i have the oppty to buy a 1985 safari 25" for 15,000 and dont know the value....any input from anyone? it was refurb'd 2 yrs ago and is in pretty good condition with a few dents on the exterior gas bottle tank but other than that i dont see much else wrong with it. nada value shows really low so how do i value this one? any advice is greatly appreciated!
Do you have any pictures or the link to the advertisement for this Airstream? It is hard to give any opinion with so little information. I am no expert, but $15,000 seems high to me for a typical 1985 Safari 25. This may be a much better than average AS, but it's hard to express an educated opinion without more information.
You need proof and documentation on the refurb. Most of the time that means they put laminate flooring over a rotten sub floor and they put up new curtins. Also it can mean they ripped out the gas/electric fridge and put in a cheap electric one. It would have to be a pretty serious rebuild to be worth that. I have seen a lot of great looking trailers for less than that but what is underneath of that new face lift.
Concur with the very good advice in the first two posts.
Refurbishment could mean anything.
Ask for receipts.
Get someone to inspect the Airstream with you. Use a comprehensive checklist.
25' is a very desirable length, but $15,000 is too much for a 1985 unless it is PRISTINE!
I sold a pristine 2000 Safari 27' in 2006 for $19,000. I thought it was fair market valueat the time as did the buyer.
Again, get a some help from a technically astute, Airstreamer with no emotional investment in the transaction.
__________________ Ken L
2019 Flying Cloud 27FB
2020 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab 6.2L Max Tow
i have the oppty to buy a 1985 safari 25" for 15,000 and dont know the value....any input from anyone? it was refurb'd 2 yrs ago and is in pretty good condition with a few dents on the exterior gas bottle tank but other than that i dont see much else wrong with it. nada value shows really low so how do i value this one? any advice is greatly appreciated!
In your profile you list a 1985 25' Sovereign this must be an error as a Sovereign is much longer than 25'! So what model are you looking at? Ed
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1967 Safari Twin "Landshark" w/International trim package
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i have the oppty to buy a 1985 safari 25" for 15,000 and dont know the value....any input from anyone? it was refurb'd 2 yrs ago and is in pretty good condition with a few dents on the exterior gas bottle tank but other than that i dont see much else wrong with it. nada value shows really low so how do i value this one? any advice is greatly appreciated!
The 25 foot model in 1985 was the Sovereign, not the Safari.
The Safari name was used until 1979 but never on a 25 foot trailer. In 1996 Airstream used the Safari name on a 25 foot model for the first time.
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Richard Wally Byam Airstream Club 7513
Good advice in the above posts.
A question worth asking is if you want something you can camp in right away, or are you looking to restore something? Those 80's trailers seem to be right on the cusp of being able to be ready to camp, and/or being a solid foundation for an easier restoration.
If you want to do a restoration I would say there are cheaper alternatives (for a starting point). But if you want something to camp in right away maybe it will cost you that much.... Personally I don't know much about the 80's trailers, but you're still talking about 26 year old components in that trailer, I would imagine that things could start going wrong pretty easily if you used it a lot...
ALL Airstreams have leaks even some of them right off the factory floor. I think they started using particle board some time in the 80's. Particle board is going to increase the likleyhood that the floor is shot. My 81 ended up needing a rear floor replacement. This took me a couple of months to get this one camp ready and it still has issues. The center bath ones are easier to fix. If I had a rear bath model I would have been screwed. I am still fighting leaks but am getting close to getting them all fixed.
I paid $5000 for mine and have put months of work and at least $2000 in it already. I see another $1000 right away for a new AC unit. I expect I will have about $10k in it eventually and I am doing it all myself. If you have someone else do the work the sky is the limit.
Do you have any pictures or the link to the advertisement for this Airstream? It is hard to give any opinion with so little information. I am no expert, but $15,000 seems high to me for a typical 1985 Safari 25. This may be a much better than average AS, but it's hard to express an educated opinion without more information.
I tried to attach 4 photo's....what would you ESTIMATE it would be worth? I also am somewhat concerned about not being able to find it in NADA because there are NO safari's in 1985 and the ONLY 25' is a sovereign and when i searched on the internet for 1985 airstream safari i got zero results as if there is no such thing then one of the other posters mentioned that safari was last made in the 70's.
It looks nice, perhaps an Excella or a Classic, but
none of us can provide an estimate of fair market value until you provide your inspection checklist results and the working condition of:
1. Air Conditioner
2. Refrigerator ( cools to 32-40 degrees in both modes)
3. Freezer (cools to 0 degrees in both modes)
4. Furnace ( lights and heats interior to thermostat setting and shuts off)
5. Water heater
6. Electric jack
7. Fresh water system (no leaks)
8. Water pump
9. Electric tongue jack
10. Trailer brakes
11. Tires (no more than 5 years old)
Inside Condition
1. Curtains/drapes
2. Floor covering
3. Mattresses
4. 12 volt lighting system
5. Window hardware
6. Any evidence of leaks
thank you for the info on the year because that was one of my major concerns...not being able to see a 1985 safari listed in NADA. i've seen the trailer and it has safari painted on it so he must be lying about the year is all i can figure.
