Wow, we really bumped up the participation here in the past few days. Here are the results at this point. To all of you Motorhomers, this survey particularly focused on just travel trailers because, being a MH owner myself, I know that having an engine and transmission completely changes the picture.
Results
How many Airstream TRAVEL TRAILERS have you owned, either currently and/or in the past?
54% have owned 1 Airstream Travel Trailer.
28% have owned 2 AS Travel Trailers
How old is your current Airstream?
43% for older than 20 years
30% for 5 years or newer
How would you rate your overall satisfaction with your Airstream(s)?
57% rated their AS experience as "Excellent"
39% went with "Good"
No one rated the experience as lower than "Average"
Have you replaced, refurbished or reconditioned any of the following on your Airstream?
The survey specifically asked about tires, windows, exterior body, interior decor, kitchen electronics, heating/cooling elements, bathroom elements, sewage or water tanks, and propane related items.
Except for tires and interior, by far the overwhelming response to these items was all "no". The survey shows that most people don't need or want to replace most items in their AS.
48% of those people who did replace the interior decor did so for personal taste reasons.
48% of people who replaced the tires said they did so to upgrade from existing, still working tires.
As far as people who replaced items because they were actually broken, those responses were mostly under 10%. The biggest replacement issues due to malfunction / breakage were:
20% replaced broken windows
17% replaced kitchen electronics (stove, fridge, etc.)
24% replaced heating or air conditioning units
Have you ever had problems with any of your Airstreams leaking water through the windows or other exterior leaks?
60% of people said they had minor, easily repairable leaks
32% said they never had any issues with leakage
13% said they needed to repair major leaks
No one responded indicating they had a leak which was irreparable
Have you ever had any of the following issues with your Airstream(s)?
54% have had issues with Leaking internal components (sinks, shower stalls, toilets)
12% had issues with damaged holding tanks
15% had issues with external body damage NOT caused by a collision or traffic accident
12% said they had issues with interior damage beyond normal wear and tear (separating counters from sinks, faulty couches, diner-to-bed conversions, etc.)
70% said they had issues with electrical components going bad
How often do you use your Airstream?
Only 2% of people live in their Airstream fulltime
63% said they used it a few weeks per year
21% said they used it a few months per year
How many people live in / use your Airstream, and what condition is the interior in?
Most respondents have 2 Adults or 2 Adults w/ pets, and all respondents indicated their interior was still in fair condition or better, with most respondents indicating their interior was still in excellent condition (even with pets and children!)
In your opinion, how hard are you on your Airstream?
54% said they were careful but not overly so
32% thought the amount of wear and tear they inflicted was average
11% treat their AS like a glass vase
2% said they're harder than most
About how many miles have you put on your Airstream?
In retrospect, this question should have asked how many miles "are" on your AS, since used ones would have more than first time owners. But anyway, the results are:
44% with less than 5000 miles
54% with 5000 - 60,000 miles
2% with greater than 60,000 miles
Analysis
When looking at the overall results and cross referencing particular respondents answers, the most people
use their Airstreams only occassionally, but for long distances at a time when they do use them. While leaks and electrical systems are the biggest problems by far with Airstreams,
most people have little trouble repairing issues that do result.
The average AS owner, according to this survey, has owned only 1 AS, and has had their Airstream for 2 or more decades.
Overwhelmingly, despite any issues with the rigs, AS owners are quite happy with their rolling homes.
Thank you to everyone who participated and feel free to continue doing so if you haven't yet!
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