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outofcontrol · 03-04-2013, 12:05 AM

How much do you think this is worth?
Needs 2 tires (2 are 2003, 2 are 2010), and is missing the center lounge chair.
Rear twins, center bath, engineered wood floors.
Has 3 solar panels.
Probably needs new window seals and a definitely a new door seal.
There's a dent in the street side rear corner- cosmetic, no puncture, but will require panel replacement to be fully fixed. Faded decals, peeling clear coat. Regular stuff for a 17yr old airstream.

Everything works, no leaks, all original, one owner, and I'm planning on picking it up tomorrow.

I don't want to divulge what the asking price is, or what we're agreed on for a price, but I want to show my wife what the Airstream community thinks it's worth.

Your opinion is greatly valued. Just throw up a value for me. What it would cost to replace?

Thanks,
Kevin

outofcontrol · 03-04-2013, 04:35 PM

Ok, I'll make it easier. Multiple guess:
A. $10,000
B. $13,000
C. $16,000
D. $19,000
E. $21,000

I know it's tough to know the market, but just take a stab at it.
-Kevin

SStar · 03-04-2013, 07:46 PM

Based on what we saw last year while looking for our AS, I would put it in the 16k range, providing it doesn't have any other problems. We looked at a lot of used trailers, some priced in the 12k range were in terrible condition. Once you spend over 20k you should start to find trailers in the 2000 models. The tires are a quick fix, no big deal. The dent is cosmetic, doesn't stop you from using the trailer, and you might help it a lot working from the outside. Overall, from the photos it looks good. Air con, appliances, awnings, and fixtures may be close to replacement time. Hope this helps.

Wazbro · 03-04-2013, 08:34 PM

I'm not to good with the value but, for the tires I would just use 1 of the 3 year old tires to replace the spare and get 4 new tires. It's nice to have a matched set and you didn't mention the age of the spare, since I have to guess my guess is it's the oldest tire.

outofcontrol · 03-05-2013, 01:07 PM

So I picked up the trailer yesterday. And I'm buying a full set (5) of brand new 2013 wheels and tires tomorrow. (from this site, but amazingly 2 miles from my house).

It needs a bath and we're going to modify it with a new/used/custom dinette on the street side. Other than that, totally happy with it.

It was a one owner, and it was their last one after owning 4 of them. The daughter (in her 50's) cried watching it go away.

All the awnings look like they're new. All the appliances work like they should and aren't rusty or worn out. (I've been down that road in my '82 MoHo---with every appliance!)

We're pretty happy about it, and I think it's going to look pimp with the new wheels!

Still want a few more guesses at value before I tell you what I paid.

Thanks,
Kevin

MtnCamper07 · 03-26-2013, 01:18 AM

I'm looking at a 1993 30' Excella that is almost as nice as yours (judging from the pics). The owner purchased it in 1996 and has had it since. Unfortinately, it has been sitting (not used) for the past 6-7 yrs. His asking price is $12k, but the owner is willing to knock off $1000 because the coil on the fridge needs replacing. It has a few other issues, such as dirty carpet (likely needs replacing), peeling clearcoat, small dent in rear top corner (curbside), needs new batteries, needs new blue Excella stripe all around, has damaged belly pan section behind rear axle (curbside), and a few other odds and ends.

It appears to be all original and nothing is missing. I would like to add solar panels as I intend to use it quite a bit this summer. Does anyone have any comments on the condition or price? Any suggestions? I would appreciate any comments. Thanks

NB

outofcontrol · 03-26-2013, 12:16 PM

NB,
So I paid $13,000 fore mine. He was asking $16k.

1993 is before the body switch to the wide body.
It will probably wise to replace the fridge instead of fixing it. And that comes from a guy that's tried to fix RV appliances over and over again (me), with mild success.
New fridge: $1200
7 years of sitting, and 20yr old axles probably means that they need to be replaced. That's a $2,000 job or $1400 if you do it yourself.
You'll spend $200-400 on new carpet or flooring.
Batteries are $110 each, and if it has an old buzz box Univolt, replace that for $140. You want a nice quiet 3-4 stage converter. The old ones are "dumb" and will fry your batteries if you just plug into shore power and leave them on. I like the Inteli-Power with charge wizard. It will make your batteries last 50-100% longer.

I think $8500-9000 is a more reasonable price range.

Tires? $125 each. look at the date stamp 2510 is the 25th week of 2010.
If it's been sitting for 6 years the tires are toast.

All that said, if you love it, and it's what you're looking for, do it. Ours also came with 4 solar panels integrated into the charging system. I don't remember the date, but I was shocked to see the invoice for the system. It was over $2600, with a couple hundred extra for trouble shooting down the road.

