75th Anniversary Bambi

[wheel interested]

I live in Michigan and bought our Airstream in Oregon, paid no sales tax there, I was told "legally" one should stop in every motor vehicle in each state home for a temporary license. They and I thought it would be unlikely I would be stopped and I would have my new sales contract along. The thought of getting lost in each and every state driving through looking for the motor vehicles division and matching the open hours and days, just made the risk a whole lot less alarming. How's your fast talking? Paid my tax in Michigan when registering it, and not the difference but on the value of the AS. UGH!

Why not have the dealer responsibile for all tax and get an out the door price?

Try Woodland Travel Center near Grand Rapids, Michigan. I bet they will deal. Last I looked they had one.

Drive it home, it's a good first trip.

Originally Posted by asherkobin

Ok, I'm in the process of locating, purchasing, and transporting a 75th. No places in my state currently have them. They are trying to get one. There is one in Oregon but they won't budge from MSRP. I located one in far away state that will give it to me for $55,500. Of course there is the whole sales tax issue that I have to deal with. Once I register it in my state I have to pay the sales tax (8.8%), so obviously I don't (and am not) going to pay tax twice.

So the legal deal is that the dealer has to transport the trailer to the state line, complete the transaction and then I can avoid the local sales tax. They charge $750 for this.

Of course before this, I have to be at the dealership for prep and paperwork. So I either fly down and do this separately ($200) or drive down, and follow the transport to the state line, hook up and continue back home.

Oh, and another thing is that I wanted to get this done before the end of the year for federal tax purposes but that's not gonna happen b/c my bank is't going to be able to fund me for at least a week or two. So that's off the table.

The logistics are becoming a pain in the butt.

Thoughts?

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I bought my Airstream in Oregon and paid no sales tax at all; California had a 91 day rule. If a vehicle was purchased out of state and stayed out of state for 91 days or more, California would not charge sales tax. [even though they still tried to] Shortly after we bought our trailer California changed that rule from 91 days to 1 year.
Other than that, dealers are supposed to charge tax and license at the rate of your home address.
jglabrown, I don't think any of the Airstream kitchens have room for two, mine doesn't.

Bob

[asherkobin]

Thanks for all of your comments. The state I'm buying from is in California. The dealer is near Oakland. I'm revealing that now because I have a deposit on it (and didn't wan't anyone grabbing it

I've talked to both WA and CA dept of revenue and there is no reciprical tax agreement. The CA regulation is actually quite clear, anytime you take possestion of a purchase in the state you have to pay sales tax.

One thing I may try tomorrow (that's the last day the dealer is open for the year) is to get them to agree to close on the deal w/o me paying in full (they can take whatever deposit on a credit card and keep the trailer until I can pay them). Get me the documents, and register and pay taxes in WA (assuming they don't need to see the trailer).

The whole reason for this is that sales tax is deductable for federal tax purposes (in states that don't have income tax), so it will immediately reduce my taxable income by $5000 or so for the 2006 tax year (about 1500 cash back). Of course, I can do this for the 2007 year if I can't get it done in time.

PS: No one commented on the price I negotiated. I know it's not a super-great deal, but the 75s are hard to get.

PPS: Who makes good covers/wraps? I'll be storing it at an outdoor facility that charges a monthly fee (I live in a condo and this is my first RV purchase and I'm a total newbie but I know what I like!)

--
Asher

[ljmiii]

Originally Posted by asherkobin

I'm revealing that now because I have a deposit on it (and didn't wan't anyone grabbing it

First of all...congratulations! The 75th anniversary ASs are really sweet.

Originally Posted by asherkobin

PPS: Who makes good covers/wraps? I'll be storing it at an outdoor facility that charges a monthly fee (I live in a condo and this is my first RV purchase and I'm a total newbie but I know what I like!)

ADCO is a good cover manufacturer...but only for SOBs.

You shouldn't put a cover on an AS...it scratches up the aluminum finish wicked bad. But aluminum doesn't have the same issues with UV as fiberglass so you don't really need one anyway. Just make sure they don't park it under a tree.

[3Ms75Argosy]

hey neighbor! Did you get power back?

From what I remember when I moved from CA to Seattle (and thought of buying a car there), I think they can hold sales tax for you, but you must register/pay WA state sales tax w/in a few days. Try calling CA DMV (not the most helpful folks), but their info may be different from the Dept of Rev. Just a few thoughts....

