Newbie questions

[DarrellT]

Hi to all,

The wife and I are recent AS enthusiasts beginning our research on our future purchase.

Made our first dealer visit this weekend to 'kick the tires'. The inventory was low pending arrival of the 2015's. In a nutshell, we came home with these impressions ... newer doesn't mean better! We were surprised at how much plastic and laminate $70,000 can buy! Quite a-bit! Ducted air apparently is the 2015 upgrade to look forward to. Also the Lifetime Warranty (provided by a second party company) was certainly a brow raiser.

Realizing it was only our first outing to look, we are already immediately drawn to the restoration path. Seems like for about the same money as new one can get exactly the options and features you want/need and can maintain a level of material quality not available from Ohio.

Here's a specific question for the group...
One of the AS attributes (in at least the newer models) is it's low center of gravity and the way it really follows the TV well. Can anyone comment on the trail ability of the older models. Say 60's-70's? Seems they ride a little higher on the axle maybe?

Any general comments on old versus restore are welcome!

Darrell

[moosetags]

Hi Darrell. Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

Airstreams generally ride lower than most other travel trailers. This is both good and bad, depending on the situation. Old vs. new is a major consideration. There is a lot of information here on the Forums regarding this topic.

You should really shop other brand travel trailers to gain more perspective on Airstream advantages.

Brian

[DarrellT]

Yep ... this was a premature post. Should'a known that all these questions were answered by doing a little reading first.

Darrell

[mimiandrews]

Originally Posted by DarrellT

Hi to all,
Here's a specific question for the group...
One of the AS attributes (in at least the newer models) is it's low center of gravity and the way it really follows the TV well. Can anyone comment on the trail ability of the older models. Say 60's-70's? Seems they ride a little higher on the axle maybe?
Darrell

Our 1966 22' Safari is the sweetest-towing trailer I've ever pulled. We use a Reese dual-cam sway control (inherited from the previous owner) and have been completely happy with the way this rig tows. I encountered a 30mph gusty crosswind on the interstate the first time I towed it, and had absolutely no problem.

I think the low center of gravity in an Airstream is more about how the trailer structure is built and less about axle height, but that's just a guess.