What does $10k-12k really get me?

[joe3957]

I would suggest you befriend a local owner of a vintage trailer and enlist them to help you inspect the trailer you really want. I think you can find an excellent vintage trailer in that price range, but you can also get taken. Much like older houses, it is very easy to be infactuated by the polish job, and great window treatments. What you want to understand is the foundation and systems. Are the axles good, is the frame rotted, is the floor rotted. Those things will cost more than most cosmetics. If they are servicable, or within your budget then I think you can get what you want in that $ range.

[63Silver]

My wife and I bought vintage because of the price. We found a great 63 Ambassador that needed a lot of work but didn't require a lot of money. If you plan to restore get ready to pay! We went with remodel and tolerate things like a frig. that does not operate on gas, we do not have a gray tank but use a dump tank instead. I have been thinking about upgrading to something newer because of the upgrades but I'm not sure the newer ones are better made. We want to travel out west next summer so new axles and tires are on my list to purchase. I'm not patient, part of that immediate gratification generation....

63silver

[mutcth]

LOL, I get the feeling I'm part of that "immediate gratification" generation too. Someone needs to write "Zen and the Art of Finding the Right Airstream."

You raise a good point about "remodel" and deal with issues vs. restoring. Just need to find the right balance in the trailer in the first place...

[63Silver]

Honestly, the remodel was not difficult, not even replacing part of the floor. It just takes time and a little investigating to find things that will work on the old campers. I replaced all the water lines with PEC's which was a little bit of a pain but worthwhile. We kept the water heater, it's a small 5 gallon that only works on electric. That is something else to consider, Do you ever plan to boondock with no electric or water? We do not, we'll stay in the campgrounds. Our 28footer is a good size without getting to large. My brother in law has a 35ft triaxle, I would be terrified towing that oceanliner down the road. Best of luck to you, just remmeber life is short so start camping IMMEDIATELY. One last warning, Aluminum is addictive and "no" one is never enough!!

63silver

[fotochop]

Well, that depends on how hard you look and how lucky you are... I looked for maybe 3 or 4 months seriously..doing VAC and forum classifieds and the 'crazedlist' trick in Firefox. I stumbled upon a '69 Safari on VAC Classifieds and after inquiring learned there was also an '01 Tundra (with brake controller, sway bars, WD hitch, etc) that could be had for $10K for the both of 'em and, well, I jumped on it buying sight unseen since I had no tow vehicle and it seemed like a good deal:



I flew to VA and drove the combo back to LA (1400 miles) having never towed before. It was fantastic and a great first Airstream adventure. I decided to rebuild the bath after finding the floor was pretty shot back there. I guessitmated it would take six weeks, but it took six months! (part time..) You can see THAT adventure here:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...air-38434.html

Remember, like the lions outside the library, Persistence and Fortitude are required, but good deals are out there. I think an Argosy in really good shape would be a swell way to start (I was aluminum-obsessed and wouldn't settle for non-silver, though).

I would recommend learning as much as you can first, but it's really true that your first trailer is the one you "learn Airstreams" on. Also, there is no substitute for seeing a trailer in Person, up close. Learn about how to really inspect too, your icepick can be your best friend in trailer-buying..

I will say it REALLY helps if your handy with building skills: woodwork, plumbing, basic elec and learning the Wonderful World of Rivets...

good luck!

[osolow]

My .2 cents is
that there are A/S out there just be patient and don't buy the first one that catches your eye. I looked at several mid to late 70's models and even a couple 80's models.
i probably drove 500 to 1 thousand miles just looking at 5 or 6 different A/S then one day i was driving home from work and i saw my future A/S. which i found to be the weirdest thing thing that i drove a lot of miles and looked at a lot of A/S to find the one i bought 10 miles from my house.
which by the way i would take 12k for my 29fter not because i want git rid of it but its just me and the wife and were thinking that 29 ft is a bit big and a 19 to 22 ft would suite us a little better. i only say this because i just wanted to show you that there are good deal's out there and i think that any one who'ed look at my trailer would agree that its a heck of a deal.

