$80 grand for an Airstream, you gotta be kidding me!

[Bobsprinter]

What do you pull with sprinter? What does it do to fuel mileage? How much does it affect power in the mountains? Thanks

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Bobsprinter

What do you pull with sprinter? What does it do to fuel mileage? How much does it affect power in the mountains?

I pull a 2013 Honda Fit hatchback, curb weight 2700 pounds, gross weight 3500 pounds.

Fuel economy only drops by about 1mpg while towing, from 19mpg to 18mpg on the Sprinter. Based on my calculations, at current diesel prices it costs me less than 1¢ per mile to tow the car— not counting the cost of the towing package. Since I have over 8000 miles towing the car to date, the cost including the towing package is down to about 35¢ per mile, and dropping with each new trip. The towing package (towbar, baseplates, supplemental brakes) was a fixed cost so the more miles, the lower the cost per mile.

Can't answer yet about the toad's effect on power in the mountains. Not a lot of mountains on the Gulf Coast, and I haven't yet taken a trip to the Rockies.

[Denis4x4]

We turned our '06 Safari 25' FB into a guest house and bought a Unity TB MH. The Unity is the first RV or boat I've every owned that has been trouble free! Debated about pulling a tow'd and after an extended trip last summer, came to the conclusion that at 24' long and a little over 7' wide, there were no parking issues. Usually, the only thing I need to unhook is the electrical cord when we shop or sight see. I have an aluminum tilt bed trailer for hauling my hot rods to various events behind the diesel powered Unity (Sprinter). From Durango, heading north, east or west, I have to deal with mountain passes. Even pulling a trailer, there are no issues.

[Mrjkq]

Originally Posted by Msmoto

I love this.... RV experience: 2007 AS 25D Int Ocean Breeze, 2009 AS 27FB Ocean Breeze, 2010 Allegro Bus 43 QGP, and now my 2015 Serenity 30 RB. The Moho had an overall cost of about $3.25 per mile after depreciation, taxes, insurance, and operating costs are added up.

Why I am now back in an Airstream is about the thoughts of "what goes wrong next" and the ease of pulling rather than towing a car. The AS is essentially trouble free, the Moho, as all moho's are, had lots of small things to go wrong on a continuous basis.

When I sold my Allegro Bus I looked at a lot of box trailers, fifth wheels, and decided I was a better fit with an AS. So the new Serenity. I might have gone with the Classic, but they had not announced it when I ordered the Serenity. As to a fifth wheel, fuel mileage is poor and one person does not need all the room.

From my Serenity on the road in South Dakota...


Ms. Tommie Lauer
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"What goes wrong next", so true about most if not all complex motor homes. My Tuscany, as much as I loved it was like an unruly child, just waiting for the next incident. Like I said earlier, I'm sure my AStream will have shakedown issues but hopefully nothing like before.

[Meeks]

Mrjkq, thanks for the response. Your decision makes sense to me!

[Plasma800]

Originally Posted by Mrjkq

Sold that 2013 I referred to after a year of use & disappointment. We washed our hands of RVing, the 40ft Motor Home we previously owned had spoiled us & the TT was junk in comparison. After rethinking our options
we decided that maybe a diesel sprinter class B might meet our needs but the idea of disconnecting everytime we went somewhere was not appealing. I wanted a smaller RV that I could easily handle, set up etc, I'm approaching my 73rd bday so that was primary along with quality, value and the best out there. Our 25 FC has all of the above, my RAM 1500 Ecodiesel & it are a good match & I'm happy! Hope tha answers your question.

I'm with you on this one. We owned a MOHO 40' DP, and it constantly slurped money with "little" things needing repairs constantly. Basically cost me a dollar a mile in repairs, and I went 22,000 miles in it......

Sold it, and like you, started looking at the small guys, sprinter MOHO's and small class-c's - but found them unappealing, worried about the quality, and they were very dark inside and not well built (unless you went unity) - but no matter what, I wasn't going to spend one penny over 100k - PERIOD.

