best place to find an A/S?

[Airstreamlover]

I am wondering where would be the best place to find an older Airstream that I can work on. I have been looking around but as most know they are hard to find.
What I want is a small one 20' or less that could use work. I have spotted two West of Laramie, in a salvage type yard. one looks to be a small one and the other one is larger but may be in use. I couldn't see it clearly as it was behind another vintage trailer, possible a 50s era. I may go out and check them out one day I will post picts.

Ideas on where to get a AS at a reasonable price

Tim

[thenewkid64]

Tim,

You are on the right track. I also would watch the classifieds on the www.airstream.net web site and www.rvtraderonline.com. If you see one there you have to act FAST. They do not last long.
The best deals will be the ones found in a field or behind a barn. Usally the owners have lost interest and are more than willing to get it hauled off by some "fool" who thinks its cool and is willing to give them a few hundred bucks.
The other side of the coin is folks who have stopped traveling and want to see their unit got to a "good" home where they can tell it will be used and loved like they did. Sometimes they are willing to sell but have to be asked, so keep on the lookout you may find one faster than you think.

[j54mark]

Both the Wally Byam Caravan Club - the original Airstream club - at http://www.wbcci.org/ and the Vintage Airstream Club at http://www.airstream.net/ have classified ads online. The VAC is, of course, a subset of WBCC focusing on Airstreams 25 years old and older.

Mark

[85MH325]

Brett called it right on. Don't be bashful. When you find an Airstream parked in a back yard or farm yard that obviously hasn't moved in a while, saunter up to the house and introduce yourself. The worst that will happen is that you'll make a new acquaintance; probably somebody who'll be more than happy to talk about and show you an Airstream you wouldn't have otherwise gotten to see. The best that may happen is that you might find a gem to buy!

Roger

[j54mark]

"The worst that will happen is that you'll make a new acquaintance"

I can assure you that there are places around here where that would get you shot for interupting a meth lab in process. And a nice state of affairs that is, too, I don't think.

Mark

[flyfshr]

One other place I've found is in-town storage facilities that take RV's. Folks with a vintage unit that has been in the family for a while. Many times, the owner inherited it from a parent or uncle and at the time of putting it in the storage yard, they had intentions of working on it and using it. After many months or possibly years of storage fees, are now ready to unload it. Several times I have been permitted to do a walk around and if interested have left my name and number with the storage place managers for the owners. I've spoken to two different owners this way.

Brad

[Pahaska]

EBay is good IF you are close enough to check out the trailer or are able to have someone check it out for you. I wouldn't buy sight unseen, though it has worked out well for some. The bidding will give you a feel for the going value of the trailer.

[Chas]

Found my Overlander in the classifieds. I had actually seen it advertised for a week or so but the price was $38,500!! It never occurred to me that maybe it was a typo but watched it for a few days and then magically the price dropped to $3850! I moved fast!! Got there the next morning and snapped it up at $3200. While I was looking the seller got a few more calls, maybe setups but we shook hands on the deal, got my cash and had it hitched up an hour or so later.

The moral of my story? Do your homework and move fast my friend!

Chas

[Pick]

I found mine on RVtraderonline.com. It was located a mere 10 miles from my house and had the lowest price of all the listed units. When I called it was sold to someone in Chicago and was to be picked up the following Tuesday. However, the seller said he a funny feeling about this, and told me to call on Wednesday to see if the buyer had actually shown up. Lucky for me, the buyer did not show, and I snagged her!

[Dbraw]

We found our 71 Safari in the local Wheels and Deals after looking at several web sites around the country. We were the first to see it and bought it on site and brought it home. The owner even included a nice hitch that was worth about $450. He didn't even know how to put it together. A friend had delivered it to him but he had not used the trailer.
Got it for $1400 less than asking price, including the hitch.
Deals are out there.
Dan

[Silvertwinkie]

If going the new(er) route an RV show is a good place. It's were we met our Bambi.

[overlander64]

Greetings Tim!

Finding a true bargain in a collectible Airstream is much like finding a bargain in a collector car - - being in the right place at the right time.

My '64 Overlander was purchased through a "blind advertisement" in a local "trader" publication - - it had been advertised for several weeks but hadn't attracted a buyer due to its higher than "average" price. The interior cabinetry was pristine and the only thing that was not original was the apartment type refrigerator. It was just what I had been looking for so the deal was struck.

When I purchased the Minuet last year, I had been casually looking for such a trailer for about three years. I had checked on-line sources, bid on two different coaches on e-Bay, and checked on several that were advertised in various publications withing 1,000 miles of my home. I happened to be checking the Vintage Airstream Club Classifieds at: Vintage Airstream Club Classifieds , where a new advertisement had just been posted for a Minuet about four hours from my home - - I immediately e-mailed the owner and learned that the price was very fair for an original one-owner coach. I traveled to look at the coach the next day and bought it on-the-spot as it was too good a buy to pass up.

Persistence and patience are often necessary. There are good deals out there, but they are becoming much more difficult to find with the ever increasing media attention being given to the Vintage Airstream products whether Airstream or Argosy.

Good luck with your search!

Kevin

[85MH325]

I actually stumbled across our 34' by doing a Google search on "Airstream 34 for sale".

Just searching on "Airstream for sale" will yield some interesting results from local newspaper ads and web pages that have been put up.

Roger

[InsideOut]

We found ours in a tiny little ad in the Rocky Mountain News...

Check out "The Quest" on our website for the long story...

Shari

[drboyd]

There is no "best" place -- if there were, it woulnd't remain the "best" place for long, as everyone would swarm to it and the bargains would be long gone.

Look everywhere, and let it be known that you're looking.