My Airstream Works Fine

[Silver Otter]

Ron and I were justing visiting in our AS. He said, rightly so, if anyone spent six months reading our forums BEFORE buying an Airstream they probably would think twice about it. After all, we work on helping each other solve appliance problems and fix leaks; we agonize over tires and hitches; we have six opinions between four of us. That's Great! I've sure learned a lot here. BUT, mostly I'm here to say "our Airstream works fine, doesn't leak, and is FUN!" I know most of us feel this way, but it just had to be said in the "repair" forum. (Leaping down from soapbox now <grin>)

[Stefrobrts]

Mine too! But I did spend a few years fixing it up with the help of the folks on this forum. And if anything breaks, I know just where to go for advice.

It is nice to have a fully functional trailer, just waiting for it's next outing

[moosetags]

That's us, also. Lucy works well and we have a whole bunch of fun with her. Here on these Forums, we tend to speak up when we have a problem, and need help. Therefore, it might appear that Airstreams are nothing but problems. It takes a little reading between the lines to get a feel for how much fun these trailers really are.

Brian

[dkottum]

Ours works fine as well. After five months living in it, one loose plumbing fitting and a stuck light switch inside the Dometic fridge. Otherwise arrived from the factory perfect and remains that way. One of the best, most enjoyable things I have ever bought.

doug k

[casa3805]

Glad you brought this up Silver Otter. Ours is 28 years old and even though I spend time with routine maintenance and cosmetic upgrades, it works great and we use it all the time. We do love it. And yes we are a couple of ASS's. (AirStreamSnobs) (chuckle) I figure if we are going to "jokingly" refer to folks with different brands of trailers as SOB's, we need to consider the opposite for ourselves.

[Alumaholic]

We bought this one just 6 months ago. Since then we've attended three rallies and spent more than 40 nights in it. We love it!

[Silver Otter]

Originally Posted by casa3805

Glad you brought this up Silver Otter. Ours is 28 years old and even though I spend time with routine maintenance and cosmetic upgrades, it works great and we use it all the time. We do love it. And yes we are a couple of ASS's. (AirStreamSnobs) (chuckle) I figure if we are going to "jokingly" refer to folks with different brands of trailers as SOB's, we need to consider the opposite for ourselves.

Yay for you guys with your veteran AS. I'd like to consider an alternate acronym for us, perhaps ASP - AirStreamPromoter? - once it bites you, you're infected for life <grin>.

[c_lewis77]

Ditto here! My AS is 30 years old, has occasional leaks and such that keep my skills sharp but I still love it! 34'of shiny aluminum can't be beat!
Always fun to see people squinting at the sun reflecting off the polished aluminum saying "wow, look there is an airstream!"

[moosetags]

Tonight will be our 1,011th night in Lucy since we got her 5 1/2 years ago. Lucy has also covered 90,000 miles. Even though we have had to fix and replace a few things, we are still very pleased with her performance. I doubt that there are many other brand travel trailers that could stand up to this kind of use.

Brian

[overlander64]

I have no complaints with either of my Airstreams. When compared to the restoration/refurbishment of any of my collectible convertibles the Airstreams have posed far fewer problems.

The thirty-four-year-old Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre was purchased from the original owner and was immediately usable. Over the years (purchased in 2003), I have had to make a few replacements and upgrades including axle, air conditioner, toilet, water heater, and power converter (Ace Fogdall RV, Cedar Falls, IA); drapes, foam and upholstery, bathroom privacy drape, laminate flooring, solid oak credenza table, and "white glove cleaning (Fowler RV Interiors).

The forty-eight-year-old Airstream Overlanderr Land Yacht International has been a project of memories for me since it was the first RV that I camped in as a five-year-old in 1964 when the coach was owned by friends of my family. Since I have owned the coach, it has required some new parts and upgrades including: water heater, furnace, refrigerator, PAR water pump, air conditioner, entry door knob and dead-bolt, bathroom faucet set, kitchen faucet set, and power converter, ZipDee patio awning, rear window awning, and bedroom window awning (Ace Fogdall RV, Cedar Falls, IA); drapes and matching bed spreads, coordinating comfort panels on sidewalls, coordinating upholstery on lower vanity enclosure, sponge painting exposed wall surfaces, refinishing golden oak cabinetry, rebuilding original drop-leaf dinette table with oak top, new foam and upholstery on front lounge and ottoman, and seamless Congoleum vinyl floor covering (Fowler RV Interiors); custom twin mattresses (Lebeda Matress Factory, DuBuque, IA); loaded brake backing plates, resurfaced brake drums, brake shoes matched to drums, blackwater tank and dump valve assembly (Kampers Supply, Carterville, IL). Professional exterior polish to "original sheen" with Plasticoat (P and S Trailer Service, Helena, OH). One pair 40 pound Worthington Aluminum LP tanks (Vintage Trailer Supply). I know that the above looks like quite a list, but I have towed this coach close to 100,000 miles since 1995, and I have been trying to return it to a condition close to the way that I remember it from 1964.

Despite having a significant amount of work done on each of my coaches, by being proactive and replacing failing appliances before actual failure, I have actually lost very little camping time with either coach. By working with the service centers that have done my work, I have been able to save on parts and labor -- usually the arrangement has been to drop off the coach and allow the service facility to keep the coach and work it in when there is a lull in activity in the shop. Between the two coaches, I have probably spent approximately what a new 27-foot coach would have cost in 1995, and I would have missed all of the fun that I have had with my two vintage coaches -- particularly my 2008 trip to the WBCCI International Rally with the Argosy towing with my 1975 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible . . . . . . . .

Kevin

[Disneysue925]

Originally Posted by Silver Otter

Ron and I were justing visiting in our AS. He said, rightly so, if anyone spent six months reading our forums BEFORE buying an Airstream they probably would think twice about it. After all, we work on helping each other solve appliance problems and fix leaks; we agonize over tires and hitches; we have six opinions between four of us. That's Great! I've sure learned a lot here. BUT, mostly I'm here to say "our Airstream works fine, doesn't leak, and is FUN!" I know most of us feel this way, but it just had to be said in the "repair" forum. (Leaping down from soapbox now <grin>)

Exactly!!

[HankO]

Moostags,

Is Lucy stored inside when not in use? How's her plastic coat holding up? Just curious because it seems you are about in the time frame the finish starts to break down.

HankO

[10Smiles]

Wer purchased our used trailer last summer. We have had a couple of minor items needing attention. We have totally enjoyed the several camping trips. Even in January!!