I've read about this whole "state line" thing. There actually is a fraud alert out there about people buying RV's in CA in delivering in non-tax states (like OR and Montana). How it worked is that an escrow company gets title to your trailer, and then "delivers" it to you at the state line. PO box or similar is set up in that state for registration.

Why I mention this..... just be wary of who is actually holding your title. Apparently there were some "rouge" escrow company's out there holding titles for "ransom."
I'm sure you can't wait!
congrats!
Marc

[asherkobin]

Ok, fingers crossed...the dealer in Washington practially has his hands on one so I won't have to deal with this logistical nightmare

If anyone is familiar with the 75th builds, I was under the impression that they were all spec'ed the same, but the dealer is saying there are several add-ons (AV-DVD-TV, Solar Power thingy, Sirius, and some other stuff). He wasn't 100% sure though.

Marc,

I live in downtown Bellevue and was in the small strip that never lost power. Lucky for me, but I also work close by and my work had power so I had to work that day :P I feel really bad for the people that are still out, PSE (and everyone that's helping them) has it's hands full.

--
Asher

[3Ms75Argosy]

and just in time for xmas!

Options. My first thought that it was loaded, but I guess not. If you look at the Airstream.com site, look under "options" for the Bambi, you'll see that there are AV / satellite/ etc options. Even the electric hitch? Gee, for that money, I thought it was all standard.

I have not bought from AS of Spokane, but I can say that with my conversations with Karyn from there, they seem very friendly and on the level. Others have had positive experiences there. Servicing should be better if that's where you buy it.

If you're talking about RV America in Fife, I can't say I know too much about them, but I have stopped by.
Good luck! We were only in the cold for two days. I actually pulled my Argosy away from our campsite/storage to my inlaws in Bothell to get away from the trees. I'm afraid to look at how the site is now.

If you need any local help hitching up, just PM me.

Also, keep an eye open on the forums for the next NW forums rally. Maybe in late March/April? We're a fun group - we'd love to have you join us!
Marc

[TIMEMACHINE]

Originally Posted by asherkobin

PS: No one commented on the price I negotiated. I know it's not a super-great deal, but the 75s are hard to get.
--
Asher

It looks as though you are paying $55,000 and I am guessing the MSRP is around $61,000. If that is the case you got a 10% discount which isn't too bad for a true limited series. Of course the price means little if it "is the one" for you. Congratulations.

John

[Mike Lewis]

mark--some years back we were buying small MH from a southern Cal. dealer. They delivered it to me across the state line into az. We did the paper work at a truck stop, exchanged money for MSO and I returned to New Mexico where it was licenced and regestered. All above board and legal. --pieman

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

mark--some years back we were buying small MH from a southern Cal. dealer. They delivered it to me across the state line into az. We did the paper work at a truck stop, exchanged money for MSO and I returned to New Mexico where it was licenced and regestered. All above board and legal. --pieman

Did something similar to this with the Safari. Dealer delivered it to my door some 300+ miles from the dealership. Papers signed, Safari licenesed, etc.

Pretty good transaction....

[Goin camping]

Originally Posted by Roscinante

On average, how long would you say it takes the average AS-er to upgrade to a larger unit?

About 45 days for us. Regrets? Nope. Traded in the 19 footer for the full purchase price and drove away with the 25 FB.

Will we trade up again? No way. the one we have is perfect in size and layout for us.

That 75th is drop dead pretty! Wish they made in a 25 FB.

[campadk]

Originally Posted by TIMEMACHINE

It looks as though you are paying $55,000 and I am guessing the MSRP is around $61,000. If that is the case you got a 10% discount which isn't too bad for a true limited series. Of course the price means little if it "is the one" for you. Congratulations.

John

$52K US is what we managed. That was back in the fall. Now into winter that is much of a bargain.

Merry Christmas!

[asherkobin]

Ok, so I don't follow these forums much but I wanted to post an update. I took out my trailer for it's first trip two weeks ago for a long trip down the west coast. 800 miles down US-101 and CA-1 from Olympia to Sonoma County with 2 overnight stops, 4 nights camping, then back up via I-5 with 1 overnight stop.

My tow vehicle is a VW Touareg with air suspension. The towing experience was excellent, no problems whatsoever. I don't have a W/D hitch or sway control and I managed the switchbacks and steep grades with ease.

About the trailer...unfortunately there were quite a few problems and some questionable design choices. If anyone cares, I'll discuss these in more detail.

