Why Airstream?

[Len n Jeanne]

Why buy an Airstream?

1. Design (otherwise known as Good Taste)

2. Quality (compare the exterior doors on an AS vs. another brand, for example.

3. Layout (efficient use of space. Some of the white box RVs have extra length for no necessary purpose, unless you must have a curio cabinet, side tables for table lamps (vs. wall- or ceiling mounts,) or a wide screen TV.))

4. Heritage (which other brand has Airstream's lore?)

Buying a gently used AS brings down the price somewhat.

Have you ever noticed how much the interstate highway signs' symbols for RV camping look like an Airstream Bambi? If the highway departments think we've got the quinessential camper, who are we to argue?

And those jolly jumbo RVs are not cheap, either.

[aireseneca]

I don't know if the discussion help kenmar2 but *I* found it aluminating!

Thank you all for the great "come back" lines for when my relatives say..."You bought a WHAT!?!"

[Gene]

All the relatives and friends said, "Great! Can I see it?"

Gene

[srpuywa]

so you can smugly bitch about your trailer's quirks with other airstreamers

[Len n Jeanne]

That's the most fun part!

[Phrunes]

Because no one ever says Aljo.

Because rubber is for tires, not roofs.

You can pretend you're in an airplane and you can hog all of the overheads.

Dimples are cute.

[sandlapper]

....because none of the others have those super cool , mysterious looking , Richard Petty/ James Bond sunglasses.

[srpuywa]

What sold us was the factory tour we took last year

Plus we picked up a gently, err hardly used (still smelled like new), 2012 FC19
After the previous owners took the first year depreciation hit of around $12K

[mefly2]

My dearly departed father said that they were the best over 50 years ago ... nothing has changed since!

PS ... if it makes my lovely wife smile ... I am happy, too. lhm

[NevadaGeo]

Can you do this with an S.O.B? http://www.airforums.com/forums/f288...-97753-42.html

[dirigible25]

there have been a lot of good reasons, and some humerous ones too. I was hooked as a kid when on family vacations we would spot them. They have an iconic shape and a great look to them, whether they have that unpolished patina, or the mirror finish that I am envious of. It seems as though most of us are singing to the chior as we haven't seen a post from you since you asked the question.

[Len n Jeanne]

Jeanne's favourite reason why. (She's still working on fitting all the sterling silver in the Bambi and hauling it to San Francisco, though.)

[louaxtjr]

Why? Because the SOB 1965 13' canned ham my wife and I enjoyed for many years had a ready buyer at the same price our "new" 1966 Airstream was for sale for. As is the case with most of our purchases, it is a fixer upper, but will surely be worth more than we put in to it when done. That makes it a good investment if you are willing to start out with an older rig that wasn't well maintained and add some elbow grease.

More importantly, the rich interest in the brand also means lots of available information, including this great resource, Airforums. Very few other brands offer the following Airstreams do. For my wife and I, that is part of the fun.

The enduring reputation, workable layouts even with the older models, and iconic image are all just icing on the cake.

Oh, and did I mention....it looks great behind the 1969 Chevy C10 we have for a tow vehicle.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by louaxtjr

Oh, and did I mention....it looks great behind the 1969 Chevy C10 we have for a tow vehicle.

Fantastic rig! We had a 1970 CST-10 and loved it. Such great lines! Enjoy!!

[cwf]

Because it so closely resembles a beer keg?

Love brewin and streamin...

[gsmithii]

Originally Posted by gsmithii

Four years ago the possibility of traveling more became real and we began to look at RVs. We were former tent campers and clueless about RVs.

We were open to just about everything - off we went to multiples of dealers and RV shows.

** Advice - look a lots of RVs as you refine your wish list. **

We decided that we should consider how we would use the RV and where. "Drive it or tow it," KOA-type facilities or state parks? Frequent long trips or long stays or shorter trips. Three-season or four-season camping? (Some would say there is no such thing as a four season RV. Others have camped in severe cold - that's what they do. Montana in winter or Virginia in winter?) Was this to be a Blue Highways vehicle? (Thank you William Least Heat-Moon for a clasic story.) Was this to be a Long Long Trailer? (Thank you Clinton Twiss and Lucy.) What was our budget and with that what could we buy? Was a new vehicle affordable? Was it wise?

All of those and more are things you could consider and could get lots - LOTS - let me hear Amen! - of opinions and advice.

