New Vs. Old

[chefmardigan]

Thanks for all of the great feed back! Moosetags I am one of those "in betweeners" you spoke of.JBS we looked for an Airstream for 3 years before getting this one! So far we have been very lucky with our Airstream.The previous owner took gerat care of it and upgraded the electrical, hot water heater and furnace. I have done all the re decorating and tear down...not close to being done. When I tore the old flooring out there was only 2- 2 inch spots on the floor in the front corners that I had to repair. The floor in the rear bath looks good as well. I have a feeling that my Tradewind spent a lot of time indoors. The PO bought our trailer in Reno. I think the lack of humidity is a bonus. I agree with both sides of the fence on this whole topic. I was going to show my wife this thread once I had some discussions going on. I was hoping it would lean towards "fix the old one!".Attached are some photos I took during the last phase of work I did. The flooring is done .I added aluminum touches over the veneer, and painted the interior. I am far from finished and have not got anything stage ready! I also had to put the new stripes on..If you see my introduction post you can see some before pictures. My external hard drive died and I lost all of my before pics.

[TouringDan]

JBS

I agree with your assessment. Next to new but gently used may be the best Airstream value along with a vintage one that has been well cared for. But either way get the one that you really like and want.

Dan

[mutcth]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I'm currently of the opinion that the 3-8 year old Airstreams are the best deal financially as they are nearly identical in construction to the current production units and at the present time are being sold for far less than new. That's the way the market is now, at least, and I expect that it will change in a few years..

I agree with Jammer. We're considering upgrading from our Argosy to a 23' Safari SE - tandem axles, another foot in width, more general "niceness." Those trailers are going for $25k-$33k asking price. Seems good compared to $60k new (haggled to $50k) for a 23' Flying Cloud.

I think part of this is that the MSRP has gone up steadily in the last five years. That 23' Safari SE was $48k in 2006 and is now $61k for a 2012 Flying Cloud. There are detail upgrades - but $13k worth?! I'd rather pay $30k for a used one and do $6k of upgrades (instant hot water, Marmoleum, ultraleather, disc brakes) - of course, assuming the used trailer doesn't have floor rot...

The other big part of this equation is that I LIKE modern trailers, especially the front panoramic. We own the Argosy because it's a rather modern vintage trailer. Sadly, we couldn't fully restore a vintage Argosy (or an early 70s Caravanner - love all those windows!) for the cost of a 5-6 year old trailer with select upgrades.

Other people have different tastes, and I'm happy for the diversity.

Tom