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Old 03-17-2006, 10:20 AM   #1
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1979 31' Excella 500
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So why should I buy an Airstream?

I am looking for a large travel trailer to serve as a semi-permanent base on a property that I own for hunting and recreation. It has to pass the wife test. I started looking at Airstreams because this trailer will be outside 365 days a year with a snow load that approaches 3' at times. I am finding AS to be overpriced in many cases in my opinion. For example I have found several Jayco campers of 1994 vintage with much nicer and updated interior trim for about the same price I'd pay for a 1975 AS if I'm lucky. Do the Jayco have more of a tendency to leak/break/ etc than AS? Are the flat roofs on these Jayco's one solid piece of metal with the exception of holes for vent, etc?
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Old 03-17-2006, 10:26 AM   #2
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I have a 1972 Airstream Tradewind that is in nearly as good a shape now as it was when new. Compare a 1972 trailer from another manufacturer and I think you'll very quickly see why we all love Airstreams.
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Old 03-17-2006, 10:30 AM   #3
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I just made a call on a 1971 Tradewind. Supposedly everything works but the air conditioning unit was taken out and replaced with a vent. It is not in restored condition but from the sounds of it good condition. It has the rear wet bath. They want $8500 for it!!
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Old 03-17-2006, 10:40 AM   #4
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I would agree that the prices of used Airstreams are inflated over the cost of a comparably equipped stick-built trailer. The prices for the in-demand size used trailers have nearly doubled in the past five years. There are several reasons. First is that the prices of new units have climbed significantly in the past ten years. Second, the price of a used Airstream next to a new Airstream price looks pretty attractive, even if the used unit prices have doubled. Third, they're trendy and currently in great demand. Fourth, that being the case and although you may pay more for it initially, you won't lose money on your Airstream when you go to sell it, provided that it's in reasonably good condition. You'll be fortunate to be able to sell a ten year old stickie, much less recoup your investment. Last, generally a '70s Airstream with reasonable care will be in better condition than a '90s vintage stick built trailer. Stickies have seams that leak without regular attention. Leaks cause rot. Rot in an Airstream is limited to the floor. Rot in a stickie means the end of the line. Most stickies have about a ten year expected life span. An Airstream can be a lifetime purchase. Sometimes several lifetimes!

Roger
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Old 03-17-2006, 12:18 PM   #5
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Wacnstac,

Considering the use you plan for the trailer (ie: "semi-permanent base on a property that I own for hunting and recreation"), an Airstream may be expensive overkill. I'd think long and hard before I plunk down alot of bills on even a used AS, if it is going to sit forlorne collecting pine tags, bird poop, mice nests and dry rot. My $0.02.
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Old 03-17-2006, 12:38 PM   #6
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It will be just sitting. Would the stick built trailers hold up just as well as AS if they are just sitting their entire life and not being hauled and jostled around on the road?
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Old 03-17-2006, 12:41 PM   #7
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why not a mobile home

Why don't you just buy a repo'd double-wide? It could probably handle the severe weather better.
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Old 03-17-2006, 12:55 PM   #8
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Old 03-17-2006, 01:07 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wacnstac
It will be just sitting. Would the stick built trailers hold up just as well as AS if they are just sitting their entire life and not being hauled and jostled around on the road?
Nope. Most of them just sit around their entire lives, whether it's on a site somewhere or in the back yard. They have seams that can and do leak. It's their nature. The posts above are right though... If you plan to leave it sit, you won't have nearly the investment in it if you buy a stickie. When it does die, you can replace it again with another stickie and still probably not have $5k in both. I predicated my earlier response on "semi-permanent" which would indicate that you plan to tow it, at least occasionally.

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Old 03-17-2006, 01:26 PM   #10
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Will the stikies with their flat roofs be able to withstand rain and multiple feet of snow? I guess that's the first thing that got me to start looking at airstreams was their arc'd roof. I suppose there are people who store stikies outside 365 days per year so their roofs must hold up to some water and snow stress.
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Old 03-17-2006, 01:47 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wacnstac
I am looking for a large travel trailer to serve as a semi-permanent base on a property that I own for hunting and recreation. It has to pass the wife test. I started looking at Airstreams because this trailer will be outside 365 days a year with a snow load that approaches 3' at times. I am finding AS to be overpriced in many cases in my opinion. For example I have found several Jayco campers of 1994 vintage with much nicer and updated interior trim for about the same price I'd pay for a 1975 AS if I'm lucky. Do the Jayco have more of a tendency to leak/break/ etc than AS? Are the flat roofs on these Jayco's one solid piece of metal with the exception of holes for vent, etc?
Reading between the lines It seems you've already made up your mind and are looking for someone to agree with you. Soooo----I think you should buy the Jayco. Does that help???? ----pieman
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Old 03-17-2006, 01:51 PM   #12
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No, I'm not looking for somebody to just agree with me, I'm looking for some honest advice as to whether the AS will handle weather outside 365 days per year better than a stikie.
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Old 03-17-2006, 02:05 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wacnstac
No, I'm not looking for somebody to just agree with me, I'm looking for some honest advice as to whether the AS will handle weather outside 365 days per year better than a stikie.
Actually the answer to your question can be seem when you examine the two side by side. I think if you looked at a 1950's model Jayco next to a similar year Airstream you would see the difference.----pieman
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Old 03-17-2006, 03:18 PM   #14
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Is the snow where you are wet or dry? Regardless, I seriously doubt any stick built trailer with a flat roof will be able to support the load of three feet of snow, wet or dry. Perhaps what you need is a yurt, like one of the ones offered by this company:

http://www.yurts.com/

You could probably see one locally, if they are used by your State Park system.
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Old 03-17-2006, 03:55 PM   #15
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In the end you yourself will have to justify the cost. Yes it is more, but it is a really great coach. Is it worth the price? Maybe not, but you won't find many folks that have an Airstream that would trade to a stick built RV.

My family still has their 1982 Jayco 24' Jay Gull. Of course it wasn't used for about 15 years while it sat in a barn. But we now take it out at least once a year and it's in great shape (after cleaning, re-packing bearings and tire replacement).

I will say this, the roof coating on our Jayco has been done 2x. I know of several Airstreams that neither have a roof coating nor do they leak or need a roof coating.

I will also say that I've been to several recent RV shows and our older Jayco is far better built than any newer Jayco I have seen...as a matter of fact our 24 year old Jayco is better built than most RVs you find today and has better overall quality.

The Airstream, though it too has it's faults is on par with the interior solid feel of that old Jayco we still have. You don't find that kind of feeling in many of the coaches today, unless you start to get upwards of $100k mohos...... Don't know what I'm talking about? Take a walk into a newer RV at the price points you're thinking about. Notice how it creaks and the floor will felx? Notice some of the cheap interiors. Now walk in an Airstream (new or old) and there you'll find where some of that extra $$ went. I always get a kick out of the threads that ask for reasons why one should get an Airstream. I also love to hear folks walk away from an Airstream at an RV show and say "you gotta be kidding me", go out and buy a new stick trailer, and come back in 5-10 years looking for another one. That test I mentioned will help you see some reasons.

Airstreams aren't perfect, but a bad day with an Airstream still beats a great day with SOB, and I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford one and would continue to own one, every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
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Old 03-17-2006, 04:10 PM   #16
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Hello All.. We sold our restored 75 26' Argosy this winter and purchased a 2000 28' 5th wheel made by Cardinal.. has 2 slides and we love it.. the interior detail is perfect.. and we have had one other Sob and 3 other A/S.. BUT we have Aluminiitis.. for Argosys and we purchased another one 8 days after we sold the 75.. this is a 79 30' with rear wraparound windows.. and it will be our trailer for touring North America when we are fully retired... Annie... we find we enjoy the extra room in the 5th wheel especially when we are parked for 5 months for the winter..
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Old 03-17-2006, 05:58 PM   #17
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Smile Lots of great input here, good luck with your decision

Hey wacnstac,
Hard decision to make, good luck, I know you'll make the right one for you.
I think Cameront120's advice is very interesting you know that yurt shape is exactly like the one used by the First People in Michigan for wigwams and they stood up to snow. I'm being serious here. The design makes sense.
Some folks make a little steep metal roofed over shelter without side walls, that helps the snow slide off. I wonder if any trailer will stand up to our snow without a little help? Sounds exciting planning for your property, enjoy!
Sorry you won't be Airstreaming around Mich for fun, its really a blast!
Best wishes
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Old 03-17-2006, 06:06 PM   #18
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My impression of Jayco is that they mis-spelled the name. It should be Junko. But then, there is a lot of junk out there. You will never regret going with quality. Just my opinion. We have a 91 34ft that stays in Florida and a 2002 25 ft safari that we travel with. We looked at other brands before we bought the 34ft for Florida. Other than high level Holiday Rambler, nothing was close in quality.
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Old 03-17-2006, 06:14 PM   #19
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Guys and gals I wasn't comparing AS to Jayco specifically but just threw that name out there. I'm still leaning towards an AS as a permanent base mainly due to it's curved roof and knowing that I probably wouldn't need to build a roof over it even though it will be in the snow belt.
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Old 03-17-2006, 06:41 PM   #20
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Some buddys and myself own a old travel trailer that we bought for a song just to get it off the guys property, we gutted it and and put bunks in it, and it will sleep 12, we added a 8x12 entry onto it with counter top and storage pluss a large fridge freezer, We haul our cooking and drinking water to use while we are there, water just draines onto the ground under trailer. We only use the trailer for Winter ice fishing it is located on the Lake Of The Woods in northern Minnesota. Whoever is up there using the trailer will remove snow from the roof. If you cannot be there to do this I would suggest that you look into a older moble home with a shinggled pitched roof. If you wife is that fussy over accomadations she would not last a day in our fishing shack. so if I was you I would think about a older used moble home were you will have running water and a under ground sewage tank that you can have pumped or go with a drainfield your choice.
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