Why Airstream?

[AWCHIEF]

Temporary condition, Already cured, just a little storage envy.

[Nomad518]

Back in 2000, my wife and I began shopping for our first RV as an upgrade from tent camping. We looked at all sorts of rigs and brands. After more than a year of shopping, we knew we would ultimately end up with an Airstream even though the cost was so much higher than many of the alternatives. We agreed that we would bite the bullet and buy what we wanted right out of the gate rather than mess around buying something cheaper with the plan of upgrading in due time. Our plan was to buy the one we wanted and keep it for a long time. That was more than 14 years ago. We still love our Airstream and we have no plans to part with it.

When we bought ours, our friends and family members who also owned RVs were shocked we would buy an Airstream as our first RV. Why spend so much money? When we told them our plan, they seemed a bit skeptical but time has shown our decision was sound. Our new AS cost about $30k out the door with the hitch in 2001. We couldn't replace it for anywhere near that cost today. And, we've had the enjoyment of owning an American icon all these years.

Yes, it's had a few service issues over the years but they've really been very minor. I'm confident we would have encountered the same or worse with any other brand. I enjoy tinkering and maintaining it as much as I enjoy traveling and using it. So, the amount of effort I've put into it has not been an issue.

[JJMarks]

We have owned many types of MHs over the past 20+ years and decided is was time to go back to pulling a trailer rather than pulling a toad. Once that decision was made, the choice trailer became pretty easy.

We were looking for something that would allow a couple of old(er) f@rts to travel up to 4 months away from home (as soon as the other retires). We don't need a ton of room, but we do require quality in the "box" of the trailer. The insides are all pretty much the same regardless of make, plus you can customize if you feel like. The wide body of the new models makes a slide out unnecessary for us and our dogs. The height makes it fit in many larger garages/car ports.

Yes, it looks cool and has a following - but we aren't followers, though we do love the look. The community on the forums is welcoming & very helpful! The opportunities for rallies, etc. seem pretty endless.

The ability to do repairs on the exterior yourself is appealing but hopefully won't need to happen for a while. Not a lot of storage, but we down sized our home recently and realized stuff is just stuff. Learning to organize in a small space is part of the fun/challenge. Getting the darn WD hitch "dialed in" has been a true challenge.

Resale, when we get to that point, should be better than most TTs.

Hey, it's a great excuse to buy that truck you have always wanted.

[FollySteve]

Why Airstream?

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days. Old subject … but one that deserves thought.

First, the monocoque. Of course it's strong. But most of all it is absolutely rigid. And stays that way. The frame it sits on is also strong. And the suspension is very good. All of this means that trailer box does not twist and shake when traveling. The trailer last much longer and most important, the cabinet stay on the walls. It's pretty rare to hear about a cabinet failing in an airstream. It is not with others.

Steve

[Mrjkq]

My 2cents, having owned 5 previous RV's including a 40 ft diesel pusher with 4 slides. Quality, class, iconic, comfortable, manageable, expensive but you get what you pay for & I'm getting 16 MPG towing it with my RAM Ecodiesel 1500 truck so it's also economical. Airstream's a lot of bang for the buck.

[Sjcjr]

Why an airstream as opposed to SOB? It's very difficult to understand until you own an airstream. It's every bit as much about enjoying the airstream while camping as it is about camping!

[Airline]

Because We Can

[kb0zke]

I enjoy reading this type of thread because it focuses on the positives. Are there some negatives? Of course. Anyone who is thinking about spending a fairly large sum of money needs to look at both positives and negatives. A "positive" for one person might be a negative for another, and a negative for one person might be a positive for another. Each of us has to decide what best fits us.

As for holding their value, I think that there is something to that. I just looked up the price list for a coach of the type we're thinking about. List price was somewhere around $65,000 back then. Asking price now is about half that. In other words, asking price has dropped about 50% in 20 years. By contrast, our DP was 20 years old when we bought it. MSRP back then was about $350,000. If I were to put it up for sale today I'd ask $35,000, a 90% depreciation in 22 years.

[Msmoto]

I think an Airstream depreciates somewhere in the 20% range for the first couple years, but if kept in good condition, once at 50-60% of retail, a lot seem to hold their value.

