First RV, 1990 Excella 25' Double

[JustSomeGuy]

I finally did it. I got my first RV, a 1990 Airstream Excella 25 with a double bed. I actually won't be picking it up until February 6, as that's when the RV dealer will have it ready. They're changing the tires, checking over the whole trailer, installing a solar panel and a quick cleaning. It's official now. I signed the contract today. They already had a deposit from me, as I wanted to think about it and they took the deposit to hold it for while I did my research - of which a lot was on this forum! Now that's it's official, I decided to join as a member. I've always liked the way Airstreams looked, and how they are an iconic symbol of quality. Never thought I'd own one.

The trailer is very clean and looks like it was well taken care of. The Airstream dealer thinks it's a one or two owner, as they sold it to the previous owner who had it for a long time. It has the better windows, including a panoramic front window, solid oak cabinets and real hardwood floors throughout (parquet for that retro look ), except the bedroom which has beige carpet in good condition. It also has solid oak cabinets. There' a TV bracket where I will mount a 19" flat screen TV that I already have. They had another Airstream in my price range, a 1997 Safari, but it wasn't as clean or as well maintained, and had some home made improvements by the previous owner. Plus it had twin beds, not the double bed I wanted. And it was a lower trim level and not as nice windows, so even though it was newer and cheaper, I opted for the older and slightly more expensive 1990 Excella which is in nicer condition.

I was really torn between the used Airstream and a brand new 23 foot Winnebago Minnie. At first I was impressed with the modern interior and all of the extra features of the Winnebago. But then I realized that although it's got better road handling manners than many travel trailers, it wasn't as good as the Airstream. Since I plan on doing a lot of traveling, this was important. Initially, I will go across the country and have to cross the Rocky Mountains. Then I may go south for the winters, possibly boondocking, possibly at campgrounds. And in my heart, I really wanted the cool looking Airstream.

Until recently, I was sure a Class B Roadtrek 190 was what I'd be getting, but after going into a few of them, I realized it was just too small for me, and although I'm sure there are people who full time in them, I couldn't see myself doing it. It was then that I decided a travel trailer was the way to go with so much more space, although parking will be more of an issue.

Once it's in my possession, I'll get more pictures. For now, I'll just include a picture from the RV dealer. The interior is totally stock, like stepping back into 1990 (or even the 1980s). Although dated looking, it's in excellent condition and I may even just keep it like that to save money and maintain it's vintage looks. After all, it's almost a quarter of a century old now! I guess this was the height of luxury in 1990 I might full time in this. To start, I will be living in it for a while as I look for a new place to live out west, and I explore different cities. I may decide to just live in it full time instead of getting a new place. Either way, I'd like to go south for the winters, at least 2 or 3 months, maybe longer.

[Aage]

Howdy and welcome to Airforums.com! We're real pleased you chose an Airstream RV, and I'm willing to bet you will be quite happy with it for a long time to come!

From the few pictures you posted (thanks, but you know we are already hungry for more) your new rig looks to be in wonderful condition!

At least you have a couple of weeks to read up on all the things you'll want to know about before you get your new TT, so dive in and read!

[JustSomeGuy]

Thanks for the warm, and quick welcome!

I'll be sure to get more pictures as soon as I get it home. And I'll definitely be going through this forum a lot over the next two weeks as I wait in eager anticipation to pick up my Airstream Excella.

[JustSomeGuy]

I can finally post some pictures of my 1990 Airstream Excella 25. It's officially mine, hitched up to my van and at my house! I want to thank everyone at Can-Am RV in London, as well as Don McKelvay from this forum and president of the WBCCI chapter for helping me out. I still need to join WBCCI, but not to worry, I definitely will join.

I also changed my tow vehicle. After thinking about it, I decided now might be a good time to move up to a new van, so I did. After hearing the success Can-Am has with smaller vehicles, and after much careful deliberation, I purchased a really nice, fully loaded silver 2012 Chrysler Town & Country. It's a great vehicle to drive solo, and so far, on the almost 3 hour trip home, seems to be a good tow vehicle.

At first I was thinking of updating some of the interior, but now that I see how well its held up, I might just keep it as-is. Soon it will be a vintage trailer, and it might be best to keep it original. I spend one night in the Airstream already and it felt like being at home. I can totally see myself "roughing it" in this, or even living in it full time, or be a part time full timer as a snowbird going south for the winters - as long as I can figure out a work schedule that will permit this. I'm working on it. In any case, looking forward to moving out west and taking a nice scenic detour across the southern US with the Airstream.

[sandlapper]

Good for you!!! Looks great, enjoy yourself.

John

[JustSomeGuy]

Thanks! Here's a couple more pics - one at my first rest stop and another with the Airstream backed into the driveway just moments after I got home, still hitched up to the van.

[tvketchum]

Great looking unit! Welcome to Alumiholics Not So Annonymous.....

[aceflys]

Grand Caravan's and TC's Makes Great Tow Rigs.

I have been using my 09 Grand Caravan as my tow rig for over a year now. As you stated my van is a joy to drive. It gets great MPG when towing. Also Andy at CamAm help me online pointing me in the right direction for tire my upgrade and ensuring my van can handle the task of towing my Caravel. Enjoy you almost vintage AS.

Ace in PA

[JustSomeGuy]

Thanks! I'm really enjoying both the van and the Airstream. Nice thing about minivans like this is that they have the lower center of gravity, long wheelbase and pretty good fuel economy for a tow vehicle. I haven't driven enough yet to really give any hard numbers, but so far I can tell that this Town & Country is going to be a lot more fuel efficient that my former Chevy Astro, or a full size pickup - both when towing and especially when not towing.

Andy suggested a few tires to me as well. I went for the Goodyear Assurance CS TripleTred tires. They're a new line (the "CS" version is), and they're designed for SUV's so I figured it would be a good choice since I couldn't find any appropriate sizes with the XL rating. These have a nice "square" sidewall, as opposed to a more rounded balloon-like sidewall that the stock cheapie Kumho tires had. Since the van was used, it had some wear on the edges of the tires already, so I took that an an early opportunity to upgrade my tires. I had the previous generation of the Goodyear tire (then called Fortera TripleTred) on my Astro and it was pretty good, though I got dedicated winter tires for optimal snow traction. But with the Town & Country I'm not getting winter tires - these are rated as good for light snow, and if I'm lucky, once I move out west, I won't encounter any more snow!

PS: Aceflys, nice color for your van, looks good!

[Skatiero]

Great Airstream! Our favorite era!

[John&Vicki]

Greetings fellow traveler! Congratulations on your "new" almost vintage Airstream.

I bought a '90 25' Excella with twin beds a few months ago in great condition (two previous owners) and my wife and I love it. We're currently in Arizona with it and won't return to Oregon until June.

Very comfortable trailer, my wife and I are totally content. It sounds like it's in comparable condition to yours - everything works well and cosmetics are excellent also. Amazingly the clear coat is just about perfect.

I also received great input from Andy regarding tow vehicles. We are using a Mercedes ML500 SUV. Towed over 2,000 mikes so far and everything has been smooth, averaging 13mph.

I'm still learning about my trailer and would love to share discoveries. I'll PM you with my email address.

Cheers,
Poppy