--
Asher

[Randjg1]

Please share your issues! We have only camped in the yard so far our first trip is coming soon would love to compare notes. My only issues so far: a missing rivet inside. Im hesitant to have it fixed has its under where the awning is attached so i believe they will have to remove the whole thing to address and have seen no leaking.
R

[asherkobin]

Oh...where to start...

1. Furnace works 10% of the time. It will fail to ignight after three tries (statis LED will blink three times).
2. Both drawers under closet came out and broke twice. Before the second time, I put in deeper screws and made sure they were in the lock position. Facades broke off the drawer and contents got all over the place
3. The door hook/connector thingy fthat keeps the curved cabinet closed (located on the floor at the foot of the bed) stripped off the screw.
4. Sub-woofer doesn't work
5. The stereo came out of it's housing (see design notes below)
6. Top window where bed is leaked (fixed)
7. Faucet leaked (fixed - but hot/cold is backwards)
8. Status meter shows black water always full
9. Bed extenstion hits bathroom wall and has cut into the wood
10. The little piece of coutertop trim between bathroom and stovetop is poorly installed

Design Problems

1. Thermostat is located in the bathroom (taking a shower shoot up its temp and thus will shut off the furnace). Location make not sense
2. Isn't there suposed to be a vent hood over the stove
3. Kitchen sink cover (cutboard) bevel is too shallow and it will always come out of the sink
4. The stero housing is cheap. There is nothing supporting the stereo except the outer lip agaisnt the housing. And my housing opening is too big. Maybe there is something missing from the install, but I wound taping two CD jewel cases under the stereo to give it support. I also had to bend the aluminum housing down so you can actually see the LED display w/o having to step on your toes.
5. There is no rubber bumper where the slide out bed hits the bathroom wall
6. Toilet is way too tall
7. Stereo system in general sucks. This is my first RV and maybe this is just the way it is but there is too much vibration from the cabinet doors. I would also have liked to have the stereo mounted on the outside of the cabinet like I've seen on other models. Also regular TV doesn't use the speakers (I think).
8. Hub caps are very cheap. Very easy to dent when putting back on.
9. Thermostat in inside the bathroom.
10. Upper cabinet drawers easily side open and contens fall out when driving

That's it for now. Of course there are a million great things about this trailer!!

PS. I recieved four 75th logoed pilsner glasses that go in those shelf holes and a retro radio (with a hideously large power cord / why can't it be battery powerd) in the mail a few months ago.

--
Asher

[campadk]

Wow! You sure have had your issues asherkobin! Excellent coverage of your issues.. thanks for posting!

Kate and I just returned from our own maiden 'voyage' and have had only a few issue. Overall we were very please! I do agree with many of your design problems... so here we go...

1. Our furnace works well... the whole issue like you mentioned is the thermostat in the bathroom. Silly!!! I pulled off the thermostat cover and noticed two things that can be adjusted... forgot to take a photo... but I believe this will fix the ridiculously long on/off cycle. We had to prop the bathroom door open a bit so that the bathroom area temperature was more in line with the actual cabin temperature.

2. All our drawers seem to be fine.

3. the door hook on the lower curved cabinette broke the very first day we took our Bambi out! It is a horrible design that we will probably replace with something else rather than get it fixed.

4. our subwoofer works (maybe check your fuse panel), but has an annoying low frequency noise (not an ac hum) that is rather annoying.

5. our stereo housing is ok... true not especially built well but seems fine. we have no vibration from it. I'd gather that the design for the stereo inside the cabinette was more for esthetics.

6. luckily no leaks!

7. faucet fine

8. status monitor works well.. but its annoying having to toggle and wait for it to cycle through everything, just so I can check the battery level...

9. the bed extension flat surface is getting scratched by some nail or something that is not accessible... not a big deal I guess.

10. countertop trims seem fine.

Our own comments from 7 nights usage...

The good...

Overall we found the 75th to be a delight! Nearly perfect design and function for our needs!

One of our favorite amenities is the shower! Flick the heater button and in less than 5 minutes you have hot water awaiting!

The fridge worked well and drinks/good were good and cold. The freezer temperature was great as well for ice making.

We found for the 2 of us, more than sufficient storage! We actually had a few areas that we haven't even used... but no doubt will fill in time

We loved the position and design of the windows. We missed out on the vista view windows, but really we are happy

The TV can be viewed from either the dinnette or the bed.

Not so good...

#1 would be the thermostat in the bathroom of all places and the super long cycle. Currently we are forced to manually control the heater or face cold/super hot cycles.

Subwoofer noise is really annoying.

