'with that much you could have bought a fifth wheel'

[PharmGeek]

Originally Posted by drunkensloth

I take a different approach. When people ask, and they always do, I tell them. They're eyes get big and say "oh my gosh. Are you serious? That's really expensive." They then stand there expecting me to justify my purchase to them. I just say "there's nothing like an airstream. Besides, it's only money." That usually pisses them off and they walk away thinking I'm a snob. Doesn't hurt my feelings, more beer for me!

hahahahahahahahaha

I have been tempted to do some variant of this (ive stopped myself so far)...

And why not tack on another 50k to the price just for effect? lol

My brothers friend was like "seriously?! arent those like 200k dollars?!"

So you could make that tactic even more of a punch if you wanted

[Foiled Again]

I brought mine home over the Cape May Ferry. I was sitting in the cab of the truck waiting for the start of boarding and noticed a tattooed guy with his arms pressed up against the window of my trailer. His wife was interested but looking a bit embarrassed. I jumped out and offered them a tour - which, since it's an Eddie Bauer - I started by opening the tail gate. Talk about a "moment" - the man could see his Harley tied down inside!

By the time I was through a family of 5, a couple and a single older man had joined. The family owned the Jayco in the next line... and they dreamed of owning an Airstream. I told them that the memories were what was important and they obviously had that as a work in progress. Advised them to HELP their kids with college expenses, but keep some for their first Airstream... even if it they bought it from my estate! The older man said he always thought he was too tall... then he grinned like crazy as he walked UNDER the air conditioner. Walked away saying "Lakewood NJ, eh. I go through there about once a month".

The Airstreams with the Aluminum interior always DO seem to make the biggest impression. Every hand goes up and gently caresses the ceiling, I smile, then wipe the fingerprints off after they leave.

Some people ARE happier with a big moho or fifth wheel - I nestle in their shade... or used to before I got one with solar. Hm. More adjustments - Oh the burdens of owning a new Airstream. Poor Me.

IMHO, there are two types of people - Airstreamers and those not infected yet. Now to make an Airstream Zombies movie.

Paula

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, well before I wore out my Airstream hat; I told people that I paid $50,000.00 for the hat and the trailer was free.

[PharmGeek]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, well before I wore out my Airstream hat; I told people that I paid $50,000.00 for the hat and the trailer was free.

lol, well, Ill need to come up with my own quip here soon...I cant seem to settle on one...im brewin' on it.

@paula - good points! when I would rarely see an airstream going down the road, we would try and get pics of them, wave as they went by, etc...we certainly became "infected"....once we knew we wanted "a travel trailer" based on how we liked and disliked various kinds of our travels with our kids and based on our own past....airstream was quick to be high on our list.

[SeeMore]

Almost LMAO at the "Look, there's another Jayco!" line - oh so true. So far, only my insurance carrier has asked the price paid or 'what do they cost."

Our dispersed family had a big reunion in Utah a couple of years back. One fifth wheel, two SOBs, and a Class A attended in addition to our silver tube. There was the obligatory first day tour of homes which lasted mere minutes each but ended with a thorough inspection of the Airstream that lasted at least 30 minutes with each couple. Clearly there was more than a passing interest in our unit and many comments along the line of "our next will be, always wanted one, it's really 10 years old, who gets it in the will, etc." I was a little surprised by the reaction since we all grew up caravanning around Europe in the early sixties and then in the US ever since. The other rigs just didn't evoke the same passion or level of curiosity.

Of the seven households in my generation only one has never gone the RV route, they motorcycle and use lodgings. Four days of RV tales of repair woes, best uses, hassles, driving characteristics, et al, left me convinced our choice was the best for our preferences (as well as most of theirs). I left knowing I can easily claim the award for least headaches after purchase by a wide margin.

Traveling is a continous social event for us with the Harlequin Danes and Airstream combo. We've learned anti-social folks shouldn't buy an Airstream as strangers will always stop by to ask questions wherever we stop.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by terry.morrow

Okay, Ive also been know to stop and admire the huge class A's...

On the other hand, I've met several folks in Class As who really admire my Interstate, for one or more reasons…
18mpg fuel economy;
ease of driving/parking (including being able to fit in ANY campsite in the park!);
quick setup time at the campground (I can be done setting up before they've even finished extending all the slideouts);
less expensive (but ONLY compared to a Class A).

But not one of them will ever trade down, no matter how much they admire my dinky little Interstate. Mainly because it IS dinky! How much room do you actually need in an RV, anyway? The whole point of camping is to get outdoors; the RV just provides a comfortable place to sleep for old bones no longer suited to sleeping on the ground, a bathroom that doesn't require you to dig a pit first, and a kitchen where the fire isn't extinguished by the rain. Anyhing else is just icing on the cake.

Food for thought… How much of the cachet of the Class A is due to the fact that it's called a "Class A"? If the people who decided on the RV classes had originally called them Class Fs instead, would they have ever developed into such status symbols?

[PharmGeek]

I saw a big class A a few weeks ago - it had behind it a double decker trailer like with a small car on bottom and golf carts on top and some other stuff !!

I've not been able to see an interstate in person yet - they look really nifty indeed !

18mpg?!?! Nice!

[graysailor]

I am a solo ASer so my point of view is somewhat different. Really gets down to what you need and want. My intention is to ultimately tour the US and I never even considered dragging a 35' + boat around the country. I looked at all of them. The 5th wheels were huge inside and SOB's were one third the cost and half the weight but for some reason I kept coming back to the AS. My goal is to RV and camp out. I am in the midst of my first trip out and so far the AS has it all. Easy to tow and park with all the luxuries of home. Lots of very nice Class A's here in the RV park but they are buses and thats not what I need or want.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

I've not been able to see an interstate in person yet - they look really nifty indeed !

