Silver Streak - Need Your Thoughts

[mwinter]

Originally Posted by wanderer1

Question,how far are you willing to travel to get your trailer?I might be able to find you a deal.If I can get a hold of a guy.This will be in Florida though . Brian

Ooooh, a deal! I would like to hear more please.

M.

[wanderer1]

All righty then .Heres the story,There used to be an airstream shop here where I live thats now retired.They had a very good rep with streamers,I know two of the guys who ran it.I can check and see if they have,or know of a solid a/s for sale.The shop was"Walts rv",put that in the search and you will see what members think of 'em.Walt never sold "junk".Price should be at least 8k on up for a decent a/s.

[tamis]

Myra, I don't think you're crazy at all.

If you're crazy for looking at your life, not liking what you see, and deciding it's time for change, then lock me up.

I bought my trailer about 2 years ago. I secretly refer to it as my escape pod. The people closest to me, thought I was crazy. They still do. Twenty years ago I wouldn't have had anything to do with them. Their response has validated my action, and reinforced my decision. I have nothing to lose but my dreams, and happiness. In other words, everything.

I'm with you............ T

[wanderer1]

Myra,I'll do some check'en and get back with ya.Gotta get in the bed.Have a good night and chat at ya later . Brian

[mcrickc]

All valid points.... There are both reliable vintage trailers and those that simply LOOK cool, I am sure you will spend the time to pick the right one - especially if you have the help of everyone on this board to guide you in the best direction. All this said, the dream must not die and the vision and reality of freedom is way to precious to falter in your efforts. Talk with you soon and we can look over all realistic and reliable options. Rick

[85MH325]

Originally Posted by mwinter

Roger,

I am quite handy. I replaced the faucet and hoses in my kitchen sink. I fixed my car last weekend. I do my own taxes, and I run my own business. I may not have the strength that a bigger person does, but technically, I can figure most things out. All that dirty icky stuff doesn't bother me a bit.

Myra

Cool! When I bought my 1970 Safari 23' in '87 and moved into it, the VERY first thing I had to do was install a new toilet as the previous owner had removed the orginal, but not gotten around to replacing it. Within a week, the water heater began to leak, so I got a quick lesson in replacing those as well. Of course then, there wasn't an Airstream Forums to go to for help, and there wasn't an Airstream dealer in San Diego at all. It was completely figure it out by trial-and-error, and I'd never owned a full-sized trailer before!

It sounds like you'll do fine. Best of luck!

Roger

[bhayden]

Originally Posted by 85MH325

The mid-'70s Safari 23' is the smallest tandem axle Airstream I can think of. Roger

Roger that When we were looking I'd kinda zero'd in on these because of weight and the double axle feature as I knew that for at least a while we'd be towing with a van that 's of marginal capacity. I don't think you mentioned what Tow Vehicle you'll be using but four wheels has numerous advantages.

Originally Posted by Safari57

I believe in order of magnitude it was Airstream, then Avion, the Silver Streak, then Streamline - and some others in there too in really small quantities.

Seems like I've seen more Silver Streaks that Avions but it's true that Airstreams out number all the rest put togehter by a wide margin. In fact I'd say there's more Argosys on the road than the other players but that's likely because they're of a later vintage.

One thing I found when shopping is that the market prices vary tremendously from one section of the country to another. Not sure of the market where you are in CA but in general it seems the States with nice weather seem to have the highest prices. FL seems to be at the top end of the spectrum. I know there are some good deals to be had in WA and OR. If you're planning to travel anyway with no particular deadline or destination then I'd recommend you expand your search. I know that in the Seattle area you can get a very nice vintage trailer for 5-10k. Also, the smaller trailers carry a premium price. It seems wierd but with vintage trailers you can usually find a 26-30' trailer for thousands less than one under 25'.

-Bernie

[overlander63]

I think the ExcellaII was available as a 22' coach with tandem axles. In the '70s the Argosy 22 also had tandem axles. I can't think of any shorter.

