Do you own a 21' Sovereign?

[Free range]

Originally Posted by tjansen

My 1995 was sitting for 5 years. The spark igniter for the gas refrig. had rust on the igniter and ground that it sparked to. I sanded it off and working good for 3 years. The fan motor for the heat went bad after 6 months. Squealing bearings. Replacing with new motor was fairly easy. Nice and quiet now. The vent for tanks leaked, rubber seal went bad, replaced. AC cover replaced. Replaced both vent covers. paid $9500 for mine 5 years ago, Dents on the outside, Inside is original and Great. What did you pay for yours if I can ask.

We paid $12000. cnd
We were also looking at fiberglass trailers like the bolers, bigfoots etc. and the price was in the same ballpark the AS will keep is value if maintained.

[EPEisenman]

My husband and I have been looking for a small-ish Airstream, we didn't have a specific year or model we *had* to have so we looked at a lot of different ones.
Found this one in very good condition and the price was right, so here we go!

Downsizing from a 31' Class A and am excited about the great support I can tell I'll get from this Forum.

[sovereign93]

Congrats to you both on your new Sovereign 21'!
This length certainly fits the bill for both of us and am sure you will be making many wonderful memories in this unit. The large tanks are great to have when boondocking.
Saw one for sale in North Carolina just the other day. Looked to be in very good condition.
Happy trails.

[Free range]

So we got our 93 21' sovereign home. The trailer had been sitting for 6+ years luckily I didn't have to tow it far only 1.5 blocks. So I tried all the appliances and so far everything works somewhat ok. The inverter makes a loud buzzing sound but works, the fridge works fine on propane but not on electric, it trips the breaker right away, the hot water heater works but it flutters and does not have a nice blue flame, furnace works great, the pressure regulator on the water inlet was leaking so Amazon came to the rescue for that and the water lines pressured up nicely with no leaks.
Now the throne (toilet) it works but it needs replacing, it is one of those Thetford low profiles that basically sit in top of a box and the black tank. We think the thing is nasty with that faux leather/vinyl on the top lid.

Anyone know where to get one of these? They seem pretty hard to come by.

We are completely remodeling "Sweet Silver Annie" giving her a fresh new look, by painting the whole interior and painting all the oak cuboards, giving her a new counter top , sink taps and stove and a microwave.

The front sofa got tossed out and brought to the dump, as that area will be replaced with a U shape dinette.

Just wish I had more time to work on her but this thing called work is getting in the way plus it snows here everyday and it is May for poops sake.

[sovereign93]

Called Airstream today to see if they could decipher the last 6 digits on our vin # as I was having difficulty understanding the instructions in the original owner's manual.
Was only able to get a manufacturing date and not the sequential production number during the phone call.
Manufacturing date is 6/2/1992.
Last 6 numbers in our vin are 508797.
Has anyone else been able to crack the code to get the production number?

[m shea]

Count me in as a new owner of a 21' sovereign. I'm working on ordering new axles, and everyone I've talked with seems "shocked" that I don't currently have shocks. One vendor I spoke with told me that a previous owner must have removed the shocks, but I don't think that's true. I sent an email to Airstream, and they emailed back also saying the axles would have had shocks.

The axles look original and untouched to me (see pictures). They are the old Henschens. The photos also show the mounting plate fore and aft of the front axle, and I don't see any evidence of there ever having been a mounting bolt to attach a shock to in the first place.

I'm hoping someone else with a 21' can help me get to the bottom of this!

[rmkrum]

Just as another data point, my 22 foot 2007 International CCD has no shocks on the original axles, and no mounting points for them, either. We know this is OEM for this unit as we are the second owner after the original owners bought it new, took one trip, and traded for a bigger one. Their loss, IMHO.

I was surprised to discover this during a tire change, and also discovered at that time that there are no marked jacking points on the frame either. All my tanks are in the way. Ours gets lifted only on the axle mounting plate as seen between the wheels with a sturdy floor jack.

Admittedly most Airstreams under 23 foot also have single axles, but mine has duals. I figure it’s just unique, and don’t worry about it. It tows just fine and doesn’t pop rivets, so I don’t sweat it. The dura-torque rubber torsion style axles work just fine without shocks on this size unit.

