Looking to see a Flying Cloud..can you help?

[bruineast]

My husband and I are thinking of getting a 25 ft Flying Cloud and would really appreciate the chance to look inside one prior to proceeding any further. We are at a distance from a Dealership. We are wondering if anyone in the vicinity of Hyattsville, MD (20781), who owns this style Airstream, would be willing to let us see theirs? We would really appreciate it!

[uraljohn]

We live in Hendersonville, N. Carolina. We looked at every brand of travel trailer for 2 years before purchasing our 2017 23D. We went to RV shows, and probably 2 dozen dealerships (6 of them Airstream dealers) in our search. We traveled hundreds, no, make that at least a couple of thousand miles in our search. We did not purchase the trailer we initially started out looking for. We made nice weekend trips out of the shows and dealership visits.

We finally purchased from Colonial Airstream. A 1500 mile round trip to pick it up. We have since sold our 2017 23d and purchased a 2019 FC25 RBT. We loved our 23D but after spending some time (several hours) in a FC25 RBT at the Tampa RV show we realized we needed to make the switch. We did purchase from a N. Carolina dealer just 3 hours from our home.

To sum this up, go do some traveling to seek out the Airstream that fits you best. Spend time (hours) in the different models at a large dealership that has a bunch to chose from. Make a weekend trip out of it. After all, travel is what your looking for if you buy an Airstream. Good luck in your search!

[daleyocum]

If it’s at all near, the International Rally is in Doswell, VA in a couple of weeks. There will be 750 Airstreams there! https://doswell.wbcci.net/rally-dates-and-information/

[OTRA15]

Welcome to the forum!

Have you considered going over to Colonial in NJ?

https://www.colonialairstream.com/

They have just about every model in stock, and you would be able to stand inside each one, in order to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Patrick Botticelli or any of the sales staff would be happy to make an appointment and show you the ropes.

Here is a YT video of a 25' with a rear bed, for instance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5jE9n2k-_Y

The folks at Colonial are used to prospective buyers "window shopping" so don't feel shy. Granted this may be a two-day trip with an overnight, but the time would be well spent IMO.

Good luck in your search.

Peter

[uraljohn]

I second taking a weekend trip to Colonial Airstream in Lakewood, NJ. Huge selection and very fair to deal with. Nick was our Sales Rep and did a good job for us. They will let you look around and spend time in the Airstreams you find that you like. They get it!

They are building a brand new facility so that everything can be in one place. Bet it will be first class. Happy hunting!

[urnmor]

We live just outside of Ocean City Md and own a 2012 25 ft FC that we purchased new from Colonial. If you are down are way you are more then glad to look at it

[majorairhead]

You're around 2.5 hours from Virginia Airstream. I've bought from both Colonial and Virginia Airstream.

If you're going to look, heading down to Virginia Airstream wouldn't be a problem at all, if they have in stock what you're looking for. You can buy from anybody you want.

I've learned for me the important thing is, any major warranty work necessitates a trip to the factory in Ohio no matter where the Airstream was purchased.

[GeeSag]

Oh Boy, Get ready for the big decision........Front Bed vs Rear Bed.....So many airforum threads to read on that topic!........

Well worth the trip.........drive to Colonial!

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

Can’t wait to hear the TV and hitch conversation started all over again too!

More on topic, I agree with everyone. Make the trip and look around. Plan to spend half the day there and open everything. We did 2 or 3 trips to our dealer in LA before finally deciding on what we want and then ended up buying from a dealer in the PNW. Ordered everything over the phone and bought a one way ticket when everything came in a few months later and bought the truck and airstream in one weekend.

Worth the trips. You may think you want a certain layout then when you look at layout and imagine yourself using it all, you switch to something else. It’s a big purchase. Only way to come out ahead is to buy the trailer you know you want otherwise you may end up upgrading down the road and losing some money potentially with resale, taxes, etc

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The Hershey RV show is a bit closer to you than Colonial in NJ. Shows can be a lot of fun, however you don't get much time alone in the trailer. We found that the number of floor plans made picking this or that from online data a bit tough. Our answer was to drive over to Colonial on a weekday and "try out" as many versions as we could.

Sitting in this one and that one made a *giant* difference in our perceptions of what was what. We had one idea of our target trailer when we went over and a very different idea after a few hours of looking. Without the ability to hop between trailers and directly compare this to that ... no way we could have worked things out.

Indeed it's a couple hours drive to New Jersey, that's not a lot of fun. Even used, you are likely looking at the better part of $100,000 to buy one of these trailers. For that kind of money, you very much want to get the right one the first time. Investing a day to get it right is time well spent.

Bob

[Rgentum]

I hope you'll spend some time in a 27 before committing to a 25, as we found the extra 2 feet is worth the slight additional expense.

[PatLee]

On top of what BgSxy said, if you can, bring someone who owns an AS to trail you and give you firsthand insights/advice/regrets as you tour the various configurations. I was so much wiser the second time around shopping for ASs because of what I had learned in my first AS.

[Captn.Ken]

The 25 is a very popular Flying Cloud. We went looking specifically for one, but wound up getting a 26U, rear bed twin. May I suggest you look at the twin bed option for the length you chose as it provides much more storage both inside and outside. And the beds are longer than the short queen alternative. We love the 26U and would replace if our current trailer was damaged. If not available, we would go with the 25 RBT in a flash. Whichever you chose, you will be a "happy camper".

[jackcorbull]

I have a 2018 25’ RBQ and am based near Fort Belvoir, VA. I’d be happy to let you take a look at ‘Freedom’. Also, she was purchased at Colonial, and I totally agree with all of the positive points made about that dealership. Regarding the process of reviewing various floor plans in-person, I did that very thing for about 3 years before selecting a model.

Feel free to shoot me a direct message if you are interested in the walkthrough of my Airstream.
Best,
Jack

[bruineast]

URNMOR:


Thank you for your generous offer to look inside your flying cloud! We greatly appreciate it as you are much closer than the dealerships.


My husband and I can be flexible and will come whenever convenient for you. Is there some time in the week of either July 29 or August 5 that would work for you?


I am having a bit of trouble figuring out if my message has been sent, so please forgive me if this is a duplicate!


Best regards,
Janis Sloane
janis93136@aol.com