What should a 65 Caravel with a new axle go for?

[fun2bethad]

This Sunday, I'm going to list a 65 Caravel on Ebay. Here's the shpeele....

Up for sale - one vintage 1965 Airstream Caravel complete with brand new axle, alloy rims and wheels all of which were installed at the Airstream factory. It breaks my heart to put this up for auction as they are super hard to come by but, life being what it is, it's a necessity.

Airstream discontinued manufacture of trailers less than 20 feet long in 1971 and didn't reintroduce them until the 1998 Bambi. That 26 year gap resulted in a scarcity of smaller trailers making them much sought after by collectors.

I purchased this particular trailer in Connecticut last year and drove it back to Ohio. It was my big summer adventure. Once I got it back to Ohio, I went to work on it. I fully expected this trailer to take me into retirement so I worked slowly and was as meticulous as possible. Below are the positives and negatives of the trailer:

GOOD STUFF
- Brand new Dura Torque axle installed at the Airstream factory - 1965 Caravel axles were made with a metal that weakened over time and many have been known to lose a wheel in the middle of the highway due to spindles snapping off the axle.
- Brand new 14” alloy rims and tires – These are the EXACT rims and tires that are used on Bambi trailers coming out of the factory today and were actually taken from the production line to be put on my trailer.
- New spare tire and alloy rim – Never used.
- All electrical is operational. The technicians at Airstream charged me for 8 hours of labor to go through and check all wiring. The battery powers right up and holds a great charge.
- Bargman plug replaced with new.
- All original wall lighting is present and newly painted in a shiny black finish. It’s a great contrast with the rest of the colors and textures in the trailer.
- New cable plug added for campgrounds with cable.
- Tongue and bumper have been sanded down and painted with a hammered silver Rustoleum.
- Plumbing was just serviced at the Airstream factory and is very tight. No leaks.
- New water pump.
- New folding bathroom door.
- Brand new mobile air conditioner. This unit sits in the shower pan and drains through the shower drain. I’ve created an acrylic insert which fits in the window. This is what the A/C unit vents through. This is the perfect solution for keeping things vintage on the exterior. Also has a heating option.
- New stainless steel switch plates throughout.
- All screens are present and accounted for.
- New break away switch (activates brakes in the event of trailer separation).
- New black water tank professionally installed at the Airstream factory. Valve was also replaced.
- Much of belly pan is new and was installed at the Airstream factory.
- The frame was rust proofed and new insulation was added to the entire belly while belly pan was off. Your good for another 40 years.
- Additional outlets were added in the battery compartment to accommodate outdoor lighting or other functions.
- Trailer is watertight. There are no leaks.
- SOLID FLOOR – floor is solid (with the exception of the area under the back sink. This is a universal issue for all Caravels as they were not engineered correctly on the back bumper.
- Stainless steel screws have replaced 95% of the screws on the trailer (inside and out).
- All but one window cranks are operational.
- New carpet throughout. Most of the cabinets also have new carpet in them as well.
- New vintage aluminum Hehr ceiling vent cover. These are hard to come by as the blow off a lot of trailers. Vent cranks work like a dream.
- Two new OPD compliant propane tanks.
- Light covers are all present and accounted for (one has some slight warping do to PO putting in bulbs with too high a wattage)
- Stove and burners work great as does vent fan above.
- No major nicks or scratches in shower stall or sink. There is some light cracking but this is pretty universal for Caravels as well.
- There are about 35 vintage curtain tabs present. About 6 are broken.
- Original hot water heater cover present on exterior.
- Newly installed towing hitch with stabilizer bars. These are vintage and I purchased them on Ebay.
- Two vintage stabilizing jacks are included in the purchase.
- Zolatone interior is original and unmolested.
- Perhaps the best part of all….THE MAHOGANY INTERIOR – I spent countless hours meticulously removing each and every cabinet door, sanding them to a smooth finish and then applying a healthy dose of Watco oil (the recommended wood oil for vintage airstreams). After the doors were done, I sanded about 80% of the interior mahogany that could not be removed from the trailer. I also removed every cabinet hinge and hand cleaned them with steel wool.

STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The exterior has some nicks and dents. I would call the exterior “average” as a 40 year old trailer is bound to have some beauty marks.
o 3” dent on back passenger side
o Scrape with puncture (?). Plate riveted over it by previous owner.
o Aluminum bowed out a bit by door
o Nick above hot water dent
o Dents in both wheel wells (I think a tire blew at some point).
o Ripple of aluminum trim by driver side
o Small dent above heater cover
o Scrape on bottom of door lock and hinge
- The trailer used to have an awning but on one of my outings, a tree decided it just had to have it….so the parts are enjoying a long vacation in my garage. Winning bidder is welcome to the parts. I believe that it could probably be restored with some work. Two “locking arms” are still on the trailer.
- TV antenna does not work. It gave up last winter (never crank antennas on a frozen morning). I had intended on taking it off as this would give the trailer a more clean and traditional look. I just hadn’t gotten to it.
- The curtains were home made by the previous owner. They are functional but I wouldn’t call them stunning. I did have them dry cleaned.
- The cushion covers do not have a single tear or rip in them but are original. The previous owner made non-elastic cushion covers (dark green in the pictures) which compliment the interior. I also had these dry cleaned.
- Fridge, hot water heater, and heater don’t work to my knowledge. I have never tried to light the hot water or heater but I believe that is what the previous owner told me. The fridge lights but won’t cool. Heater control unit is out but I’ve got it in a box.
- One running light is finicky and can’t decide whether it wants to be on or off. It’s seeing a therapist, so we are hopeful.
- Clearcoat is getting tired, particularly above door.
- Door seal needs replaced.
- Door step needs welded on left side to reattach hinge.
- Refrige exterior access door is not original.
- Small chip on corner of toilet tank cover.
- One locker latch is missing, another one has been replaced.
I know that this is a lot of information but I’m trying not to leave anything out. I’m sad to part with this trailer after my large investment (I put more than $4,000 into it AFTER the purchase) of both time and money. My hope is that it will go to someone to loves vintage Airstreams as much as I do and will make her an important member of the family.

There will be a whole blah, blah, blah section at the end about shipping and payment, etc.

My question is....based on the description....what do you think I should realistically expect this to go for? I'll add a few pictures but I still need to take good exterior shots. Thanks for any help you can give.

[InsideOut]

Have you checked out this: Price vs Condition website? It may help you determine a realistic expectation ~ with ebay, you never know

Shari

[Stefrobrts]

SOLID FLOOR – floor is solid (with the exception of the area under the back sink. This is a universal issue for all Caravels as they were not engineered correctly on the back bumper.

That was the only part of my caravel that WAS unquestionably solid. I would avoid making a blanket statement like that. Saying it has a solid floor, then correcting yourself by saying there's a problem but blaming it on engineering - I think people will respect you more if you represent it for what it is. If the floor is in very good condition with one exception, just say that. I've never heard anyone else claim Caravels have any inherent design flaws in the rear.

I don't know how much you can get for it now, but I'd hang onto it until spring. From what I've seen there's a feeding frenzy as soon as the weather turns nice! And it looks like a nice trailer.

[fun2bethad]

Stephanie,
Thanks for your feedback. I will change the listing as you've suggested so that I don't seem like I'm contradicting myself . As for the issue being fairly universal, here is a quote from the owner of a 65 Caravel at VintageAirstream.com:

"This was supposed to be an easy restoration of a sound original trailer, but there across the whole back sub-floor was dry rot. Seems Wally's engineers couldn't figure out what to do with the frame where it exits at the rear and forms the bumper. These '60's trailers have the sewer hose compartment top skin lay on top of the frame, and then extend back underneath the wood floor. All the rain that comes down the back of the trailer skin hits that skin & shoots right into the wood floor!"

Every 65 Caravel I've come across has had this issue. Glad to hear yours was spared!

