New and a little worried?

[Lifestreamer]

not sure where to begin. My fiance and I started searching for an RV over two years ago. We started with the idea of buying a fifth wheel, then motor home and now travel trailer. We started looking at the typical box trailers but weren't to crazy about the quality, styles or horrible smell. I have always loved the classic look of the airstream so we decided to take a look inside. Wow!! This was exactly what we were looking for, modern, european, retro styling. Our favorite style which we are leaning toward is the Ocean Breeze, now is the hard part, 25fb or 27fb? We love the extra closet/kitchen space. From talking to a few dealers we were told that the 25' would be better if we wanted to visit a lot of the different parks as there is a size limit? I'm curious to know if the 2' really makes a difference in parking and handling?

Now comes the part that is really making me confused. After spending a couple of days reading through this forum I've noticed many discussions about corrosion issues in the newer AS. Is this something I should really be worried about?? Should I reconsider putting 50-60 grand into one of these?? If so, what else is there??

I will keep looking through the forum and researching these issues on the net. Any help, thoughts and/or advise would be great. Thank you, James

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

We have a 25FB that we have spent almost 500 nights, and have pulled over 50,000 miles, and still love it. The floor plan is great. We have spent as long as 56 consecutive nights in our dear Lucy. We looked at the 27FB's when they first came out. we liked the front to back queen bed. The bigger wardrobe and microwave cabinet are also nice, but we didn't feel that the extra two feet and 1000# were worth it. Also, we did not at all care for the single bowl garbage pail kitchen sink. There are others that love this feature. Bottom line is, i9f we were to replace Lucy today, it would be with another 25FB.

As far as the corrosion thing goes. Lucy has some, but we don't worry about it. We're too busy using Lucy. Maybe the new ones are better in this area.

In my book, an Airstream with a little corrosion is still better than another travel trailer without any corrosion.

Brian

[Lifestreamer]

Thanks Brian! One of the biggest reasons we are leaning toward the 27FB is that its actually cheaper than the 25, about 3-4000?! From what dealers are saying the 25's are in much more demand and they aren't willing to come down below the price of the 27. You have a good point, there is no other choice if we don't buy the AS. Thanks for the input!!!! Happy streaming!!

[moosetags]

It's hard to believe that they want more for a new 25FB than a 27FB. When we bought our Lucy (an '05 25FB) in June of 2006, she had been on the dealer's lot for sixteen months. FB's had just been introduced in 2005 and didn't sell well. Lucy was one of the first dozen made with a suicide (rear-hinged) entry door. We got a really good deal on Lucy since FB's were not exactly flying off the shelf. Then, all of a sudden, FB's were all the rage, and there was a new 27FB.

Go figure. I am am not usually ahead of the curve like that.

Good luck in your search for the perfect Airstream.

Brian

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by Lifestreamer

Thanks Brian! One of the biggest reasons we are leaning toward the 27FB is that its actually cheaper than the 25, about 3-4000?! From what dealers are saying the 25's are in much more demand and they aren't willing to come down below the price of the 27. You have a good point, there is no other choice if we don't buy the AS. Thanks for the input!!!! Happy streaming!!

That's pretty much what I had in mind to say about the corrosion - ie., its a choice between no Airstream (& we too could not find another trailer that we liked nearly as much) or an Airstream that it seems stands a fair chance of developing this cosmetic defect within just a few years.

For my part, we bought a used model and it was already showing signs of the corrosion, so I knew what I was getting.

Somehow, I think I'd feel worse about it if I bought a brand new one only to see the problem develop despite my efforts to keep it pristine!

So far, ours only seems to show corrosion on the larger aluminum castings or billet items, such as door hinges, grab handle and battery box door surrounds. I have looked, but haven't seen the "filiform" corrosion on ours as yet.

Still happy with our purchase!

Can't help with your length question other than to say that based on our earlier experience with a (non-AS) travel trailer, I wanted to stay under 27' but wound up with an AS that is 31' bumper to ball in order to get the interior layout we wanted. It hasn't yet created any problems for us as we nornally stay at large commercial RV parks, but I am sure we would now have more restriction in getting into some State/Provincial parks. For us, the trade-off was worth it, we like the extra space, especially on longer trips.

Brian M.






Brian.

[Alwhisman]

Welcome to the Forums. I cant really help with the model selection, but can offer an idea for you to consider on quality.

All products can have problems. I have a 31 year old Argosy that has no problems other than normal wear and tear items. Quality is more than skin deep, especially on the AS. My dad has a SOB 5th Wheel that I get to work on every other weekend, even when it's sitting. I dont have worry about bad wood in the walls making the outer skin separate and fly off, etc (which happened). It's more a personal choice. There are some really nice SOB's out there, but in my opinion nothing to rival an AS.

Take a look around the forums and take note as to just how many vintage units are here, that speaks volumes.

Good Luck!

Al

[AlumaCave]

Life,

Welcome, you have come to the right place for all things Airstream. We have a 27FB and we love it. Funny thing about these things is they have a appeal and I don't know why. I have always loved airstreams and when it gets in your blood there is no known cure for alluminitis. While most of us would not camp in anything else, they are not perfect and they do have issues with corrosion. My unit has very little.
Size does matter, one size does not fit all. You have to ask yourself how are you going to use it? How many people, dogs etc. I travel with my wife and at least 1 old English bulldog. We have a teenage daughter and yes she likes to travel with us. She has also brought along a friend. With 4 people and 2 dogs 27 feet was not enough, but with just 2 people and a small dog 25 feet would be just find. Moose likes 25 feet for the less weight and you could get away with a smaller t/v and of course better gas millage with a smaller/ lighter unit. Size does matter, th best advice I can give is take your time when looking, spend some time in each unit and sit at the table, lay on the bed and get the feel of each one before you make a thousand dollar decision.....