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Old 10-22-2014, 12:59 PM   #1
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Second thoughts

Bought my TV and going to Tampa RV One tomorrow to order 2015 FC. BUT after reading so many negative comments about poor quality on this forum, I am not sure any more about my purchase. Sure I have the same dream, but it has been dampened. It's a shame for sure that such an iconic product has sunk so low. Thanks Thor!


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Old 10-22-2014, 01:17 PM   #2
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It sounds like this may be a new venture for you. If that is the case and completely independent of any quality issues I would suggest you not buy New.

It is almost a given that your first purchase of a trailer will not be a satisfying one. You can never antiseptic every thing you will want in a trailer and thus you should not subject yourself to the significant hit one take on purchasing new. Consider used as a starting point.
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Old 10-22-2014, 01:18 PM   #3
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for what you'll be paying, you can buy a Vintage Trailer and have it custom designed/re-built to your precise needs/desires/quality requirements . . . AND it won't depreciate at the rate a new unit will . . . it may even appreciate.
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Old 10-22-2014, 01:20 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeltaRon View Post
BUT after reading so many negative comments about poor quality on this forum, I am not sure any more about my purchase.
The reason why your read so many negative comments is because the people with nothing bad to say don't say anything.

Think of it this way. Most of us who complain about our Airstreams still own an Airstream; we don't hate them enough to turn our backs on them. It's kind of like parents with underachieving kids; we may wish they were better, but they're still ours.
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Old 10-22-2014, 01:50 PM   #5
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I'm not sure I would base my buy/don't buy decision on the negative comments of an online forum. I think this is a very useful place to share information and learn more about owning an Airstream, but Protagonist is right in that happy owners don't always post in equal numbers to those who have issues that they are unhappy with. We have a 2006 that we are third owners of, and neither of the two previous owners sold because they weren't happy with quality. I personally feel that buyers should go in with eyes open, and knowing that a travel trailer, much like a boat is going to require not only maintenance but in some cases some extra attention for things that didn't get done right at the factory, should approach it just that way. I can't tell you whether to spend that kind of money or not for a new AS, but I personally wouldn't hesitate at all in buying a new AS when we have outgrown our starter AS.
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Old 10-22-2014, 01:53 PM   #6
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Thanks all of you for your comments. Hopefully I'll have a positive trip this week.


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Old 10-22-2014, 01:58 PM   #7
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One guy's $0.02....


Protagonist is right. Most people who are satisfied aren't in here every day saying - I love my trailer (though there is an awesome thread about that for Thursdays....).

I bought brand new in 2012 because I'm not really handy. Haven't regretted a second of it! I'm ending my 2nd year of warranty and so far, nothing major to repair.

It's our first trailer ever and will likely be our last. It's EXACTLY what we wanted and we love every second we're out with it. A month ago I posted about already getting depressed that there were only a few more trips before packing it up of the winter. 99% of my non camping minutes are spent thinking about camping and 0% of my camping minutes are spent thinking about anything else at all :-)

Worth every penny.

Still....It's a house that rolls on the road. It's going to require some care, some maintenance, some repairs over time. For me - and of course, everyone's mileage will vary here - the joy FAR exceeds any of the negatives in the experience.

Good luck whatever you decide.
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Old 10-22-2014, 02:12 PM   #8
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I agree that members here don't generally mention the stuff that is always right with their Airstreams. These Forums are very much a place to discuss problems and explore solutions.

Are Aistreams perfect? Absolutely not, but they are better than most other RV's. If you want an RV, expect problems. That's just the way it is.

That being said, we are on our third Airstream. We have spent 1,500 nights in our Airstreams over the last nine years, and have towed them 140,00 miles.

If there is better out there, we have not seen it.

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Old 10-22-2014, 02:17 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeltaRon View Post
Thanks all of you for your comments. Hopefully I'll have a positive trip this week.


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We took delivery of our brand new 2014 Eddie Bauer 27' this spring and have towed it over 7,000 miles and spent nearly 90 nights in it so far and are soon headed off for another extended trip. We will be swinging by JC for some very minor warranty work (probably will take them a couple of hours to finish) and then we will be off for down south.

I also recall having trepidations about Airstream and their quality after reading some of the threads on this forum before I bought our unit. However, I am glad to report that we have been way more than pleased with the quality of our Airstream and would do it all over again.