[yukionna]

Right now there is an eBay auction for a fully-restored 1967 Caravel with a Buy-it-now price of $25K.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vinta...spagenameZWDVW

[urbanfood]

i was looking at that restored one too. i think the buy it now price is a little out of line based on what i've seen.

i've also been watching all the smaller airstreams on ebay the last couple of weeks, maybe 10 or so, and only a few have sold. most aren't meeting the reserves set by the sellers. most of the airstreams need work but there was a 56 16' that sold for $8800 to a guy in the netherlands.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWA%3AIT

[Stefrobrts]

Right now you're looking at all the people who are willing to buy a little trailer and spend the winter fixing it up, or just putting it away, to use in the spring (at least in most of the country). There's not as many people in that group of buyers as the ones in the spring, who are dying to get out and explore and see a cute little trailer for sale and HAVE TO HAVE IT. I'm not kidding. Every spring I get emails from people begging me to sell them my trailer, because they see it on my website and see how it is fixed up and everything works. There are people who really want to get their hands on a finished, functioning trailer.

I think the biggest downside of your ad is this

Fridge, hot water heater, and heater don’t work to my knowledge. I have never tried to light the hot water or heater but I believe that is what the previous owner told me. The fridge lights but won’t cool. Heater control unit is out but I’ve got it in a box.

A quick trip to an RV shop to have the propane system checked and get these appliances running would add a LOT of value to the trailer. I think it would be well worth your while, and would be very attractive to buyers who want a trailer ready to use. Otherwise they have to figure that they don't work, and account for replacing them.

I will take a stab at it and say $6-9k. If you can get the appliances to work - $10-12k. If you spend the winter polishing it, anything could happen, but I would guess in the spring $15 to nearly $20k then (and people won't care about the appliances as much in the spring either, due to the GOTTA HAVE IT frenzy). I believe one went for $18k on ebay last spring!

I agree the $25k buy it now is just wishful thinking. I don't think one has ever gone for that much (not counting the special one-off rolling works of art put out by Winick and Vintage Vacations) and that's getting dangerously close to the price of a new one. Few people will buy a 40 year old trailer when they could get a slightly used one for the same price.

That's just my guess. I try to keep an eye on the caravel market so I know what to tell the insurance company in case anything happens to mine!

[Stefrobrts]

Looking at that one on eBay, it is a pretty nice custom interior. The color choices won't appeal to everyone, but the new layout looks nice. They might not be too out of line if they tried selling it for that in the 'on' season.

[Julison]

Originally Posted by fun2bethad

Stephanie,
Thanks for your feedback. I will change the listing as you've suggested so that I don't seem like I'm contradicting myself . As for the issue being fairly universal, here is a quote from the owner of a 65 Caravel at VintageAirstream.com:

"This was supposed to be an easy restoration of a sound original trailer, but there across the whole back sub-floor was dry rot. Seems Wally's engineers couldn't figure out what to do with the frame where it exits at the rear and forms the bumper. These '60's trailers have the sewer hose compartment top skin lay on top of the frame, and then extend back underneath the wood floor. All the rain that comes down the back of the trailer skin hits that skin & shoots right into the wood floor!"

Every 65 Caravel I've come across has had this issue. Glad to hear yours was spared!

Hi,

My Caravel had the EXACT same problem.
I even pulled the floor out + belly pan and had teh occassion to be inside during a rain storm. Sure enough, as the rain hit the back bumper it started to run into the back battery compartment.Eventually the frame started to rot as well.

My question, what is the design fix? I've got the Caravel at teh welder right now and I would like to reassemble with a design fix to prevent the same thing from happening again. I was thinking of drilling holes in the bumper to let it pass into the rear storage tray and then draing from there.

Any good ideas?

Julison

[fun2bethad]

Julison,
I can't say that I have discovered a fix yet. Seems like no matter how much Vulkem you put back there, you still end up with the same issue. I think its about layering the whole area up. Eventually, you are bound to get lucky and plug every whole. Good luck with that!