Is having the orignal Refrigerator Important?

[JohnG]

The refrig in my 75 doesn't work. I bought it in this condition.
When I replace it is it so important to replace with the same type refrigerator?

There are other brands on the market that are about half the ticket, but is this viewed bad or will it lower the resale value drasticly of such an old Airstream?

[BobbyW]

Are you looking at other "RV" type refrigerators like Norcold or are you refering to the small dormitory/garage 110V refrigerators like Haier?

My thoughts would be as long as its a 2-way or 3way RV refrigerator, and I was looking to buy your unit AND it was installed correctly, it would not matter.

Dometic does not even make all their units. Some are 3rd party rebranded.

[john hd]

john

are you sure your fridge is dead? unless you smell ammonia in or around it, it may still be good.

all it may need is a heating element or the gas burner cleaned!

i agree with bobby, a properly installed late model 2 or 3 way fridge will not harm its value.

if you decide to go with a standard home type fridge, remember you will always need to have electricity available. that is the nice feature of the rv fridges, they work when "off the grid"

literally food for thought!

btw, welcome to the forum!

john

[jlawrence]

"Is having the orignal Refrigerator Important? "

..I think it depends on the year of the trailer. We have a '59 and I think the older appliances are a prominent and distinguishing feature of the trailer. Unforturnately the fridge is dead... I like the 70's era trailers, but I don't recall how different the look of the fridge is from new ones..

Happy 4th!

John.

[JohnG]

Thanks,

I kind of thought that a different frig may not really make a big diff on the value of this year.

[Stefrobrts]

I think a functioning fridge is a much better selling point than an original non-functioning one.

Our fridge has been giving us a bit of trouble, and the local RV shop rebuilt the burner, which helped, and they said if it continues to give us trouble they can remove the entire back end and have that rebuilt as well. He says there's no reason to switch to a new one, and it's cheaper to fix the one I've got. Plus he likes it because it's one of the old ones without a circuit board. Better for boondocking, which we do a lot of.

[JohnG]

Good Point there.

I'm not against replacing with a frig of the same type, or even repairing the old frig. It's just the cost of the thing. I mean my frig in my house didn't cost that much and it's stainless steel.

[davidz71]

If I planned on using the trailer then I would spend the money and go with a new Norcold or Dometic. I spend most of my time boondocking so I need the LPG feature while at Parks the 110 v. is used. If I were looking at a trailer that was in perfect shape and the refrig had been replaced with a home fridge then I would be inclined to give less money knowing I would have to replace it with a 2 or 3 way RV unit. If the trailer was only in fair condition and the price was not negotiable then I would pass.

[JohnG]

It is a good point to repalce or repair just like orignal. It is also a good thing to have as I prefer a 3 way frig. I was just trying to way the difference of what an off brand (non-orignal) would do to the value of the trailer.

I think I will look into repair first, then estimate the equation if I have to buy a new frig.

[j54mark]

What "off brand" are you talking about? I am only aware of Dometic and Norcold, and there is little price difference between them.

Mark