[wanderer1]

Hello Myra ,the old a/s shop has nothing for sale at this time .If I come across some thing I'll let you know.Good luck on your search in the mean time. Brian

[mwinter]

Originally Posted by wanderer1

Hello Myra ,the old a/s shop has nothing for sale at this time .If I come across some thing I'll let you know.Good luck on your search in the mean time. Brian

thank you for checking for me.

[Foiled Again]

I sold my 3 store 3,150 sq. ft. house built in 1917 and moved into a 22ft CCD, vintage 2005 - in 2005.

Owning an old house for 20 years meant that I'd had being a handyman UP TO HERE!!!!!! !

I wanted to move into something ready to go! I paid cash, but a year later upgraded to a 25' FB SE, and took the option of keeping the "sparestream" as a guest house, making a modest down payment and having monthly payments taken out of my checking account.

All things considered, for my peace of mind, newer is better. I "tinker" with little projects and do routine maintenance, but it's not a 20 or 30 hour a week hobby to keep my unit in great shape. I'm not advocating that you run right out and buy brand spanking new, but here are a few worthwhile comparisons to make, especially since time is of the essence:

• take a gander at the 27 FB SE and find out what $5K down and monthly payments will get you. This unit is in my mind the perfect fulltimer (the 25 FB SE is pretty cool too).
• look at gently used 28 to 31 footers - there is a quite lovely unit here in Virginia Beach that is a 1999 (yes, 1999!!!!) listed for $19,900 - and it doesn't have failing clear coat. You could probably close the deal for $18K. Must have been garaged for it's whole life. That's a fairly typical price for a unit LESS THAN 10 years old - which should have good appliances, and be road ready or nearly so. Because the big ones - 28' 31' and 34' triple axle - require a bigass tow vehicle and won't fit into some smaller state parks, they don't keep the resale value of the 16' thru 25' models. (Lots of retired folks buy the biggies for semi-fulltiming or snowbirding - then the husband or wife dies or enters a nursing home. You get an "urgent sale" Airstream that has been lived in and cared for by quiet seniors.)
• Consider older models ONLY if the seller agrees to have a professional inspection done on them. The horror stories some people tell about previous owners jury rigged repairs to frozen pipes, electrical systems, furnaces will just turn your hair white. Some of these things are actually life threatening. There are also volunteer inspectors on this forum who will do a great job - but if the seller refuses to let you have it inspected professionally (on your tab) that should tell you a lot abut the seller's character and faith in his/her own maintenance.

While you're thinking about older units - read threads on Axle Replacement - that's a big ticket item, and probably due on most 25 year old units.

No tow vehicle? Get the right Airstream FIRST and have it towed to a park where you can stay a month until you get the tow vehicle. Meet up with other female Airstreamers at the Summer Solstice Rally in Ohio, near the mothership (Jackson Center, Ohio)

Paula Ford

[bhayden]

Being the frugal sort, OK cheap skate I have a hard time with the huge depreciation hit you take with a new unit. If you plan to keep it forever then the depreciation is a mute point since you only realize a gain or loss if you sell.

You did mention that you'd like to be able to recoup a large portion of your investment and I think the only way to do that is to buy used. A nice 10 year old unit as described above has a lot going for it. The major hit in depreciation has been realized yet it's new enough that major repairs shouldn't be necessary. That also means you get more time to use the trailer rather than work on the trailer.

Older "vintage" rigs have other things going for them. As someone mentioned they can really look cool . The old Slipstreams in particular have a lot of the "rocket" styling of Detroit Iron from the big fin era .

From a practical stand point (who needs that ) the late 60'-mid 70's were quite a bit lighter. That means you can get by with far less tow vehicle and "theoretically" the fuel bill for trailering should be less. You may find a vintage trailer that someone has lovingly restored. Usually the price barely covers the cost of materials that went into the restoration and the work is a labor of love. Some people enjoy the work as much or more than using the trailer. I'd probably be in that boat if I had the time, space and money. The other advantage of redoing or "contemporizing" an older unit is you can modify it exactly how you like it.