I agree with the previous comment that only those with complaints will post them. Those of us with no problems really don't have that much to say so we tend to be quiet.

So here is my post extolling the quality of our particular 2014 27 foot Eddie Bauer! May you have a similar experience!
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Old 10-22-2014, 03:08 PM   #10
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Why not stop at JD Sanders AS in Alachua on your way down and see if they can give you a better deal. Just off I75 north of Gainesville. Good luck. Jim
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Old 10-22-2014, 04:14 PM   #11
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Well, we bought our Airstream because we liked it more than the other brands (some other brand) - but we weren't expecting perfect. Set your expectations to the right level and you will probably grow to appreciate the Airstream maybe even making a repeat purchase like many have. The trick for marketers is to set the expectations high enough that you buy their product, but low enough that, through use, you still remain satisfied.

Don't forget to enjoy your maiden voyage.
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Old 10-22-2014, 04:42 PM   #12
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DeltaRon-

This is gonna be long, so I hope it's helpful. Your post reminded me how much we love our Airstream, as I read your post sitting in Pete (what we call our coach) preparing for a 3 night trip to a central Florida state park starting tomorrow.

First Welcome to the Airforum! It is a GREAT place to learn about Airstreams whether you buy one or not. Cumming, Ga? I remember eating at our very first Five Guys in your area, maybe 2010? Seems like it was across from a Home Depot or Lowes? But I digress.

Your post got me to reviewing our purchase process last summer/fall in my mind........ We'd been RVing for probably 14 years by then, started with a 22' SunLine (company gone now, casualty of 08-12 recession) then a 26' Sunnybrook and then a 31' two slide SunnyBrook Titan (same recession story, but I think Winnebago owns them now). Then we went to a 40' Newmar Dutchstar diesel pusher. Loved them all, and as you can tell we did what most RVers tend to do (and dealers long for), we went bigger every time.

Last summer after extensive use of the Newmar we got to discussing the cost of maintaining the beast, and started looking to downsize. We spent $3-5k annually on maintenance on our 13 year old motorhome and it was getting to be an awful expensive way to "camp". I wanted a 1/2 ton towable travel trailer (REALLY 1/2 ton towable, not what the dealers claim is) and wanted to buy the highest quality we could find. We strongly considered Lance, Evergreen, Alumalite (I think?), Nash, and a couple others, and Airstream. We bought a 27' Front Bedroom Twin Flying Cloud Airstream from Bates RV (one of the last units they delivered before the folks you mentioned took over their dealership).

Here's why we bought the most expensive travel trailer we looked at (not the most expensive Airstream by any stretch). Our Pete is basically hand made, it cannot de-laminate (look at most travel trailers 5 yrs old with glue-lam walls - see all the bumps?), it doesn't fade or yellow, the water doesn't pool in the corners of the rubber roof, the graphics don't peel, the plywood core (not particle board) cabinets don't come apart, the slide can't leak, it does not require 4 steps to enter because it is not 3' above the axles, the suspension is torsion bars with shocks, it just looks cool inside and out, it only weighs 5900 lbs, it tows like a dream, and oh the sound of that bank-vault door.......

Justifying a new Airstream? Not likely based on cost, but we cannot imagine not having our Pete, and really wish we bought one like him in 2008 instead of the motorhome. That would have saved a pile of money.........Perfect? No, we had a 25 item punch list of warranty issues, and the fridge failed this summer (all handily taken care of by J D Sanders - DO stop there if you can). But SO much better made than the 3 or 4 other brands all our camping buddies have...........

Great advice in this post, and again, sorry for the long winded post, but we love our Airstream!
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Old 10-22-2014, 09:53 PM   #13
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We bought our 1999 last year. Problems? yes... but not a basket case (term for buying a motorcycle, disassembled in a basket).

Yes, we spent some to 'fix' the problems... mostly time... and some money... but, I am sorta useful ... I can hire good folks =)

Our experience of over 6k miles last year..? The 'cost' of ownership is equal to what I would have paid to stay in 'hotels'... and my wife got to bring along her dog...which we could not do with hotels...

I slept in my 'own' bed, my sheets, shower, etc...