It certainly looks like a 1985 Sovereign 25... As other posters have suggested, there was never a 1985 Safari.. That name ended in the 1970's and was re-launched in the late 1990's. SOvereign was the upper end model above Excella. SLightly better interior trim.. Same shell and floorplan..
At that vintage, a 25' model in great condition could easily be worth $15K.. That is probably a good mid-point.. To get more precise vale you can consider adds and deductions for a number of key big-ticket items that might need repair/replacement:
Plusses: Flooring, Upholstery/Curtains, Condition of clearcoat skin, newer tires, wheels and axles, rebuilt or replaced A/C or refrigerator or water heater...
Subtract:
1. Floor and subfloor issues/rot - Up to $1,000
2. Bad tires and brakes and axles - Up to $2,000
3. Failed Refrigerator or A/C - $1,500 or 1,000
4. Curtains need replacement - $500
5. Replacement water tanks or plumbing cores - water heater - Up to $1,000
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Condoluminum
In Theory, there's no difference between Theory and Practice, but in Practice, there is usually a difference...
I would say that unless it has been kept in a vacuum in a dark room that it is not worth $15k. How many owners has it had? What maintenance was done? For something almost 30yrs old and not to have problems would mean that the most anal airstream owner in the world would have to owned it. I would think in this economy that you could get something 10 yrs newer for that price. If you can't see the sub floor especially in the corner areas that are rot prone you don't know what you are getting into. If you could pick it up for half what they are asking it might be a good deal but you still might be in for months of work to get it road and camp worthy.
I tried to attach 4 photo's....what would you ESTIMATE it would be worth? I also am somewhat concerned about not being able to find it in NADA because there are NO safari's in 1985 and the ONLY 25' is a sovereign and when i searched on the internet for 1985 airstream safari i got zero results as if there is no such thing then one of the other posters mentioned that safari was last made in the 70's.
Looks like a nice one, how many are available, how soon do you want one, are you happy with paying the asking price, have the main appliances been recently replaced, fridge, hot water, furnace, a/c? Does the floor seem solid (use an ice pick as a probe, gently), tires less than 5 years and an ST tire not truck tires, brakes? It's really your call, I just bought a 93 Excella that needs some work but I'm tickled with it.
Owner doesn't need to be "anal" for things to be in good shape.. Years from '85 to '94 are best of narrow bodies, and better built than Safari' of late 90's...
Our '88 Excella 25 was bought for $13K in '03, and after re-doing interior completely everything works well and it's worth at least $15K...
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Condoluminum
In Theory, there's no difference between Theory and Practice, but in Practice, there is usually a difference...
I have a 25', 88 model Excella. The 25' trailers are in the Airstream sweet spot for us. Small enough to fit in most forest service campgrounds and yet large enough to live in 4 months at the time, which we have done. You can pull it with something in the 150 clas of trucks or suv's. I bought ours for less, but with the work we did on it we have a bit over 15000 in it. We did get it just before the economy went down, but I do not know how much that affects older airstream prices. The pricing information I see above looks very good. Do you plan to keep it a long time and use it. Maybe the price does not matter as much as the condition and if you really want an airstream.
I think a 29-32 trailer of this vintage would be worth less. The somewhat newer 34' trailers seem to do well in resale. But then they are well over a hundered new and few made.
NADA price is not worth much for buying a older Airstream. The value is in the condition. Airsteams are expensive to have worked on and are time consuming if you do it your self. If it checks out good I would say it is not a unreasonable buy.
Some good advice I received when I started to look for my Airstream was to see as many trailers as possible. Even if you have to see some that are in bad shape or way above your price range, they will give you a good idea of what things are worth.
There are many airstreams out there, and probably more will be on the market each day with the economy the way it is, so don't be in a hurry or jump at something without having something to compare it to.
If you go see a lot of them and get a good feel for them and the problems that crop up as people have mentioned in the posts above, you will know when the right one comes along and you won't think twice about it.
This site and several others, along with taking the drive time to see a bunch of trailers that were not right, allowed me to know how to spot the right trailer when it came along.
2012 25' FB Eddie Bauer
Vintage Kin Owner
Virginia Beach
, Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,801
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric H
Some good advice I received when I started to look for my Airstream was to see as many trailers as possible. Even if you have to see some that are in bad shape or way above your price range, they will give you a good idea of what things are worth.
There are many airstreams out there, and probably more will be on the market each day with the economy the way it is, so don't be in a hurry or jump at something without having something to compare it to.
If you go see a lot of them and get a good feel for them and the problems that crop up as people have mentioned in the posts above, you will know when the right one comes along and you won't think twice about it.
This site and several others, along with taking the drive time to see a bunch of trailers that were not right, allowed me to know how to spot the right trailer when it came along.
VERY GOOD advice! paula
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Learn to find hidden floor rot problems. Usually frame rot accompanies floor rot. I did not spend enough time learning what to look for. I think that you have to have the experience of rebuilding one of these things to know where all the problems are.
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