We sort of by accident walked into an Airstream, and that was that!

I, for one, am STOKED over not having any slides. After replacing two motors, two brakes, adjusting, multiple fuses and a couple of switches plus a slide stuck out in a walmart parking lot (on a weekend) I cannot tell you how pleased I am to not have to worry about that!

Further, my wife and I are a "cozy couple" - the only thing the opposing slides in our MOHO did was put us further away from one another on opposing couches. The extra floorspace was.... not really needed.

Our 27 has, what we consider, the perfect lounge. It's a table when you want it, the perfect L shaped couch when you put the table down. And too boot, it's comfy - when compared to the new MOHO L shaped couches where the end extends.... those things are HORRIBLE to sit or lay on.

Other brands of TT's and 5th wheels just didn't do it for us. They felt just like a moho in style, i trusted the slides even less, and to be honest, most of them weren't that sexy.

I feel like my airstream is the exact right amount of very cool design, inside and out, and I absolutely love the simplicity in operation.

And sure more expensive that other TT's, but still way UNDER my rv'ing budget since I already owned the truck outright.

I also feel that it's resale value and ability to resell is good - I don't feel like it would hard to move if I decided to sell it for any reason.

[grizbear]

We have a 2004 25' that We paid $32500.00 for new. I thought that was high then but I could probably get in the $25000.00 range now. It's still in good condition some still ask if it's new and with pride I tell them that it's 11 yrs old.
My wife and I have been really thinking hard about upgrading to the new classic
only things that make us pause is the size and it has a lot of motors that will fail sooner or later (sofa bed stabilizers table awning) that all would be nice to have but pricey to repair. The size is great on the inside but would limit places we could go somewhat. We were just in a park that an extra 5ft would not fit. It's a tough choice. Price is somewhat on the high side but you get what you pay for or maybe a little less Rand

[spclkaz]

Taking a contranian view... I think that if I ever trade again, I would choose a different path... $80 to $100K+ is just a little rich for my blood for a TT... quality or not...

[Plasma800]

I'm ok with it. My final total was very nice, and I feel good about it. I'm using someone else's money for cheap and my payment is less than a car. If I decided to keep it, I'll ramp up on paying it off, if for any reason i decide to sell it, I'll take whatever lump comes along and that at point I consider it rent in the form of number of months / (purchase price - selling price)

I figure I'm here to enjoy what life we have, so ya know? .... What the heck, do what makes ya feel good, whatever that may be.

[carlose]

Well for all the reasons and points mentioned in this discussion, we started and stayed with a new 2010-30' Flying Cloud. Boy, we had to learn how to downsize real quick.
As all of you know, storage is not AS's strong point. So, clothing and daily living requirements are well thought out, we don't suffer living out of the trailer for up to 3 weeks, that's my wife's limit. So, what ever extra stuff we need, goes in the back of the F350. I love the 2014 F350, diesel, get 12.5 mpg pulling the trailer and 19 to 22 on the road w/o the trailer.

[Plasma800]

Originally Posted by carlose

Well for all the reasons and points mentioned in this discussion, we started and stayed with a new 2010-30' Flying Cloud. Boy, we had to learn how to downsize real quick.
As all of you know, storage is not AS's strong point. So, clothing and daily living requirements are well thought out, we don't suffer living out of the trailer for up to 3 weeks, that's my wife's limit. So, what ever extra stuff we need, goes in the back of the F350. I love the 2014 F350, diesel, get 12.5 mpg pulling the trailer and 19 to 22 on the road w/o the trailer.

Plus a massive payload of what? 3800#'s???? You could load that bed down and do just fine

[fwjumper]

Congrats Mrjkq. You made the right call. 25 years from now your new rig will still be going strong and looking good with reasonable maintenance. In that same period your former unit will become outdated, leaky and squeaky at best , but more likely buried somewhere in a scrap pile. But there is an associated cost. Glad to heat your story.