Of course the biggest factor is usually the cost of entry is low enough that its' all someone can afford. My only caution with that is if you buy a newer trailer with payments you pretty much know what your costs are going to be and can budget for it. With a "fixer upper" you may be surprised to find out it needs a big ticket item. Oh, check into insurance. If you have 20k or more into the rig you'd most likely want it value insured. Also think about insurance for the contents. That may not be possible (or practical) unless it's rolled into the insurance policy you'd likely only get on a newer trailer.

-Bernie

[mwinter]

Hi Paula,

I can certainly understand the benefits of buying brand new. Unfortunately, I need to watch the money. Also, I'm a bit of an artsy person, so I sort of like the cool look of the vintage models. I'm going to look at some more this weekend and see what I find.

Artie

[mwinter]

C & G Trailer in Bellflower, CA, has a 2004 CCD International 28-foot for sale for $39,000. I looked at some of the online photos of this model and it looks sort of cool. I like that modern look. The owner bought it new a few years ago and never used it much so now he's selling it. He's got it listed at Blue Book Value right now, but I'm sure there's some negotiating. I expect it would be in good shape, ready to live in. C & G is not a dealership, they are a service outfit. I've heard good things about Rod and Darlene who work there. Supposedly they are pretty honest folk.

I would have to finance this type of purchase. As Paula suggested, I could have it towed somewhere and live in it for a while until I can purchase my tow vehicle. Although I like the looks of a vintage, I don't want to have to be bringing it in to the shop all the time.

Any thoughts on the International CCD? I'll go in and have a look at it tomorrow or Saturday.

M. W.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by mwinter

Any thoughts on the International CCD? I'll go in and have a look at it tomorrow or Saturday.

M. W.

The International CCD is pretty much the most expensive in its size. Take along a digital camera, or at least a camera phone, so you can snap pictures of anything you want help on.

[mwinter]

Originally Posted by overlander63

The International CCD is pretty much the most expensive in its size. Take along a digital camera, or at least a camera phone, so you can snap pictures of anything you want help on.

It is? Well it's a double axle and it's less expensive than a brand new Bambi.

M.W.

[85MH325]

Originally Posted by mwinter

It is? Well it's a double axle and it's less expensive than a brand new Bambi.

M.W.

Just to give you a little comparison, in three years that trailer has taken a $23k hit on depreciation from list. The '07 28' CCD lists (per the Airstream website) at $62,849. Granted the '04 was probably a little less at list price, and there was some negotiation off list too, but that's pretty significant. To put that in context, that $23,000 worth of depreciation is over 2/3rds of what I paid total for my new '06 25' SOB last September.

Roger

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by 85MH325

Just to give you a little comparison, in three years that trailer has taken a $23k hit on depreciation from list. The '07 28' CCD lists (per the Airstream website) at $62,849. Granted the '04 was probably a little less at list price, and there was some negotiation off list too, but that's pretty significant. To put that in context, that $23,000 worth of depreciation is over 2/3rds of what I paid total for my new '06 25' SOB last September.

Roger

The good part of what Roger said, is that someone else has taken the huge hit in depreciation, and over the next ten years, the trailer will likely lose 50% or so of what it now costs. That is much better than most comparable SOB's, Roger's being the exception to the rule.

[85MH325]

Thanks, Terry. That's what I meant. I just re-read what I wrote, and I didn't actually say what I thought I'd said!

Roger

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by 85MH325

Thanks, Terry. That's what I meant. I just re-read what I wrote, and I didn't actually say what I thought I'd said!

Roger

Yes, what you thought you said, wasn't really what I think you meant, and what you hoped to mean wasn't how you wished to say it.