We all know at this point that vintage Airstream trailers have been quite sought-after for some time. That’s why it’s so unusual to see one show up at our favorite donation center on eBay, as one in this condition would likely fetch a fair price on the used RV marketplace. The seller, of course, is not an Airstream expert, so you may have to roll the dice a bit to bring this one home. The seller notes that it is a 23-foot model but that’s about it; fortunately, the photos seem to indicate it is respectable condition for one with so many unknowns. Find it here on eBay with no reserve and bidding up to $6,150.
The classic Airstream shape is impossible to mistake for anything else on the road. Although I am not an Airstream expert and in fact, am a downright novice, I can’t help thinking about going to town on that exterior and polishing it to high heaven. A gleaming Airstream towed behind a nicely preserved FJ60 Land Cruiser or Jeep Grand Wagoneer would do nicely, especially as we enter the shoulder seasons where you can sleep comfortably inside an old tow-behind coach like this. The tires still have good treat and the taillight lenses appear to be in good shape; I can’t tell if the rear glass is missing.
Given this Airstream was donated, you’d be forgiven for expecting the worst inside. Fortunately, it appears to be in pretty decent shape! Campers and trailers usually have no choice but to become disgusting cesspools once they stop being an owner’s pride and joy, so the Airstream had to have been in careful ownership for many years before becoming donation fodder. The last active registration date is listed as September of 1992, so wherever this Airstream ended up, it was in a good spot to sit for a prolonged period. The seller does note the generator is gone and the roof A/C doesn’t work.
Looking in the other direction, we see a consistency to the interior condition. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely not trashed. The cooktop looks like it could still fire up and the walls don’t show any obvious water damage. Of course, the integrity of the walls and the floor are hard to assess without being there in person, but I’m optimistic given the condition of the rest of the trailer. Finding a no reserve Airstream doesn’t happen every day, and this one appears to be an excellent foundation for a project that will bring years of open road adventures.
Ye gods. This thing needs basically like everything. Except less aroma.
Yeah that rear window looks gone and the floor may be a problem back there. Not positive but seem to remember the bath in the rear was a problem with these but can’t remember if it caused a frame issue in these units. Someone with knowledge and the ambition may come out ahead.
Cadmanls,
You are correct about the floors. Airstream started with a steel frame, then attached plywood for the floor. The entire upper body assembly was then built ON TOP of the plywood. If there is significant rot in the floors, it requires lifting up [or removing] the entire body assembly AFTER removing anything secured both to the floor and the body walls.
Many first-time buyers of used Airstreams think the aluminum body is all-enveloping, going all the way under the trailer. It is not. Think of it as an aluminum bucket bolted upside-down to a piece of plywood. If the plywood is kept dry on all sides, there won’t be a problem. If any part of the plywood stays wet for too long, it’s gonna be a lot of work to repair.
yep, look at the lower section beneath the windows, along the bottom on the non door side.
looks like something has peeled it apart there, or wood swelling maybe?
This guys site has a lot of nice donated cars , Motorcycles , RV”s and more, there is a bmw 335 diesel too. But he charges a fee for price of vehicle sold which almost seems illegal.
Looks like a prop left over from Breaking Bad……..
Was that suppose to be funny ??
My sister’s in-laws were Airstreamers back in the early 70s (they owned 3 actually) and even hosted Airstream rallies. Their go-to tow car was a 60’s era Lincoln Continental. They said that unless you checked your rear view regularly, you’d forget it was there. As for the interior condition of this one, as long as the frame and body are intact, it doesn’t matter. Gut it and rebuild and you won’t be under water for the value. A used Airstream once restored is practically worth a new one. Craft brewers, food vendors etc., will kill for these to use for mobile sales.