[overlander63]

If you want an idea of what to expect after purchase, you can check out this thread:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f314...ins-32395.html
It chronicles our purchase, upgrades, and other odds-n-ends. Total cost for the trailer and all parts, not counting our labor, is currently about $11,000.

[Shacksman]

Mutcth, I'm sure we talked at the Vintage jam. Not sure if I showed you our pictures of my 73 Argosy. It's am example of what you can get. It's a 26' double bed, new axels, replaced front couch with one from a 2005 ( much more comfort) everything is original and guaranteed working, grey water tank added, new flooring and bath fixtures repainted to new looking. Just could use outside paint touched up. All this for $8500 because we are working on a 60 28' for our use.

[mutcth]

Thanks all for the thoughts. I'm trying to sort a few things out:

- Trading the "street cred" and better resale (?) of aluminum for the big front window, interesting floorplans, and ability to paint an Argosy.

- Looking at classifieds to see if I can score a 98 Bambi or 92-95 Sovereign 21' for my price range vs. paying less upfront for vintage and then, well, spending the rest on updates. (Or finding a sorted vintage trailer.)

- I'm pretty sure, despite the cases passionately made here, that I want to stay under 25 feet. (I don't want to use a heavy-duty truck for towing.) Just have to figure how much tandem axle models are worth seeking out vs a Caravel, 20' Argosy, or Globetrotter.

- And yeah, I need to be patient. Given that any trailer will be a mix of frustration and joy, I want to start with something that I really like in the first place.

[hampstead38]

We are in essentially the same boat (trailer?). We're looking for a 25' travel trailer and have discussed many of the same issues. Our first priority is safety which is why we'll stay with a 25' (or at the most, a very light vintage 27') and why we prefer a tandem axle. We're looking for a comfortable bed that sleeps two (rather than twin beds). This is probably going to involve some modest reworking of a floor plan. While we like the vintage option, head room is an issue. We found some of the "very" vintage trailers a bit low for two tallish travelers. At your $10k to $12k range, it would be hard to find a late 90s Safari in great shape, but I think a more diminutive Bambi is realistic. If we were looking at something in the 21' range, I'd forget about the tandem axle. You can protect the trailer with skid plates and if the tires are well maintained (replaced regularly) the chances of a blowout aren't really any greater than a blowout on a vehicle. You can always look at a TPMS if you are really nervous (or just over engineer everything like me). We're near Baltimore. If we find something that might work for you, we'll pass it along. Good luck.

By the way, in my opinion paint versus polished is just a matter of personal preference. I realize there is a silver twinkie "cachet," but I imagine there are paint jobs that would turn more than a few heads. I say go for what makes you smile.

[fotochop]

-as 2air has noted in other threads, there are some real bargains to be had in the 80's trailers, which seem to be in limbo regarding value/collectibility/etc... I could see a 20-25 foot 80's unit, tandem or solo axle, being a real steal if well maintained.. of course the older the vintage, the lighter the weight... and you probably already know the shorter the length the higher proportional price you will pay for it..kind of an inverse square math situation there.. Zep is restoring a '70 (?) Safari 23 tandem that looks pretty wonderful.. I've become a big fan of the 23-footer and camping with our family of three..a very nice fit, cozy but roomy enough..even with two dogs added to the mix..

[bullydogsmom]

Mutcth,
We too are new to AS. Having only owned ours about 3 weeks. Since you live in CT as we do, remember the salt air and rust issues we have here. Our AS spent it entire live within 10 miles of the ocean, so we have a lot of rust issues, fortunately very little of this issues ar with the frame. BUT it is a serious consideration when buying. We knew when we bought that we would be doing a TOTAL rehab. We have restored cars in the past so we didn't have stars in our eyes, well maybe a few. But when we gutted ours, we didn't find any real big surprises that we hadn't anticapated.

