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Old 10-23-2014, 07:28 AM   #21
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1978 31' Excella 500
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When I bought my 1978 31' Excella in 2001 I only knew one thing, if I bought a trailer it had to be an Airstream ! If you don't get that little flutter in your chest when you see one,,, maybe its not your kind of trailer.
I have invested about $6000.00 in mine over the years because the previous owner brought it from Florida to Barrie Ontario and it got frozen and then I took it to a NON AIRSTREAM trailer repair place and spent $4000.00 for repairs that had to be done over at CanAm airstream! I've put about 12000 miles on it in the last 4 years and it still has no leaks and I pull it with my 1999 GMC pickup.
Yes new Airstreams are expensive but if you look around you can find good older ones and if you choose right you only have to buy one!
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Old 10-23-2014, 07:58 AM   #22
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My sense is that for a number of reasons that reading this forum willl give you a skewed impression of Airstream ownership. As mentioned earlier posts are mainly by a vocal minority of owners, a group that doesn't represent a cross section of all owners (I'll let the sociologists figure out why it's like that). You need broader input, including personal experience and talking personally with Airstream owners, in order to get an accurate impression about Airstreams and Airstream ownership.

Go for it. Stuff the buyers remorse in a sock. You will enjoy it immensely and never regret the purchase.

Cheers,
John
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Old 10-23-2014, 08:14 AM   #23
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Good for you

Good for you for bringing this to the forum. I read the negative comments here and shake my head. We live in Yakima Washington home of Western RV (Alpenlite 5TH wheels) and they were among the best around. They are now gone. We owned two of them and were very happy. We would run into to people in the parks that had them and we would stop and talk to them. Those that were happy and positive people loved their Alpenlites but those that were by nature not happy didn't like them. I feel like that is what a lot of this is about. Positive happy people just go about their business but the unhappy grumpy people will not be happy with anything.

Yes Airstreams need attention but not like everything else out there. We love our 2012 and can not imagine owning any other brand. If you decide to go through with your purchase something tells me you will be happy that you did.
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Old 10-23-2014, 08:21 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by Mike-Gloria View Post
Positive happy people just go about their business but the unhappy grumpy people will not be happy with anything.
I guess that makes me a happy grumpy person. I like my Airstream, warts and all; but that doesn't stop me from complaining about the warts.
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Old 10-23-2014, 08:39 AM   #25
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Welcome DeltaRon:

Our experience: First in my real world-retired now and it does not seem real, no one should have this much fun. Anyway, I ran several manufacturing companies and or divisions where we manufactured products that retail customers purchased or rented and quality was our primary focus. I discovered over the years that anytime something is made, whether by humans or robots, something is going to go wrong. Not on every unit, but on some of them, unless we were provided with a faulty part in which case every unit had the same issue. That said, we have been camping for over 50 years, tents, tents from canoes, pop up trailers, enclosed trailers, motorhomes and yes Airstreams. We now have a Newmar motorhome and a 2015 30' FC. Motorhome is going first of December. We love it, but love our AS more. All the products we owned had issues, some minor and some major, but nothing that could not be fixed.

We own and AS and have had two others because we simply like the product, is it perfect, no, but then neither is the top of the line Newmar Motorhome - 37' 2014. I always keep in the back of my mind something a friend of mine who sells Travel Trailers, Fifth Wheels and Motorhomes said to me - "you are moving a condominium down the road, with all the appliances, furniture etc of course you are going to have issues, but you will have fewer with an AS than any other Travel Trailer". We believe he is right, which is why we have gone back to the AS after owning the motorhome for only six months.

Best of luck, I don't think you will regret the AS purchase, new or used. My wife and I are a dealers dream, we always buy just about everything new.

Safe Travels
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Old 10-23-2014, 09:36 AM   #26
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Hi DeltaRon,

We love our Airstream for the type of travel it allows us to have along with the layout, style and many of the features. That being said, we have had numerous quality issues. In our first year of ownership (last year), we had to go back to the dealer after nearly every outing to have major issues addressed. This included the water heater, furnace, refrigerator, water leaks, many attempts at fixing the tank monitors and so much more.

I don't believe that the quality complaints are overstated on Airforums. If anything, I feel that many people that are dissatisfied with their Airstreams are rather quiet with all the problems out of concern that they are going to hurt their resale value if and when the decide to sell it.