Now, there are lots of 'imperfections'... some dimples from hail.. some dents in the front protection guards... some leaky joints and rivets and gaskets... hmmmm... just like me =)

Now, if you have the ability to 'afford' new.. God bless ya! you are re-seeding the stream of AS for the rest of us... please take good care of it for the next 'caretaker' of the AS you are allowed to 'care for'... =)

Hope this brought a slight grin to ya...
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Old 10-22-2014, 10:34 PM   #14
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Google any RV brand followed by problems and you will see the same complaining, some of it is genuine some not and often from repeat offenders. Some by folks who could not afford it or need it in the first place and looking for someone to blame.

Order the Airstream you really want, and you will not regret getting the options you like. When it arrives go through it looking for any obvious assembly errors or transit damage and have them fixed before you take it home. While you wait for arrival learn how to inspect and maintain the systems, find and fix any leaks before they cause damage, and corrosion prevention and treatment.

Order right, take good care of it, and you will have many years of pride and satisfied ownership. And especially use it and enjoy it.
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Old 10-22-2014, 10:41 PM   #15
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Well I'll say it...

I FREAKIN' LOVE MY AIRSTREAM!!!!

Sure it has some quirks and I have to work on it now and then (its called maintenance) but I would never be happy with a white box!
There is not an RV on the market that doesn't require some TLC and maintenance from it's owner.

There is nothing like towing aluminum, 90% of the time when we stop for food or gas someone will walk over just to admire it and tell me they always wanted one.

So buy what makes you happy, go to a rally or two, meet other owners and learn form them how to take care of your new baby.

Oh and welcome to this wacky community of streaming!
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Old 10-22-2014, 11:46 PM   #16
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I'll be as short as I can. We have owned 5 trailers in our 26 years of marriage. 2 Fiberglass, a Trillium and a Bigfoot. After the Bigfoot , we couldn't go down, only up and as such have owned 3 Airstreams since. We would never go back.


George
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Old 10-22-2014, 11:51 PM   #17
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The story of the Moho owner caught my eye.

In early 2008 I bought an Airstream 25 footer, traded about six months later for a 2009 27FB, the in early 2010 after having pulled these about 40,000 miles, ordered a new Tiffin Allegro Bus 43QGP which I received late May.

In mid 2013, I decided to do more traveling on back roads, stay in State and National Parks, and do some Route 66 stuff. While having all the extreme luxuries of the Bus, the size began to wear on me. Also, as with virtually ever moho, there were many little things that go wrong requiring service. So, sold it and ordered new 30RB Serenity...... And while it only has half the televisions of the mojo, no washer/ dryer, no Select Comfort bed, I will simply state in previous words, "I LOVE MY FREAKING Airstream".



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Old 10-23-2014, 12:25 AM   #18
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First Airstream? As someone who is on her third one - sold one, rolled one, keeping this'un - my simplest advice is buy very very gently used.

Lots of people buy, then realize they want bigger or smaller - or unfortunately have a family crisis like a stroke, heart attack, etc. that precludes travel. They often trade or sell their almost new Airstreams. Look at the classifieds right here, then craigslist, e-bay, etc. Or of course a dealer who has taken a trade in often has a really nice used Airstream or two on the lot.

Save 20K. If the Airstream isn't perfect the 20K makes a nice bandaid.

Paula
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Old 10-23-2014, 06:19 AM   #19
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@DeltaRon…

The used advice is probably the best on the thread. My guess is, having sold two used Airstreams, one can purchase a two or three year old unit. looks like new, and save off MSRP about 40%. Take your time, search the ads on this forum and also with Google, etc. and you will find something. There are folks on this forum who will inspect a trailer for you and give some feedback as well.

But, if purchased wisely, a used unit can be turned in a year if you decide to upgrade, and your loss will me minimal. FYI, my moho, purchased new, depreciated over 3 1/2 years about $2.00 per mile…51,000 miles….

The Airstreams purchased used are much, much less of a hit… check out prices and come back to us.
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Old 10-23-2014, 07:13 AM   #20
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can't go back

Well DeltaRon, it's ok to have some Cognitive Dissonance. Heck I talked myself out of dropping a (beep)load of cash on the way to pick up the AS three times. LOL

I had a real good some other brand camper, 7 years, it was a great beginner travel trailer. It was aluminum framed instead of wood, I learned a lot.
But I can't go back now after owning the AS 'only' six months.

Once we brought the AS home, its staying. Really didn't have any cognitive dissonance on it. Its different and their is learning curve, but its a blast.

Its only money, see if you like a Airstream, you can always sell it if you don't like it. You probably will
have a good one !
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