Newer is Not Necessarily an Upgrade

[switz]

Perhaps we all need to realize that Airstream's 50 units per week current build goal is small potatoes numbers when compared to that many or more cars per hour. Thus the total absolute numbers of Airstreams ever built would not be large number.

There have been quite a few photos in this forum of tree crushed Airstreams and lonely abandoned ones in the hinterlands.

The Airstream aluminum shape has been the constant design over the years with excursions into motor homes and fifth wheels along the way.

I really enjoy seeing the vintage units as they preserve the history of the brand. Many of the creative modifications done by their owners over the years are masterpieces in both metal and wood working skills. Since I personally lack those talents, I can appreciate those folks that do have them and used them to the best of their abilities.

I do know how to do basic repairs with basic tools. Before creating a mess, I read here all the time to see how others have done various repairs to gain insight on whether that is a project I might be able to do myself.

I think an open mind and willingness to ask questions and share my experience are the keys to get along around here and on the road.

A sign yesterday I read sums it up pretty well -

Everyone is capable of generating joy
Some by walking into the room
And some by walking out....

[xrvr]

Learning to do basic repairs comes with time and patience. Don't be afraid ti try. If it is broken, trying to repair it probably won't make it worse, and you may surprise yourself and get it fixed! Think through it. You may discover you can. Jim

[PharmGeek]

Originally Posted by zigzagguzzi

Learning to do basic repairs comes with time and patience. Don't be afraid ti try. If it is broken, trying to repair it probably won't make it worse, and you may surprise yourself and get it fixed! Think through it. You may discover you can. Jim

That's my approach - I figure I'll get it more and more - I'm age 31 - by the time I retire I'll need and want to work on my then vintage unit

[rodsterinfl]

Learning to do basic repairs comes with time and patience. Don't be afraid ti try. If it is broken, trying to repair it probably won't make it worse, and you may surprise yourself and get it fixed! Think through it. You may discover you can. Jim

EXACTLY! I had horrible corrosion on my trailer at the belt line and around the stove vent. I had to do something about it. I used a three layer sealing process AFTER using a sanding wheel to remove the surface mess. I then added the belt line trim but was not sure how to fix the stove vent area as it was exposed and ugly. People who saw it at a rally said it looked not so good. Here is what I ended up doing. I am please with it. I had never riveted or worked with aluminum:

[Air-Texas]

That looks great

[John&Vicki]

50 units a week is tiny production. There are 1,428,000 bags of Oreos purchased every week - that's 28,560 bags for every new Airstream.

Poppy

[J. Morgan]

Perhaps what we view as quality might be skewed?

I walked through several new Airstreams at the local dealership, I didn't get down on my hands and knees or pull out a magnifying glass, but I didn't notice any fit and finish problems.

I thought that the trailers were impressive, but simply priced higher than what I was willing to pay for an RV.

But that is just me. The truck I bought new and drive now has roll up windows.....


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[Denis4x4]

I started seriously looking for a Sprinter based touring van last year. Dealer had Interstate, roadtrek and Leisure vans on the floor for an easy comparison. Fit and finish on the Leisure van was far superior to the others and was less money. After owning the Leisure van Unity for 11months with six trips (two towing a car trailer) and almost 10,000 miles, it is the first RV I've ever owned that has yet to go back to the dealer for a fix. Quote frankly, I looked very critically at the Interstate based on my experience with a new Safari 25 FB and found it wanting. Perhaps that's not fair, but it's my opinion that Thor is trading on an iconic name with perceived value that just isn't there any more.


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[Larry C]

Our 30' Excella is now 13 years old, our 2003 Dodge/Cummins is 11 years old.
I've made changes and improvements to both of them that fit the way we use them. For us, that's a big part of our enjoyment, as we have a TV and Airstream that is as unique as we are.
We do most of the work ourselves, it's a great hobby and we meet a lot of interesting people.

Monday, we will be leaving on a 2 month adventure that will include a month our more in West Virginia..... hope to see some of you there!

[Msmoto]

In response to the older tow vehicle, my 2008 Dodge with 6.7 Cummins is now properly broken in with 73,000 miles. To upgrade would mean less mpg, DEF, the addition of air springs, all the interior up fits for the huge amount of electronics I like to have on board, the bed accessories such as custom generator mount, and the setup for towing. I am planning on sticking with what I have for the next 60 or 70,0000 miles, then if I am able, " upgrade" to a "new" hopefully much more efficient diesel or hybrid tow vehicle.
The one change which might be coming in tow vehicles would be a regenerative braking which uses the electric drive motors to produce electricity by switching to generators when brakes are applied.


Ms Tommie Lauer
Greensboro, NC
2015 Serenity 30 RB

[Riverdrifter]

Originally Posted by Isuzusweet

Newer is an upgrade????



