I don't think history helps all that much. My trailer came from a very nice, airstream-savvy couple who were members of the WBCCI and used the trailer extensively over the seven years they owned it. He thought he had fixed all the rot there was in the floors, and didn't hestiate to tell me about his work. Still, there was more to find, and leaks to fix, and now a major floor repair.
My hubby says if you think you are getting a deal on a vintage airstream, let's say really nice Caravels are going for $10k, and you find one for $6k, be mentally prepared to put the other $4k in it, and probably soon if you're going to actually use the trailer a lot. Heck, I say if you buy one for $10k, you might still have to put another $4k in it - ask Gary and janet about that! Maybe the rule should be that if you buy a vintage unit, be prepared for a further $5k investment and then you won't be shocked when it happens, and pleasantly surprised if it doesn't!
When I had my restored vintage corvette an old 'vette guy gave me this advice "When winter comes, park it in the garage with the window down a crack, and everytime you go by, slip whatever money's in your wallet in the window. Then when spring comes you'll have the money saved up for whatever it needs done this year!" Maybe not bad advice for vintage Airstreams too
...
When I had my restored vintage corvette an old 'vette guy gave me this advice "When winter comes, park it in the garage with the window down a crack, and everytime you go by, slip whatever money's in your wallet in the window. Then when spring comes you'll have the money saved up for whatever it needs done this year!" Maybe not bad advice for vintage Airstreams too
In my case; and I would suspect many others we may just need to dump our entire paychecks
But I knew it when I bought it...the only thing that comes to mind that was a worse money pit was my British Sports Cars
Aaron
__________________
....so many Airstreams....so little time...
WBCCI #2449 AIR #2495
Why are we in this basket...and where are we going
Yeah, most of the vette people I met had a lot more in their wallets than I did! Part of the reason I decided that game was too rich for my blood, sent my vette away to live with some other millionaire in LA, maybe he can afford the upkeep!
2 couples we knew that had nearly brand new SOB's experienced major water damage. One 4 year old trailer needed 6k worth of non warranteed repairs. Another 1 year old SOB needed the whole front end replaced, thankfully for them that was warranteed work. They told me they noticed bad smells right from the start if you can believe it.
I went to look at used SOB's and told the salesman I was freaking about leaking and nothing he said assured me that the above incidents were isolated. I even had one guy tell me that you should look to get a new trailer every 4 years!!! The interiors of the SOB's were designed to be as light as possible (read cheap). The particle board interiors are like sponges with moisture. I'm sure there are some SOB's that are much higher quality but not in my price range!
Thankfully for me, my wife loved the A/S style and we then searched only for Vintage A/S.
When I first stepped into our 34 year old trailer I could tell from the smell that any leaks were minor as there was no musty smell. This in a trailer that had been sitting for 10 years.
We spent 5k on it and will have spent probably another 5 by the time we are finished every thing we want to do. But already we can use the trailer and spent 3 wonderful weeks in it this summer.
We are proud to own an American classic with timeless design, and quality construction (solid wood/plywood vs particle board). I can sleep at night knowing our trailer was designed to shed water (not pool it on the roof until it finds a way in).
I am with you all the way with an old Airstream. Ours is a 1975. Did some restoring on the inside. Still have to do a full polish outside. Last week I was out camping at the beach. Our trailer was the oldest unit in the camp ground. It is a joy to hook up and everything works. A guy 2 spaces away had a brand new Bambi 19' their first trip. It was pretty. Mine is broke in so scratches don't hurt me. The AS pulls like a dream on the road. It took me 30 years before I could afford an AS.
Chuck
I am SOOO glad this thread rose to the top of the pile again!
The premise is great. Has anything been done to bring it to fruition, or will it wait for the lazy (read that as winter) season?
ANd will Shari update her Matrix, up to maybe, 1985 or later? Will anyone mention the time periods Airstream was owned by which company? Such as, what ARE the Beatrice years?
Elizabeth in Iowa
__________________ The carpeting is gone! The carpeting is gone! Long live the cork floor!
Will anyone mention the time periods Airstream was owned by which company? Such as, what ARE the Beatrice years?
Elizabeth in Iowa
The Beatrice years were from December 1967 through sometime in 1979 when Thor purchased the company. For the full history, check out this History page from the Airstream website.
Shari
__________________
Vintage Airstream Club - Past President 2007/2008
WBCCI #1824 - DenCO Unit Past President (2005)
AIR #30 - Join Date: 2-25-2002
i would like to see a link in the site to an agreed to discription page (ie should we call it driver vs. passenger side or street v. curb left v. right or hitch v. lav)
is it a lav or a head
galley or kitchen
and agreed disciptions of windows (small, medium, large, thoes small ones with the internal shades on the upper curve are called what?)
i have been a bicycle mechanic my working life and it bothers me that i don't have the lexicon for AS's that i do for bikes
descriptions need to be clear from reguardless of interior or exterior configuration (ie on ships port v. starbord)
on bicycles every bike has a bottom bracket that is the bearings that provide for turning motion for the cranks and pedals
every bike has a head tube but how many of you know what i am talking about
thoes of you that have no clue what i mean whe i say "head tube" are like me at times when talking about AS's, hearing and speaking only gibberish(i am getting tired of hearing "Oh, you mean...")
maybe i have missed it and the bulk of material in the arcives is not getting me to the terms i need to feel comfortable talking about what i see
i just wish that the site had a general vocab section is what this boils down to
also this would provide for a lot of polling questions for the site
Maybe it's just the nature of the beast that there are so many different kinds of trailers, and so many different configurations, that there are no standard names for many things. Although streetside and curbside are pretty standard, I don't think there's any nomenclature for the different sizes of windows, though the ones up high with the sliders are called 'vista views' I think (but that's just because that's what the marketing dept decided to put in the catalog), and the ones with slats of glass that tilt out to open up are called jalosey (probably spelled wrong). I don't think people agree on calling it a head or a lav (we call it the bath), or the galley vs the kitchen. But see, names aren't that important, because if you're talking about the lav or the head or the bath, people will probably know what you mean. Likewise, if you say, those windows up high with the slider, we probably know what you mean, or can guess with further information.
Plus of course trailer people would hate to settle these things once and for all, because they like to sit around the campfire and hash these things out late at night over beers
as a rv tec with 35 years in the bus. you made the correct call.i've been a as fan since my teens and have owned several and never had a leaker.though whatch out for any as that has been reskined due to hail or accident as the may not be true as are sealed from the inside during manufacture an this is not the case in an aftermarket repair.
Rog and Overlander 64 have hit the nail generally on the head, butI have 2 small suggestions:
1.If you live in a damp place like I do in drippy Oregon or frequent same I am not sure Pergo would be my first choice; it would be high quality one piece sheet vinyl near the door as this has worked super on my Caravel. We had a bad experience with Pergo in an entrance area to our home where it was almost always wet and muddy; it did not hold up well.
2. Have a pro inspect the underside carefully and repair any small openings or dry rot in the undertank plywood (for fresh water tank). I had a small leak that took over 20 years to become visible from the undersink area; had I discovered it sooner it would have saved a lot of rework agony. Same for the small openings due to resident rodents and bad stinging insects like mud wasps, paper wasps and hornets ( had all over the many years).
One final tip; pass on you older unit to an interested family member who will appreciate your care and custodianship over the years.
Quick Links
Thanks Stef
The carpeting is gone! The carpeting is gone! Long live the cork floor!
like mud wasps, paper wasps and hornets ( had all over the many years). 
Linear Mode