One the other hand, My moho, a Tiffin Allegro Bus, MSRP $375,000 in 2010, went for $180,000 about a year an half ago, 51,000 miles. Fortunately I had a good discount initially, but the total coast for the 51,000 miles was about $3.25 per mile, all costs included.

The Airstream plus Dodge/Cummins is far less, somewhere between $1.50 and $1.70 per mile, all costs included.

So, if I pull 15-20,000 miles per year, I spend about $22,500 to 34,000 per year. And, I cannot say I have been happier, the far less worry with a nice truck and the Airstream vs. a moho. Also the fact it is about half as expensive to travel with the Airstream, and IMO absolutely no more trouble and because of the windows in the Airstream, more comfortable to live in, especially when sleeping with everything open....YES!

Are you guys ever going to move to Sioux Falls?

[PKI]

Why Airstream - Oh! you want to justify it. Financially, you can't. Emotionally, it's a slam dunk. But then, how did you justify the other RVs that you have owned? Use the same approach. There are other solutions - light weight, reasonable quality, good looking - but an Airstream is special. My brother sat in his FRRW SOB and was at home. It was the right solution for him. We liked that trailer, but when we sat in the AS, it was home.

No slideouts - we did not want one. AS were built with SOs. Saw one in Grand Junction 7-22/23.

Low to the ground - we did not like climbing a mountain to get above all that storage in a MOHO. Others have storage envy. We cope so we don't climb.

Easy tow - we wanted an aerodynamic trailer. There are SOBs that are aero, but for what ever reason, they did not work for us. In our opinion, the torque axles are a significant improvement over leaf springs. And the weight is held inboard and low with the layout configuration and rounded shell form.

It's an heirloom - feels good to buy something that is not disposable. We like to keep stuff and use it a long time.

It's expensive - well new they are, but used not so much, if you can DIY it and you may like the style and configuration of a vintage rig. Besides, it is shinny and shinny things are supposed to be expensive.

One thing though. People stare, smile, and talk to you. If you can't take that, don't get one. Leave it for someone who can handle that life style.

Pat, FC23FB, a newbee and loving it!

[Wanderer2604]

Here's my two cents on the usage costs. To me it makes more sense to figure usage costs on $/night not $/per mile. We value our time stopped rather than the highway getting there.

Our latest Airstream is a 2007 Classic. We have only used it 363 nights so far. Still, using the MSRP (2007) of about $75k and the 50% rule of thumb in the previous posts for the resale value, we are are running about $75 a night. (We didn't pay MSRP even new) The good news is that the depreciation does level off at a value quite a bit above zero, compared to SOBs.

Of course the costs above don't include repairs, upgrades, campground fees or additional fuel for towing all of which will bring up the nightly costs.

Some might say that RV traveling is cheaper. It's not unless you buy used after most of the depreciation if over.

But even after looking at the math, it's a better way to travel. Don't have to find hotels, deal with a gauntlet of outstretch palms, worries about the bedbugs the previous guest brought in in the seems of their luggage, finding a restroom on the road, etc. etc.

There is another message in all this. It is not a good idea to buy an Airstream and let it sit idle for 99% of the year.

We've come from a tent and an MG, then a VW bus in the '70s, tent trailer in the '80s, and a white box in the 90's. We are on our second Airstream and would never go to anything else.

[switz]

Greatest "toy" I could have bought for the wife. She has great time doing things inside the coach and was an out doors camper in the UK as a girl, so the comforts are just wonderful.

I find once the landing gear is down and the truck is unhitched, the days stress slips away just being in the moment fixing dinner on the grill outside and enjoying the table to eat. Then there are the great third party mattresses that help me sleep nearly all night long.

Like most folks in Airstream land, we have modified ours to what we wanted after a few trips. At age 70, I want to go for the gusto while I still can.

[kb0zke]

"But even after looking at the math, it's a better way to travel. Don't have to find hotels, deal with a gauntlet of outstretch palms, worries about the bedbugs the previous guest brought in in the seems of their luggage, finding a restroom on the road, etc. etc." Absolutely!

We've got a recently-married daughter living in Wyoming. She is under orders to plan her children's births to happen in the summer so we can visit. That way we can stay in our own coach while we're there, just like we did for her wedding.