Questioning Whether to Restore a Vintage Unit or Buy Newish

[kodiac kid]

have been looking at airstreams for sometime vintage and few years old. My husband and I would like to full time when we retire, he wants newer model but cost is so high. we are pretty handy and for sale here is a 1967 27 foot overlander for 900.00 shell looks good, but has hole in floor and needs total redo. this is my first post. thanks for any advise.

[c_lewis77]

Welcome to the forums!
A lot depends on how much time and effort you want and are willing to put into a restoration.
Of course a complete shell off can be done, but make sure this is what you are wanting to do.
Some other food for thought....find the middle ground; look at some rigs that are not so new but not so old. They may require minor work but not a full monty. I would think you could find some 80's/90's models that may fit this bill.
Also go look at as many as you can before purchasing, it will give you a better feel for condition, price, floor plans and other options you may not have considered otherwise.
Good luck on your search!

[NorthernWind]

Hi Kodiac Kid, Ok just a heads up, if there is one hole in the floor chances are that you are going to be replacing a lot more than what you think! I fix trailers for a living and floor means lots of time, you will be replacing flooring, sub floor, bracing, most likely end up working on wiring and plumbing and also insulation, it's not hard but it's a big job! You will feel a great sense of acomplishment but it will take time!
Steve

[DKB_SATX]

Look at a $900 trailer with a bad floor as a $10,000+ trailer even if you don't count the cost of your own work.

If you want to tackle the work as a project/hobby, that's one thing, but if you're looking at it in terms of cost, a $900 trailer with lots of issues vs. a $9,000 trailer that's ready to go camping may be pretty equivalent in term of what you have to spend in the first year, and you can camp instead of renovate. Of course the one that's ready to use will still need all the regular maintenance and upgrades than any RV needs over time, and it's important to inspect carefully to make sure it has no hidden problems.

Full disclosure, I went the "ready to camp" route for our Argosy and haven't regretted that choice... and I've recently spent a fair chunk of change improving it from "ready to camp within a day's drive" to "ready to go anywhere."

[kodiac kid]

thanks all for the advise, much appreciated.

[ElCamino Man]

It depends on your motivation. I wish I COULDA bought an Airstream that was all original and ready to roll but cost was an issue. And at the same time, I bought one that needs SOME work to be liveable. So, I will spend a few months rennovating and then on the road she goes! I woulda NEVER bought one that needed totally redone, mostly because I dont have the time, patience, money, or know-how on a total restoration. The biggest difference? You will LOVE your new Airstream. You will APPRECIATE, along with love, your redone one. And you can build it however you want to, not how the engineers at Airstream wanted. Just some food for thought! Good luck on your quest!