Newbie seeking wise advice

[El-John]

Hi Guys and Gals:


I am a brand new member and I am trying to find an "expert" concerning Airstream Trailers, their features, problems, vagaries, etc. I am seeking to buy a used Airstream but would like to talk to someone who is knowledgeable with "no skin in the game". Any ideas or recommendations?

[Bubba L]

What era used are you looking for? The San Antonio area has a lot of Airstreams and owners who know their units. Narrow it down and you may get a bunch of help. Also, there’s WBCCI units around the area that can be helpful and rallies. Good luck.

[Foiled Again]

I second Bubba's recommendation that you find and meet people in WBCCI. LOTS of generous people there who can help you gain real world experience, make you fall over laughing as they recount their early "oh duh" mistakes and show you alternative ways of using your Airstream so that it never turn it into a lichen covered piece of yard art.

Most campers are generous and helpful. A few are others... easily ignored.

Come on down and join the fun.

[El-John]

I have tried to join the WBCCI but I can't until I own an Airstream; and I don't want to buy an Airstream until I get input from some WBCCI members...Don't go near the H2o until you can swim...Any suggestions?



El-John

[Isuzusweet]

Okay, you have to give us some more information;

How many will be camping?
Will you be full timing, or just occasionally camping?
Are you a social butterfly, or do you like your own space?
Will you pull up stakes daily or weekly, or place the trailer in a seasonal lot?
Are you handy in all things electrical, plumbing, fabricating?
What kind of tow vehicle do you own or hoping to own?
Are you looking for a project, or wanting a turn-key trailer?
What is your budget?

Any other info would be beneficial to enable someone to better help you.

There are pro's and cons to any model, and model years.

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[AirMiles]

I found my local Airstream club was extremely helpful when I was considering my Airstream. I was invited and attended one of their outings with my Casita before I bought the Airstream.

I do find that Airstream owners are not as open to giving tours as Casita owners. With the Casita, I demoed it at almost every gas stop. With the Airstream, I rarely let anyone in because they can just go see one at their local Airstream dealer. As others suggested, if you tell us what model you are interested in purchasing I'm sure you will get many replies.

[PKI]

Originally Posted by El-John

I have tried to join the WBCCI but I can't until I own an Airstream -- snip --

What you are looking to find is an Airstream inspector who works in your area.

But the easiest solution to learning about ASs is to read the threads here on Airforums. Lots of knowledge to tap and the more you know the better your RV lifestyle will be.

And for goodness sake, do not buy any RV until you understand what you are buying. Best to first understand what you want/need.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f138...ist-43294.html This might be a good place to start. The blue search box at upper right can help with specific information threads.

Happy trails. When you get your thoughts together, we look for your questions. Pat

[Belegedhel]

There are Forums rallies and other WBCCI rallies that do not require WBCCI membership--try looking for one of those.

Airstream trailers have been in production for 70+ years, so when you say you are looking for a used one, there is a huge spectrum out there. But, very generally, in terms of shape, the older trailers (1968 and before) tend to be narrower and built with a premium on the lightness of the overall trailer. 70's and 80's trailers got wider and heavier, and eventually the wider-still trailers were put into production in the 90's.

The condition of the trailer is probably the biggest variable in buying a used trailer. Practically any year of trailer can have a rotten floor and rusted frame. Learn about how to fully inspect the trailer so that you don't buy a project. No amount of research into features of the different models will compensate for a trailer not being maintained by its current owner (who, for the most part, are often unaware that their trailer has a big rotten spot under the rear bath cabinetry).

Some resources to help you get educated:

From the Portal page, you can scroll down and keep your eyes to the right. There you will find the "trailer inspector's checklist" which provides a pretty exhaustive list of things to check when looking over a trailer. Also in this area is a utility for finding volunteer trailer inspectors.

There is a Vintage Airstream Podcast (The VAP). Try going to their site and buying a DVD of the old episodes. Now you can listen to the podcast as you commute to work every day, absorbing a lot of information passively, and calibrating your expectations.

VintageAirstream.com has a photo gallery of many models by year.

Airstream.com has a section for Owners that includes a documents archive and a manual archive. You can see brochures for models back into the 70's.

Finally, these Forums have a wealth of knowledge. The search function is your friend. You can search for things like "best trailer year." and "best trailer size" and "best model" and find a dizzying amount of opinions on the topic.

Final word of advice: Figure out what is important to you (in terms of size, layout, weight, etc.). Search the Forums--every question you have has been asked and answered many times. Realize that practically nobody on this discussion forums has any skin in the game, yet there are some very strongly held opinions. Buy the trailer in the best condition that you can find. If you think you can by a neglected 70's era trailer that has been sitting in a field for the last 20 years, and after making some superficial fix-ups, you will be hitting the open road, then you will be making the same mistake that many of us have, and you will be rebuilding a trailer rather than traveling in one.

Good luck!