It’s not too often one finds an Airstream “beater”. The word “Airstream”, is a buzzword that at one time, all camper trailers were beneath. They generally catered to a more affluent and therefore better person than the rest of us( we had a “lowly” Shasta) over in the over flow lot because all the good spots were taken by Airstream owners,,,,not really, seemed like it though, there clearly was a “class” difference there. Not many Airstreams were pulled by rusty Plymouth wagons. To be clear, don’t let it’s sleek shape fool you, these weigh a ton(s), and nothing short of a 454 or Cummins will pull it. With the least expensive Airstream costing almost $50gs today, ANY Airstream, no matter how dilapidated or stinky will still be sought after. Classic “can of worms” here, but hey, it’s an Airstream,,
It’s not just a beater that needs most everything repaired, it’s from the era when Beatrice foods owned Airstream.
Pretty much every material on the inside is cheap crap, not what you’d expect inside an Airstream. We have a bigger one from that era that we bought wrecked. It’s a good thing parked in the way back by the pond.
It’s missing the nice aluminum LP tanks and I think it should have full Airstream wheel covers like ours has.
photo didn’t work first try
I always wanted a “rough” camper to use as a hunting spot, however nowadays it’s tow when using only as the thieves will swoop in and steal ya blind…….I had a friend who bought some property and a camper and sat it on it, only to come in one weekend and found they had stolen the wheels off it plus everything not bolted down inside. :-(
Just my $.02 worth, but I see Airstreams as American icons that deserved to be towed by an American Icon. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer mentioned would be certainly fill that role. So would a Chevy Suburban. Even a full size van. So while FJs are perfectly good iconic vehicles in their own right, my personal choice would be to pass on the FJ suggestion for towing an Airstream. A Lincoln or other big, powerful sedan would work too, but would miss out on all the added interior space and roof rack needed for bikes, grills, fishing gear, supplies, kids, dogs, etc., etc. needed for a proper vacation adventure. My Dad towed our 27′ Airstream with a 440 V8 equipped ’76 Ford Gran Torino station wagon spec.’d out with a factory trailer towing package. The anticipation and excitement while packing and finally hooking up was almost as much fun as the actual trip. Dad always wanted me to guide him as he backed up as I had an eye for getting him lined up first try.
I like how you think, however, that mindset is horribly out of date today. I agree, Airstream, or ANY camper, was one of those iconic AMERICAN products, usually pulled by AMERICAN products, it was considered “Un”-American to use a foreign vehicle. I’ll admit it looks odd, a Winnebago pulled by a Toyota, even though, Toyota today is fully capable and more American than most American vehicles.
Far as “helping dad”, always was a PITA. Lights were a constant hassle, I suggested a bad ground and got the usual, “Don’t tell me, Howard”, crap, and eventually he rewired the ground and we were on our way. Our “camping” trips were littered with mishaps and problems. It’s one way my brother and I got to be such good mechanics,,,
while we didn’t have an Airstream, I have stories too about Dad towing us everywhere with a 70’s Suburban CarryAll and a pop up camper.
One summer i had bought some cheap swim goggles that had the plastic lens just pushed in a groove, and they popped out rather easily but there was a flat section around the outside edge, and I had bought 3 or 4 hose clamps and wound together they fit perfectly in that flat section and kept the lens in tightly.
on the way to the campground, Lake Sherwood in WV, the exhaust system had a failure, and to fix it Dad had to pirate my hose clamps off my mask, so of course the lens popped out the first time I tried to use it in the lake swimming area.
And it’s GONE!!
We had a ’75 Airstream that we towed behind a ’67 Suburban with an updated drive train and brakes. It towed great and got plenty of thumbs up going down the highway and in the camp grounds.
Already gone, I’m not surprised that was a good price for what it was, it did need a complete restoration you could have dropped $25-$30k on the restoration and still came out ahead congratulations to the winning bidder
I love my 31 foot airstream which is now 47 years old. The dealer I purchased it from used a Chevrolet Caprice to tow airstreams from Florida to Ontario every spring. These trailers are pretty well bulletproof, only minor maintenance required every year. I am sure the silver bullet will out last me. If you want to renovate one it is not easy. I know the older ones were very well built compared to the new ones.