I WANT an Airstream!!!!! Oh, where to begin?

[Dana~ji]

Hello, all of you Airstreamers! I'm Dana and I live in Asheville, NC. I am a complete newbie to all of this. I don't currently have a "significant other" man in my life (handy or otherwise) and therefore, I will need to look for something that doesn't need a whole lot of work... I will also have to trade my Cougar for something that can pull a silver cutie.
So, I welcome all suggestions from those of you with experience. Can't wait to get to know the community a bit. I've heard so much about how wonderful and helpful airstream people are. Cheers! Dana~ji

[DEITZ645]

Dana,
Welcome aboard. Well you have come to the correct place. And May I suggest the classified adds in this forum as a start. Other than that just start looking at as many trailers as you possibly can, get in them, walk around lay on the bed, sit on the sofa, and use everything and every system. When the right one comes along for you, you will know it. Do a one word search in the forum for checklist and you will find some threads with checklists for you to take along on your inspection trips. There are also folks on the forum that are willing to make inspection tours of prospective trailers. Just remember that you will have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your "prince". Good luck, have fun, and keep us posted.

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

For us to make any suggestions, we need to know a little more about your intentions.

- Do you intend to do a lot of camping, and what type (boone dock, campground)?

- Will you be camping alone?

- How mechanically inclined are you?

- Are you thinking vintage or late model?

[Foiled Again]

Hi, I'm also a Rivette (woman towing alone). Please tell us how you intend to use your prospective Airstream? That will help us give you the best advice. Will it be for vacations or are you planning to fulltime?

I agree with other posters, go to the classifieds & check it out!

Also the Airstream, Inc :: Home website lists dealers by state. There is one in NC not too far from you. Visit, but by all means sign NOTHING on your first trip. It makes much more sense to browse, schmooze and sit in/lie around in various Airstreams than to look at Floor Layouts. (If you see the "perfect" airstream at the dealer - remember they'll make you another one just like it (or better if you think it over longer)>

Paula

[nilesrob]

Dana,

Welcome to the forums! My folks are up in Hendersonville, so up your way a fair bit. Great area. Asheville is gorgeous.

My first bit of advise is to not take my advice. Now that said, you can do this easy - or do this hard. The hard way is to agonoze over finding exactly the right rig. The easy way is to find something that triggers your imagination and buy it. Either way, the chances are you are going to love what you buy, and you are going to dump a bunch of money into it. It's not personal - its just DNA.

Enjoy. If you are posting on this web site, then, well quite frankly, the dye is cast. Welcome to the club! You are amongst friends.

[overlander63]

There's a guy that lives in Bat Cave (maybe a half hour from you) that buys and sells old Airstreams. He is RichardT here on the forums. We bought our Overlander from him, and I've bought bits and pieces from him for our current one.

[Jaxon]

Hi Dana,
Ditto on all the resources, there alot out there. Only bit of advice I can offer to this is take your time looking and don't feel that you have to get the first "acceptable" 'stream you see (after several bummers).

There's always going to be one out there with your name on it!

[n2916s]

Dana,

The physical process of hooking up, un-hooking, setting up camp (awnings, stabilizers, water, sewer...) is similar on any given Airstream regardless of size. The systems (fresh water, refrigeration, heating and cooling, black and grey water) are also generally the same with variety by age and model.

So, as a single person you have a wide variety to choose from -- 16' to 25' or so (you could go bigger but why?). My wife and I bought a 20 year old unit which was old enough to be affordable but new enough that parts are easily available.

New is nice but $$$$$.

Many vintage units are, inarguably, gorgeous but they didn't get that way by magic -- proud owners put in hours and hours and hours of polishing, reflooring, painting, searching for parts....

Choose your path, grasshopper. There are many here who can be of great help....

mike

[CaddyGrn]

Welcome to the forums!

Lots of good info so far in this thread! Airstreams Rock, so have a go! You might check out the rally calendar on the top and see when there is a rally near you. Most of the time you will be welcome to go and take a look and talk to Airstream owners. You can get valuable first hand information this way! Most A/S owners are proud to show off their rigs and will gladly show you around... don't be bashful, ask! Great way to see what is available.

Here is a thread that has some interesting reading if you are thinking about buying an Airstream: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f353...eam-22920.html

Good Luck in finding just the right one!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi traveling in S Tardis ~ from the Great State of Jefferson