Purchasing mid-'80s Avion

[tinman54]

We are looking at purchasing a mid-80's 30' avion trailer, does anyone have any input or knowledge on these?

Seems to be in very good condition, new tires, furnace, battery and frig in the last year.

Any thing I should look for? We would probably only use it for a year or two until our Cruiser is done.

I think our half ton suburban would pull it ok on short trips anyway.
Thanks Doug

[blmitch5]

I don't know anything about them but it looks great!

[Splitrock]

I just notice they're easy to buy and hard to sell around here . . . about the same as a big boat Airstream, only without the cult following. Looks good to me.

[tinman54]

Thanks for the reply's, just got back from looking at it. It is in very nice shape but heavier than I thought, about 7,000 pounds so it would max out my suburban.
The price seems good for any body looking. 1985 Avion Alum Travel Trailer

[Splitrock]

By throwing up the link, I'd be guessing you've said no to it . . .

[tinman54]

Originally Posted by Splitrock

By throwing up the link, I'd be guessing you've said no to it . . .

We decided it was to big for us and the to big for the suburban but it is in ready to go condition.

[rock60]

Originally Posted by tinman54

We decided it was to big for us and the to big for the suburban but it is in ready to go condition.

best trailer made,i have owned two 34ft and two 30ft avions and still have a 89 30 ft avion. not true they are hard to sale, don't know where that come from. best made trailer on the road and i would love to have a new one if they were still made. no never ending repairs like a airstream. for that price it will sell quick, just watch.

[Ahab]

Originally Posted by rock60

best trailer made,i have owned two 34ft and two 30ft avions and still have a 89 30 ft avion. not true they are hard to sale, don't know where that come from. best made trailer on the road and i would love to have a new one if they were still made. no never ending repairs like a airstream. for that price it will sell quick, just watch.

Best made? Thats a stretch.

[Splitrock]

I wrote: "hard to sell around here". Maybe it's our proximity to salt water . . .

[JimGolden]

They are, in fact, extremely well made.

I have looked at many different makes of trailers, and none I have looked at come close.

Airstream? No. Sorry folks. The old 'streams are sleeker but their build isn't even close. The new 'streams look just like the mid 80s Avions.

Holiday Rambler? Not bad; the ones in the late 90s had steel frames, aluminum superstructure frames, and fiberglass roofs. They cheapened them after that and went to the rubber roofs.

Award? What a joke. I thought they were super great until I really looked at one. Even though they do have a fiberglass roof that looks like a v-hull boat upside down, they don't join it properly to the sides. So, they leak at the juncture of roof to wall and rot up.

Anything made by Fleetwood? No way. The older ones with the stick frames were junk. The later ones with the all metal frames and aluminum or glass slab sides were better, but still use the rubber roof.

Ironically, Fleetwood bought Avion from Cayo, ostensibly to get the name. They let Cayo continue to make them until 1989. After that they axed the silver trailers and stuck the Avion name onto a wooden framed line of big fifth wheels. That killed Avion.

Carriage? They are nice, but have the dreaded epdm rubber roof.

Titanium? Also very nice with some excellent engineering, but use that rubber roof.

It's hard to avoid the dreaded rubber roof....

Avion is similar to Airstream but without the problems of Airstream's inadequate frame. You will never have sag or separation with an Avion. Avion also used a very good suspension setup through 1987 after which they initiated a cost savings copied the rubber axles that Airstream uses. Prior to that, you still had metal springs and shock absorbers of some fashion (Moyr-Ryde or Adjust-A-Ride) that rode well and didn't wear out. Both were excellent.

At any rate, if anyone can tell me of a trailer built better than an Avion, I am all ears and want to see it.

This one in the ad would make a nice trailer. They are heavier than the same year Airstream because they are built more solidly. The frames are very stout. The new 'streams, however, are heavier.

I have a 1987 34 foot triple axle Avion and am very pleased with it in thousands of miles of towing.

Pre=PS; this is my 1000th post so bally-hoo to me

Cheers,

[tinman54]

Originally Posted by JimGolden

They are, in fact, extremely well made.

I have looked at many different makes of trailers, and none I have looked at come close.

Airstream? No. Sorry folks. The old 'streams are sleeker but their build isn't even close. The new 'streams look just like the mid 80s Avions.

Holiday Rambler? Not bad; the ones in the late 90s had steel frames, aluminum superstructure frames, and fiberglass roofs. They cheapened them after that and went to the rubber roofs.

Award? What a joke. I thought they were super great until I really looked at one. Even though they do have a fiberglass roof that looks like a v-hull boat upside down, they don't join it properly to the sides. So, they leak at the juncture of roof to wall and rot up.

Anything made by Fleetwood? No way. The older ones with the stick frames were junk. The later ones with the all metal frames and aluminum or glass slab sides were better, but still use the rubber roof.