After doing a ton of research on solar panels, it doesn't make sense yet. They're just oo expensive for the power they generate. I think these are 50-60 Watts each? and we have 4 of them. We also have a Honda EU2000i that was $865. We can run the generator for 2hrs and basically do the same charging that the panels do all day.--if it's sunny. The Honda is so quiet, and if we use a 50ft. cord, you can't hear it at all. It also uses 1 gallon of gas every 14 hours. Don't get me wrong, I love solar power. I think it's the future. And once solar gets down to $.75/watt, every house, RV, and building will have solar power.

-Kevin

MtnCamper07 · 03-26-2013, 10:44 PM

Thanks. Quick Q: what is the difference between regular (older style) and wide body? And when did this change take place?

MtnCamper07 · 03-26-2013, 11:01 PM

It may be a 1994. How can you tell the difference? What is the difference between the Excella 500 and the 1000? If I do buy this, I would only have to travel 6-7 miles to bring it home. Then I can work on it. The price includes the hitch. I thought of replacing the fridge with a new unit - although a bit more expensive, it will be new. Can you shed any light on why trying to fix the appliances seems to end in frustration and wasted $$?

crispyboy · 03-27-2013, 05:50 AM

I replaced the coils in a refrigerator on our first trailer a few years ago. At the time it was about 50% the cost of a new one. The job wasn't too tough. The reason I chose this path was because the refrigerator was manually operated (simple) and didn't have to worry about an electronic panel going bad.

NoMoSOBs · 03-27-2013, 06:46 AM

$13k is a great deal on that unit. I hope you enjoy it.

Bill M. · 03-27-2013, 07:00 AM

Very good deal for you. Nice sized trailer. I doubt that the axles need replacing. Better deal than I have ever made on an Airstream.

outofcontrol · 03-28-2013, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnCamper07

Thanks. Quick Q: what is the difference between regular (older style) and wide body? And when did this change take place?

It's called a wide body because it's 6" wider. The outside dimension is 8.5' wide. When I looked at several trailers, I really noticed the difference. It might be the sum of the whole redesign and a little wider physical dimension, but the net effect is a feeling of more open space. I think it was slowly phased in from 1994-1996. The 34 footers were the first ones, and then they trickled down the new body panels to the other models. If you look at the background photo at the top of the forum, there's a line of 7 trailers and you can see the slight body difference between the different generations. The current curve is just a little more boxy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnCamper07

It may be a 1994. How can you tell the difference? What is the difference between the Excella 500 and the 1000?

I would look at the tag on the street side down low at the front of the body. Or at the title. You got me on the 500 vs. 1000 difference. I can't seem to figure out any of the models and what they mean. There's like 27 different models and I'm lost. I want to think the Excella is one of the top end ones? 1000 is better than 500? IDK?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnCamper07

Can you shed any light on why trying to fix the appliances seems to end in frustration and wasted $$?

First off, the parts are really expensive. I would hesitate on spending $600 on a coil for a 20yr old fridge. $50, yes. $600? You fix that part, then 4 more parts of the fridge are next. Now you have a perfectly great 20yr old fridge that you've taken apart and fixed 5 times and spent $2,000 on parts.
I fixed a fridge and I fixed a furnace. Once you dig in, you realize that so many of the other parts have about the same life expectancy, and they're also old technology. I really don't like the "disposable" mentality. I'd really rather fix it and make it last forever. But these things are just such a niche product, and just light and cheap. Believe me, I want to fix everything, and bring it back to life. You just might get overwhelmed and frustrated fixing a fridge over and over and over. And when it ruins your food for the 5th time and your wife is yelling obscenities at you for trying to save a buck and spending all your life fixing an Airstream, you might reconsider just buying a new one.
Also, this trailer has a 15-20 year life expectancy with us, so I'm going to do it right the first time.

-Kevin

idroba · 03-28-2013, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outofcontrol

First off, the parts are really expensive. I would hesitate on spending $600 on a coil for a 20yr old fridge. $50, yes. $600? You fix that part, then 4 more parts of the fridge are next. Now you have a perfectly great 20yr old fridge that you've taken apart and fixed 5 times and spent $2,000 on parts.
I fixed a fridge and I fixed a furnace. Once you dig in, you realize that so many of the other parts have about the same life expectancy, and they're also old technology. I really don't like the "disposable" mentality. I'd really rather fix it and make it last forever. But these things are just such a niche product, and just light and cheap. Believe me, I want to fix everything, and bring it back to life. You just might get overwhelmed and frustrated fixing a fridge over and over and over. And when it ruins your food for the 5th time and your wife is yelling obscenities at you for trying to save a buck and spending all your life fixing an Airstream, you might reconsider just buying a new one.
Also, this trailer has a 15-20 year life expectancy with us, so I'm going to do it right the first time.