[enduroryda]

Agree with rmkrum... my axles seem to be fine on my 21’. I took pics but cannot load from my iphone for your comparison. No shocks. Mines a 94’. We are still smooth sailing... no popping rivets. Stuff still were it should be in camper after traveling 3 hours down bumpy overpasses. Will leave axles alone until I see them showing signs of fatigue in wheel well.

[Free range]

Our 1993 21’ Still has its original axels, before we bought it last year it sat unused for about 7 years.
We have towed her extensively in the last year and no issues, by the way there are no shocks either.

[Galakanukus]

Awesome info in this post guys. I have been waiting for a short airstream to come available and a 1993 sovereign 21 ft just posted. I’m going to look at it soon. Pictures show good, but not pristine interior. Original stuff. Outside looks very good from pictures.

I am looking for something that I can use as is for a few years and if my family and I really enjoy the lifestyle, we would probably go all out on a remodel of it. The condition of this vehicle seems to fit that plan well. We have no experience with RVs but we have remodeled our entire home, mostly ourselves. I have done car repairs too.

I was hoping people could share with me what the price range these things go for. He has it listed for 19,500. I don’t really know what the fair price for something like this is. Can you guys share your thoughts on this? These things really hold their value, so I’m ok paying whatever the fair price is.

Also, if anyone can chime in on pros vs cons of a 70s buy versus a 90s buy, I’d like to hear it. Not having to deal with asbestos seems like a plus, but I imagine the quality went down a bit?

[m shea]

Hi Galakanukus,

That price would be lower than any I saw for sale in the 6 months it took me to find a 21' last year, and I was looking coast-to-coast. I ended up paying 22 for one and I drove half way across the country to get it. The exterior condition wasn't perfect, but the interior looked mostly unused. The fridge had stopped working at some point in the past, but that was the only known mechanical issue when I bought it.

I naively thought an "unused" trailer would be in better mechanical condition, but 30 years of deferred maintenance really adds up. I bought mine in August 2020 and my family got to camp in it in the wilderness (as opposed to just the driveway) for the first time this past weekend. It took me 11 months and more money than I'll tell anyone to get it ready, but now my family couldn't be happier.

I was also looking at some 70's models...in the end, the year was less important to me than the configuration. In my mind, the 21' had everything we wanted - small size, huge tanks, double axle, big fridge, shower separate from toilet.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions. I feel like I've gone through almost everything on my trailer at this point.

Also including a picture from our first adventure this past weekend.

Maher

[Galakanukus]

Thanks so much! Still trying to get to see it. I’ll reach out if I have any luck.

[Nicksut]

Help… please! A friend was staying in my 1996 21’ Sovereign and accidentally broke one of the side windows. I have no clue where to source replacement windows. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks! Nick

[Sailor Steve]

Hello,

My wife and I just purchased our first Airstream. It’s a 1992 Sovereign 21.
It needs some love but appears to be in pretty decent shape. We decided on this model because we wanted a smaller trailer and wanted tandem wheels.
I have many plans of updating. I am excited to get started.

Steve

[wdc1369]

We are in Bryan, TX with a 1992 21’ sovereign that we have had for 16 years. I am going to have to remove the cabinets to get to the plumbing. I have at least two leaks in the pex. Has anyone had to do this on their trailer? Any suggestions. I would like to save and reinstall the cabinets and appliances. I am hopeful that I do not have to remove the shower. When we got our camper we had to remove the clear coat as it was peeling. This year we replaced the a/c, replaced all the curtains and installed pergo flooring. David

[pbdogmom]

Originally Posted by Morgan guy

We had a 1996 21' Sovereign that we sold in about 2012 to a couple in Grand Junction, Colo. We pulled in for thousands of miles with our 6 cyl Ford Explorer. It did have to struggle a bit in the Rocky Mountains. Our sale was driven by the fact that it was not enough room for us and a large Border Collie.
We were told when we bought it that AS had quit making them in 1995 but ours was built special in 1996 for a famous Hollywood stunt man. He only used it on location and the stove had never been used. He had mistakenly left all his personal belongings, including promotion photos. So we had to contact him to return them.
We removed the carpeting and replaced it with plank flooring.

