Think we found a real cherry but lack the experience to know. Can you help out a newbie? My wife and I want to make an offer on an 86 excella (32ft?). What should I offer on it?
I'm gonna post lots of pics so you can see but it doesn't seem to have any mold whatsoever. No smell except the faintest of faintest smells under the sink. However ..I have pulled up carpet in kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and under the fridge and found nothing but prestine wood and clean screws. I think it was well loved and has basically only had 1 owner who belonged to a club. Carpet is perfect, no soft spots in floor. Frame seems to be attached firmly.
All appliances work from what I can tell. The digital display, AC, oven, range, fridge, sink and toilet, and microwave.
There is one area of concern..all rivets are good except a few missing near the front window. Also some screws that look out of place in the same spot. Can anyone help me with what is going on there? Also if axels look okay?
That trailer appears to be in really nice condition. Is the frame around the tongue as rust-free as what you show in the wheel well?
The missing rivets/extra screw situation looks to me like someone had something mounted there at some time. Perhaps rock guards?
I can't answer if that trailer is worth $22,500, but for point of reference I paid just under that for a 1994 Excella 25-ft which needed to have the fridge (and a few other things) fixed and which had a bit of surface rust on the frame. The one you found looks from the photos to be in as good or better condition.
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I agree, at one time something was mounted to the bottom window frame. You can still see the witness marks. The rivets heads were ground off so the "bracket" would sit flat against the frame. The screws held it in place. Probably a "catch" (latch) for a rock guard that has since been removed.
Easy fix. Drill out the ground down rivet, remove screws. Put a pop rivet in each hold with a bit of sealant.
No idea about condition of the axles. Does the trailer seem to sit lower than it should? Otherwise, the photo of the shock rubber bushing is no big deal...replace the bushing if you are concerned enough. Or better yet, replace the shocks...but they don't really do much IMHO.
$22k doesn't seem particularly high, especially in today's manic RV market. A few things to consider, though:
1) This trailer is over 30 years old and will suffer from things that age (ie., brittle plastics, dried out plumbing seals, etc.
2) The rubber elastomers in the axles have a life span of around 25 years. If your axles haven't been replaced, then they are probably about due ($3-4k if you have it done, is the price I am seeing reported lately).
3) How handy are you? Any RV has all the weaknesses of house and a car, but a 30+ year old one will definitely keep you busy.
Go to the top of this page, just under the AIR FORUMS logo, and select the "Portal" tab. Scroll down, and you should find links to the "Trailer Inspector's checklist" and a utility to help connect you with volunteer inspectors in your area. If you go through the checklist and thoroughly inspect the trailer, you should have a better idea what you are up against.
Some of your biggest enemies are floor rot and front or rear-end separation. Learn how to recognize all three, and you can avoid some very ugly and costly surprises.
Thank you guys so much for all the helpful replies and for tour investigative work. The owner told me he thought "some kind of other window" was on there before he got it. I think they know very little about airstreams but bought it from someone who was a big fan.
I am posting more photos if anyone wants to take a look.
Is it worth $22,000? Who knows. What is pretty certain is that's what a trailer like this will sell for. Today's market for used RV's is a bit crazy. It's likely that pricing will be very different in a few years. None of that really matters if you want an RV now.
So: what are you looking for? Do you want something you can go out camping in tomorrow? Do you want something that you can dive into and fix up "your way"? If this and that cost another $2,000 is that a budget buster? How about $10,000? Is this destined to be a camping trailer or a tiny house?
On anything this age, it's a pretty good bet that tires, brakes, bearings, battery, converter, and A/C all need to be checked. Each has a "useful life" if any of them are original to the trailer when shipped in 1986 they likely need to be updated.
Floor rot in odd places, and frame rust are a risk on any AS trailer. A moisture meter is worth buying to check the floor.
Rear end separation is a problem on some older trailers. You should read the various threads on it and know what to look at / look for.
Those screws on the side of the window are where the hinges for the rock guards were mounted. You really do want the rock guards if you will be towing the trailer often, those curved windows are expensive.
As for price 2 years ago $12-18,000 would have been the price range, now $20-30,000 seems to be the price range.
Hey all! Thanks for your help! I wasn't able to post because of a restriction on my new account.
I got my offer accepted today. $17,500. Includes new tires! As long as everything passes my second inspection list that will be the price!
Thanks again! Sure you will be seeing more of us on here soon!
If you want to check the floor, pull up the arms of the couch - it should be hollow. Reach down and pull up the carpet that's in there, you'll want to feel right where the two aluminum wall panels overlap. That's where there's a gap in the front C-channel in between the walls and transitions to the side channel. You'll need to check in the same place in the back.
The lower part of the shocks you took pictures of are coated in oil, mine were the same way and had zero rebound to them. Chances are you'll need to replace them.
Also read the many threads on this forum about axle replacement. There are graphics that will show you what to look for and how to determine if your axles are still good. Mine were not and looked very similar to yours. Basically, the arm that comes out of the axle should at a minimum be level or better if it's at a downward angle. Yours are at an upward angle indicating to me they're bad.
I have screws in the same places on the front windows, but they're for my attached rock guards. It looks to me like that unit had rock guards on it at one point.
When was the last time it was moved? Along with the wheels I would check bearings and brakes. My '88 hadn't moved for 12yrs and the bearings were gone (rusted) and only three of the six (triple axle) brakes were good.
The plumbing looks like quest piping. If it's not leaking now you're lucky. I think there was a class action lawsuit against them at some point. Our's had leaks at multiple fittings. I replaced ALL of our plumbing with pex.
