If Not Airstream then what?

[Swanny]

Originally Posted by Tarheel

I just bought a 2001 34' with slide, it cost a little more than 5K but I am very happy with it. Personally wouldn't have anything else.

Is this a typo?

getting a 2001 34' with a S/O for $5k seems like a great deal. Any more of these laying around?

[jack and jil]

Hi,
we have tried MO, SOB of stick builts in both 5/w, and tt, and a Casita.
As a lot of folks have said, it is what catches your eye and what you and your family needs. I always wanted a AS,but always went with something else because of more room, more storage, the ability to use a bathroom if traveling, or something easy to pull and easy on the gas etc. etc. Each in its own right met a particular need, but there was always something that was a drawback. The Hitchhiker 5/w (with 3 slides) was great, but with gas now at almost $3/gal, and getting 8 mph sucked. The casita is a great little(and I mean little) trailer, but my husband got claustrophic in it. It does have great resale value if maintained. We finally sold the HH, and bought a used 25 ft. A/S. It tows like a champ, and we like the charisma of it. It does require maintenance like the rest to stay looking great, but I am glad we finally settled down and bought one. Sometimes bigger is not always better, but it is what an individual wants, can afford, and feels comfortable pulling.
Good luck with your decision.
Jack and Jill

[juel]

I hate to admit it, but I have a 1957 SantaFe that is built as well as any trailer I have even seen. I think it may be as heavy at 15ft as my 24ft Argosy. No bathroom, or I would be pulling it now. I'm too old for no bathroom camping. I love this little trailer with its all wood interior and sea foam green stove. It's as cute as the Argosy, but not as comfortable.

[JimGolden]

Juel,

I looked in your photo section but didn't see the Santa Fe. Would you post a pic of it in this thread? I'd like to see it.

[Lee Pace]

We own a 1972 Sovereign and really love it! It is very comfortable and everyone loves the uniqueness of Airstream. We also have a 1984 Avion which we also love. The cabinetry and storage is unbelievable. We wouldn't part with either of them.

G. Pace
72 Sovereign
84 Avion
WBCCI 7287
Greenville, Tx

[bina]

Airstreams sure are built well.
and the wide bodies have lots of room and storage.
The heavier you go the more fuel you will spend for a tow vehicle.
this one is for sale in classified section.

[razorback]

We have put 15,300 miles on our AS in the last year and a half since we bought it and it is as solid and nice as it was when we bought it. Haven't had any issues with anything on it. We can pull over at any time and go back to the AS and eat lunch. A friend has a SOB that has the refrigerator at the rear of the trailer and you can't open the refrigerator door unless the slide is out! When we travel with them we always take roadside eating breaks in our AS as they can't get into their refrig. But the best part about owning an AS is being a member of a pretty exclusive cult! The only negative thing we hear (and laugh about) is when someone comes up and says :

"Hey, what model is that?"
"Its a 2005"
"A 2005!!? I didn't know they still made 'em!"

So we're AS owners as long as we own an RV.

[Silvertwinkie]

I think I'd like to qualify my last post to this thread.

If I were to buy any Airstream, I would buy for sure a pre-owned one, if an Airstream at all. Why? Do a search on the QC threads. Having bought 2 new Airstreams, and both basically being fairly problematic, I've given up on the brand for the most part. Airstream, IMHO, had many opportunities to step up and bring the "A" game. Particularly now with the issues I have (and others), but they haven't.

Vintage, at least you'll know what you are getting into for the most part, but the new ones, I've got to be honest, in a fair number of cases (read more than there should be IMHO) you get far more than you bargin for, condsidering the "premium" price paid, for what is touted as a "premium" product. The hand built excuse is not acceptable. There are many hand built cars, some that GM built that the average person could buy. Would you accept one of those cars if they leaked? Would you accept one of those cars if the paint started to die after a year and a half and the fix was to place another fender or hood over the existing hood? Would you accept that same car if the wrong seats were put in (say they put a bench seat in where buckets were to go)? What about if the dashboard speedo, tach, "idiot" lights didn't work or were not accurate?

I'm sure for the most part, you'd say no way....but when it comes to RVs?!