Ironically, Fleetwood bought Avion from Cayo, ostensibly to get the name. They let Cayo continue to make them until 1989. After that they axed the silver trailers and stuck the Avion name onto a wooden framed line of big fifth wheels. That killed Avion.

Carriage? They are nice, but have the dreaded epdm rubber roof.

Titanium? Also very nice with some excellent engineering, but use that rubber roof.

It's hard to avoid the dreaded rubber roof....

Avion is similar to Airstream but without the problems of Airstream's inadequate frame. You will never have sag or separation with an Avion. Avion also used a very good suspension setup through 1987 after which they initiated a cost savings copied the rubber axles that Airstream uses. Prior to that, you still had metal springs and shock absorbers of some fashion (Moyr-Ryde or Adjust-A-Ride) that rode well and didn't wear out. Both were excellent.

At any rate, if anyone can tell me of a trailer built better than an Avion, I am all ears and want to see it.

This one in the ad would make a nice trailer. They are heavier than the same year Airstream because they are built more solidly. The frames are very stout. The new 'streams, however, are heavier.

I have a 1987 34 foot triple axle Avion and am very pleased with it in thousands of miles of towing.

Pre=PS; this is my 1000th post so bally-hoo to me

Cheers,

Thanks Jim and congratulations on the milestone.
We were impressed with the trailer and yes it does seem very well made. There was no evidence of leaks from plumbing or the structure. Only water damage I saw was on the fold up side table which may have been from an open window.
The frame looked a lot heavier then that on a airstream and actually had a 30" platform added on the rear bumper to carry a motor cycle.

It will be a good trailer for someone.

[Airline]

I just picked up an '87 32S.I was looking for a rear bedroom airstream,it's hard to find.Then I found this Front Kitchen-Rear Bedroom Avion locally and had to have it.The '80s interior is something I "don't have to have",but its coming out anyway...

[Silverwanabe]

You can tow with a smaller tv on flat lands
My father used a B150 dodge with a 318 2 barrel and standard rear axle.
We could not use the ac. We stayed on level ground, no mountains.
In 87 we traveled to Flager Beach Fla from NC.

Also my father used a 80 Cadillac Fleetwood with a 3.23 rear axle, Olds 403 and TH400 transmission.

Enclosed are actual pics.

[Silverwanabe]

Interior pics of the Avion and my Father's 2nd unit, a 75 Wilderness purchased new in 75.

Once you have gone round, there is no going back to square

[$hide]

Your 32S looks just like mine with the blue awnings except I don't have the side picture window, mine is the same height as the others. I would love the bigger window.

[JimGolden]

That is one SHARP looking coach!

Don't get me wrong...I love Airstreams too. I just don't like badmouthing of Avion No really, I used to thumb my nose at them when I had my Excella until I really took a good look at one.

But the bottom line is that the silver trailers just have a "Character" about them that the white boxes and Super 5ers just don't. I just got the new "Trailer Life" and they have Thor's new brand "Redwood" advertised on the back cover. I checked out their website...the things are pretty magnificent! But they still don't have the character of our old silver tubes.

I rewatched "The Long Long Trailer" the other night and still think a 32' New Moon with the happy little door bell jingle would be cool.

I do like the Raptor line of huge 5er toy haulers; where you can haul your HOG and your ATV in the back (maybe a golf cart or so), get to where you're going, then offload the toys and fold down the bunks and have a guest bedroom for four in the back. But even though they have four times the room of my silver tube, they just don't have the character.

OK so here's a question I don't really have an answer to but will throw out to you all: At what point does "Camping" become "Living"? In other words, how big a rig do we really need? I currently pull a 34' triple axle silver pipe and I like it a lot. My dad has a 31' Holiday Rambler 5er that has easily double the room, but it overgrosses his truck. My Avion pulls very nicely behind my Ram turbodiesel. Would I like more room? Well, with four of us and a dog, yes. But for two people, I think what I have is more than enough. So where does "Camping" become "Living" and at what size of rig does it occur?

Rhetorical questions I know, but figured I'd throw 'em out there

See you all on the road!

[Airline]

Hey JimGolden
thanks for the tip on the movie: "The Long Trailer",great movie !

[farvernugen]

Nice inclusion....thanks for sharing!
Cheers, Scott

Originally Posted by Silverwanabe

You can tow with a smaller tv on flat lands
My father used a B150 dodge with a 318 2 barrel and standard rear axle.
We could not use the ac. We stayed on level ground, no mountains.
In 87 we traveled to Flager Beach Fla from NC.

Also my father used a 80 Cadillac Fleetwood with a 3.23 rear axle, Olds 403 and TH400 transmission.

Enclosed are actual pics.