1980 Airstream Land Yacht - Should we buy?

[cbird01]

OK - My family knows nothing about RV's. My mom and dad have been contemplating buying one since they are retired. Well they found one and have not signed the paperwork yet. I am concerned about the purchase because my dad is notorious for buying things that end up having all these problems and not working. I was hoping you experienced people could give some advice and concerns/opinions. Here is an excerpt from my mothers e-mail describing the rig:
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We can't believe we did it. We were looking at RV's when we were downstate, and Dad was sitting in this 33 foot Airstream Land Yacht, and he made a bid to the salesman. It is a 1980 with 83,000 miles, but it is so cool, and the price was more affordable for us--$25,000--Dad offered $20,000 and they accepted! It is the size Dad preferred to get--he does not want to feel clausetrophobic. I wanted something not much bigger than our van so I could go to the grocery store if I needed to use it for a second vehicle. Well, we decided to keep our van and buy this too. We wouldn't get more than a $5,000 tradein.

It has a rear bedroom with twin beds. Separate compartments for shower and toilet/sink. Kitchen has microwave, gas range,
refrigerator/freezer, corian countertops and dinette table top, oak
cabinetry, and taupe beige carpet with leather/cloth upholstery. The unit is self-balancing, has a generator, two air conditioners,
basement storage. There is a couch which opens to a queen-size bed, and the dinette also opens into a bed. There is a chair behind the passenger side captain's seat, which has a seat belt. There are two TVs and a monitor for seeing what is behind you when you back up. It is a white exterior with some striping. It is a bit faded, not shiny, but a good wax job should improve that. We hope we are getting a good deal. It is being checked over in the shop(at dealer) before we finalize it. We are buying an extended warranty coverage($2,000) because of its age which will protect us from a huge repair bill for two years. Just wanted you to know that one of our first trips will be to head out west. We don't know when, but probably this fall after Dad gets off the golf course. We are really excited about buying it after thinking about it for some
time now. So let us know what you think?
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Please Advise! Thank you very much for your input.

Craig Bird
Phoenix, AZ
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