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gklott · 07-30-2018, 01:49 PM

Wish you the best with your decision.

LiveStreamn · 07-30-2018, 03:11 PM

Take a look at other RV threads and guess what...things break. That is the nature of things. Every Airstream is unique. Yes, quality control is something that could probably use a little improvement. Our salesman told us that when you drive your trailer down the road it is like a 5.0 earthquake that lasts for hours...possibly hundreds of hours and depending on the road, it is sometimes an 8.0. Try doing that with your house. Our first AS had a few issues and besides for three control boards on the water heater they were all easily fixed. Our second AS had a leak where the solar was mounted...troubling, but fixed with four gallons of caulk. A few minor breaks that will be fixed in Ohio in October. All in all we love ours.

Dennis23 · 07-30-2018, 04:04 PM

We appreciate the amazing support from all of you. I agree, things will go wrong, but it is extremely important to be committed in taking care of everything you own.

MickeyC, I looked at Oliver very closely, great product. They have there issues as well, just not big enough.

Thank you all

kendrick.l.j · 07-30-2018, 04:35 PM

You are going in to this informed which is good. When you pick it up plan on spending 2 full days on the dealers lot. Go over thing, play with this and that. Bring your suitcase and spend 2 nights getting to know your Airstream. Each one is slightly different then the one sitting right next to it. Understand that there are times when things do not go well but AS will stand behind their product and the dealers will need to fix ANYTHING that you find Before you pull off the lot.
I bought a Classic not long ago, I would do it again but this time I would know not to rush the inspection process and I would insist on FULL hookup for 2 full days before I left the lot. It would have saved me a lot of aggravation later.
Buy it, enjoy it. I waited 40 years for this and I have thoroughly enjoyed it 99% of the time.
Also advise that you do make that appointment with Jackson Center immediately. If everything goes well you can cancel the appointment, if you need something fixed it can be a long wait to get in line. I live in FL and plan on making an annual trip to JC for any issues or upgrades. I have not been thrilled with some of the other service Centers I have talked to.

sherrylynne · 07-30-2018, 04:53 PM

I'm on Mile 4,795. at this very moment. We are on a trip--Vero Beach, Florida to Yellowstone with my two grown sons. This is our sixth trip. We just left Grand Teton and are heading back to Colorado and then to Florida. Our Airstream is 11 years old. My recommendation is JUST DO IT! After all... every thing you own will have problems... my Tundra has had issues, my Airstream has had issues, our Pamga boat has issues, my 1954 house has issues, my dog recently had to go to the hospital in Jackson Hole. Just do it! Go have some fun!

dgutwein · 07-30-2018, 05:12 PM

We bought our new Globetrotter last year and picked it up in April. We absolutely LOVE it. We love the look and feel of it and I agree, sitting under my zipdee awning, drinking a beer, watching it rain in the Arizona mountains at 60 degrees when it's 112 2 hours away at home is incredible. Yes, we've had problems. We've had screws pop off the cabinets, but they have not fallen. Yes, the flooring has rolled and we've had a fuse blowing issue that they are still working to find the cause of. However, I try to remember that I'm hauling a house down the road at 65 Mph and things move and shake. It's worth it and a GREAT AS!!

xtcbike · 07-30-2018, 05:14 PM

We bought ours for getting out of michigan in winter months. Took two camping weekend trips to make sure all systems were good, I really can't find a thing wrong. Our dealer checks all systems in every way for couple days before we could pick up. Highly recommend Woodland out of Grand Rapids. I really think dealer makes big difference.

brick1 · 07-30-2018, 06:45 PM

We have had our new Serenity 28 for about three months. After two weekend and two week-long stays, all is good. No issues or problems. No leaks, either. Make sure you have a good dealer. Go over every system with the tech before you complete the purchase.
And enjoy your new rig...
brick

Silver.Sanctuary · 07-30-2018, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis23

We absolutely love the Globetrotter look, but after reading these horror like stories of leaks, outside finish, seals, poor craftsmanship, bad enegineering, and poor quality control. i’m almost hestitent on making this offer on Wednesday this week on a 2018 Globetrotter. I’ve been wanting an Airstream for 30 years. finally, we are in a position to purchase one. Does anybody think restored Airstream’s are built better than the newer ones.
Thank you
~D

It depends on who restored it. A qualified private party, yes. But verify credentials. I would much rather have a true craftsman restored unit than a new Thor built one.

Silver.Sanctuary · 07-30-2018, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMT

I have the International 27FB which is basically the same as the GT. Purchased it new in 2011.

I would not hesitate to purchase new again, but forewarned with the information from this forum I would spend much more time at the dealer to go through every item and function every system. Probably would stay a night or two in their lot as well.

To some extent when people have issues they post about them. When things are going great people do not post with the same vigor conversely. So I think there may be a little bias toward the “horror” stories here. I had issues for sure, but sitting here sitting under the ZipDee sipping a beer and watching the chicken cook - I feel fortunate to have the trailer we do and the memories we have made with it. I do not regret the purchase, not one bit. Best wishes with your decision.

Don

Certainly there are good units and bad units. With diligent Quality Control, you should be relatively assured that you will get a good unit. The trouble is that with little or no Quality Control, you are in a crap shoot. I personally wouldn't want to throw the dice with the current record. There are too many that come out with serious problems. If you like to gamble, go for it, but I don't like to gamble so my money is on a unit built before Thor started throwing these things together without checking them. I am not really sure when that was, but it appears to be in 2014 or 2015. I think you can hedge your bet by buying from a 5 Rivet Dealer. These guys earned their reputations, and with a good dealer catching big stuff up front, and being responsive down the line you have a much better chance of not being one of these sad stories on Airforums. Not everybody can go to Jackson Center for repairs... and they shouldn't have to at current prices. MHO.

mammothmama · 07-30-2018, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtcbike

We bought ours for getting out of michigan in winter months. Took two camping weekend trips to make sure all systems were good, I really can't find a thing wrong. Our dealer checks all systems in every way for couple days before we could pick up. Highly recommend Woodland out of Grand Rapids. I really think dealer makes big difference.