Newer diesels are complete crap compared to the 30+yr old Isuzu TD I have in my 310.



Newer classic motorhomes had OSB board floors instead of marine plywood.



Newer trailers have all the amenities but no lasting quality. How many slabsides will last or are designed to last over 10 years?



Newer appliances are far more prone to fall apart that old ones, (Maytag should have never sold out to the big boys).



New furniture is far worse quality than old vintage furniture, (I'm a cabinetmaker, so I should know).



New cars are better in ride, handling, acceleration and gas economy BUT I'll take a good Caprice Classic over something new any day, (I at least know how to fix, as they have no sensors).



I could go on and on. Newer doesn't mean better.



Companies like Airstream have been decontenting for years. If you can see it, it's all blinged out and nice; if you can't see it or touch it, it's crap and the cheapest material they can buy.



Keep the devil you know as opposed to spending big bucks on the devil you don't.



Cheers

Tony



PS I'm in my late 40's and have had enough of throwing crap away….That's why I bought my 1983 310 turbo diesel. It will last forever. Or at least outlast me.

I don't necessarily agree re diesels. My 2007 Duramax is quiet, powerful, doesn't smell and never gives me any trouble (200,000 miles). I also really like and use navigation, satellite radio, seat heaters and coolers, automatic high beams, automatic wipers etc. The good old days are not necessarily better!

[Msmoto]

For sure, rain sensing wipers, auto high beam control, nice entities to have, but having owned several vehicles with these, I think I prefer to control these myself. But, my navigation, Sirius radio, works just fine in my 2008. And, I run two nav systems, one with data readout to keep me entertained while driving. Also, CB radio is on board for the traffic stoppages which occasionally occur.
As I primarily travel without a companion I need lots of "extra" stuff. Also, a heads up navigation is preferred by me vs the " in dash" units of most current tow vehicles. My typical day towing can be from 500 up to 700 miles, spread out over 12 - 14 hours.
Having said all this, I do find myself looking lonely at the new trucks.... Who knows....LOL



Ms Tommie Lauer
Greensboro, NC
2015 Serenity 30 RB

[John&Vicki]

Under the Surface

I'm in the midst of a number of projects making small modifications to my 25 year old trailer to suit the way my wife and I use it. This has caused me to dig into parts of the trailer that I hadn't seen before - and that are probably seen by only a small percentage of owners. Some perceptions have changed since I started this thread - here are a few random observations as a result of my projects:

o Newer is not necessarily better, but it is newer.
I know, this seems awfully obvious, and it probably won't win a Nobel, but just about everything in a 25 year old trailer is 25 years old. Often worn and dirty. I love to refurbish or restore old stuff. Sometimes the item is of sufficient quality to do that, othertimes just better to replace with new. Which leads us to quality...

o Overall quality of components seems low
Airstreams probably hold their own with other RVs, but that appears to be an industry with a low bar. Many of the parts are of lower quality than an average replacement part from a Big Box store. As one comparison, I have restored many vintage Porsches (1960-1973) and the difference in parts quality in those and Airstreams is vast. Maybe a bad comparison, different eras and different industries, but the Porsche parts make the AS parts look like junk.

o Cost of replacement parts is low
Even given the disparity in quality, I'm continually pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive even genuine AS parts are compared to Porsche parts. You really get gouged in the Porsche world while pricing seems very fair in the AS world.

o Overall quality of workmanship seems low
Can't even begin to compare with the earlier Porsches. Things seems to get pretty shoddy pretty quickly as you get below the surface. I suspect that's another example of the low level of quality in the RV industry and not unique to AS.

Interesting having an opportunity to experience and observe products from two different industries beneath the surface layer. The overall sense I get with the AS is that expediency trumps craftsmanship.

This isn't intended to be a jeremiad - these are just observations after digging into the trailer over the past couple of weeks. I still love my trailer and I admire the way that it's well built enough in important ways to still function well at 25 years of age.

Poppy

[J. Morgan]

My trailer,,, um,, my wife's trailer is 42,,, the stock parts still in place amount to;

Armstrong a/c
Propane tanks & bracket
Window screens
Exterior shell
Frame
Interior aluminum skin
Leveling jacks
Fresh water tank

Nothing else

The fixtures and stuff were for sure "RV", meaning they seemed kinda cheap, but they did last a long time.

When I went back together I found the most simple "residential" stuff that fit my needs and wants.

But on the other hand, much of the old stuff is still functioning in my 75 that my brother in law is living in except the hot water heater that froze and broke. The a/c in the 75 was changed out for a Coleman some time ago, and there is a 90s vintage refrigerator in this trailer.

[JFScheck]

I will say amazing the difference in quality between my 3 Airstreams I've owned and my RV Motorcoach....