[Beaubill]

17mpg and 2 bedrooms with a bath and 1/2. The best of both worlds!

[guskmg]

At the dealer when I negotiated for this trailer (see avatar panel). I thought $80K was high, but look at todays new models, much higher with no slides, no 35', no disc brakes, no hardwood laminate, and etc. They are still built one at a time by American human hands. Imperfect, but durable. AS GM says "Longest Lsting." I have added lots of extras and still adding. Spending lots of money, and like all hobbies it is addictive. I will probably not be around to worry about selling depreciation. That will be a problem for the kids if they don't keep it. Oh well! Loving Airstreams is definitely a hobby in itself.
guskmg

[BoldAdventure]

I bought used and put the difference into mods. I've only had 1 major repair problem. Everything else has been mods and upgrades.

Still the prices are going up. Found the MSRP on ours, and the same model today is 25 grand more.

[tjdonahoe]

I can't believe any one with 2-3 slides and a fireplace with booze in the cubboard would go to a high dollar airstream without the slide outs .......

[Mrjkq]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

I can't believe any one with 2-3 slides and a fireplace with booze in the cubboard would go to a high dollar airstream without the slide outs .......

That's funny! Buy the cheep trailer & find out for yourself, it's a trip down shitty lane. Two RV & only two are built to survive decades, one is the Airstream & the other is a bus that starts with the letter P, that cost well over a millon$. Chech it out! BTW the Booze in cupboard is medicinal, It helps me deal with comments like yours.

[TG Twinkie]

Can't see a whole lot of difference when comparing a new 25'-26' Airstream to my '74 Argosy 26'. Except for all the electronic stuff and bling.
I'll put the $70k in the bank and spend it traveling.
I know I won't get out of it what I have in the coach. But the memories are priceless.


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[m.hony]

I often consider a newish Allegro Bus for room and storage, but it just doesn't have that style. Then I think about the expense of an oil change or to replace the tires-
I am really happy with my Airstream and pickup. The only reason for considering "upgrading" is the wife always complains about storage and room. Coming from a white box trailer with a slide, more walk-around room, and more storage bothers her, but has never bothered me. All that extra junk we hauled around we didn't even need. Fuel economy on the same tow vehicle improved by 2 mpg just by dropping the white box and hitching up the silver trailer. That eye-catching iconic shape is not only beautiful, but is also practical for towing.
When you are totally happy with your rig, as I am, that is a great place to be. Tow vehicle works, is paid for, has 1 year old tires, and 47,000 miles. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you see me in a campground 10, 20, or 30 years from now I will probably have the same rig.
White box trailer was in the shop nearly every week for something- some thing that caused me to leave the trailer and not get to camp. Airstream has been in the shop once. There were lots of small problems, but none of them prevented use of the trailer.
I still maintain that Jackson Center is the best service center and the only place I will take my trailer.
Overall experience has been better than the white box trailer. I go look at friends' new white box trailer and immediately see cheapness or bad quality- like a plastic city water connection that is already cross-threaded and leaking, but you can't get your hand onto it because the compartment is too small and the connection is too close to the side-
The Interstate is too small. We camp regularly with a couple that still owns a Hi-Lo trailer, a conversion van, and Interstate, AND an Allegro Bus. They never use the Hi-Lo any more. The don't camp in the conversion van anymore. They occasionally use the Allegro Bus. It is a 1995, but the interior has held up well for a 20-year-old camper. It is a nice size for 4-6 people to hang out in. They camp in their Interstate most often. It is very small for 4 people to hang out in. Our trailer is comfortable for 4 people to hang out in.

[m.hony]

People are always shocked at the $80,000, but then I say, "Let's go in and take a look at it." They ooh and aah and their eyes get big and they are amazed at the difference.