[VAC] Re: Tips requested 1971 Tradewind

["Alec Fisken" <afisken@xxxxxxxx>]

Jack asked about pricing a 71 Tradewind, and I thought I'd chime in, as a
fellow shopper and Northwesterner. I've been following these and the
Overlanders (27', or 26' if a 60's model) on Ebay, and various sources in
the northwest. My favorite web sites are this one (airstream.net),
airstreamcentral.com, rvtraderonline.com, and your local version of Little
Nickel. One notable point is that there don't seem to be that many of these
25-foot and shorter airstreams in the Northwest - lots of 31 and 34-footers
advertised, but few 25 and below. Of the ones I've looked at, from 23 to 27
feet, the ones in the fairly junky category start at $3000, and the more
average ones seem to be around $4500 up to 6000. I saw a pretty nice
Overlander for $4000, and have seen pix of a nice Tradewind at $5000.
There's a good-looking Tradewind on ebay right now from Sweet Home, OR, and
a long one in Missoula that looks really nice.
You should check the bulletin board at airstreamcentral.com - a guy from
Portland just recently posted a notice that he was looking for info about
restoring an old Overlander, which he bought locally for under $2000. It
looked beautiful! All in all, my sense is that if you look long enough, or
get really lucky, you might find a gem like that through word of mouth. If
you're looking at advertised stuff, the longer trailers seem a bit more
affordable, and the early 70's ones typically go for a little less than the
60's models (when real wood was a big feature). And, if you live in the
West, you've got a lot less available to you than people in the Midwest and
South. If you have time to tour the US, I bet there are some great deals out
there! Good luck!
Kathy - still shopping in Seattle