That cheap plastic curved door hook is useless.

Whenever we used the stove we had to take the fire alarm by the vent ceiling down or it would set off.

We kind of wished the door porthole was clear so we could see out of it. Not sure why it is frosted... maybe to match the bathroom porthole?

Other notes:

Watch out for the window handles by the bed window! Kate almost poked her eye out on one of them that I had open and unlatched outwards.

A mattress topper (not foam) works well to make the bed more comfortable.

Wish they had built in an inverter for those of us with no hookups... even switchable, especially for tv watching. I have one that we used, so no big deal I suppose.

Don't put anything close to the propane detector. It will be blocked and will set off. It is VERY loud!

Boondocking/no hookups:

We will be camping mainly in state parks with no hookups. As such, I spent the week monitoring our power usage and recharging when necessary.

Over the span of 7 days we had some difficulty keeping the batteries topped up to meet our demands. We have a Honda 1000 which worked well, and is very quiet, however the Bambi's Parallax converter/charger just doesn't do a bulk charge at a high enough current, so we had to run the generator for about 4 hours a day.

Our power usage consisted of using minimal lighting... never more than 1 or 2 lights on for on average 1-3 hours per evening. We used the water pump to wash a few dishes once or twice a day and for each of us to have a shower each day. We used an inverter to power the TV and watched maybe 1 hour of tv or a DVD most nights. We used the heater 2 nights. Once with on/off cycles through the night, once getting up several times during the night to turn it on/off. The heater fan is a major source of power draw, especially considering it is on for longer periods of time (see Camp ADK - 40 Winker - Electrical ). The fridge also is probably a big contributor also since the fan is on a lot throughout the day and night.

We had to fill/top up fresh water every 2 days on average. We emptied the gray water into a 22 gal tote and pulled over to the dumping station every 2 days. We did not scrimp on water usage for the shower since we didn't mind taking the tote down the road every 2 days. Having real navy showers could have reduced that to once every 4 days. We have not used the black water system yet

Conclusion - summer time battery usage should be less as the heater will not be used. Upgrading batteries and/or using a smarter charger like an Progressive Dynamics PD9245C, 3 stage charger may make topping up the batteries more efficient.

I'll be posting a more detailed report with photos on our 40 Winker site in the near future.

[lewster]

campadk andasherkobin,

Great report! Last year, I was offered the original prototype of the 75th that David Winnick built. It is the only '06 75th Anniv. model. I really lusted for that, but just couldn't swing it at the time .

Anyway, you can get much better charging from a better converter with 3 stage charging like a WFCO or the NEW Parallax ParaMode 4400........OR you can hook up a small 3-stage electronic battery charger (about $50) directly to your batteries and bypass the converter entirely (this will need a battery disconnect on the neg. side of the battery cable to isolate them, or use your battery disconnect switch in the trailer).

You can also change out your batteries to AGMs and get a lot more useable amperage from them. I put a WFCO converter in my 19CCD and 2 6volt GPL-4C AGM golf cart batteries in it and I have lots of juice. One of the advantages of ANY AGM battery is the much quicker re-charge times due to the lower internal resistance of the battery.

Another option might be to use LED lighting in the trailer. There are several threads on this, and I have found a light that is a DIRECT REPLACEMENT for the halogen lights that are in the Bambis.

Just a couple of suggestions to keep you running in the boonies.

[campadk]

Thanks for that info lewster! Would be great if that ParaMode 4400 solves the recharge issue... and is an easy replacement for the current Parallax 7355.

I'm not worried about converting the lights too much. We already have some neat led based candles and led lights which happen to fit in a standard lantern.

Best solution to improving things is simply higher capacity batteries and a more efficient charging system.

[B4WEDI]

Hey Asher.....

I had a similar problem with my furnace, turned out that they had to increase the gas flow for better ignition, it fires right off now.

Don't get discouraged, there are a bunch of little things to sort out. One thing at a time to your liking.

Happy Trails !

[campadk]

Back from trip #4 with our 75th, now having spend 14 nights camping in the Bambi. Kate is in charge of the interior and has mentioned to me on a few occassions that David Winicks design for the pullout secion of the bed works fantastic! Originally she was thinking of not making up the bed back into a couch during the day, however she finds that making up/taking down the bed is a breeze and so it is make back into the couch daily to increase floor space.

Kudos to David for this brillant design element!

Also the area curb side behind the dinette seat makes a perfect area for a bar

Love our 75th!



Cheers

Dave