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rwsjms7 · 03-02-2018, 08:16 AM

This probably isn't the normal inquiry, but I've never ascribed to being normal. I'm just about ready to push the button on a new 30' FC and a new F250 diesel.

My question is have any of you made the decision to buy and then regretted it? I realize that most of the people that have had this experience are no longer part of the AS community, but I'm curious if any of you know of anyone who made the decision to buy and then changed their minds and why.

I appreciate any feedback.

Baby Zeppelin · 03-02-2018, 08:27 AM

Some second thoughts, yes. Regrets, no.

We decided on an FC 28 footer, and an F250 to tow it. Ordered the truck first, then the trailer. Had a few months to get used to the new truck first, before the the trailer came. Our F250 has the 6.2 liter gas engine instead of the diesel, but I'm sure you'll be happy with yours.
Whatever you do, don't subscribe to the "What did you do to your F250..." thread here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum279/

We spent some $2000 to $2500 on truck accessories before the trailer arrived. Truck Covers USA roller tonneau cover, fender liners, mudflaps, tailgate damper, etc., etc.

It's a bit harder to accessorize the Airstream, but we're trying.

DaveMc · 03-02-2018, 08:33 AM

We're in our early 40's, two pre-teen kids, and bought an '05 Safari 30-ft and a 2012 GMC 2500 to tow it around with about 15 months ago. Cost WAYYYYYY more $$$ to renovate than planned, but not one regret. We camped 57 nights in it last year and are looking forward to this year's trips. The kids love it, and it fits perfectly with how we like to spend our free time. Listen to that little voice in your head/heart, it won't steer you wrong!

Dave

GettinAway · 03-02-2018, 09:26 AM

We already knew we loved camping, and had pulled a pop up thousands and thousands of miles. We've loved every trip so far with our now 2nd AS. If I was just considering camping, I'd maybe rent first. I'm sure you are way past this stage.

streaminwild · 03-02-2018, 09:27 AM

The more research you do, the less remorse you'll have. The impulse buyers are more likely to have second thoughts. Research this forum for 6 months and you'll have no regret at all. Well maybe one....Wish I'd done this 10 yrs. ago. Good luck on your quest, and remember, all the answers to your questions are here somewhere. If you do feel a little bit of remorse...your first camping trip will fix that. Get up early with a cup of coffee, and watch nature wake up, as well as watching the sunset with a glass of wine...Priceless.

McDave · 03-02-2018, 10:29 AM

Buyer’s remorse is a fairly common phenomenon in life in general, as I’m sure you know. (Less well known is seller's remorse, where you sell something that has been meaningful to you and later regret selling it). I've had both, but always AFTER the deal was consummated. In most cases, it didn't last long, and things turned out okay. I think if I had buyer's remorse BEFORE I bought something, I would pay attention to that and hold off until I was more sure of my plans and motivations.

Soyboy · 03-02-2018, 10:40 AM

When I think of buyers remorse and Airstreams, it always seems like there are a lot of very late model Airstreams for sale in the Classifieds here on the forum. Many say used once/twice etc. Some never used. I wonder if folks get overly caught up in the Airstream/Glamping thing and then realize that camping is not for them and have buyers remorse.

Airstreams are cool looking and it's easy for people to get caught up in that. Instead, first and foremost, you need to have a desire to go "camping", being outside, going new places etc. etc. I think folks that mainly buy, and don't have RV experience, tend to get caught up in that "trendy" deal. That's fine, but it's expensive too. It's good that you are thinking about it and discussing it.

Remember, you don't need to have the newest and greatest to have a good time camping with an Airstream - heck you don't even need an Airstream to have a great time. Overwhelmingly most people don't buy Airstreams

Personally, if you are perhaps new to RVing and are not sure about the invest and or whether you will enjoy it, a better choice would be to start out with a nice used late model SOB (some other brand), such as Jayco (which was our first and was very nice) or a an older Airstream. We love our '99 that we bought in '10. We are updating the interior a bit (it wasn't worn out, we just didn't like the fabric etc.) as we feel spending a couple of thousand on that is much, much cheaper than a new/newer one. Also, think about a nice used pickup. I never buy new as you lose dollars as soon as you drive off the lot. I saved almost $18k on my 2012 F150 when I bought it in 2014. Only had 25k miles and had lots of warranty left. That way if you don't like RVing, you can sell the truck and trailer and get most of your money back. If you buy new and then decide you don't like and sell, you will take a much larger depreciation hit. Buyers remorse usually revolves around money, if that is the case with you (as it is with most of us LOL), I would think hard about jumping in with both feet for new units.

BTW, have you ever been camping in an RV? This might be an opportunity to rent one (such as a class C motorhome which are popular rentals) and try it for a couple of weekends. That will likely cost a few hundred dollars vs. losing thousands if you buy new and decide you don't like it.

Making a big purchase is always tough. Like others have mentioned, do your research, keep a firm grip on your budget and make a decision that you are comfortable with. Remember you can have as much (maybe more) fun with a used Airstream or an SOB rather than worrying about the money you are spending. In the end, it should be more about the camping/experiences than about having an Airstream.

sheriff1 · 03-02-2018, 01:05 PM

Have a F350 CC short bed diesel and a 30' Flying Cloud. The only thing I might change would be to have the long bed on the truck.

majorairhead · 03-02-2018, 03:52 PM

No remorse here, though if we had it to do over, we would have bought a Classic

romaa.13 · 03-02-2018, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwsjms7

This probably isn't the normal inquiry, but I've never ascribed to being normal. I'm just about ready to push the button on a new 30' FC and a new F250 diesel.

