VERY nice trailer. If I had the money I would buy either one again. If I could only buy one I would buy the 93 again because of it's condition. Go with your heart. A few years from now a few extra dollars won't be a thought.
IMHO, the 93 was the last great year for AS. They made lots of changes starting in 94 , many not so good. Not trying to bust on AS, but if you look closely some cut backs become obvious.
PM me if you need the figures we paid. Good luck, safe & happy trails. John.

[Crusty]

Just be aware that the models from that period were made with flakeboard flooring instead of plywood - it turns to punk when it gets wet because of the plastic plumbing fittings.

[Bill M.]

If it is a really nice one and you like it you should just consider paying "too much" for it. It is not like anybody is keeping score. My experience tells me it is better to spend money up front to get good condition than to try to fix something later.

without seeing the trailer I can only guess. but if it is well done inside and cosmetically good outside I would guess it is well "worth" the asking price or close to it.

The value depends totally on the condition. I have bought 2 older airstreams, 1988 models. I paid around 11000 for each but ended up with about 18000 in each before I got them "good to go". Any repair trip to Jackson Center or to an Airstream dealer will add cost at an alarming rate. Exterior condition and cosmetics are probably more important than anything else in determining price. You can fix components but it is expensive to make it look better with trim, clear coat, or polishing.

Depends upon your alternatives and how much time and expense it will take you to find one as good cheaper. Check for leaks by checking the floor carefully. Particularly if it has vista windows and under the water heater. check for the floor seperation. Most of the people I know that have the 34' model love them. There are a lot of them out there in poor conditon for sale.

[DodgeDave]

What an excellent forum this is! Exceptionally good advice from everyone. I will continue to wrestle with price vs condition. Now I have a better feeling for what to look for.
Dave

[sandlapper]

"It is unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money-- that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot -- it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that,you will have enough for something better.
John Ruskin