To be fair, it's not just Airstream (but know that with Airstreams, new, you'll spend a LOT more than you would elsewhere for the "cool" factor) it's pretty much most of the RV industry. We all villify the big three (or at least when they were the big three) about quailty, etc, but for some reason we all have this thing for simply accepting what the RV industry puts out there.

I think at $4/gallon, the industry may start to slow down and hopefully in the process, reinvent themselves and be measured by higher standards.

[Bob Thompson]

For me, the big advantage of the Airstream is the easy pull aerodynamics compared to the "square boxes". If not an Airstream, then I'd look at Avion aluminum, or Silver Streak aluminum. If I had to go to a square box, definitely the Bigfoot would top the list and Holiday Rambler a distant second.

Prior to the Airstream, I owned an Award which was light but had design flaws which compromised it structurally, and before that a Scamp 5th wheel. The Scamp wasn't bad in terms of construction, but I would NEVER own another one. It was cute, but it was hard to live with. Uncomfortable seating, beds impossible to make, poor mattress, miserable shower are just a few of the things which didn't fit me.

[Scotty C]

Originally Posted by RedTruck

I checked out the web sites for New Horizon, Arctic Fox and Big Foot. Who designs the interiors? They look like all the other RVs on the market. They look like something my Grandmother would like (and I'm 54).

I have to agree with you. I'm slowly shopping for a trailer right now. My wife and I are considering Full-timing and selling our house. Every non AS we've looked at has an interior that my grandmother wouldn't even stomach. The few companies that offer optional interiors might have one or two alternate upholstry colors (all of which suck).

We don't fake Oak trim or plastic faux brass hardware in our house. Why would we want that in an RV?

I think the RV industry is run by a bunch of idiots who mass produce garbage. What I can't believe is that people keep buying those things.

Thank god there is one company left that cares about quality AND design. I just wish they (AS) weren't so expensive.

[mwinter]

I'm seeing some really cute designs on the Airstreams as well. People customize them. What I'd really like to do is take my big old desk and put it inside an Airstream and bolt it to the floor.

[craftsman]

I have a new 25" Classic with rear twins. As a furnitur/cabinetmaker I'm always thinking of how I would organize the space in any given Airstream. I like mine just the way it is and the quality of the cabinets is excellent.But.... for a single person, I would take out one of the twin beds and using Hickory build a desk area in it's place .,room for a laptop computer, printer and film scanner (photography) storage below and a folding chair with storage when traveling.The space is deep enough to allow for a compact bookcase too.I would use the same Corian for the desktop to match the nightstand and kitchen countertops. I can do without the dinette but it would be perfect to have a work area for extended trips.With thought in using materials the weight could be kept down .I may do a scale model of that area just to get a clearer idea of how it would work.

[wbrownrr]

We have a 22' CCD.... definitely NOT your gramdma's RV! That's one of the main reasons we were attracted to the CCD design.

[mwinter]

Originally Posted by Craftsman2

I have a new 25" Classic with rear twins. As a furnitur/cabinetmaker I'm always thinking of how I would organize the space in any given Airstream. I like mine just the way it is and the quality of the cabinets is excellent.But.... for a single person, I would take out one of the twin beds and using Hickory build a desk area in it's place .,room for a laptop computer, printer and film scanner (photography) storage below and a folding chair with storage when traveling.The space is deep enough to allow for a compact bookcase too.I would use the same Corian for the desktop to match the nightstand and kitchen countertops. I can do without the dinette but it would be perfect to have a work area for extended trips.With thought in using materials the weight could be kept down .I may do a scale model of that area just to get a clearer idea of how it would work.

A couple of people now have suggested to me getting a twin bed set up and taking out one of the beds to make a desk. Why can't I take the whole dinette out and make it a desk? I'll never use a dinnette. Also, I can't sit in a folding chair very long. I like my Herman Miller Aluminum Group office chair (show in the pic above). I spend 12 hours a day in that chair and it never hurts my back. It's worth every penny I spent on it. I'm going to use it in my trailer when I get one.

M.W.

[craftsman]

The 25' doesn't have a dinette. But... maybe the Safari does??? I'll have to look at floor plans.