My question is have any of you made the decision to buy and then regretted it? I realize that most of the people that have had this experience are no longer part of the AS community, but I'm curious if any of you know of anyone who made the decision to buy and then changed their minds and why.

I appreciate any feedback.

I was of the same thoughts as you on whether we will like camping or not and will we regret buying an Airstream. I have been doing research and reading so much on the forum as my decisions got to wanting to buy. The one thing I knew I didn't want to do was buy a vehicle to tow the AS. I was adamant I wanted to use my X5. With research, I found out it was one of the best vehicles for towing. I already had a class 3 hitch on so I thought I was limited to the size of AS I wanted. I drove from Virginia to Can-Am in London, Ontario to have my hitch receiver reinforced. Now I am not limited. I also just bought a 2008 Safari instead of a new one in case we don't do so much camping as we plan to do.

If you are having some thoughts about regretting buying, in my opinion maybe look at a used one in good shape that your tow vehicle can pull (you don't have to have a pick-up truck or SUV). This way if you are not into it you can sell the AS. If you do get into it, then you can upgrade to something nicer or a new one.

wilkerson04 · 03-02-2018, 04:44 PM

No remorse here but did have to tackle a large learning curve never having an RV before. So after about a half dozen trips and quite a few headaches, I am now really enjoying what I consider my new hobby (camping).

GMFL · 03-02-2018, 06:03 PM

Only remorse I have had is not buying mine sooner. I was 40 when I got mine but wish now I bought it at 30.

Fly at Night · 03-02-2018, 11:03 PM

Oh man, this is a difficult question because it involves so many psychological factors. One's relationship with money, motivation, emotions, perceptions, expectation vs. the reality etc.

Lara Me · 03-02-2018, 11:07 PM

My remorse was not buying the one we wanted initially. Bought a 28FC instead of an International. We upgraded after 3 years to a 27 FB International and much prefer it. Would’ve saved $25k if I had just spent a little bit more on the nicer model.

**Rocinante** · 03-03-2018, 05:57 AM

My only regret when buying our new AS from the dealer was in not doing a serious PDI. Being neophytes, we thought it was an opportunity to learn how everything worked, not realizing it was also our responsibility to look for, find, and document flaws for the dealer to fix before accepting delivery.

Ted S. · 03-03-2018, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwsjms7

This probably isn't the normal inquiry, but I've never ascribed to being normal. I'm just about ready to push the button on a new 30' FC and a new F250 diesel.

My question is have any of you made the decision to buy and then regretted it? I realize that most of the people that have had this experience are no longer part of the AS community, but I'm curious if any of you know of anyone who made the decision to buy and then changed their minds and why.

I appreciate any feedback.

Depends on your background.

I’m of the camp you work up to an Airstream, as in it’s too big of purchase and commitment for someone who has never RV’d before.

We started in a popup and by the time we bought our Airstream, we knew for sure it was the trailer for us.

On the flip side, there are 1 year old trailers on the market for a reason. I have seen huge mistakes, $200k Class A used less then 5 times then go unwanted. Wasn’t for them. So if there is any question, I would wait until you know for sure it is what you want to do.

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).

Acheron2010 · 03-03-2018, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted S.

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).

These words should be blown up and posted above the entrance door to all dealerships. Well said.

Utah Man · 03-03-2018, 08:27 AM

No regrets or remorse.... but we grew up camping (tents and small campers) and knew it was something we loved. Given life status (i.e. still working), we started with a used trailer and an old TV - has worked out splendidly for us. Thoughts about upgrading equipment are ever present, but don’t make any sense until such time we are retired and likely to get more use.

The pleasant upside for us was the AS community we discovered after buying, including our local AS club.

We’ve doubled-down since the original AS purchase 4 years ago - spending far too much on an RV shed to store it all safely.

Good luck with your evaluation of life priorities!

Regards - Ron

hhendrix · 03-03-2018, 09:33 AM

Start using both as soon and as much as you can. There will be some minor annoyances but no regrets.

nickclifford · 03-03-2018, 10:22 AM

that's a large purchase! If you're pushing yourselves to the limit financially, you may have some regrets? Even if you got plenty of money, no one likes to see an expensive mistake. Maybe rent one & do a week-long road trip to get a real feel for the AS/RV life ... Everyone here loves it, but it's not for everyone that's for sure. Some prefer not to tow and like an RV. Not for me, but I can see the benefits of driving a "home" on wheels.
I was a very naive buyer, hadn't even found this forum before purchasing my 1972 Sovereign ... it could have been a disaster not really knowing what i getting into, luckily, it was OK, but I was very ignorant to the true costs of renovations etc.
My other slight regret was buying a 31' model as my kids were getting older and now are doing their own thing, we've had a few wonderful trips but in hindsight, when they're gone I don't need this sized trailer. I'll probably switch for a 26-28' .... but then does a few extra feet really make that much of a difference? The interior room & storage is amazing and at some point, I intend to "live" for short periods in it ... I'd really like two unit's one of the extended living trips and one for quick getaways where space and length restraints more important.. whatever you get, life is short, enjoy every moment, life is for living NOW!!, not waiting for those "golden years".