1995 Airstream Excella 1000 34 feet long selling for $10,000

[sherlock]

Hello! I am new to this forum and also new to caravanning. For some times now I have been looking to buy a good travel trailer. I never owned a trailer before. My first idea was to get a trailer between 20 and 24 feet long. After much reading I have learned that Airstream trailers are the best.

However, to buy one new around here (Quebec, Canada), there is only one dealer in the province and the price is cruelly expensive. From what I learned for another camping forum in my province, I should expect to pay around $50,000 Canadian for a 24 footers. This is a lot of money. In this forum they say a 30 footers would go for $80,000 from what a member saw at the last RV show in Montreal.

That kind of dampened my enthusiasm. This weekend I went to my local RV dealer to see what they had. I found a 20 footers from the Palomino brand if I am not mistaken. I liked the way the interior was design. The price was also right $18,000. But I was very disappointed about the quality of the material and the assemblage. This was a brand new trailer and it was already showing signs of wear from the people who previously visited it. You could see the wear in the fake wood tapestry covering the particles board cupboards.

Then today I looked on the web and saw this gorgeous 1995 Airstream Excella 1000 34 feet long selling for $14495 Canadian (around $10000 US). I wrote them asking him to send me more pictures so I could have a good look at it. He did. The trailer is sparkling clean and it looks almost new. He said he is selling it because he is divorcing and his wife wants her share. He said he paid $32000 for it in 2005 and he only used it 2 years. He also said that everything is in perfect working condition except the water heater that need to be changed and the carpets need to be washed.

I am having a hard time believing I could get a 34 footers Airstream for that price. Brand new it probably would be well over $100,000 witch I will never have the means to buy.

My questions are: does this seem to be a good deal? And what am I to look for when I will visit? Any particular points I should pay attention that would show how well this trailer had faired during the last 14 years? Any advice or pointer would be appreciated.

Thank you for your attention.

PS Sorry for the long post.

[remcolent]

sherlock

A 95 34 ft for 10K $us sounds like a good deal to me.

But you are new to caravanning ?
What tow vehicle do you have ?
Are you also new to towing ?
TV plus trailor would be 50 - 55+ ft , that is a bit big on some campgrounds I'll gues.
My 32 ft and chevy C30 is a total of 55 FT and that is a problem on some campgrounds overhere in the netherlands.

A long and heavy trailor cost more fuel to tow.
But for a smaler trailor you most likely pay more.
And for the price diverance you can buy a lot of fuel.

Remco

[85MH325]

You can either get some fabulous deals, or you can get taken for a ride on buying a new trailer. Check our Classifieds section here for a representative sample of what's currently available on the used market in Airstreams. $10k may be reasonable, low, or unreasonably high for the unit, depending on it's condition. You will also want a 3/4 ton tow vehicle for your 34' trailer, so there'll be additional cost there if you don't already have one.

I had a '94 tri-axle trailer for several years, and they're wonderful. They're easy to tow and back up. You do have to plan where you pull of, though, and sometimes getting gas will be a challenge if you don't have room to move a 55' truck/trailer combination through a gas station properly.

There are also members here who are willing to inspect trailers nearby them as well... you may want to avail yourself of one of them...

All-in-all, buying used can be a huge money-saver, but it can also be nerve-wracking, especially if the trailer is some distance away. Good luck!

Roger

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

The 34 footer you describe sounds like a good deal for the money if every thing is as presented.

The are several things that you should keep in mind when you are considering purchasing this trailer.

An Airstream 34 footer is a big and heavy travel trailer. You will need a serious tow vehicle (3/4 or 1 ton) to pull this 10,000# trailer that has a 1000#+ tongue weight. Having three axles increases the wheel service, brake, and tire costs by 50%. Some public park campsites can not accommodate a trailer this large. It will also be trickier to maneuver than say a 25 footer.

Then again, a 34 has a lot of living space. It also has all the amenities. Some people really love these big guys, and travel all over in them. I have seen a number of them out on the road, and am always impressed by the sight of these giant Airstreams.

I guess the bottom line is will this gentle giant fit your camping style?

Brian

[sherlock]

Hello! Yes I am new to caravanning and I am looking for my first trailer. This 34 footer deal sure is looking great. However I think I will let it pass and look more for a 20 to 24 footer. I do not have a tow vehicule yet. This is something I am thinking of. Right now I have a Honda Fit and this thing will not pull anything more than a motor bike in a light trailer.

I was thinking of getting either a Jeep Liberty or a toyota FJ cruiser. Or maybe a Jeep cherokee diesel. Do you think those will be enough for a 20-24 feet trailer?

Thank you