New to the forum

[suzieleigh]

I just joined the forum and have been reading it for a few weeks. My husband and I are looking to buy our first Airstream and are interested in one that's in Idaho. Does anyone know the best way to have it shipped and what it might cost?....shipping to Massachusetts.
Thanks. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon.....

[Condoluminum]

Welcome.. If it isn't new at a dealer, you should really try to find a Forum Member or other person to visit and inspect it before buying.. No two definitions of "Excellent Condition" mean the same... And there are fraudsters around who'd sell a trailer they didn't own to people far far away... Just need to be careful...

As for shipping, most common is driveaway services similar to those used by dealers.. You might check Colonial Airstream in northern NJ or Airstream factory Customer Service.. Might cost around $1/mile for towing.. It is also possible to find an auto hauler with slant bed/fifth wheel or gooseneck rig, for probably comparable cost.. Look in yellow pages or Google "Auto Transporters" to explore options and get bids...

[mandolindave]

Things to think about, and questions

#1 Are you buying it sight unseen? A number of us have traveled far distances only to find a problem riddled trailer. Are YOU sure that it is ready to travel?

#2 It's a round trip for somebody, 500 miles a day?. Pay a driver? Flatbed? About 4000 miles ? About 12 mpg one way? about 15 mpg the other? so say 14 mpg. Gas at $3.50 per gallon X 285 gallons is about $1000 just for gas.

#3 When I bought my trailer, the tires looked good, I literally got four feet, and had a blow out. When it comes to tires AND trailers, DON'T judge a book by looking at the cover. Are you going to have it inspected?

If it is a newer Airstream, and you are paying big bucks, the cost to ship it fractional. If it is an older, lower priced trailer, you might be able to use the shipping money to buy a better trailer, that is closer.

[moosetags]

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

We really need some more information before we can adequately answer your questions. We need to know more about the Airstream that you are looking at.

Brian

[SteveSueMac]

Greetings and welcome.

Take a deep breath too :-) There are lots of considerations for your situation, some of which you've seen in the excellent responses to your introduction so far (present response excluded of course! :-) ).

Being new to the forums, let me suggest a great way to wade through this huge candy store of all things Airstream is to search for existing threads that may inform your thinking and even shape your questions in ways you might not be expecting!

Tons of great info here - lots to wrap your head around. Also recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004SUOZCC

I believe its author lurks around these forums too :-)

Good luck!!

[PharmGeek]

Good luck - we've been digging through these forums for over 1.5 years - we take delivery in 3 weeks - pickup at dealer -

Take your time and ask lots of questions - folks on here are really helpful

[suzieleigh]

Originally Posted by Condoluminum

Welcome.. If it isn't new at a dealer, you should really try to find a Forum Member or other person to visit and inspect it before buying.. No two definitions of "Excellent Condition" mean the same... And there are fraudsters around who'd sell a trailer they didn't own to people far far away... Just need to be careful...

As for shipping, most common is driveaway services similar to those used by dealers.. You might check Colonial Airstream in northern NJ or Airstream factory Customer Service.. Might cost around $1/mile for towing.. It is also possible to find an auto hauler with slant bed/fifth wheel or gooseneck rig, for probably comparable cost.. Look in yellow pages or Google "Auto Transporters" to explore options and get bids...

Thanks for all the responses....I really appreciate this.

I've already had someone try to scam me on ebay with a trailer they didn't have so I'm aware of what some people will do.

I wanted to know about the transport in case we don't find one close but the ID one may be too old although it's at 72 which has been completely renovated with a new retro look (which I though was really cool). It's 31' which may be too big to haul around although our vehicle can do it but I really would like to find something in the 25' range to start with.

Is there a thread to find other members to look at someone for me when I might find a trailer that's too far for us to look at? I know that's very important and would always want to do that although I do have a nephew in ID who could look at that one for me.

Thanks again for all your help and I'll exercise patience and hope to find something before it gets too cold and snowy this year or wait until spring.

More later.

