Buyers remorse

[lonestarpipe]

The only regret we had was selling our 1st Airstream and purchasing a 5th Wheel. It took almost 3 years before we were able to rectify that mess. There are a lot of opinions about justifying the cost of an Airstream, but there is absolutely nothing else comparable. Good luck with your decision and happy camping!

[chaindragger]

Hi everyone we are having a hard time finding a used AS looking for a turnkey,hitchup and go. If we where to buy new how much of a discount should we expect is fair for price off of MSRP.

[switz]

Bought the wrong floor plan while overseas. Traded that 2013 25FB International Serenity in on our 2014 31' Classic. Then we added a 2015 23D International Serenity we use for short rallies while the Classic is on location at our summer location in the mountains.

We started RV towing with my 2007 Mercedes ML320 CDI turbo-diesel but it was challenged by the 25FB. Acquired a 2012 Ram 2500HD Cummins and that took care of towing the 25FB and then the Classic. I still have the Mercedes and it now tows the 23D just fine.

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by Ted S.

Depends on your background....

An RV is a very bad financial investment, but a very good lifestyle investment. Make sure the lifestyle is for you. Not only the glorious destinations, but also all the work and expense of RV ownership (which in my opinion you should enjoy as well).

Not necessarily. As I wrote in my "Sticker Shock....." thread, the Airstream dealer said I could sell the FaN for what I paid. Why? Because I bought it off-season and saved quite a bit of money. The prices in Canada have also jumped dramatically because of the low Cdn. $ and general rise in RV prices.

If that indeed pans out in a resale, I've had a lot of fun and adventure -- for nothing -- other than the loss of any monetary investment income, which I do not regret. Do you think I am going to be thinking about bank interest and mutual fund portfolios when I'm on my death bed? I will be wistfully dreaming about the times I hit the road with the FaN bobbing happily behind. Young. Healthy. Fearless.

[Rgentum]

OK, I'll own it: I screwed up.

My ex-wife and I had had a F-150 with a Lance camper. My sweetie and her ex-husband had had a number of RVs, the last of which was a 45 ft Prevost. She and I began looking for an mid-size trailer, and I finally got a 32 ft Forest River 5th wheel with 2 slide-outs and a Ram/Cummins 2500 to pull it. Our first trip was from home, in the Seattle area, to Billings, MT, to attend a wedding of one of her relatives. We got over the Cascades, into eastern WA, and stopped just over the WA/ID border in Post Falls. I turned to her and said, "This isn't feeling comfortable to me. I feel as if I'm towing a cage of elephants." She agreed. We talked back and forth and finally decided to turn around and drive back home. We got home that night, missing the wedding.

The Seattle RV show was several weeks later. We went. There was the local AS dealer with several ASs. "Oh, my! Aren't they cute!!!", she said. The next weekend, we drove to the dealer to "try them on." I thought from the brochures a 23 would work. When we were in one, the salesman said, "Let me show you our 25." That seemed to be around the right size. Then he said, "Let me show you our 27." My sweetie, after getting in and looking around one, said, "This is it! I want the North/South bed; making the bed next to the wall in the other ones would be a pain." We also looked at the 28 and the 30 but preferred the 27, without the center dinette across from the galley. In two seasons, we've put 30K miles on our 27. Occasionally, I get the urge to look more seriously at the Classic 30s, but I resist. The 27 seems a great compromise for us & our Great Dane. And as for another 5th wheel: Fuhgeddaboudid!!!

Bottom line: I lost around $10K on my 5th wheel mistake, although the dealer who took it in on the AS 27, Toscano, in Los Banos, CA, gave us a remarkably decent price for it.

[Rocinante]

Another buyer's remorse: I wish we'd added 400AH of Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries and 400-500 watts of solar when we bought Rocinante at the end of 2013 instead of waiting until next month to have AM Solar add those features to our trailer. OTOH, by waiting, we've scored much better batteries, electronics, inverters, and so on.

