First Post

[kpalella]

Hi y'all.

I've been reading this forum regularly since January, when I inherited an amazing, all original 1979 25' Tradewind. I have cleaned the heck out of it, inside and out, torn out the carpet to reveal a rotten bow and stern, and had great visions of a complete renovation. But we're moving to FL for a job and won't have a place to store it there (or time to work on it anymore).

Any idea what I should list it for? It was stored in the back of a horse pasture near Yemassee, SC for years, but the windows are all intact, the skin is in great shape and the tires even look good! I got scared off when I realized that the electrical system likely needs replacing.

Any guidance on how to sell it would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to see this thing back in use, even if it won't be me using it.

Best,
Kaylyn

[streaminwild]

Welcome to the forums. You have a nice looking trailer. Don't let electrical scare you. Have someone look at before making a decision. Then take it to Disney's Fort Wilderness, and see if that doesn't change your mind about selling. If you have kids...it will be game over.

[Belegedhel]

For places to try selling it, I would start with Craigslist (watch out for scammers), and maybe list it on the Airforums classifieds as well.

The real damage to be concerned about with this trailer is the rotted subfloor, which usually goes hand-in hand with rear end separation and frame damage. To fix just the floor and frame, you are looking at a lot of work. Now, the truth is that every 70's era trailer that has spent the last 20 years parked in a pasture is probably in about the same state of disrepair, regardless of what the seller thinks. About the only 40+ year old trailers that don't need a shell-off are the ones that have been parked in a climate controlled garage, or have already had the work done.

So look on Craigslist in your area and see what similar sized/aged Airstreams are selling for. Be up-front about the rot issues, but feel free to emphasize the good condition of the shell. My opinion is that when you buy these old trailers you are really only buying a shell anyway--the interior is usually garbage. My guess is that your best price will top out around $5k, but it doesn't hurt to start high and work your way down.

You might be able to get a better price via Ebay--I have seen all kinds of marginal trailers get bid way up on Ebay. Just make sure you offer full disclosure of the issues so nobody feels like they were taken advantage of.

Good luck!

[starstruck08]

Have you done the bumper test or looked at where the bumper attaches to the frame? The rust you are dealing with will be crucial to the price, as Belegedhel said. I got lucky and found a '76 that had been babied and doesn't have ANY frame work or floor replacement needed.

Does it have working appliances? Even if the electrical system is shot, the appliances themselves are a good selling point if they work. Test the electric before selling, nothing scarier than a seller who doesn't know what works and what doesn't. If you tried to test my trailer's electrical system on just my battery, it would appear to not work because my battery is dead.

I'm speaking from someone who was recently shopping for a similar trailer, and what I was told to look for/what my priorities were. The outside does look very nice, but the structure underneath needs to be good too. I've seen gutted/weirdly modified Tradewinds where you could see the ground through parts of the floor, or that "crunched" when I jumped up on the bumper because an entire corner of the frame was rotted through.