looking at 25' tomorrow - need advice

[weldvair]

Hi all, This is my first post. I am going to look at a 1972- 25' airstream tomorrow. It's an estate sale & the person selling it said that the floor had a soft spot by the door.

How do I determine how serious it is & how hard it will be to repair? What else should I look at?

Thanks Don
St Cloud,Fl

[TankerIP]

There can be a lot to learn before you make your inspection. In my case I wished I had checked my floor completely. By that I mean, under the furniture, in all the niks and crannies, and from underneath if I could have. Each soft part is an indication of a leak that you need to find (or be able to find and repair). Lots of people here are brave enough to be able to tackle floor repair and replacement. In my case, I took mine to the factory. Expensive but a nice job. If you find all the defects, then use them in bargaining for a good price, you will likely end up with a great deal and have lots of fun.

To learn something about leaks you can read here http://www.airforums.com/forums/f456/

Check other forum sections for other things to look at.

[Bowmans]

When we started looking for an Airstream, we found this site to be very useful but also there is a buyers guide which I printed for the year we were looking at. It lists items to look at and what the costs associated to fix. It also lists what the trailer should cost based on the condition it is in. We did go a little over when we got ours but it was exactly what we were looking for but was a GREAT starting point.

Price vs. Condition - Airstream Values

[JLGT5107]

Hi Don, I'm in the process of replacing the floor in my 65'GT The soft spot by the door might be an easy fix. In mine I have some rot below furnace,also at water heater,a more difficult repair. And really extensive rot at rear beneath bathroom. Major repair. Due to overall condition I new it would be a total gut so the floor didnt put me off. Bring a flashlight,icepick and pocket knife. look in all access doors and any place you can get to below bath. Look for white or black stains and poke with pick. If you can see any of the elevator bolts that attach floor look for rust or black stains. I based my purchase on what I could afford for initial outlay[not much] . How much work I was willing and able to do [I have the time and 30 years of remodeling and cabinetmaking exp.] I expect to take 2 years to get it roadworthy. Unless the axel has been replaced you'll have to figure on that. And if you do buy remove wheels grease bearings and check brake parts before towing. Check my thread "lucky breaks" for a scary sight. Good luck

[crestonrv]

37 nyears old, at that age most of us had a few soft spots.
is to be expected on that old a unit and repair costs depend on lots of factors, too many to air here. restoring or refitting an antique is an adventure even for the experianced. also if is soft by door you should check at back wall/floor.

[Aage]

Here's something I found handy when I was buying. It's a checklist in MS Excel.

Take a printed version of this with you and fill it out. You won't miss much and you will look like a pro....

Pretty sure I got this here on airforums, but I can't remember where, si here it is.

ps: there are five tabs in the sheet, that need printed out. The one marked "MOHO" is only for motorhomes.

[airdreamers]

Half the battle in all of this is can you do this type of repair work? I just repaired floor damage at my door. You have to remove all evidence of rott and then replace it.

Hopefully the steel is OK, then its just securing the new flooring to the steel. Then make sure all leaks are repaired. I was recommended by the dealer to use Silaflex (gray) works great (messy though) yuck! Good luck! If the price is right go for it you'll love it!
Bill

[weldvair]

Does $3,000 sound like a good price for a 25' Airstream.

Thanks Don

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by weldvair

Does $3,000 sound like a good price for a 25' Airstream.

Thanks Don

That depends on it's condition.

Andy

[airdreamers]

I agree with Andy!

Bill

[VIKING]

Originally Posted by weldvair

Does $3,000 sound like a good price for a 25' Airstream.

Thanks Don

The most important thing I would look at with regard to price on a 1972 Airstream is: Does it have orange plaid upholstery?

Everything else being equal, this is a deal-breaker for me.

It depends on a lot of factors, one of the most important being how much do you want to invest altogether to have a nice campable unit, and how much could you offset the expenses with your own labor, if need be.
Really the most important thing to me was getting a vintage of Airstream that fits my ideas of how it should look. One factor being the door-in-a-door feature of the pre-'65 Airstreams, and I don't care for the wrap-around corner windows. So have you looked at different years and seen what is out there, or is this more of an impulse buy situation? I suggest you go to www.vintageairstream.com/archives and look at a variety of years and models first. I look at these regularly to find out what options and features were offered at various times and just to drool once in a while.

Welcome to the forum weldvair, I hope you find the Airstream of your dreams!
Rich the Viking

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, as usual, you have been given some good advice; But for me, my first concern would be a good, clean title. [pink slip] I would rather fix a floor than to fight with DMV.

[Airslide]

Good point Bob,

I wonder how they deal with a title issue in an estate sale if they dont have the original pink slip. Hopefully all the documents are in order.

Good luck with your project!

Vinnie

[VIKING]

A trustee has the right to sign for transfer of title in the event there's none available. The problem that arises is if the new owner never changes the title into their name, or loses the documents there is no way to trace the ownership back to a registered legal owner unless you can find the trustee.
Most estate sales go through without any issues like this coming up. When my father passed away my brothers and sisters and I agreed to give my fathers motorhome to my brother, Mike as his part of the estate settlement. We gave the trustee a document stating our position and wishes and he signed the request for a replacement title(we couldn't find the pinkslip). The next day it was transfered without a problem.

Rich the Viking

[bullydogsmom]

We bought a 72 Tradewind in July of 08, paid $3,000.for it and get her safe and roadworthy for about $10,000 more. Just so that you are aware, we were TOTAL novices, a 72 has no grey water tank. We added on to ours.

Most of the problems with airstreams are hidden problems. Not easily seen until you start Fixing the small issues that you DID see. Soft spot in front of the door? Yep, we had that. ended up tearing out the entire floor in the front, and then the rear to fix soft floor and UNDER the floor were surprise, surprise! rotted floor strings.

We sure learned a lot about airstreams! This is the best group of people to learn from though. They are patient and most have been there and done that.

We finished ours in May of 09 and then in July we took our 2 grandkids and did a 5,000 mile journey and wonderful adventure to Mount Rushmore and Back, and that was PRICELESS!!

Annette

[Silverwanabe]

The big big issues to look for in a pre-owned Airstream in my opinion are:

1. Clear Title or lack of.
2. Severe dents and scraps in the skin especially the end caps;
3. Floor Rot

and others: rear frame separation and worn axles.

Good Luck

[Wabbiteer]

The quick fix for banana wraps (not corners) is laying up a second sheet over top the originals - sideswiped wraps means bent & broken outriggers, which means thrust forces occurred & continue to occur whenever the trailer is towed so there will be popped rivets on interior liners and the partitions etc.. If you see topping laminates on wraps its a serious bandaide!

[weldvair]

I looked at the trailer yesterday & it needed a new floor,a/c did not work, had lots of leaks, tires bad & the interior needed redone. I passed on it.

It's the one advertised on Craigs list in Florida

After looking at the 25', we prefer the one we used to own.....A Globe trotter but,
only have $3500 we want to inveast & at the age of 71 I do not want to do too much restoring.

I might be better going with a brand that is newer

Don

[weldvair]

The trailer needed a complete restoration & after seeing it we prefer the one we used to own,,,a Globe Trotter. It was just too big for us.

It;s the one on Craigs List in FL.

We only have $3500 to play with & at the age of 71 perhaps we are better off buying a different brand that is newer. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Don

[Aage]

Don,

Good decision. I'm fairly sure that all things being equal, you won't find an Airstream for $3,500 the DOESN'T need a lot done to it.

Aage