To me the biggest key to buying a new Airstream is having a decent dealer nearby that can work with you through the initial issues.

Good luck with your decision.
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Old 10-23-2014, 09:50 AM   #27
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We purchased a 2008 Classic 25fb last year and if you search my posts you'll see some of the problems I've had but I have been able to fix them myself and I'm no mechanic, plumber, electrician or carpenter. Sometimes I think I'll sell it and buy a brand new SOB for cash but everytime we look at one of them we can't make the jump because our Airstream is SO NICE. And whose to say I wouldn't have some of the same issues plus some issues not inherint to Airstreams. Its not always greener on the other side of the fence.

Kelvin
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Old 10-23-2014, 09:58 AM   #28
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Great advice from Paula (as usual) - buy gently used. Which can apply to a two year old trailer or, in my case, a 25 year old trailer. In terms of a newer used one the drive away depreciation hit has already been taken. An older one may even appreciate in value. The three key things in buying a used one are: condition, condition and condition. Perhaps the best thing about buying a gently used one is that previous owners have done the debugging for you.

It is helpful to be somewhat handy when owning any Airstream, especially with older ones. Fortunately, most of the work is pretty simple and being able to do it yourself gives you the ability to respond quickly and at low expense. And most of the information is here.
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Old 10-23-2014, 10:15 AM   #29
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I'm glad to see so many happy and realistic owners!

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Old 10-23-2014, 10:48 AM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeltaRon View Post
after reading so many negative comments about poor quality on this forum, I am not sure any more about my purchase.
This forum like many other enthusiast sites are concentrators for issues. Folks without the problem do not typically weigh in and say "mine is fine"

I only found this site after I bought my Airstream and it scared the heck out of me. Now after years of ownership, I realize that for every major issue reported or discussed here there are hundreds or thousands of owners without it.

We've tweaked few things - but never regret the purchase. It is an awesome RV.

Airstreams are very unique among high end consumer products.

I say ...take what you read here and use it to make a smart purchase. You know what to look for.
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Old 10-23-2014, 10:59 AM   #31
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Buying an Airstream is like buying anyother big ticket item, expensive and will come with a little 'buyers remorse'. Not a big thing, just a sudden 'did I do the right thing'? We had the same feeling when we bought Trixie as we did when we bought our homes. It's normal and will pass.

Are AS's perfect or fault free? Nope, we all have had issues (and gripes), and at times have had differences of opinions with the dealer and even the factory. But in looking at other TT's and MH's they have similar issues.

A group of us went to an RV show a few years ago and were amazed with what is out there, they weren't built any better, but do you really need a fireplace or retractable TV in a travel trailer? We had fun asking why their trailer was a better buy than those Airstreams in the corner. The common response was there's offered more amenities and was less expensive or cheaper. No one mentioned quality or life span of their trailer.

I have learned more from these forums and fellow 'streamers than I did from the dealer. Our trailers require TLC, and at times more than usual, but they are more solid than most SOB's.

The only real downside to buying and owning an Airstream is finding a really good/great dealer. There aren't many dealers to begin with, and some seem content on treating their customers like **** because they are the only AS dealer for 150-200 + miles.

We had our eyes (and heart) set on a gently used twin that was 'sold' two days before we went to look at it. It did sour us with the dealer, but we wound up with Trixie. Other than how the sales rep 'didn't know' it was sold when we arrived, (long story short, I had called him 2 days earlier to confirm availabilty before driving 3-4 hours) we are very happy with our trailer. We would buy again in a heart beat, but from a different dealer.

Buying a trailer is like buying a car, do your homework, ask questions, go looking then buy.

Good Luck and enjoy!!!
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Old 10-25-2014, 09:26 PM   #32
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I bought my 2012 Eddie Bauer last year that was previously owned. Got a great deal and have had a couple of minor repairs that I fixed myself-nothing even remotely complicated. This is my second travel trailer, but the first true quality RV! Welcome and enjoy your AS!