I think we just bought this trailer. We got it from a dealer in Grand Junction. It had been traded in for a 5th-wheel. I'd love to hear more about it. We are planning on fixing the sagging ceiling and replacing the floor. It's buckling a little near the door. Otherwise it seems to be in great shape.

[CampingByers]

Just picked up in NC last month.
Some mostly cosmetic damage from a blowout at highway speed a couple years ago, but other than that, in great shape.
Axles seem to have some spring left in them.
Anyone replace axles with Dexter and with or without lift kit?
Anyone replace pb quest with PEX?
Super excited to learn more.

[wdkennedy]

My wife and I have had our ‘94 21ft. Sovereign for about 15 years.
Weak points:
Clear coat Finnish It is hard to find someone to strip and re-coat.
Not rodent proof. I spent an afternoon with expanded metal, sheet metal screws and rivets along with butyl rubber and calking. We still have intrusion occasionally. My biggest complaint about AS.
Dexter axles can be refurbished with new rubber.
We love the low ride as it provides an low entry.
Watch out for those high curbs. Go to a 16” wheel with new tires. BF Goodrich, commercial AT’s.

Enjoy!

[Strato]

I own a 2018 Toyota Tacoma and have no desire to go to a bigger truck.. And have too much invested as this is my retirement truck….
I just cannot shake the idea I don't want to build around a single axel.. And I don't feel comfortable with the weight of a 23 with a Tacoma..

So I am in the market to find a 21// Does anyone know any decent ones coming in the market?

[LNBright]

Originally Posted by Strato

I own a 2018 Toyota Tacoma and have no desire to go to a bigger truck.. And have too much invested as this is my retirement truck….
I just cannot shake the idea I don't want to build around a single axel.. And I don't feel comfortable with the weight of a 23 with a Tacoma..

So I am in the market to find a 21// Does anyone know any decent ones coming in the market?

So, when I first started more seriously dreaming of an Airstream, I became enamor with the idea of the 21’ Sovereign, as it was the smallest dual axle in ‘recent’ times (I wasn’t interested in pursuing anything truly vintage). But as you know, they’ve not made them for quite awhile, and I finally came around to wanting something newer. So I had to look at either, single-axles, or, smaller double axles.

Although there are things to like about each of the different floor plans, each is also a compromise. Sure, you can have a couch and a dinette but you have to go long. Sure, you can be small enough to be shorter than your tow vehicle, but you’re going to have a wet bath. So, you have to pick and choose what meets your needs.

The 19’ was a floorplan closest to what I was familiar with, my inlaws’ RV; but I started liking to 20FB better. However, I too wanted a dual axle, especially for the larger tank capacities. The 23FB is currently the smallest dual-axle, and one I considered for awhile. But I wasn’t keen on how the dinette and the galley are side-by-side, thought it would be a choke point for moving around inside. So I started leaning towards the 25’, especially because I am enamored with the rear hatch idea. However: a rear hatch simply doesn’t come cheap. Plus, we’ve been in older smaller campgrounds where lower becomes more challenging; we’re empty nesters so we don’t have to have big, so I didn’t want to go bigger than a 25’. Plus, I’ve a 1500, I didn’t want to have to trade up for a 2500 if I had a larger dual-axle anyway.

But when I finally found the one we got: I was at the dealership, and they had a 20FB…. Yeah, it’s a single-axle and thus has smaller tanks. Its bed isn’t a queen, is narrower than I’d have picked. But, I laid in that bed awhile, and decided it was wide enough, that we could put up with having to both get up, etc. And, with management, and refilling out of freshwater jugs, we could manage the tank issue.

But it finally settled on me that, Airstream wouldn’t sell single-axle campers if they were inherently dangerous. So, let’s take some precautions: trade out your tires every few years, don’t let them get old. Use a TPMS. Keep up with your maintenance, inspections, etc. And, they tow well, they back well, you don’t have shear stresses that dual axles have…

Point being, if you’re the kind that can look after your stuff, don’t be afraid of a single axle. Go look at the 19’ and 20’ models. Spend some time in them. I think the kitchen and bathroom in the 20FB doesn’t get enough attention. And, they’d be easier to find than the elusive 21’.

Just some thoughts…