[SteSpot]

There used to be a way to find inspectors in the areas you are looking to buy from the member list but I can't remember how to find them. They have changed this site and maybe someone can chime in with the answer here. Good luck with your search......and be careful buying long distance. paula

[Aage]

Howdy and welcome to Airforums.com! We're glad to have you join our group.

I think you, like most people new to Airstreams, are unsure as to what size you think you want to have. To me, the only way to make yourself more comfortable with making that decision is to actually get out and spend some time inside the most AS TTs (Airstream Travel Trailers) that you can find to look at.

Take every opportunity you can to actually go visit, and spend the most time you can in every size, style, and age; that's the only way you'll know what you like.

Also, ask around here: is it harder to tow a big trailer compared to a small one? I found the difference in feel pulling a small one compared to even a the biggest Airstream to be negligible. Lots of owners even claim that the easiest model to tow and park is is the longest one, the 34-footer.

In any event, nobody is going to charge you to sit in one, so do yourself a favour and get out there and look at them as well as reading about them here!

[suzieleigh]

Originally Posted by moosetags

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

We really need some more information before we can adequately answer your questions. We need to know more about the Airstream that you are looking at.

Brian

I'm now looking at a Safari 25' in Somerset KY. How can I contact KYMoonshine who's an inspector and close by? (I'll learn how to navigate the forum eventually).

Thanks for your help.

[SteSpot]

Originally Posted by suzieleigh

I'm now looking at a Safari 25' in Somerset KY. How can I contact KYMoonshine who's an inspector and close by? (I'll learn how to navigate the forum eventually).

Thanks for your help.

Click on his user name and send him/her a private message.

[rodsterinfl]

I believe I know the trailer 25ss? Nice. Hopefully you will make contact

[andreasduess]

Don't be scared of the longer trailers. Our 1984 34' International weighs less than a modern 27' model and tows, and parks, like a dream. Because the trailer is so long, you can always see where it is going in your mirrors, which makes backing up easy. It also turns extremely smoothly on these six wheels.

I was terrified of backing up before we got ours, now I have zero worries.

[65CV]

Some good advice here and you're very smart to have someone check it out.

At the risk of repeating a common theme on the forums, be absolutely sure your new floor isn't soft or rotting. If the previous owner hasn't been very careful of leaks, the floor can get wet and rot. Unfortunately, new flooring should be a warning sign that you have to check it out well. It's the easiest way to hide a very expensive repair.

Since the floor is part of the structure of the trailer, it has to be replaced properly. Gutting the interior to lift the shell and properly replace a floor is the most expensive thing you can do to one of these trailers.

Good luck in your search.

John

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by suzieleigh

Thanks for all the responses....I really appreciate this.

I've already had someone try to scam me on ebay with a trailer they didn't have so I'm aware of what some people will do.

I wanted to know about the transport in case we don't find one close but the ID one may be too old although it's at 72 which has been completely renovated with a new retro look (which I though was really cool). It's 31' which may be too big to haul around although our vehicle can do it but I really would like to find something in the 25' range to start with.

Is there a thread to find other members to look at someone for me when I might find a trailer that's too far for us to look at? I know that's very important and would always want to do that although I do have a nephew in ID who could look at that one for me.

Thanks again for all your help and I'll exercise patience and hope to find something before it gets too cold and snowy this year or wait until spring.

More later.

Suzie,

You are 245mi away from arguably the best AS dealer in the country....Colonial AS Lakewood Township NJ.

A great stock of new and used trailers with a staff to match.

IIWY...I would plan a trip. Nothing beats in person interaction.

Bob

[suzieleigh]

Originally Posted by SteSpot

Click on his user name and send him/her a private message.

Just sent him a message.

[suzieleigh]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

I believe I know the trailer 25ss? Nice. Hopefully you will make contact

I think it originated in Florida. Did you know the previous
Owners?

[m.hony]

I will say that Colonial has the best inventory of any Airstream dealer I have seen. At Colonial I was able to walk through all the different models. That's how I decided I wanted a Classic.