Excella 32... whats it worth?

[pondair]

Hi all!
Im new to this site. I have an excella 32 that is being fully renovated, and am looking for advice on what its worth. Id like to put it up for sale but I'm not sure of of its value. I've looked at craigslist, RV sales sites, here, etc. but the values are all over the map.
My excella will have hardwood floors, Corina counter tops, dishwasher, induction stove top, convection microwave, new bathroom with... well, new everything. Single queen bed, etc. the outside could use a polishing, but its looking pretty good. can anybody shed some light on how to value an airstream for sale?

BTW, we are in Atlanta.

Thanks for your input!
Best, Mike

[mandolindave]

Good reasons to put money into an old RV.

1. It's yours and you will get enjoyment out of using it

2. It's someone else's and they have disposable income to pay you.

3. You own it and it has sentimental value.

4. You have always dreamed about having an Airstream.

5. You have tons of free time and need a project.

6. You can afford to wait until it sells.

Reasons why it might not be a good idea.

1. There is a larger demand for smaller Airstreams. Thus larger trailers don't fetch a proportionate price.

2. Even if you do all the work yourself, restoring and RV is very expensive. It's not a given that you will make a profit.

3. You might make more money working a minimum wage job with no risk involved.

[mandolindave]

Prices are all over the map because conditions of trailers are all over the map.

Answer to your original question on what it is worth. 10 K to 30 K ????? (restoration cost ? 10K to 30 K )

[Lumatic]

I agree you probably will have a difficult time recovering money spent on upgrades on this trailer. It will also be expensive to insure.

[Philip Jones]

Do you have any interior photos?

[streaminwild]

I second the pictures. To get a better assessment, you should provide more pictures. The one picture looks great...more please.

[pondair]

Hi all! Thank you for the responses. Ill happily post pictures as soon as the interior is in a condition for taking photos. Right now its mostly gutted. I did want to add that I do intend to use the trailer. Its not just a flipper, but in my world everything is for sale, so i like to be prepared. I have a trip planned for first week of June for a week on the lake in my newly restored trailer!

I guess i should have mentioned, when I purchased this trailer it was being lived in full time. Everything is in good working order. Are there any Gotchas I should be looking out for while I have it apart?

1989 Excella 32' side bath.

[Bill M.]

I can not answer your question. We have a 32', 1988 Excel. We paid about 16000 for it 5 years ago including a trip to Airstream for a repair. Good model trailer to spend some time in. Not as popular to pull as the shorter ones. Hopefully you have before and during photos of the renovation. To me things like how rusty was the frame and how was the subfloor treated and was there frame/skin separation are more important considerations in buying a renovation than the counter tops.

You posted while I was writing. Take lots of pictures of every step of the way. Show details of how well you fixed any problems.

And I think it will be a hard sell when finished. But a nice trailer for your use

[kdickinson]

As a point of reference I have looked at the Vintage Airstream site. They maintain a price vs. condition table that seems well researched. Sale prices advertised are typically far from what a trailer actually sells for, if it sells - when I look at the classifieds on the forum I start at page 20 or so - those are the trailers way over-priced and/or that need a lot of work because they tend to sit for a long time. The way mandolindave has laid it out holds true - I am in the middle of putting another several thou$and into my 69 Safari - floor covering, refer, formica, maybe new axle, and general clean up of the interior. This is after evaluating buying new. Points 1 & 3 apply to us - we own it and it has been in my family since new. I know the trailer and I know my TV is up to the task. In my case I'm having the work done at a shop and I am not concerned about what it may sell for because we are committed to this trailer for the long term. Ken

[dcasr]

It really is condition, condition, condition. First curb appeal, how does it look from across the street. Then how does it look inside. Then the details like axles, brakes, tires, batteries, charging system updates, newness of appliances and how well they work, and so on.

32' is likely more than 32'. Is it 33' in actuality? The longer the Airstream the fewer buyers have adequate tow vehicles and want to manage that much trailer going down the road. We have a 1990 29' 3" Excella and I wouldn't want anything bigger and mama would like something shorter, but I do the driving and we do love ours. When you are all finished you will have a very nice Airstream, but you might have more dollars into it than you can recover in an easy sale.

Enjoy it. You will have an idea when you are finished, have paid all the bills, and used it for a year, of whether you really want to keep it and price it accordingly, or whether you would be happy to let it go, and at what price that might be. At the end of the day, within probably a $2,000-$5,000 range people fall in love with a trailer or they don't, and if they do they will pay more for it because they have to have it. We live in Stone Mtn. so not far from you. See you down the road.

[davidlparker]

I have a 1993 Excella 32' that is in very good condition. Not perfect but very good. The exterior was polished a seal coated about 4 years ago and is still like new. I am unsure of its value should I try to sell it. My best guess is maybe $25,000.00. However, that is a guess. I do know you will spend $200 or more per foot for a polishing and seal coating. The real question is what is it worth to you and what is it worth to a prospective buyer? Where ever those two numbers meet is what it is worth.

David Parker
1993 Excella 32'
1989 Dodge D-350

[kritenour]

One thing I would do is check the axles. I have & 88 32-M & am replacing axles as the rubber has harden. You can count on around $1000-1200 per axle installed with heavy duty self adjusting brakes & new shocks. Mine came with 4000 lb. axles which are under weight. Trailer in road ready condition weighed out at 9200 lbs. Replace with 5000 lb. axles. Also if you have load range D tires you should switch to E range to increase capacity.

[Mike1997]

Might be better to start with an insured value. Mine is 20 years old and the blue book is nothing, but replacement value is insured for $33,000. If I were selling mine today, that would be a price point for sure.