18mpg?!?! Nice!

18 on the flat. Hills cut that down a bit, as do headwinds, tailwinds boost it a little. The very best mileage I ever got was on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway bridge, with a tailwind, where the onboard computer said I got 21.3mpg, briefly, just before I hit the first traffic light at the end of the causeway.

Worst mileage I got was in Arkansas, on Scenic Byway 7, where there were a lot of ups and downs, and sharp curves with posted advisory speeds as low as 25mph, and running on B5 diesel because I couldn't find any of the real stuff when the tank got too low. 14.7mpg then.

All the comforts of home. But only one comfort at a time, because you've got to put one away to enjoy a different comfort. Slightly less interior room than a 16' trailer (about the same length living space, but not as wide), but plenty enough for me as a solo traveler, cozy for a couple if they still love each other, but cramped for more than two.

I honestly think more Interstates are sold to soccer moms as commuter vehicles than to campers. Rick Foley of Foley RV (AKA Airstream of Mississippi) tells me that one he sold is used as a mobile office, driven by a chauffeur while the owner works in the back.

When I first took my Interstate to work (it will fit in a standard parking space, if you back in and there's room for the rear overhang), one of my coworkers said, "I have one word for you: Taladega!" He really wanted to borrow it and park on the speedway infield in it. Too bad for him I don't loan it out!

But since this thread is about price perceptions, I'm absolutely stunned how few non-RVers actually have a clue how much mine costs. When I tell them, they say, "Dang! You could almost buy a house for that!" Then, when I tell them what the MSRP is, they say, "Dang (again)! You got a really good deal!"

[Goin camping]

It always amazes me how many people bring up the cost of our Airstream.

Since our finances are none of their business I just tell folks I won it in a poker game and have no idea what they cost.

[m.hony]

Coming from an sob with a slide the Airstream trailer is as small a space as I am willing to live in. The Interstate interiors are just too small for me. I also like the comforts of home to be already put together- no assembly required. The Interstate is a Transformer- flip this, convert that. Some assembly required. Your parents put it together. The Interstates are awesome, they just ain't for me. The Interstate seems more like a luxury travel coach than a camper. Otoh a VW camper is even smaller and I would love to own one.

[m.hony]

We traded "down" in 6 or 8 ways, but traded up in 50-60 ways. I will someday begin a post that is a list of pros and cons. The Airstream comes out ahead for me personally about 500%.
And it's real purty, too.

[dkottum]

Most people don't know what Airstreams cost, or that they're still in production. We don't tell them.

In the RV parks with lots of full-time fivers and motorhomes they usually feel sorry for us with such a little trailer. We just smile and admire their external televisions, beautiful scalloped paint jobs, and all those slides.

And to think we could have bought two minivans for the price of that silly little Porsche convertible. It's a miserable life; we could have done so much better.

doug k

[dkrug]

I am always amazed when people ask what we paid for something. I was brought up to believe it was just plain rude to ask someone that.
A friend told us the other day that they were asked if they knew what we paid for our Mustang GT500. Our friend didn't know, but I said next time he asked to just tell him no more than the pickup truck we have.

[nsbcpa]

When I'm asked what my airstream cost, I reply "I don't know, I haven't sold it yet"

Then I explain that the cost of something is the difference between what you pay for it and what you eventually sell it for. When you think of it this way, airstreams don't cost that much.

[mutcth]

Honestly, I tell people what it costs. It's a consumer product whose value is easily searched for online. (Heck, people can find out what my house is worth easier than my trailer.)

But I always couch it as "I've always wanted one, we saved up for it, it's a realization of a dream, and we're lucky to have it."

You can't control the reaction of others. (Most of the time it's positive.) You can control your reaction to their reaction.

Finally, for some people (maybe a lot of people), a big 5th wheel would be better. My b-in-law wants a trailer someday, and for them, they'd probably be better off with a $15k Jayco than a 15-year-old Safari for the same price. (I'll try to make the case, all the same...) But that's for THEM, not for YOU.

Tom

[m.hony]

I must admit it was a financially stoopid move, but who cares? I am enjoying it.

[cwf]

Wow, you mean I coulda bought new and still worked on and repaired for myself ????

I know what it feels like to punch first hole in our "new to us" AS....

I am deeply appreciative of her previous caretakers.

You get all the "firsts" with NEW. Take time to journal the experience.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by m.hony

I must admit it was a financially stoopid move, but who cares? I am enjoying it.

It's not financially stupid at all.

Look at what you paid for your Airstream, and what you pay for camping in your Airstream. Then look at the number of hours you spend enjoying your Airstream. I think you'll find that, especially for long-term owners, you'll find that the cost per hour of Airstreaming is some of the cheapest entertainment around.

By comparison, the average cost of going to a pro football game in person is about $100 a head, or about $25 per per person/hour of entertainment, just for the tickets, not including any off the related costs.

Camping in my Airstream costs whole lot less than $25 per person/hour. So, which is the better entertainment value? Not the football tickets, that's for sure!

[whitsend]

Originally Posted by Goin camping

I just tell folks I won it in a poker game and have no idea what they cost.

I like this answer much better than the choices I've used:
"Don't you think it's kinda tacky to ask that ?" or,
"Only a tad more than your boob job and/or facelift " or,
"Probably less than your mid-life crises . airplane . Harley . Corvette "