Looking to buy an 2005 Safari with a dent in the back corner

[dargosy2015]

We need your help. We are finally taking the plunge into the land of ownership. We have found a 2005 Safari with a dent in the back for $30,000. I LOVE the layout and it would fit my family perfect. Should I run from a dent or not? Thank you in advance.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...1577158414082/

[n2916s]

Well, the dent is cosmetic. A "paintless" dent repair place could make it look better but replacing the panel is the only perfect solution. Otherwise looks like it was well cared for.



The price is reasonable and the Hensley is a nice bonus. If it suits your needs, go for it.

Maybe find a nice vinyl map of the U.S. about the size of a place mat and glue it over the dent -- then color in all the states you visit...[emoji3]

[PKI]

To buy and use - dent is of no consequence. Repair or use with patina. Your choice.

To be a basis for a twoftitis trade in two years, keep looking for the choice you would make in two years.

It's always nicer to make your own dents, but being able to find the right coach for you is the deal.

Hope to meet you down the road. Pat

[rmkrum]

Try the inner tube, sheet of plywood and shop vacuum trick to pop the dent yourself.

Inner tube to surround the dent, plywood with a hole for the shop vac hose, put suction on the assembly holding it over the dent. Some have reported decent results this way. Won’t be perfect, but may reduce it a lot.

[AlinCal]

I have tried the inner tube on a smaller dent in a similar curved area with no results, it is amaizing how much suction there is but not enough to reverse that dent imo.
Someone skilled in paintless dent removal would be my recommendation.
I see allot of filform on the upper and lower panel seam as well as around the marker light, beside those issues it looks like a nice trailer, a six sleeper I think.

[Bill M.]

Yeah. I would buy it with the dent.

[vintageracer]

Dent = Character.

Besides with the trailer already having a dent you won't feel so bad when you add the second dent to your Airstream!

[pkm123]

A paint-less dent repair technician, and I emphasize technician can remove this. Replacing the panel is not always necessary. I have had a dent in the roof just as large removed in this manner. Also, hail damage can be repaired in the same manner. There is a complete thread on Filiform corrosion repair. Most on this seems to be along the belt line. It can be stopped and or controlled. Have an AS owner with experience help inspect the AS with you. There can be lots of hidden problems or issues that can rear there ugly heads after your purchase. Price seems fair. You might be able to get an allowance on the sales price for the dent repair.
Ken

[Shacksman]

Originally Posted by dargosy2015

We need your help. We are finally taking the plunge into the land of ownership. We have found a 2005 Safari with a dent in the back for $30,000. I LOVE the layout and it would fit my family perfect. Should I run from a dent or not? Thank you in advance.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...1577158414082/

Find this dent puller and it will remove that dent with 1 pull. I have one and it works for most dents like that. I'll bring mine to Florida this winter if you want to use it. https://www.amazon.ca/KKmoon-Pneumat...ateway&sr=8-25

[Woosch]

I wouldn't let the dent stop me. Have someone pull it out. It won't be perfect but maybe a little easier to live with. Looks like a pretty good rig.
Good luck!

[AtomicNo13]

Research the hot glue method. Im willing to bet you can restore it to 90% + satisfaction.

[brokeboater]

Nice looking unit. I just bought a 25 Safari in Clearwater and had this one on my list to look at if I didn't pick up the one I did. I'm not a fan of the SS layout for my own needs or I would have been all over that one. The last two I bought have had dents that bad and they didn't really make any difference to me. I tried the suction dent pullers on my last one and it didn't do any good. Perhaps the hot plastic routine would work. On the lower panels gaining access to the backside isn't a huge project and possibly you could push it out from the inside.



IMO the price is right even considering the dent. Buy it, use it and enjoy it just the way it is. As far as the filoform corrosion mentioned it doesn't look bad at all to me. Good luck finding any better in coastal Florida, or any coastal location for that matter. I've passed up a few due to corrosion but I'd not worry about that one. The corrosion on the one I bought is much worse. I'm just going to treat it the best I can and use the rig.

[bolerama]

It's a beautiful unit. The 25SS is my favorite layout. The dent isn't a deal breaker. It will hurt less when you get your own dent.
Lisa

[75Bob]

You won't be able to fix the dent and have it look decent. Each panel costs $550 and Airstream dealers want $1,350 to replace it in labor. Negotiate those two costs into your final cost. It's probably to late for that info but happy trails anyway.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by 75Bob

You won't be able to fix the dent and have it look decent. Each panel costs $550 and Airstream dealers want $1,350 to replace it in labor. Negotiate those two costs into your final cost. It's probably to late for that info but happy trails anyway.

Who quoted those figures and how recently? And is that an olympic rivet overlay or a bucked rivet replacelent? My lower curbside rear panel buck replacement cost almost 4K at the mothership 4 years ago.

[dargosy2015]

Thank you all for your input. Hopefully our loan comes out of underwriting. The NADA value stinks on Airstreams, they are worth every penny.

[75Bob]

Alrighty then, here's the long version. When I bought my AS it had a 3" dent across the back on top from hitting a garageor tree branch. While I gutted the inside I got in contact with Jackson center to purchase the top 3 panels. They sent me diagrams of front and back panels of my 75 AS. Each panel had a part number listed. I bought the 3 panels from JC for $425 each. They would NOT sent them to me even if I paid delivery costs. They will ONLY ship to dealerships. So I went and picked them up in Ohio 6 weeks after I paid for them. Brought them back and found a mechanic at Camping World that used to work for Argosy back in the 70's. So this guy new his work. Camping World didn't know the cost or hours it takes to replace a panel so they thought they guessed high and charged me $850 per panel to install. Done deal. Went out west to have the trailer polished in Sacramento Cal. Cost $4,500. But the guys that did the work pressed to hard and got the aluminum too hot. Many warps, not to mention they polished out all the sealant at all the joints. While contacting my insurance co. about the damage we headed north. Insurance co. wants a estimate and tells me to go to a AS dealer. So I go to the one in Oregon. $17,000. worth of damage. Because the insurance co. is buying ,OK go ahead and buy 5 panels. they will be delivered to Oregon in 6 weeks. Oregon AS charged the insurance co. $550 per panel and the price to install each panel was $1,350. So the insurance co gave me the cash to get this done. So I put the panels inside the bed of my pick-up and headed back to Illinois to have my CW mechanic install them at a cost of $850 each. The insurance co. also paid $65 a square foot to polish the new panel however, the AS dealership would not do any polish work, period. This is one reason I left with the panels. The dealership would not negotiate any price reduction on the labor or consider polishing the panels. So if I have to do all this run around work, I'll do it so I get part of the pay out. I took them back to Ill. and had CW do it, then went and bought all the polishing equipt. I saw t the polishers place and did the work myself. I also had to but the guy at CW a special curved bar with all the rivet holes in it to help him do the alignment of the panels. I also bought the 2 bags of Olympic rivets that AS said they would need at some thing like$1.50 each rivet. After CW was done they gave me back 1/2 bag of rivets. One thing to know about buying panels from JC is that they sell them either coated or raw aluminum. Seeing how I was going to polish them I of coarse bought the raw ones. I think they were $50 each cheaper just not through the dealership. I have had a total of 8 panels replaced, some $425, some $550, all 8 installed at $850 per panel plus one trip to Jackson Center, Ohio. If you don't look you won't find it. Anyone will be happy to take ALL of your hard earned money. Happy trails.

[75Bob]

PS. These are all upper panels and the work was done in 2017