Should I Fix It UP, or Sell As Is?

[Robert P]

Hello,

I own a 31-ft "76 Sovereign that has been parked since the 90's. It was fully functional when I bought it, but since it has been in the same place for more than ten years (in the south) I have let things go. Both the furnace and A-C need replacing or servicing, and the the ammonia leaked out of the fridge years ago. All four tires are flat, but I might be able to air them up....or replace them. Within the last few years I replaced: faucets in the kitchen and bathroom, lights on either side of the mirror in the bathroom, the toilet, and water heater (120v electric-not an RV model).

The interior shows signs of age, but I think I can repair or replace most items myself, so that wouldn't be a problem.

I would like to sell this trailer, but I am not sure whether I would get my money out of it if a replace the fridge (and AC and furnace if necessary).

Or, I could sell it as-is orrrrrrr, a combination of both.

Any remarks would be welcome.

Thank you.

Robert

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Robert P

Hello,

I own a 31-ft "76 Sovereign that has been parked since the 90's. It was fully functional when I bought it, but since it has been in the same place for more than ten years (in the south) I have let things go. Both the furnace and A-C need replacing or servicing, and the the ammonia leaked out of the fridge years ago. All four tires are flat, but I might be able to air them up....or replace them. Within the last few years I replaced: faucets in the kitchen and bathroom, lights on either side of the mirror in the bathroom, the toilet, and water heater (120v electric-not an RV model).

The interior shows signs of age, but I think I can repair or replace most items myself, so that wouldn't be a problem.

I would like to sell this trailer, but I am not sure whether I would get my money out of it if a replace the fridge (and AC and furnace if necessary).

Or, I could sell it as-is orrrrrrr, a combination of both.

Any remarks would be welcome.

Thank you.

Robert

Welcome to the forums.
I would probably get everything working that can be gotten working without spending a ton of money, clean everything, seal the leaks, replace the tires, and sell it. If you do much more than that, you will never recoup the money you spent to get it there.

[daleyocum]

Agreed , I certainly wouldn't go replacing appliances as a new buyer may want to do a custom remodel or have their own ideas about what to put in. If you can get some things working without that, go for it. And, yes, it will need new tires since someone is going to tow it away.

[rwnash]

Robert,

Let me offer a different point of view. Unless you need a project, I'd sell it basically "as-is". Sure, clean it up and get the junk out; mow around it so a purchaser can make an inspection. See if the tires will hold air, but not much more. Any purchaser will have his or her ideas on how they will want to restore it and may not value the improvements you make. If you purchase new "brand A" tires not everyone will think that is a good idea and will replace them. Road worthy, but old used tires might be a better bet. (Perhaps someone here has old tires and steel wheels they are trying to get rid of?)

I am not sure how desirable a long mid 70's trailer is these days; 15 years ago not so much. Axles will need replacing and that vintage was known for weak frames. I sold a 1975 25 foot unit that needed significant work. The gentleman that bought it was very handy and had family members with welding and cabinet making skills. He spent several hours over a couple of sessions inspecting and measuring things before he made an offer. He converted the center bedroom into a bunk house for his kids. It took a little longer than he anticipated but he was able to take it to Yellowstone. In the end it worked out for both of us.

I'd describe it accurately and price it reasonably (whatever that is these days.)

Good luck
Whit Nash

[Shacksman]

Why don't you do like most people do, tear out the inside and throw everything away then advertise that all the hard work has been done.

[azflycaster]

I can't imagine that sitting for 20+ years has been good for the trailer. I would not invest any money in the trailer and try and find someone who is looking for a project. Based on the fact the numerous things that are not functioning, the trailer does not have much value.

[rideair]

I'm along the same lines as "Shacksman".

In fact, you give me $5,000, I'll come and gut the trailer for you, haul away everything, that way you can say, "Spent over $5,000 doing all the hard work".

Don't do anything, sell "As-Is" "Where-Is". If you get $2,500 bucks, say thank you, and never buy another Airstream unless it's already done.

Stay Healthy,

[Camper Crazy]

The more you do, the more value added.
Just my two cents,
CC

[SuzyHomemakr]

I'd say get it rolling, so that a buyer could drive it away before they had a chance to think about it too much. Also clean up any truly icky things... people fall in love with scruffy puppies all the time!

You didn't say what the condition of the exterior was- a straight body will be your biggest determining factor. Don't forget that the little Airstreams are far more popular than the big ones. If you put it up on Craigslist, be careful of scammers! Good luck!