Just my initial thoughts. Let me know if you have any other questions. We didn't do a complete shell off restoration, but I had enough of it apart to see everything.
Also, the center rock guard for the front window is there. I'd ask the current owner if they know the whereabouts of the rock guards for the front side windows. If the plexiglass was broken it will be cheaper to replace the plexiglass than finding frames or new rock guards.
Edit: Just noticed your post that the owner thought there was some other type of window there. I'm guessing they won't have the rock guards.
Also, be very careful with the tail light bezels. They are no longer made, Airstream doesn't have any more stock of them - I called last year, they had 5 in stock @ almost $400 each and when I called again they were completely out. We rebuilt ours with fiberglass and repainted them.
My previous Airstream was a 1986 31’ Sovereign, a very similar critter.
Your trailer looks fine and I think that, in this market, you paid a fair price.
The only problem I see with the photos is that you have the grey polybutylene plumbing. The tubing itself seems to hold up well but the fittings seem to get brittle with age, especially the 90degree fittings. You may want to consider replumbing with PEX at some point. In the meantime, Sharkbite makes compatible fittings and you may want to buy a 3/8” and a 1/2” set of terminations and throw them in a drawer for emergency use.
I loved towing mine — the narrow bodies are incredibly stable and track beautifully.
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Hey guys thank you so much for your insights on everything. I have used all your recommendations and info I have found on these forums to help inform my decision.
I went today give it the full inspection and if it passed, pay him the $17,500 we had discussed...well it went worse than I thought.
There were multiple places where I found water damage..and the axles def need to be replaced.
I told him I needed to give it some thought. I'm worried this could take quite a bit of time to get road worthy but I need y'alls advice.
What should I offer him for it now (see pictures of damage etc.) There are 2 spots that have advanced damage (front left side and next to fridge). And 3 others that are not great (inside closet wall on curb side , under sink in bathroom, and near back wall in a spot or two.
I thought about offering $10k - what do you guys think? Will i need to likely do the whole sub-floor?
I want to get out on the road but worried i might spend 6 months fixing it ...
I haven't bought it yet so I'm still doing okay..just spent a lot of time looking it over and some money for gas.
I'm not sure that $17K is "to high" for the trailer as described *in today's market*.
You will spend a lot of time looking to find something of that age without very similar issues. A year is a pretty short amount of time between buying a "first project" trailer and getting it on the road.
First decide if you want to take on the project at all. There is some major work involved. Moving up to a newer trailer (and paying more) is the typical way to get on the road quicker. How much "fast" matters, only you can decide.
If you want to do a project like this, sure, haggle with the guy and see where you get to. I'd treat that part more as entertainment than something with an arbitrary end point.
I doubt if you will need to do the entire subfloor. Check the A frame in the front for rust. Based on the pictures I could not determine that the axles need replacing. I am still pulling a 88 model with original axles. Do not buy the trailer if you are not comfortable with its condition. I do not know current pricing or demand. I do not see any exterior damage to the trailer or the evidence of unchecked water leakage. We have had a lot of external water leaks in ours and it did some damage. The PO for our trailer let it freeze and we have had a lot of plumbing failures over the years. We have put in an AC, removed and replaced the curb side awning, removed the TV antenna and replaced the front vent finally fixing one of the big long term leaks, done 2 soft spots in the floor, now have a very large floor repair under the WH to do, replaced the front A frame, and have had a big limb fall on the trailer and reduce is resale value a good bit. And of course worked on the dump valves. We have the local repair service where the trailer is parked on speed dial. I have all the PEX tools one can buy a Lowes or Home Depot.
A big expense to consider is the awnings. Ours on the 32 are shot. The awning on the 25 are still fine. It looks like $4000 or so for new ones. The material lasts a long, long time but does go bad. Check for pinholes and signs of deterioration at that age.
Your pictures are large and slow to load. I did not see anything that worried me about the trailer in the pictures I looked at.
A big expense to consider is the awnings. Ours on the 32 are shot. The awning on the 25 are still fine. It looks like $4000 or so for new ones. The material lasts a long, long time but does go bad. Check for pinholes and signs of deterioration at that age.
With the awnings, you also need to check the seams. I've seen a few 80s and 90s awnings were the thread for the seams rotted away while the rest of the awning was still in decent shape.
The thing to remember is as long as the shell and frame are in good shape and you have the time it's all fixable and it will last. We worked on our '88 for a year to get it into a shape that I considered road worthy.
That included replacing the front sub-floor (under the couch). Removing everything on the outside and stripping the old clear coat off, painting the roof with buskote (an elastomeric sealer) replacing the front and rear fans as well as the bathroom fan. Removing the pink insulation in the underbelly (that's where the water on your frame is coming from) - water is getting into your uderbelly and the pink stuff is holding on to it. We also replaced all the plumbing with pex which included dropping the fresh water tank. All three axles were replaced, we only had about an inch drop when jacked up, from what I understand you should have 3". We also painted, redid the bathroom, replaced carpet with LVP and at some point had all the appliances out. And the to finish it off, we resealed everything on the outside and replaced about 1k rivets...
Ultimately, it's up to you on how much time you want to spend on it. In today's market $17k isn't bad.
Edit: Oh, and we're still not done. I'm chasing a leak in the rear (I'm 99.9% I know where it originates from) and I still need to do something with the cushions on the couch.
The price of $17K is not out of line at all. It is 35 years old and you will have to spend son money to make it the way you want. If you are at all handy, most of the work can be done by yourself. It looks like the fridge has been updated. I would not hesitate at all. Lots of gutted trailers are selling for more.
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2012 GMC 2500 HD Duramax Denali
1994 Excella 34'
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