I think Fotochop said it well when he said "your first trailer is the one you learn airstream on." We paid 3,000. for ours and budgeted another 10,000 for the rehab. But when we are done we will know what we have from the ground up, No rotted floor, no rusted out floor stringers, brand new axels tires and rims,and all the mechanical stuff new. Our goal is to be finshed for next summer so we can take two of our grandkids to The Black Hills and see MT Rushmore. We'll see if we make it.

We don't live that far from you and if you want to come see what a "project " looks like let me know!

Annette

[DEITZ645]

Mutcth,
Here are some threads from a recent addition to the forum that just happens to be from Connecticut too.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...oad-42883.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...ost-43269.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...ucy-43892.html

The deals are out there, but you may need to be willing to travel, as did Duff.

Good luck and keep an eye out.

[biggoofball]

10 to 12 can get you this:



I know that you prefer newer I just couldn't resist a plug. I think you are right to be patient. Keep at it. You'll get just the right trailer for you.

[gail]

Ok we recently purchased a 71 Caravel I love her. We got a great deal and then put money in. My research showed that 12000 all working is a good price, no major dents, aircon, heat, etc. For our 12000 i reuphostered cushions we had the airstream dealer do a check, I have 3000 reserve and our goad was nice efficient for under 15000. I did not get fooled by a nice shine. Better a nice body with working parts. Not a hag that sags Good luck! I really was the investigative reporter. I do believe you need a tool box for minor things with new or used. Now I want to buy a really old one and have her gutted and redone by someone meticulous, and our son wants ours.
Have fun no matter what and keep looking and then try out all systems.

[mutcth]

Gail, thanks for bringing my thread back from the dead. You've got a fine looking Caravel!

To answer my own question:

- You can find newer trailers in this price range, but they're few and far between. I looked at a 2001 Bambi 16' - the floor plan didn't suit me, and the floor was in bad shape. I stuck my hand behind a dinette and pulled it out wet. That's bad.

- Lots of solid vintage stuff around $6000-$8000. I'm partial to the 78-79 Safari 23' - all of them seem to be priced at $7999. Looked at a beautiful 64 Globetrotter for $12,500 - but I like the 70s and newer stuff. (Talking about my generation, I guess.) Just missed a nice Argosy Minuet for $4000 - still a bit bummed about that.

- I'm beginning to think that the sweet spot is the mid-80s, early-90s trailers. We really like the center bath 25' floorplan, and those trailers seem available for $10k-$12k.

- So what did I buy in that price range? An used 2007 T@B teardrop for now. I don't need to do much to it, it's super simple, and it tows like cake behind my minivan.

I do wonder if the economic "slowdown" will bring a drop in prices for some of the newer trailers. I was seeing big prices for newer Bambi CCDs, to the point where $25k was a pretty decent deal (I passed that ad on to someone else who was looking, and she bought it.)

But I'm keeping my eye out for something bigger and silver...and a part of me (the eternal optimist) is hoping that I could get a fire sale on the (slow-selling) 09 Safari Sport 22' with the front wrap for the low $20k's in a year or two....

Tom

[b8sfamily]

We just purchased a very nice 31ft 1986 sovereign. We paid $8900 but it is travel ready and needs nothing.

[poncho/cisco]

As a novice I bought a 1971 28' land yacht believing it was "good" to go. My wife and I left last September on a 4 month trip that I had imagined for 25 years. I had to replace; 4 tires, 4 shocks, black water holding tank, hot water heater, rear half of bottom pan, propane tank regulator, and regular service to the tune of $8,000.00. I would like to sell it now and am asking $12,000 which will not come close to what I have in it and all for one 4 month trip. On the other hand a buyer will really know what they are getting. As a first time trailer puller I was also hesitant to go straight to 28' long, but after living in it for 4 months, I would not want a smaller unit. Once you get over the short learning curve, the length is of no concern and the comfort level is really nice to have. If anyone is interested call me 410-484-9688