Anyone here wish they had NEW instead of OLD?

[THEPILL]

I mean the work would be more going Vintage. Well a lot more.

Is there anyone envious of those who want new and can't quite get there?

I still miss my Argosy and it was a labor of Love. Makes you appreciate the labor. I have such an open heart for that Argosy.

HOPE THIS IS POSTED IN THE RIGHT SECTION...maybe it should be under Vinatge...or New..or remodel...I just don't know.

Shane

[sharbours]

Do I wish I had a new one? Sure! If I win the lottery, that's one of the first things I'd buy. But I'd want to keep the Argosy too, because you just can't have enough aluminum.

I like looking at the new Airstreams; we usually go to the dealership every month or two to browse. We enjoy seeing the new furnishings & features, and yes, we dream a little bit.

Even so, I love my Argosy! We've spent a lot of time fixing it up, with many more projects on the drawing board - but that's part of the fun! I love the funky 70's decor and don't mind not having a microwave or TV right now. And someone else scratched it before we got it - so it takes the pressure off of us.

I certainly can appreciate the appeal of newer trailers; it must be nice to have all of the systems working and ready for camping from day one! The improvements & amenities are great too. We have a hard time squeezing 4 people into our trailer; the newer ones have much better seating arrangements, and a queen size bed would be wonderful!

All this talk is making me restless - LET'S GO CAMPING!!!

Sharon

[barts]

Do I wish I had a new trailer? No. Barbie and I enjoy working on the Tin Pickle, and take pride in getting it just the way we want it to be. I appreciate that some folks don't enjoy working on projects; for me, if I can get a hour or two in on the trailer after a long day at work, I feel restored and like I've accomplished something tangible.

- Bart

[overlander63]

New-er, maybe. Say, mid 1980's to mid 1990's. Not that there's anything wrong with brand new, or very vintage. I just would rather have the rear bedroom layout instead of the mid bedroom that seems to be the norm for 1970's and earlier. This is because we entertain our friends in our Airstream, and sometimes they spend the night. More probably would spend the night if they didn't have to go through our bedroom to use the toilet in the middle of the night. I don't know about y'all, but I find the bathroom convenience more important as I get older...

[seldencove]

No, only vintage here. To me, our vintage trailer gives me more of a "camping feel" with comfort. We spend alot of time outside, by the fire, picnic table, etc.
With a new unit I think I might find myself inside watching tv in luxury.
But who nows, I can't afford a new anyway.

[webspinner]

I love the more rounded look and feel of the older Airstreams and that "camping" feel that seldencove mentioned.

Mostly, though, I'm with Bart. I honestly couldn't say which I enjoy more: designing and working on renovations or actually camping in the thing. We've been having a great time planning next steps and figuring out solutions to all the tricky Airstream specific challenges. He does metal, plumbing and electrical, I do fabric, foam and most of the wood.

If I won the lottery, I'd be looking for a gutted '60s trailer under 20' long. That would be a wonderful blank slate to work on!

[casa3805]

This is a hard question. When we started looking all we were looking at was new. But then a financial sanity check was done and we started looking used. (-: We have an 84 Sovereign and I have to say we love it. I envy the newer ones but to expand on the comments by Seldencove...when you pull into a campground, look at the big fifth wheels and motorhomes. People do not come out. They stay inside all day. Why even leave home? I think you run that risk with a brand new Airstream as well. But having an older Airstream does bring challenges. I think the neatest thing to me though is looking around at the other campers and wondering how many of them will even be on the road in 27 years like our Airstream. So as long as it is an Airstream, I think you win.

[A W Warn]

I have had 4 Airstream trailers over the years, each a little newer than the last.
I never even considered bying a new one. My dream: I have always wanted a 40's or 50's 13 panel project trailer, maybe a 22'. I enjoy the tinkering almost as much as traveling, so I guess I really need two trailers, an old one to tinker with and a newer one to travel with.

[InsideOut]

No.

[THEPILL]

I like the NEW inside..and the OLD outside.

Perfect combo.

Shane

[Denis4x4]

Originally Posted by seldencove

No, only vintage here. To me, our vintage trailer gives me more of a "camping feel" with comfort. We spend alot of time outside, by the fire, picnic table, etc.
With a new unit I think I might find myself inside watching tv in luxury.
But who nows, I can't afford a new anyway.

Interesting comment. We have a t@b and an '06 Safari 25FB and have gravitated towards camping at USFS sites with little or no TV reception and enjoy sitting around the campfire cooking smores. To say that owning a newer AS defeats the purpose of "real camping" is rather pedantic.

[webspinner]

I heard seldencove say only that the temptation would be there, not that a newer model defeated the purpose "real" camping. Vintage trailers usually offer fewer indoor amenities.

The wonderful thing about Airstreams of any vintage is that they make it possible to camp in all sorts of places and have something wonderful to look at, whether you're outside it or inside.

[GardenStream]

No

I like to look the new airstreams, but I would never want one. I think they lack the personality of the vintage ones. If we won the lottery tomorrow we would be looking for at least one more vintage... maybe two.

[Janie Q]

Ok... perfect timing to ask that question...

Husband got so mad at our camper this weekend... He threatened to BURN it down!
Right now he would if he could, sell me (couldn't get a penny if he wanted to) and cash in his retirement benefits for a new airstream!

Jane

[xrvr]

I prefer new and then make the modifications you want. zz

[mutcth]

Bluntly, honestly, yes. (Well, not new - but lightly used.) But hindsight is wonderfully 20/20 and there were a few things I didn't know when I started this:

- I bought my Minuet to stay within my Odyssey's 3500 lb tow rating. I know the van is good for more than that, with some reasonable precautions.
- The recession made late-model small Airstreams more reasonable.
- I wound up really liking the trailer and investing a lot into it to make it mine/fix underlying issues. (And my trailer was a solid survivor.)
- I also didn't know how much I'd like using the trailer - we camped 35 days last year and towed it 5000 miles.
- I wanted to pay cash for the trailer. Happily, we would have been able to pay off a loan for a newer trailer - but that wasn't a certainity at the time.
- The 22' Sport would have been affordable (enough) but we didn't like the trailer. Updates since then have made it a far nicer trailer (IMHO.)

So we really like our trailer. (My wife loves it.) But part of me wishes I had plunked down the $30k for a used 2007 Safari SE 20'. I admire those who enjoy working on vintage trailers, but that tinkering isn't for me.

Tom

[Ken J]

Nay

[mello mike]

No, I love having vintage Airstreams. I love working on them almost as much as I love camping in them.

[nick6930]

Well I am always looking for a "new one." Just last night I was trying to buy a "new" 1957 Overlander. I love vintage and could not see myself in a brand new one. We rented a 2008 25' out in Las Vegas at Circus Circus for New Years this year. It was nice but my wife and I both agreed for the money and workmanship we love the old ones. In our if it does not work quite right we can say well it is 32 years old.

Besides we would rather spend the money on gas and get out camping.

[Wabbiteer]

The "vintage" key principle is choose wisely.

I doubt you'll hear "I would have rather spent double upfront and then done most of the things I wound up doing anyway".