At the moment, we're still saving a ton of money by investing further in Rocinante instead of buying a 2019 version of her.

[HHPJ]

I was suprised on how much you need to learn if you do not have an RV background. I also suggest to budget an extra six grand for all the little and big things you will need to make for successful trips. No regrets!

[Isuzusweet]

When I bought my 1983 310 turbo diesel, I found sub-floor rot, leaks, broken and leaking rear air bag system, a couple electrical gremlins, etc, etc. It did bring on a mild panic attack and a sense of regret, brought on by a lack of knowledge; but money, research, a whole lot of determination, and a willingness to NOT to fail has given me an incredible appreciation for my ability to see a project through to completion and peace of mind, knowing that I know a lot more of every system, and sub system, than I would have if I hadn't of fixed things myself.

It has been one of the best purchases I have ever done.

Be prepared to fix things, even on your new trailer; and if you can resist the temptations to having others fix things for you, by fixing things yourself, you will know more about your trailer, (and truck).

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[Ted S.]

Originally Posted by Fly at Night

Not necessarily. As I wrote in my "Sticker Shock....." thread, the Airstream dealer said I could sell the FaN for what I paid. Why? Because I bought it off-season and saved quite a bit of money. The prices in Canada have also jumped dramatically because of the low Cdn. $ and general rise in RV prices.

If that indeed pans out in a resale, I've had a lot of fun and adventure -- for nothing -- other than the loss of any monetary investment income, which I do not regret. Do you think I am going to be thinking about bank interest and mutual fund portfolios when I'm on my death bed? I will be wistfully dreaming about the times I hit the road with the FaN bobbing happily behind. Young. Healthy. Fearless.

Good job on your purchase, you make very good points and have found a way to minimize your losses. However, I think most folks buying a new RV would loose money. I just wanted to OP to make good decisions, like you did. It’s a huge purchase.

Like I said, I think buying an RV is great for the experiences and memories, but a poor financial investment. Let me explain. An RV is a depreciating asset, which costs money to operate, insure, maintain and store, with no tax efficiency (new tax plan does not allow interest deduction on non-motorized RVs), in fact I just yesterday got my $500 annual excise tax bill as well.

Basically, if you took every recommendation Warren Buffet has preached for decades and did the exact opposite, you would be buying an RV.

But in the end like you, I’m fine with that to a certain extent. I would not want to go to my death bed without the incredible memories my trailer has given our family.

[interstateflyer]

I've noticed more 30 footers than other lengths for sale and have talked to people who have downsized from that length to 25 footers. 30 footers have their challenges, specifically fitting into campsites and fuel stations etc.

[Dexterpix]

Hi,

Regrets are when you could afford more but settled for less

Remorse is when you couldn't afford the thing in the first place but bought it anyways

Joe D

[Countryboy59]

I lost a bit on my SUV when I traded for the F350. I’ve always had trucks, not sure why I got a wild hair and bought an SUV.

Also wish I’d skipped the 19’ and gone right to the 27’. If I’d had the truck at first, I would have.

[rwsjms7]

I'm the one who started this thread and I just want you to know the only thing I regret and am remorseful about is starting the thread!!! LOL

I settled on my 2018 30' FC and my 2018 F250 Diesel with the works!! What's not to love. Worse case, if we really don't like the whole RV thing, I have a great truck and we can sell the AS.

It is true there a lots of things to consider (I'm not going to enumerate them) and it is tough to synthesize all the new info, especially if you are new to RVs.

I did a cross country motorcycle trip last June and that is what got me going on the RV thing. I never would have considered it in the past. After lots and lots and lots of research and youtube videos, 4 trips to Colonial and most importantly, my wife said she can see herself doing this. What is the old saying 'Happy wife happy life.'

But the reality is, I believe we are going to love it. Like I said, what's not to LOVE!

