To buy or not to buy...........

[CrzyCorpsman]

Alright everyone. I've been having a debate in my mind and need some sane people to give some different views.

Here it goes.....

Right now, I'm in the process of doing a shell-off restoration/remodel of my '75 Sovereign. I love working on it and have finally come to the realization that it's going to take me a while to finish it (to my liking).

Lately, I've been thinking about getting another A/S to use while my other is in pieces. I was thinking about getting another used A/S, mid 70's in the 23-25 foot range. I've had my eyes out for a couple of months now and have seen some nice A/S's that would have suited me.

The other day, I happen to surf through one of the Airstream dealer websites and came across a brand new '07 25'fb International with the Ocean Breeze interior. I fell in love instantly. I shouldn't say instantly, because I have been in one and fell in love with it then. The price they were asking was about $20k off MSRP, which puts it right in my price range, if I were looking for a brand new one.

My thinking is, the money that I was going to use to purchase a "turn-key" used A/S, I could use as a down payment on a brand new one with no worries about anything that you'd have to worry about with a used trailer (plumbing, electrical, floors, axles; you all know the things).

I fully anticipate that I would keep both Airstream's for quite some time and will get full use out of both of them.

I'm sure that someone out there has been in my dilemma before, so please share you're thoughts with me.

[A-Merry-Can]

I bought a 64 tradewind to camp in while i worked on my '59... now I have 4! ha!

I heard somewhere dealer invoice is 30-35% off MSRP. negotiate with em! I bet you'll get it for less. RVs are moving really slow these days. The only problem is, you're not going to want to get into a smaller trailer after camping in the new one!

Love that model, btw. I looked at one yesterday that's going up for auction today at 1:00 in a lot of 8 damaged in the recent floods here.

[Kevin245]

We quickly came to the same conclusion about our 76 Sovereign and purchased a 2nd unit last year so we could use it while we rebuild the other.

As for new vs something used, or vintage...Your call. We went vintage, choosing to use the extra money to put towards the 76's rebuild.

Good Luck,

Kevin

[craftsman]

I think you either end up working on Airstreams or camping in Airstreams. I prefer camping. I've already tried the restoration route.

[loudruff]

Hi, Brian,
I hate to be the wet blanket, but the folks on here shouldn't be counted on for sanity! We all suffer from aluminitis!! Not the folks to ask! LOL!
As soon as you buy the "new" and start camping, the less time there is for fixing the old! Ask me how I know!!
Lou and Larry...camping in frigid Ohio!

[overlander63]

There is an option "B"...
Get a new or slightly used SOB, and when it starts to fall apart you can transplant the appliances and fixtures to the Airstream you're working on.
It will get the "wannagocamping" bug out of your system, and you'll appreciate the quality of your Airstream even more afterward.



The above was "tongue in chique", but could serve a purpose, plus you'd save some money over purchase of a new Airstream, and you won't have to worry about selling it when you're done. Just some gas and a match will dispose of it, and you can shovel any remaining aluminum into a can for recycling...

[mutcth]

Would you keep both the "new" trailer and your restored 75 Sovereign? That seems like an overlap to me - would you wind up using both trailers?

Of course, payments on the new trailer would eat into restoration money for the old trailer.

You could just buy a solid vintage unit that needed little attention for now, camp in it for a few years, and sell it when the Sovereign is done. You'd probably suffer less depreciation on that trailer, especially buying now as the season ends, than sales tax would be on the new one.

Or, go all in and get the 25FB and sell the Sovereign.

Personally, I'm happy that I bought a solid vintage unit that needs little major work. It should hold together long enough to wait for 23FBs to depreciate into semi-affordability....

Tom

[kennethowens]

If you have the money and a place to keep them...
Let-er-rip

[3Ms75Argosy]

Just because it's new, don't assume it won't have issues... there's a couple of threads here of (right now actually) of "new" '07's with rotten floors from leaks....

That said, if I had the $$, I'd buy a new one too!
Marc

[socdiva]

We, like you, "fell in love" with the 25 ft FB Ocean Breeze. The '07 you've seen may be one that we considered. We ended up purchasing an '08 and actually pick it up this weekend. We debated buying used, new, etc. and ended up prefering new with the 2 year warranty. We want to travel and camp, not spend a lot of time working on one or a lot of down time but we're near retirement age so I'm sure that makes a difference. We also decided that when (if) the economy takes off, prices will go back up. We got ours for about 32% off of MSRP and we're happy.