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platbr · 08-31-2005, 09:08 AM

Super exciting -- we found our A/S!

We've been looking for a trailer for quite some time. Started with SOBs ;-). Then... over at clubtouareg.com, I ran across Devoman and the other "usual suspects." Unfortunately, they posted pictures of their A/S trailers + Treg combos, which I showed my wife, and we were hooked. Since that time, we've been looking at various trailers, lurking here, and emailing Treg owners about their A/S trailer experiences, hitches, etc. Last weekend we spent a bit of time at a local RV "show", in 19', 22', 25' trailers. It was enough to convince us that the 19' was probably the best fit for our space needs, towing capacity needs, and parking capacity (coming from a Eurovan Camper, the 19' seems spacious... and the 22' and 25' trailers are huge!).

Fast forward to last night and an interesting RV trader ad at a local dealer for a used 2005 19' Bambi. Supposedly never used... just towed home by a really tall guy -- 6'5" -- who parked it, and didn't fit in the bed. Dealer claims it was never used and -- after inspection -- I believe him. It was immaculate inside. The only thing that had been done was to install extra batteries, an LCD TV, a VCR/DVD, and a few other options. Mr. Tall Guy then towed it for the trade in. The price was acceptably low, and we offered $3500 less than asking. We settled on price pretty quickly and signed the papers. My wife and I speculated on the way home that this Jayco dealer wanted to get rid of this beautiful new A/S because it would cut into their SOB sales to have such a pretty trailer on their lot ;-). Maybe not... who knows. The purchased comes a little quick for us -- our Touareg doesn't yet have the hitch installed and our parking spot isn't set up.... but good used Airstreams seem to be hard to find. The others were were looking at were many states away, and this was much more convenient.

So the trailer is still at the dealer lot, and we'll pick it up after we get our hitch installed. What "missing" parts should we be looking for? I already noticed that the sewer hose is missing. Are there lots of other little "parts" that come with these trailers when they are new? Any tips for the walkaround, etc.? It is a non-A/S dealer, but I'm assuming they'll have some insight on the general RV function, etc.

uwe · 08-31-2005, 09:23 AM

Congratulations!
You will need a sewer hose kit, a fresh water hose, and perhaps a 30A to 15A adaptor to get started. Also, some leveling blocks and wheel chocks. With these items in the trunk, you can go camping to a full hookup site to get you aquainted with the beast. These items are considered accessories.
Make sure the trailer has the original power cord, ( expensive Marinco connector), and the trailer to car connector cord. Those should definitely be included, as they are specific to your trailer, not considered acccessories.

**jcanavera** · 08-31-2005, 09:33 AM

Hopefully you will get the manual that came with the unit. Someone step in here if I am wrong but wouldn't this unit still be under the manufacturer's 2 year warranty? Some appliances are even longer. The monitor panel is 5 years, Dometic provides a 3 year warranty on the A/C unit and refrigerator (2 years parts and labor 3rd year parts only).

Other things to look that would have been provided by the factory would be the stabilizer jack wrench, the awning pull rod. You will also need the adapter fitting that connects the flexible sewer hose to the trailer's sewer outlet. Hopefully the jackstand pad (pipe with large round bottom) that connects to the front jack. Finally be sure you get the full set of keys. One for the dead bolt lock, one for the lock above, a key that opens any outer compartment, a key that opens the fresh water door.

From memory those are things that are factory supplied and came with both my Safari and my Classic.

Sewer hoses, fresh water hoses, adapter plugs, hitch pins, are soft items that some dealers give you as their contribution to the purchase. Airstream doesn't supply these.

Jack

Boondocker · 08-31-2005, 09:49 AM

Welcome to the world of Airstreaming, Im a recent arival myself. Now you only need to wait a couple decades untill your coach is vintage, but dont dispair: it should hold up pretty well in the mean time

. Although your coach is small, I would still think pretty hard about weight distribution and sway control, but that is just me.

General Disarray

platbr · 08-31-2005, 10:10 AM

Thanks for the good thoughts on things we'll need to find from the original tall guy buyer, if they're not included with the trailer already. I'm keeping a list of stuff from the posts here ;-). Thanks for that.

As for the W/D & sway control, we were $500 apart in negotiations and agreed to their price, if they would include the W/D hitch & setup. So that was ultimately included in the price. I think you're absolutely right, though, especially with our lack of air suspension (auto-leveling) on the Touareg.

Devoman · 08-31-2005, 04:41 PM

Congrats on your new Airstream again.I am having a blast with mine.Since I have had it parked I have been looking for things that i am needing and it seems to be never ending.I am always finding something i can use.I am still not getting things that i want until i have everything that I need first.This is still one of the coolest things i have ever purchased and just seeing it parked at my house makes me smile

.
The great thing is that every year I get 4 months of vacation time from Nov to the end of Feb so i will be doing at lot of camping.

You are going to have so much fun with your new Airstream.

SilverRanger · 08-31-2005, 10:18 PM

Congratulations on your new Airstream. Some trailers, like my 1968 Tradewind, have the sewer hose stowed in the rear bumper compartment. My 05 Bambi has a storage tube up under the trailer in front of the wheels for the hose. I had no idea it was there until the tech showed me during the orientation. Did you check there? After we got it home we found an Airstream floormat, an electrical outlet tester, and an additional 30 to 15 amp adapter in the plastic bin stored under the bed.

platbr · 08-31-2005, 10:36 PM

Thanks for all the great information. The comments here were very helpful and focused us on what we needed to be looking for. Big thanks to Devoman, also, who was very helpful and informative in our brief A/S quest. My wife took the list from the forum when she went to drop off the check today, and was able to find everything on the list, plus a number of extras including the sewer hose. We also snapped a few pictures to document the condition since it will be sitting at the dealer lot until I get the hitch + brake controller installed.