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Old 11-15-2013, 12:55 PM   #1
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1975 Argosy for sale

I found a 75 22-24 foot. Argosy. Going to take a look at it tomorrow.
the owner says it's been fully renovated. All systems work.
sub-floor replaced. (I'm going to look at it tomorrow. I'll ask the owner what exactly that means).
I believe axels are orginal but when inspected by local trailer mech said they were in good shape. (won't purchase without validation from the mech.)
issue is the asking price.
27900.00
From the few pictures the coach appears in good condition.
what are you're thoughts?
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Old 11-15-2013, 12:58 PM   #2
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$27,900 is quite pricey. If the axles are original. They will need to be replaced.
What about tires? How old?
Is the equipment; stove; refer; furnace etc original?
What about the exterior paint and skin? Look for lose rivets, especially near the door.
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Old 11-15-2013, 01:10 PM   #3
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So here is the EBAY URL, ...

Gorgeous One of A Kind 1975 Airstream Argosy Travel Trailer Gotta See to Believe | eBay

To me it's crazy pricy but the few pics it, 'appears', very nice.

I'm going to take a look tomorrow.
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Old 11-15-2013, 01:16 PM   #4
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That price is more than ambitious. For me to take the price seriously, it would need a few things:

New axles
New or near-perfect original paint
New furnace
New or beautiful original refrigerator in perfect working order
Modern 3-stage converter-charger
New correct curtains
New seals on each and every window, perfect window screens, new fuzzy "gasket" for all the window lifts
New toilet
New tires
New or perfect original upholstery on the gaucho or dinette
Awning in good shape and fully functional
etc.

There's a once-well-respected Airstream service shop near me that tells people their axles are fine. They apparently don't do anything more than look to see if the arm from the axle to the hub is above horizontal or not, because I know of at least 2 trailers they declared good that had less than an inch of travel between loaded and lifted off the pavement. (my 24 was one of the trailers, by the way. I have new axles now.) I'd have to test 38-year-old torsion axles to believe they're working properly.
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Old 11-15-2013, 01:22 PM   #5
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I posted before you posted the link to the photos.

It's at least visually well-done. From the layout I believe it's a 26' trailer, by the way.

There's no awning, which is a negative IMHO. It does appear to have a newer RV fridge, which is a good sign that the work has been more than cosmetic. It's worth looking at and finding out how negotiable their price is and how well the work on it was done.
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Old 11-15-2013, 01:22 PM   #6
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No awning.
No furnace
I'll copy you list and check them against what i see tomorrow.
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Old 11-15-2013, 02:38 PM   #7
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Well those 2 additions well cost you another $2000...
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Old 11-15-2013, 03:44 PM   #8
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I agree that it is a 26'. It has the same floor plan that my '74 Argosy 26' has.
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Old 11-15-2013, 04:17 PM   #9
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That price seems like about 150% of what clean working Argosy of that vintage and without an awning and furnace should be worth.. Unless you are in love with turquoise and have a matching truck, and are willing to add in costs of things like awning and furnace you'll need, I might keep looking.. Probably good to go see it and meet owner, since I doubt it will sell for close to his eBay asking price, and you may get it later after he has given up his current price goal...
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Old 11-15-2013, 05:15 PM   #10
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New furnace
Awning
Axels
Additional 3 to 3.5 k
Ug
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Old 11-15-2013, 05:19 PM   #11
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Great advice
As always thanks guys
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Old 11-18-2013, 11:10 AM   #12
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Update, ... Well I went and saw the Argosy in person this past weekend. I took pics of the Tires and Wheels as they sit in the wheel well, (If i could figure how to load them I would.). I was once told that if the edge of the tires are below the edge of the coach you're ok. But most of this age the top of the tire is covered by the edge of the coach and this demonstrates a need to replace.
The top of the tires are below the edge of the coach.
He did share with me that the subfloor had been replaced by dropping the belly pan but not the frame. (that was a hhmmm moment.)
He also shared that the AirConditioner was original but had been serviced.
He said that the running lights all worked except the ones on the front. His Airstream guy tried but could not get them to work. Running lights are pretty important to me.
The coaches, Tank guauges were no longer installed or available. I don't/wont ever boondock but like buying house you always have to remember that some day you will be selling and it's gotta have curbapeal.
All of the entertainment, (radio/TV antenna/Speakers, wiring to support the entertainment infratstructure), was no longer available.
The Couch had been rebuilt and could not fold into a bed.
The Paint and skin were pristine.
I did not note any rot under either of the sinks.

(Anyway, my wife also told me this weekend that she doesn't care for vintage. I'm hoping that one day I'll find her one that she will like. .... daggum wives, we never get to do what we want. )
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Old 11-18-2013, 11:21 AM   #13
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Even if they threw in the Metropolitan car it would be WAY over priced in my opinion.
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Old 11-18-2013, 11:42 AM   #14
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As far as the assertion that everything is OK with the axles if they haven't "sagged" too far, that's not necessarily true. That's part of what needs to be checked, but the other part is "travel" (how far the wheel moves between no load and carrying the trailer's weight.) The easy ways to test this are either to jack the trailer up, or to pull one wheel up on blocks and let the other wheel "hang" and compare the distance of the hub centers from the wheel well. Don't wait a long time to make this measurement, because if the axle doesn't move more or less immediately, it won't move enough running down the road to absorb bumps.

I'm not sure I understand the comment about "tank gauges". Do you mean this trailer has the optional-for-Argosy command center kind of thing that's supposed to show how full the freshwater and waste tanks are? That's a non-issue, really... those rarely work right.

As to the "entertainment" components being "unavailable", IMHO that's an unacceptable answer at the price point the seller hopes to attain. Reasonable modern replacements for all that stuff are available with significant improvements in performance. Speaker wire is just wire, antenna wire is coax now instead of the 300-ohm twinlead stuff that was original equipment but it's readily available and no harder to retrofit than new subfloor. Brand new antennas are available for both radio and TV. All of that entertainment stuff is non-essential and I haven't bothered with it in my '75, but in the '76 that I'm renovating with an eye toward keeping it for decades, I'll do all that, and hopefully spend around what the seller of the Argosy in question wants for his trailer, but without all the caveats we've been discussing.
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Old 11-18-2013, 11:43 AM   #15
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Oh, and as to your wife deciding she doesn't like vintage... that can be a mixed blessing. My partner has decided he ONLY likes vintage, the profile of the new widebodies doesn't "look right" to him so modernizing a vintage trailer was the path that was open to me.
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