I bought my barely used sport 22 from the folks at Woodland, in Grand Rapids. Awesome people.

**Hans627** · 07-31-2018, 08:15 AM

We have had a used AS and now a new GT. We love the GT and we have not had a major issues with the new unit.

My only regret is that I didn’t get an AS sooner. I would recommend getting the one you want and start enjoying it now! Recognize that there may be some issues along the way but it’s part of the journey.

FWIW!

jilltabor · 07-31-2018, 10:13 PM

We have also been considering the globetrotter. Just curious , Have you found a dealer willing to negotiate much off MSRP? Every dealer we have spoken with wont come more than 10% off the MSRP. They said the globetrotters are in high demand.

Mollysdad · 08-01-2018, 12:35 AM

My recommendation would be to buy one off a dealer's lot, rather than order.
That way you get to see how all the pieces go together, doors fit, hatches seal, windows leak, etc.
I almost ordered a 2018 but found a 2017 on a dealer's lot that had everything I wanted. It had been there a while so I was confident it didn't leak. My only complaints were a window shade pull missing and the insert for a button missing. They happily fixed those. My first trip was trouble free.
Let's hope they all are.
After we finished the paperwork, my salesman said when he retires, he's buying off the lot himself.
I really liked the Globetrotter interior, but my FC fits my needs.

GOUSC · 08-02-2018, 03:27 PM

I had the same reservations as you before we ordered our Globetrotter in January. We picked it up in April and only had 2 minor issues and had those addressed prior to leaving.

I'll second what others have said - take the time to go over all systems before you sign the papers to take delivery. If there are any deal killers then don't take delivery until it is addressed and fixed. I know a fellow GT owner who had such a situation. He did not take delivery but the dealer and AS worked with him to replace with another GT to be delivered later.

We purchased from Tampa RVOne. I had read some people had bad results from them but that was not my experience. I opened a dialogue with the Manager of the dealer explaining my expectations and he explained his. We reached an agreement that after the orientation by their staff we would have time to due our own test of systems and would sign paperwork only after we were satisfied. I would not spend the night in it or move any of my stuff into it until any issues were resolved.

From the Dealers perspective, some purchasers have other specialty work or non/factory options done to the RV before they arrive for their inspection. That puts the dealer in a situation where they have an RV built specifically to the purchaser's desire that may be harder to move. This puts them in a position where they cannot be flexible with you.

My recommendation would be to only have factory options added prior to showing up for delivery. Any specialty work should only be done after you have done your pre-inspection delivery and are satisfied with the RV. If you do your homework ahead of time and both sides discuss their expectations you both have a better chance of having the delivery go better. That doesn't mean that everything will work when you go to pick it up but at least both sides know where each stands ahead of time.

We enjoy our GT and hope all goes well for you with yours.

Atwebs · 08-07-2018, 10:25 AM

Keep in mind that IF you have an issue, these forums and Facebook are a great place to figure out an answer! Folks with no issues usually don’t devote much time to reporting that everything is just great and they also usually don’t want to “brag” about how wonderful everything is and make those with issues feel even worse.

If you buy new, make sure you LOVE the dealer...they are the ones you will be dealing with under warranty. It may be well worth going with a slightly higher price to have a knowledgeable and friendly dealer.

Those who have “trailered” before also know that some of the things reported are really quite common. Our last new trailer (Starcraft) had a bunch of issues that drove us nuts to begin with, and that dealer didn’t care one iota about it. But, he was more than happy to sell us a new battery, new tires, new cushion covers and a new stereo so we could fix it up. Didn’t take long to realize we’d been cut adrift as soon as our initial payment cleared.

And if you decide to Airstream with gently used or a classic oldie really investigate it’s past and be totally comfortable with that history. Some are perfect and wonderful and have been pampered, while others have been abused.

We read all these forums and still decided to go with a 2019 Globetrotter that we are getting on Friday. I figure forewarned is fore-armed and now we know what to check for as we start traveling. The dealer is very reputable and so far all our interactions have been very good. We did visit other trailer places and found most of them were pretty creepy...that “used car” salesman type trying to push us into a 5th wheel with three slides, a decorative ceiling fan, fireplace and stairs! Not even what we said we were looking for- and that as much as anything solidified our decision to go with the Airstream!

frank nordyk · 08-08-2018, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis23

We absolutely love the Globetrotter look, but after reading these horror like stories of leaks, outside finish, seals, poor craftsmanship, bad enegineering, and poor quality control. i’m almost hestitent on making this offer on Wednesday this week on a 2018 Globetrotter. I’ve been wanting an Airstream for 30 years. finally, we are in a position to purchase one. Does anybody think restored Airstream’s are built better than the newer ones.
Thank you
~D

We just did the factory tour last month. Not sure where you live, but might be worth it. We've had our Globetrotter for two weeks now. Going tomorrow on our first trip with it. If we encounter issues, it goes right back to the dealer to be fixed.

I've had BMW's, MB, a 25' flying cloud they will all have problems. But, not where you'll lose your ass. The new Globetrotter has a THREE year warranty, which means they're on the hook for repairs.