[shaggyJJ]

I would not buy a new RV for my first one. I would not buy a new RV for my last one. The trouble finding a good used one is that RV dealers often get buyers so upside down on the loans that owners end up letting the RV sit and rot in their driveway or storage area rather than take the financial hit of depreciation vs loan payoff. IMO, RV dealers are often the lowest of sales sharks and manufacturers push out poorly designed, poorly constructed, under engineered, overly complex units and sell them at inflated prices even before the sales crew bends the buyer over. That said, I bought used from a private owner and the amount of suffering due to design/construction has kept me skilled in tool use, but overall I really, really enjoy ownership.

[Brandon T.]

First time rv'er and Airstream owner. My initial thought after purchase...
Regret not buying sooner.
Like you, I did a ton of research and with wife in tow bought the AS first and am in the research mode again for a truck. What really sold me on the AS and soothed any possible regret is the quality of AS, it's history, dealership network, community and resale value.
I really like the idea of only buying something once.
Over time our taste for hotel rooms has soured and truth be told had it's run so we're ready to escape that and try a new adventure. My wife wasn't totally sold on the idea when we married but over time and various experiences at hotels the argument for having only our belongings, dna, in the AS, pride of ownership and the ability to go to any destination with accommodation being towed right behind us sold her. There is comfort in the familiar. Dogs accepted too!.
As for the truck my research into that is on going and favors either a Ram 2500. One day I'll probably upgrade to a 26U but for now my 23FB is fine.
Good luck and wish you the best.

[brick1]

Remorse? Heck, no! Our 2018 Serenity 28 has been great. New F250 Diesel puts a smile on my face.
Sounds like you are doing it right. Enjoy.
brick

[Kanusport]

I don’t think you will have any regrets. One option is to rent an airstream first. Maybe buy the truck you want to tow it then rent one. Either way you can’t really go wrong. Best of luck.

[Al and Missy]

We have bought two Airstreams and sold (traded) one. Our first was a 2001 Safari 25 which we bought in 2014 from a couple locally after watching the Classifieds on here for several months. The original owner replaced the sofa with two recliners. We had to eat from TV trays. There was no seating for guests. We still loved it, but after two years we traded it for a 2002 Classic 30 Slideout. While the 30 does present some challenges in campsites and fuel stops, it more than makes up for it by the comfort and convenience, not to mention the visitors who say "Airstream makes a slideout? Can we see it?" We get to meet a lot of great people that way. We never experienced either buyer's or seller's remorse or regret. Last year we went to the WBCCI International Rally in Salem, OR from Florida. On the way back we saw Crater Lake, the OR coast, the Columbia River Valley, Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP and the Grand Tetons as well a some magnificent sights along the way. We plan to continue to see this great country from the unique perspective of our home on wheels. This year it will be Maine, upstate NY, and maybe even Canada.

I did have a serious case of buyer's remorse when I discovered I had paid way too much for a used 2002 Porsche Boxster from a Ford dealer (who packed the KBB valuation he ran for me) in 2003. When I posted about the experience on a Boxster board I got some advice - "Don't let that spoil the experience for you. Suck it up and enjoy the car." I did exactly that. We have had over 15 great years with the car, met great people, and tomorrow I will experience sellers remorse as the new owner drives off in it. That said, I have 15 years of happy memories driving the car and going to events from the beaches to the mountains.

Al

[moosetags]

Over the last thirteen years, we have had three Airstreams and four tow vehicles. We are now approaching 2,000 nights of Airstream camping and have accumulated 180,000 towing miles all over the United States and Canada.

Airstream travel has been the greatest experience of our lives. We have not regretted a minute of it.

Brian

[GreenEyedTadpole]

The only buyer’s remorse we’ve had during our many years of camping is when we bought a brand other than Airstream. As empty nesters we just bought our 4th Airstream - a 2019 Flying Cloud 19CB. We’re pulling it with our 2019 Ford F-350.