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Old 10-25-2014, 09:52 PM   #33
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We purchased a gently used unit and have not regretted it at all. The big thing is the cash you can save by doing it this way. At the end of the day, quality it better than anything else I've seen and have been very happy making the purchase
Good luck
Cheers
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Old 10-26-2014, 02:25 AM   #34
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Second thoughts

This last spring we purchased a barely used 2013 25FB Eddie Bauer that was a trade-in. The previous owners had only had her for 9 months. This is our first trailer and we love it. We looked for over two years at many different brands but none made us want to pull the trigger until we sat and spent the day at our local AS dealer and really looked over each model and discussed our needs. So happy we made the jump. Have not had anything more than needing to replace the screws (rusted) on the black panels over the wheel wells. I love the Brightness of her metal outside as and even more on the inside. We are looking forward soon to more good times out camping with family and friends.
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Old 10-26-2014, 05:53 AM   #35
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Woodstock , Georgia
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Bought mine brand new in Tennessee, one small plumbing leak(tightened by hand) and a blue led on power connection replaced and I still have not regretted once. It's not perfect in every build aspect but is SO FAR above the rest it's no funny.
Do enough research and you can get it right the first time. My advice, new ,good dealer, not to big and hand the mechanic that you like at the dealership (he demoed it ) $50 get his name and number. Called him on several accounts and assures her is looking forward to seeing or hearing from me.


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Old 10-26-2014, 06:44 AM   #36
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We also bought very, very lightly used, one year old and the money saved compensated for items I needed to upgrade/repair, as well as making me feel very good about the purchase.
Airstream comes with a built-in base of new friends and a panache fairly unique to the RV world.
My real disappointment is with the lack of quality and maintainability in RV's in general. You can read that in the posts but it does not sink in until you realize with your own, what you are in for. For example, AS recommends checking and recaulking seams and joints every 6 months. Many of us came from boating and you just would never expect or accept that recaulking would be required every 6 months. The ocean can be even rougher than trailering an RV.
But if you are committed to owning a travel trailer, there is no reason to turn away from Airstream.
Larry
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Old 10-26-2014, 08:00 AM   #37
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Four years ago I stepped into a brand new 19' Bambi Victornox limited edition and fell in LOVE! Then the $60,000 + price tag scared the heck out of me so I started shopping for a gently used Bambi CCD. I was addicted to the forums and read everything, so much so I was paranoid about buying one after reading all of the negative comments. I kept reading and searching and I also found many positive comments like the ones on this thread, so I put it all in perspective and found our "perfect" Airstream! I drove a long way to get her but it was half of the what the limited edition was! I brought her home and spent two months outfitting her and making cosmetic changes and have been happy every since. I have had some issues but I am handy and fixed everything that needed to be done (some my fault some quality issues) but nothing else out there comes close to owning an Airstream! The community, style, design and the smile I get when we are camping in her makes it worth every penny. I do wish we had a dealer or an Airstream repair person (those in SFO are lucky, they have Vinnie's Airstream repair) but I use the forums for information to maintain or repair problems. For an 06 our Bambi still looks like new and we have no regrets! Buy what's right for you and get out there and enjoy it!Click image for larger version

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Old 10-26-2014, 08:33 AM   #38
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My real disappointment is with the lack of quality and maintainability in RV's in general. You can read that in the posts but it does not sink in until you realize with your own, what you are in for. For example, AS recommends checking and recaulking seams and joints every 6 months. Many of us came from boating and you just would never expect or accept that recaulking would be required every 6 months. The ocean can be even rougher than trailering an RV. Larry
Recaulking is not required or needed every 6 months. Here's what our Airstream Owners Manual says:

"It is recommended that the caulking and sealant used in external seams and joints such as end shell segments and around window frames, light bezels,
beltline and rub rail molding, etc. be checked regularly. If this material has dried out and become cracked or checked, or if a portion has fallen out, it should be replaced with fresh material to prevent possible rain leaks. Caulking and sealing material is available from your Airstream dealer."
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Old 10-26-2014, 09:15 AM   #39
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Doug,

It says that yes, but I talked with the factory who told me every 6 months. I have had mine 18 months and have checked it every 6. I did find an area around a window that needed some work, but nothing at the seams or on top. I just wonder, as it ages, whether the factory really means every 6 months or whether they are just being overly cautious.
Larry
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Old 10-26-2014, 09:19 AM   #40
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Larry, I "check" constantly! Our 1999 has seams that seem to eat sealant. Some rivets too. I hope since my repair of the side this minimizes.
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