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Ahightower · 07-08-2009, 07:44 AM

Hi-I am a brand new member although I have lurked for years. I am looking at a '62 Safari in original condition except for the following: the refrigerator (2 y/o) and heater (12 y/o) and the floor, which has been replaced with wood. There are two patches at the rear of the trailer under the water heater and bath area, which I assume are an attempt to repair leaks and rotten flooring. There are no cushions and the curtains are original and of course, shot. There is a dent with a crease in it on the front left endcap. The dealer thinks he can pull out some of the dent. Is $5000 a reasonable price for this year and condition? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

purman · 07-08-2009, 08:34 AM

Welcome to the forums, This is one of the best places to get an idea of what an AS (airstream) is worth. Price vs. Condition - Airstream Values often people think they are worth more than they are. But then it depends of where you live. the price seems ok for what you are getting but take a look at the web site and read through it. Being this old you will probably need new axles and I'm sure there are some hidden issues... Is there a new wood floor over the plywood, IF so it's hard to tell what the original floor is like. It may have some rotten areas.

Does the water and electric all work?

Ahightower · 07-08-2009, 08:45 AM

Jason-thanks for the prompt reply! The dealer says the water works and that they will go through all of the systems at the time of sale and show me 1) that they do work and 2) how to operate everything. I do know the electric systems work although everything there is original as well. How much is a new axle-is that going to be a major repair? Since this is an airstream dealer, is pulling the dent likely to be successful ( I mean, apart from the crease which I understand from these forums is going to be permanent).

purman · 07-08-2009, 08:53 AM

I'm not sure on the price of the axel. Is it a leaf axle? Mine where just over $2000 but that included new shocks and installation. It may be cheaper if it is a leaf spring axle. Mine just had 4 bolts holding on each one. but I was driving through LA and just had INland RV put them on to save me some time...

The dent may come out a bit, but I would be surprised if they get it all out. Aluminum doesn't remember it's original shape..

Are you planing on restoring the inside or redoing it, or just using it as is?

You could get a suction auto dent puller and try to pull it yourself. Many people have have had good luck doing that. I'm going to try it on my two dents. Just make sure the suction puller is half the size of the dent. They arn't that expensive ( I even think Harbor Freight sell them for $5-$15.)

BarryIowa · 07-08-2009, 10:10 AM

I had great luck pulling a dent but I was lucky. The dent was in the end cap so the energy was still there and the dent wanted to come out - I just had to pull it out. You can see my thread here:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f109...t-43552-7.html

Condition is everything when it comes to value. Airstreams can cost anything from "please get this off my property" (rare) to 60K for a very rare and custom, professional retro-fit. Without seeing pictures, my guess is that you might be paying about 1K too much at 5K but like I said, condition is everything. How are the windows and seals? This is a good indication of overall condition.

Good luck!

**Kevin245** · 07-08-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahightower

Hi-I am a brand new member although I have lurked for years. I am looking at a '62 Safari in original condition except for the following: the refrigerator (2 y/o) and heater (12 y/o) and the floor, which has been replaced with wood. There are two patches at the rear of the trailer under the water heater and bath area, which I assume are an attempt to repair leaks and rotten flooring. There are no cushions and the curtains are original and of course, shot. There is a dent with a crease in it on the front left endcap. The dealer thinks he can pull out some of the dent. Is $5000 a reasonable price for this year and condition? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

IMHO...It is not worth the asking price if this is the unit I know of. I looked at one like this six weeks ago, it was missing interior cushions and had roof damage on the curb side if I recall correctly.

In today's market there are deals to be had, and I don't believe this is one of them. If you want to compare notes, PM me.

Just my $0.02...I looked else where.

Best of Luck,

Kevin

ts8501 · 07-08-2009, 12:44 PM

Pictures would be very helpful. I would be concerned with the floor. I would use an ice pick to go around the entire exterior to see the shape the wood is in. It is rare to find a '62 that does not need a full floor replacement. You can assume the shell has leaks, and thus the plywood flooring has been effected. I too believe $5k is too high. My gut says $3k-3.5k, but without seeing it through pictures or first hand, it is not entirely clear. Have you searched this forum for a volunteer inspector in your area? Someone with more experience than you or me would be valuable. IMHO.

VIKING · 07-08-2009, 05:10 PM

I bought my '64 safari last year for $5200.00. It was all original except for the water pump, and it had a fresh new axle and great shell. It was in need of a full restoration though. I looked for about 6 months before finding this one and the PO reduced the price by about $1200.00 from his asking price. I am certain I could have done better with another year of searching but it takes time and money to search also, so I decided to go for it. The axle should run about $1,000.00 to $1,250.00, installed. The benefit of having a single axle safari! I would offer $5k minus the axle cost, and see what they say. It's NOT road-ready without one!
Expect to replace the entire subfloor. I would bet it is rotten under the walls where you can't see it. Mine was, even though the bulk of it appeared good.

Rich