** Advice - there are too many choices/compromises. Expect a mostly emotional decision and go with it. **

While we were filtering those thoughts we decided that:

- a used vehicle gave us more for the money - if we could buy a quality "gently used" vehicle;
- as first-time RV campers we really didn't know how much we would stick with it - points again for used; ("We can always sell it without taking the depreciation hit off the lot - or we can trade-up." Now we know we have a floorplan that really works for us and we are unlikely to change.)
- lots of shorter trips were in our immediate future until Mr. Skip could fully retire;
- we are attracted to State and National Parks and out of the way places. Smaller was better than larger for a newbie. Could a learner park a hugomongous vehicle - trailer or Class-anything - in a leetle bitty parking place without damage? We didn't want to learn that the hard way.
- in our case we had to buy the RV or buy a trailer and the tow vehicle.

Somewhere in this highly structured process Miss Kathy saw an Airstream and fell in love with the clean and functional interior. Mr. Skip was attracted to the quality reputation, etc., etc. We enjoyed a lot of luck in finding that "gently used Airstream only driven to church once a week."

In hindsight our 25-foot '06 Safari was "mostly gently used" and a great compromise for us between length and interior space. We've been mostly able to park it mostly everywhere we've gone. (There was a little event with two ninety-degree turns backing into a spot that was a challenge. We managed it - finally.)

I had to leap on some immediate maintenance items as in, "Dear, is that water coming from the skylight?" (Others in this forum would comment that all skylights leak - except the new installation procedure skylights for 2013 - and it's early yet.)

** Advice - either be handy or learn, or know a great maintenance facility and bring your wallet - or both. Think "boat" or "airplane". **

Despite our best efforts to be systematic (Mr. Skip) we made a mostly esthetic decision (Miss K) in which we have been really lucky.

Others will have their own comments and stories.

When the right situation arises you will know it. As Miss K said on our last trip out, "We've been doing this for three years and we're still learning."

Let me hear Amen!

Well ladies and gentlemen, the unexpected has happened. Last month we brought home Bella, The Super Silver Palace (Luxury Liner). A fine friend and mentor in trailering had christened our '06 Safari the SSP and when he saw our new 2013 Flying Cloud 30A he added "That's a Luxury Liner".

Since we brought home our Safari in the dead Virginia winter of January '09 everything we have done trailering has been for the first time. We now have the feeling that we know what we like and how we camp.

There is much, much more on our minds as we work through "what have we done now?" We are overjoyed, the trailer is lovely and we hope to enjoy it for a right good long time.

More to follow.

[gsmithii]

Originally Posted by gsmithii

Well ladies and gentlemen, the unexpected has happened. Last month we brought home Bella, The Super Silver Palace (Luxury Liner). A fine friend and mentor in trailering had christened our '06 Safari the SSP and when he saw our new 2013 Flying Cloud 30A he added "That's a Luxury Liner".

Since we brought home our Safari in the dead Virginia winter of January '09 everything we have done trailering has been for the first time. We now have the feeling that we know what we like and how we camp.

There is much, much more on our minds as we work through "what have we done now?" We are overjoyed, the trailer is lovely and we hope to enjoy it for a right good long time.

More to follow.

A note before we scoot for a few week's absence from this forum. Our very dear friend and mentor who christened our first Airstream the SSP is an SOB camper. His approach to his trailer is to buy a new SOB, immediately modify it to suit his preferences and use it for ten years or so. He just bought a new SOB and leaped into action with intelligent modifications. Storage. Shelves. Utilities. Water heater. All received his attention and he has the skill to do a fabulous job. Many of you in the Airstream world have the same skills and the same approach. We don't.

My pal's comment when he saw our Flying Cloud was that everybody has a different idea of how to use a camper. Then he congratulated us on finding what suited us. Lesson - friends should be cherished and listening to others would be a good skill. The idea is to get out and about and enjoy life under the trees - or in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Whatever best suits.

A last thought - Lauren and Patrick at Colonial Airstream did a great job with the sales side of our purchase. The rest of the team was great with the owner familiarization/walk through. We will return in August for our first warrantee visit and look forward to the shop folks doing a great job.

Later,

[Kenmar2]

Wow! Thanks for all the info. It feels like we'd be joining a 'brotherhood' if we decide on the Airstream:-)

[srpuywa]

We recently sold our 2012 FC19,and are taking a hiatus until we decide to go bigger, (the corner bed sucks) so it will be a 23 or 25 or to a Winnebago view.

[cwf]

Why, yes! It is a lot of aluminum!
Yes, 34' and 8'6"" Wiiiiidebody.
Momma like!(probably should be first line)