Need advice continued ........

[hapitauk]

Thanks so much for the info re my request moho vs travel trailer. So nice to get such quick response. I was especially wondering how tough the towing was in the wind--we had a pretty rough few days on our trip this year in our moho with the awning at one point being pulled out from the side of the moho and slammed back. Also thinking that care of AS may be less than moho--one less engine to service. Have done a lot of research and if we make the switch from moho to travel trailer want an Airstream with Hensley hitch.
So for more questions--we went to look at a 1998 25 ft Safari today. It needs work--was parked under pine trees in NJ and the clear coat has been removed in a no. of areas. To redo, would the clear coat have to be removed from the whole coach or just down to the strip that goes around the middle of the coach. Can this be done by us or does it have to be done professionally--I have read some posts where members have removed the clear coat and polished the coach themselves. Sounds like a lot of work but we are retired Is it unusual for a 1998 to have lost so much clear coat and is it
something that we should walk away from? The coach did sit for some time but then was used to drive from NJ to CA by a mother and her daughter (coach is listed in classifieds here) They spent 5 weeks driving across country and she said before she made the trip she had it gone over and put new tires and wheels on it--also put an oven with 3 burner top in it. She said they didn't use the toilet and when I checked there was no water in it--and I don't know if this automatically means the seals are gone. We have always kept water in our toilet in the motorhome and have never had any problem. If the seals need to be replaced is that a major job? How do you know what is the going rate for a used AS--there seem to be so few available. We checked nada and something that year shows to be around $12,000--she is asking $21,000.

So many questions--and I am sure you have all heard many of them before. Thanks for your help!

[Fyrzowt]

I was especially wondering how tough the towing was in the wind--

I towed my 25' Safari in some ferocious winds on the Utah/NM border, no problems.

the clear coat has been removed in a no. of areas. To redo, would the clear coat have to be removed from the whole coach or just down to the strip that goes around the middle of the coach. Can this be done by us or does it have to be done professionally--I have read some posts where members have removed the clear coat and polished the coach themselves. Sounds like a lot of work but we are retired Is it unusual for a 1998 to have lost so much clear coat

The Clearcoat was beginning to peel on ours as well. Yes it can be removed, and somewhat polished - it's my understanding from the forums here, that the newer ones don't polish up quite as shiney as older ones.
As far as re-doing the clearcoat, you can use a spray can to spot coat it just for protection, but it shows. I tried it and wasn't happy with the result. I have heard of stripping just the affected panel and re-coating it. Hopefully we'll get a response from someone who knows what they're talking about. I've never done it.

and is it something that we should walk away from?

Look carefully at the market, how does the price of this one fit? Try to get info on how much you will need to spend to get it the way you want it. Add that to your purchase price - is it still worth it to you? Your decision, and good luck with it!
Dave

[Janet H]

CLearcoat failure on trailers this age is common - Airstream had some clear-coat issues in the mid - late 90's. It can be removed and you can do it yourself. But clear coat is a cosmetic issue - some folks just leave it.
Toilets are repairable if needed - parts are readily available. A brand new toilet is about 200.00 for a really good one and a fairly simple swap.

Use the search tool on the upper blue tool bar and search clear coat to read a LOT of different opinions and fixes.