new and want advice

[pinkbirds]

My husband and I are looking to buy our first airstream. We know we want a 2000 and up and want one with a dinette and hopefully queen. Questions: do the models that have a double bed size but say queen offer nice sleeping space? What is the meaning of wide body? Is there a big towing difference in comfort or ease between a 25 foot or 28 foot? How do you suggest holding the trailer once we find it and how to purchase if out of state? I know we will go to trailer itself for final purchase but what is suggested to really narrow down the quesswork beforehand? I have tried to access this site for the list of volunteer inspectors, but cannot seem to access it. Suggestions? Are there professionals that do the same? Thanks for answering the first of our gazillion questions. So excited!

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by pinkbirds

My husband and I are looking to buy our first airstream. We know we want a 2000 and up and want one with a dinette and hopefully queen. Questions: do the models that have a double bed size but say queen offer nice sleeping space?

Depends on the specific year and model and on what you want as a couple. Most models have a 60x72 "queen" (while a true queen bed is 60x80). Some are smaller.

A full was the usual size for couples up until the 1960s or so -- 54x75. Works for us but then we know couples who insist on a king.

What is the meaning of wide body?

Less than 1" narrower than the 102" maximum width on most routes. Longer trailers made in recent years are this width.

Is there a big towing difference in comfort or ease between a 25 foot or 28 foot?

No.

How do you suggest holding the trailer once we find it and how to purchase if out of state? I know we will go to trailer itself for final purchase but what is suggested to really narrow down the quesswork beforehand?

No matter what you do there is always some risk that you'll end up dealing with a flakey seller, with the four common problems being: misrepresenting the condition of the trailer, being unable to deliver a title, not showing up at the chosen place and time, or inflating the price once you're there.

When I bought my '71 Cayo, it was an out of state deal with an all-day drive. I chatted with the seller, who was a recently retired college professor. It all worked out OK.

I had walked away from other deals where the seller did not return phone calls reliably, and one who was in the middle of an interstate move.

I have tried to access this site for the list of volunteer inspectors, but cannot seem to access it. Suggestions? Are there professionals that do the same? Thanks for answering the first of our gazillion questions. So excited!

Someone else can help with your site questions.

In general volunteer inspectors do a good job. There are few professionals who truly understand airstreams and who have an interest in older trailers.

[pinkbirds]

Thanks for your note back. Being such newbies we appreciate all the info we can get.

[Happydays]

Does anyone know what models have the doubles???

We want a double because my husband is a night owl and I'm not

Any suggestions?

[cwf]

We have always had a king size bed.

I am 6' 2", 250. My wife about 5'4".

We love our single bed in our 34' Excella.

[Aviator]

Check the Airstream.com website and select the "service" tab. There will be a drop down menu which will take you to the various trailer layouts for each year.

[handn]

I have had better luck purchasing rv's out of state from dealers.
They are more likely to price their products nearer fair market value, are experienced in titles and paperwork and face regulatory consequences if they fail to deliver title and are more likely to fairly represent the condition of their products.
Its true that you are less likely to get a screaming deal as an occasional private seller offers a true bargain.
If you deal with a private party, you should take steps to protect yourself. You should know the basics of conveyancing and not transfer $$ until you are sure of getting title.
When I have made a deal out of state, I get an oral agreement as to price subject to my personal approval and only then make the trip to inspect the trailer. If I am unsatisfied for any reason, I walk away. I don't think I would agree to buy a trailer based on the opinion of an unknown inspector.

[Silver Otter]

"pinkbirds" - Linda and I were in your same shoes in 2011. We had all those questions and more. We looked online and in person, including dealers. We finally settled on "walk-around-rear-queen" after talking to lots of knowing folks. That criteria narrowed our search a lot. We found quite a few on the web, but only one near enough to drive to for a look. We talked several times with the owners, were convinced they were really nice people. We took cash down with us, and made a deal. It's been wonderful! This forum is a wealth of knowledge. Don't skip rvtrader.com as a searching venue.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by pinkbirds

My husband and I are looking to buy our first airstream. We know we want a 2000 and up and want one with a dinette and hopefully queen. Questions: do the models that have a double bed size but say queen offer nice sleeping space? What is the meaning of wide body? Is there a big towing difference in comfort or ease between a 25 foot or 28 foot? How do you suggest holding the trailer once we find it and how to purchase if out of state? I know we will go to trailer itself for final purchase but what is suggested to really narrow down the quesswork beforehand? I have tried to access this site for the list of volunteer inspectors, but cannot seem to access it. Suggestions? Are there professionals that do the same? Thanks for answering the first of our gazillion questions. So excited!

I've attached a picture to give you a visual of the difference in body widths. Towing difference between 25 and 28 feet typically wouldn't be noticed unless your tow vehicle is marginal due to engine size and axle. Make sure you address the tow vehicle on the front end. I bought a 3/4 ton van prior to getting my Classic and towed a 28' Safari. It was overkill for the Safari, but quite honestly at the time I bought the van, little did I know I'd end up with a 30' Classic Slide Out. Interior wise the increased length will provide more storage and elbow room. Queens are nice but note that a queen bed is not the same as a queen at home. The RV size is normally shorter, which is something I notice.

Let me know what your issue is on accessing inspectors. On the portal page just over halfway down is a box for inspectors. One drop down is for you to select the state. The other is for type of Airstream. You will get a list of those folks who have volunteered to provide this service. I just checked it out and it is working.

Jack

[Silver Otter]

Good advice from Jack above. We use a standard-sized TempurPedic on our rear queen. Sure it hangs over a little, but it's soft and easy to get by for the walk-around. We have found our TempurPedics, both in the AS and at the Cabin at home lifesavers over the past 10 years. We sleep soundly, without disturbing each other, and wake up with fewer aches and pains in the morning. Don't settle.

[wiredforless]

Hi pinkbirds,

We too are new having purchased our first Airstream about 6 months ago. We purchased a 2010 25FB Flying Cloud and love it. It has the "walk around" queen bed (we're still looking for the tiny person who can actually walk around it). It's a bit shorter than a normal queen by abour 5 inches. But it is a perfect size.

I just posted our experience here....might be some info you find helpful.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f483...ml#post1348421

Good luck and hope you have as much fun as we have been having!

Best,

Brian

[switz]

The first night at the dealership, I found that the factory supplied mattress in the 25FB International Serenity was "not so good" for sleeping on. I contacted Rocky Mountain mattress and ordered their 8" model as we had already ordered two sets of the 600 thread count sheets, pillow cases and bed pad from Airstream. The 8" mattress properly filled out the sheets which would have been a sloppy fit on the 7" Airstream factory mattress. We also ordered the Rocky Mountain foam pillows and think they are great. We sleep well on the new mattress and have ordered the two twin size for our 27FB Classic to be built in January.

The Sunrise? 8" Memory Foam Mattress with Bayer Technology

If you decide to order a mattress for a 25FB, here is the factory drawing that gives the accurate information for the curve at the head of the mattress....