[bibbs]

I would get rolling, move it out of the weeds, sweep it out, and sell, as is. You might be surprised what some people will pay.

[twolanehwy]

pics?

[Mike1997]

Airstreams are like classic cars......the more you do, the more time you have invested plus dollars. If you do not have the time or dollars to invest, sell it as is but I would at least make sure its road worthy. Fix the exterior lights and put new tires on it. Inspect the hitch and make sure its working properly. Other than a good wash and clean, I would let it go. Most people looking for units that old plan to gut the inside.

[dmslawson]

You’ve not mentioned and I haven’t seen anyone as yet post the real question: how much is this trailer worth as-is and how much is it worth fixed up.
What’s the going rate for your vintage trailer currently—in as-is and fixed condition? Check the classifieds and maybe the answer to what you should do will appear. Maybe you’re beating a dead horse or maybe you’ve got a prime restoration project.
In our case, we bought a new Airstream in 2016 and use it whether traveling or docked next to our barn shed where it’s hooked up to a full utilities.
It’s a constant job of upkeep (albeit usually little things—that could get away from us if left untended) and we always tell ourselves that we are paying for this trailer and each thing we upgrade or repair is for our pleasure . . . not as an investment.
Good luck with your situation. Sad to hear that it languished for so long—sure hope it wasn’t for health or other personal problems.
Be good to yourself and start with the as-is advertisement. If it hasn’t sold, then weigh the cost of disposal versus minor cleanup. And then if that doesn’t make it go away, think about how much this trailer is getting in the way of living your life.
Life is short. This might be triage time for your trailer.
Again, best of luck. And thanks for putting an interesting post up on this forum.

[tbashin]

76 is considered Vintage so be sure and note that in your advertisement. It's got the good metal exterior items like water inlet locking box, electrical outlet housing, etc. It may be worth more as a parts trailer. Selling windows, etc. The door handles/lock assy. is worth a couple hundred by itself if its in good working order and you have the key.

[GPurcell]

Replace the tires and sell it as is. Someone will buy it

[mikextr]

Originally Posted by GPurcell

Replace the tires and sell it as is. Someone will buy it

Excellent advice!

[vintageracer]

SELL IT AS IS!!!

You don't want to open up than can of worms called an "Vintage Airstream" that has been sitting for 10+ years. Remember in the "Vintage Airstream" market the longer in length the Airstream trailer is the LESS DESIRABLE and therefore the market value drops rapidly. There are LOTS of 31 Foot Airstreams that need restored sitting everywhere when you take the time to look. They can be a very hard sell.

Remember EVERYTHING in that trailer you touch comes apart really easy it's that "Putting It Back Together" part that becomes a real PROBLEM!

The only work on that trailer you want to do is watch the rear tailights of the trailer as they leave your property!

[vikx]

I agree with AS IS. Air the tires, get it rolling, out of the weeds and offer it up for sale. Tires are not cheap and any money you spend on it will mean the less you get.

With many appliances are not operable, including the missing RV water heater, it would cost at least 3K to replace the appliances. Lots of work involved.

Honestly, my heart wouldn't be in repairing it just to sell. There is low demand for a very long Airstream, so I doubt you would recoup your money in the end.

[LanSluder]

I had a 1970 27' that also had sat for many years, waiting for me to find time to work on it. Interior was in generally excellent shape but furnace, A/C/fridge, awning needed replacing and bathroom needed work. Exterior had some dents and bangs -- I'd give it a C- for condition overall. Never found the time or energy to fix it up, or the $20K+ or so I'd have to spend on getting it back in first-class condition.

So finally I advertised it on eBay for auction with a buy-it-now price. I described the good and the bad and showed a lot of pix.

Within a day or two I had a firm cash offer for more than I had paid, sold it, and the buyer drove down to NC from Northern Virginia, we did the paperwork, and he successfully towed it home. He was thrilled to get it.

I could have sold a half dozen of these in the same condition, probably for even more money than I got for this one.

So, based on this limited experience my advice would be just to do basic cleanup, pump up tires or replace with used ones, try to make it safe to tow one time, advertise it honestly and sell it as is. A surprising number of people want vintage Airstreams as a second home on a lake or somewhere, while others are ready for a total renovation/restore challenge.

As long as they're not total junk, old Airstreams are in demand!

[Denny Arnold]

Just air the tires...wash it...sweep it out...sell it to the highest bidder...

whoever buys it deserves a bargain

remember, what we paid for something, has nothing to do with it's worth