shopping

[spencor1952]

I just joined, but I have a confession to make; I don't own an airstream yet. I got interested in them because we want a trailer we won't have to replace if we live in it travelling for a few years. airstreams are the only brand I've seen so many old ones around, that can't be anything but good! we're looking for a used trailer for financial reasons but don't want to go from one shop to another for repairs. my truck will pull 10500 pounds and I'm looking for suggestions. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[mixedpuppy]

Watch the classifieds on this site, get familiar with them, read a bunch here about what sizes people like, decide how much effort you may or may not want to put into fixing something up. Go to a dealer and look at some, especially if you can find a dealer with a good used selection.

We bought ours (currently living in it full time) from atozmotors.com (and imported it to Canada) after watching the classifieds here for a few months, had never owned any trailer. We wanted something we could use right away with minimal hassle and no major problems, but didn't want to buy new.

If you can do a flight out to Sacramento, CA, it's worth going and taking a look at his inventory. I did (when I knew he had one I was ready to buy) and the few in the size I wanted were all nice and in very good condition (simply didn't look closely at anything other than the 27/28). My impression is he's good at getting nice ready-to-go used airstreams.

[tvketchum]

Often, members of the Airstream Owners Club sell a trailer to buy a newer or larger one. Check www.wbcci.org for contact information on the unit near you. They may know of one coming up for sale, and, will be able to explain and show you the ins and outs of how to care for and fix items. Good luck, and don't be surprised if you have to travel several hours to get your Airstream!


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

Tom
TVKetchum

[Lumatic]

Buying used/vintage falls into 2 categories: 1.people who enjoy restorations. 2. people on a budget. #1 is not a way to save money or a good investment in most circumstances.. You will drop a lot of cash into a restoration. If you want to save money the best bang for your buck is to buy a partially restored AS.

[n2916s]

So, what we did:

In 2005, we decided we wanted an Airstream. Having never owned an RV before, we read everything we could and then decided to buy a used trailer and camp for awhile and make sure we liked the lifestyle before we made a big investment in new or barely used.

Found a 1986 31' Sovereign for a reasonable price. It had lots of cosmetic issues but everything worked and it was more or less watertight. We bought it and put a few thousand into new panels (had some impressive dents). Got it pressure checked and sealed up and commenced to go camping.

Liked it. Liked it a lot.

65000 miles later, we still have our Sovereign. Since 2005, it has gotten a new floor (laminate)' all new horizontal surfaces (kitchen,bathroom counter, nightstand, table all covered with Marmoleum), a new air conditioner, rebuilt the cooling unit on the frig, new stove/oven.

It needs new Plastikote but, being cheap, I just stripped the "shoulders" and end caps and polished them mildly.

Is it pristine? Nope. Is it reliable, comfortable, paid for and, most importantly, water-tight? You betcha.

Would I ever buy a "classic" and do a frame off restoration? God, no.

But there are lots of rigs out there waiting to camping. Hope you find one.

Then go and: "Find Your Park"! (Sorry, had to put a plug in there for the employer...)

Mike