Repair 1966 Airstream or just sell as is?

[adevoto0702]

Hi all,

We own a 1966 Airstream that is in good shape but does have one patched area on outside, needs a new refigerator and stove. However the biggest thing is that the locks needed new keys to every door and compartment and this idiot conveniced us to let him take the locks with him so he could make keys. (We had RV in remote area). He took off with them and never returned.

Now, we are not able to find the locks. We could buy a new refigerator and stove but would that be throwing out money?? We did put in a new wood engineered floor but pretty much everything else is orginial.

Should we sell as is and see what we get (Bought for $18,000) or keep looking for locks/keys and put in the refig and stove??
Any advice is welcome.

[Hittenstiehl]

I would certainly sell as is. Clean, honest advertisement with good photos and clear title.

Yourself or a locksmith can make a temporary doorknob/ handle type situation with keys.

The person who buys it will likely want to do the rest themselves. Do not spend money that you will not get in return for items that the new owner may not even want.

It will be important for somebody to be able to close or secure the door in order to transport it to where they're going.

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the Forums!

I am inclined to agree with Hittenstiehl, but I would also qualify that with what is the overall condition of the trailer?

What you describe (mostly original) sounds to me like a trailer that most people would buy intending to do a bunch of renovation, in which case, I would say do nothing and sell it.

If, by replacing the locks and appliances, the trailer becomes something that can be immediately camped in, and the average buyer would say "I'm going on a road trip," as opposed to "time to gut it," then it is probably worth it to do some fixing.

Lots of owners who haven't just gone through a complete rebuild are not that aware of the real condition of their trailers. You might try going through the "trailer inspector's checklist" (available on these forums). That will help you decide whether your trailer leans more toward the open road, or the workshop.

Good luck!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Unless you can find locks for < $100, I'd agree with the others. Simple / cheap stuff is normally worth doing. Anything that gets involved or expensive ... not so much.

We're headed into what is normally the "slow time" of year for selling RV's. Also the market has cooled quite a bit compared to the last couple years. Estimating what a reasonable sell price is will be a bit hard.

Bob

[Trowbridge]

Sell 'as is' but clean the trailer up to a reasonable degree. The only factor that would cause you to buy/install new locks is if the lack thereof would prevent the trailer from being towed by a new buyer to their home location. That might make it worth a small investment to make the trailer more 'sellable'.

Haven't used 'thereof' for a long time, but it worked here