-Kevin

Kevin: I hear by nominate this answer for the "Hall of Fame" of good responses. The question comes up over and over, and you have nailed the answer perfectly in my opinion.

Maybe we actually do need a "Hall of Fame" thread for great answers to common questions....lol.

But then, I am sure some out there think I am totally wrong.

TouringDan · 03-28-2013, 10:25 PM

Nope. I agree with you. An outstanding answer to a very good question.

Dan

MtnCamper07 · 03-31-2013, 10:08 PM

I just bought my Excella for $9500. It had been sitting for several years so I am certain that are many little things I will need to do to make it road worthy. Everything seems to work OK, except the fridge. It is a Dometic RM3807 that has a bad coil. New coil is $500 + $50 for shipping. I believe this replaces the entire coil/evaporator/boiler the entire unit. That would leave only the box as original. But I, too, share concerns about investing $500-600 on a 20 yr-old item (sure would hate to see something else crap out). So this raises several more questions:

Why was this particular model installed in my trailer?
Can a different model be installed? Why/why not would I want to do this?
Are there better models available? How are they better?
Anyone have a good source for buying a new fridge?
Is there a difference between Dometic and Norcold? Is one better than an other?
Is there anything else I might need to know that I haven't asked?

Thanks for all the help!

MtnCamper07 · 04-01-2013, 01:39 PM

After a bit of negotiating, I paid $9500 for the 93 Excella. Thanks for all the responses!!! At first I thought this a bit too high, but as the AS was less than 5 miles from the house I figured I would rather pay the previous owner a bit more (and be thankful I didn't have to spend a lot more $$ to go pick it up somewhere). Besides, he is carrying the note (I am making three payments) so this was helpful as well!

outofcontrol · 04-02-2013, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnCamper07

Why was this particular model installed in my trailer?
Can a different model be installed? Why/why not would I want to do this?
Are there better models available? How are they better?
Anyone have a good source for buying a new fridge?
Is there a difference between Dometic and Norcold? Is one better than an other?
Is there anything else I might need to know that I haven't asked?

Thanks for all the help!

1. No idea.
2. Yes, anything that fits.
3. Yes, newer, more buttons, more efficient.
4. Ebay, craigslist, google shopping. You just might find the same deal at your local RV shop. These are not special for Airstreams, and they go in the other 99% of RVs out there.
5. Not sure on Norcold vs. Dometic either.
6. I would have a good look at the whole fridge if you're considering fixing it. My final tipping point was when I found a crack in the plastic door hinge assembly. It required basically a whole new door, and killed the idea of fixing it. Even if you happened to find a used fridge less than 5yrs old, you'd save a lot of money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnCamper07

After a bit of negotiating, I paid $9500 for the 93 Excella. Thanks for all the responses!!! At first I thought this a bit too high, but as the AS was less than 5 miles from the house I figured I would rather pay the previous owner a bit more (and be thankful I didn't have to spend a lot more $$ to go pick it up somewhere). Besides, he is carrying the note (I am making three payments) so this was helpful as well!

Those are important considerations. I think any Airstream you buy is going to need work. Even a new one. You'll like it more when you survive all the work.

Let's see some pics!

-Kevin

MtnCamper07 · 04-03-2013, 10:15 AM

I am seriously considering replacing the entire unit. I can't justify spending $1000 on parts & labor only to have the same, tired-looking box. Besides, purchasing a new unti will cost only $1200. I have a lot of work to do. Thanks

outofcontrol · 04-03-2013, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnCamper07

I am seriously considering replacing the entire unit. I can't justify spending $1000 on parts & labor only to have the same, tired-looking box. Besides, purchasing a new unti will cost only $1200. I have a lot of work to do. Thanks

Voila! Essentially the same conclusion I came to.

You, just like me, are probably stubborn just like me. If someone says: "You can't do that", I'll say "Oh yea? I'll show you what I can do."

Other people are either lazy, don't have the tools, or have more money than time, (or listen to sage advice) and just say "Don't fix, just replace". I don't like that motto. But in this case, it's the right advice for the stubborn and even the clever/crafty type. The appliances are just disposable (recyclable) after 10-15 years. It's actually pretty fair that they last that long if you look at the lifespan of a home appliances that have no limitation on size or weight like an RV appliance does.

-Kevin