Notice: AS Prices

[Inland RV Center, In]

Airstream very recently increased the price on many vintage opening windows, 90's and older, especially those using the "deluxe" window lifts.

Many of them are now priced over $ 500.00, plus shipping.

Andy

[Inland RV Center, In]

Airstream has just increased the price on it's rockguards, by as much as 40 percent, in some cases.

Andy

[masseyfarm]

Everything made Domestically is getting priced way out of line. We are just pricing ourselves out of a job. China shipping is only 3 air days away and if there is a market there will be a supply.

When the top of the food chain here demands and are getting millions every year in compensation, whether they produce or not, I can see nothing good for the future happening on this continent.

What ever happened to accountability?

Dave

[robwok]

SHhh. China loves to re-engineer.

All we need now is for them to get a hold of an Airstream and remake it. They'd sell it as new and it'd leak all over the place, and under the flooring, and the outside seal coating would start corroding at seams and on the finish, and then we'd have mismatched parts inside, and extra holes drilled where they shouldn't be and....

wait just a minute!


Just kidding!

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by masseyfarm

What ever happened to accountability?

Dave

That word has become way to hard to pronounce by many businesses.



Andy

[jdalrymple]

Or, could it be we have priced ourselves out of the market with fees charged to businesses, in the pretense of a better world.

Chinese companies have much lower overhead when it comes to taxes and fees that have become the norm in the USA.

I am not saying we need to run wild and allow companies to pollute and cheat workers, but neither can we add costs until we are no longer able to produce goods in our own country.

Costs are costs.



Regards,

JD

[TG Twinkie]

I think A$ is just taking advantage of a niche market. The aren't increasing prices because it cost them more. They are doing it because they can get away with it. What other choice do we have?
You can't talk or write long enough to convince me that a rock guard can cost more than $400 to make.
In case you haven't noticed. Wages are stagnant or going down.
They are just lining the corporate wallet.

[dkottum]

Chinese manufacturing doesn't make American manufacturing better, it just drives them out of business. Or the company switches from being a manufacturer to an importer.

Buy from them if you want but it will cost us plenty in the future. Well, maybe already. Someone mentioned wages are stagnant or going down.

[jdalrymple]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

I think A$ is just taking advantage of a niche market. The aren't increasing prices because it cost them more. They are doing it because they can get away with it. What other choice do we have?
You can't talk or write long enough to convince me that a rock guard can cost more than $400 to make.
In case you haven't noticed. Wages are stagnant or going down.
They are just lining the corporate wallet.

Wages yes.

Government fees and regulations no.

[TG Twinkie]

What do government regulations have to do with making a window or rock guard?

[n2916s]

Airstream is selling every one they make before the first rivet is bucked. They know that most of their buyers take extreme pride in their rigs and that they have a monopoly on frame/shell parts so it makes sense, from management's point of view, to tweak the price of parts, especially appearance parts, to the maximum profit point.

It is good business. Regulations or fees have little or nothing to do with it.

Mike

[AtomicNo13]

Soon enough the market will be saturated and the reputation of low quality will kill them off...
I saw a new unit enroute to a dealer in Oregon.... half the stick on letters forming the AS name trademark and reputation had somehow fallen off already.....
Inside several drawers had fallen out smashed into pieces and gouged holes in the vynil fibre floor.....
Not a fix it on my new $101000 brand mew AS!

People will expect perfection fir that expense! This company is 80 years old
By now they should make a drawer stay and a sticker stick..... its your name afterall!

We teach people how to treat us...
Buy defects... given defects by default.
Just my opinions of course.

[John&Vicki]

Is it true that Airstreams are built to a higher standard for the European market?

Poppy

[AtomicNo13]

The shells are the same but frames and everything else different.
The frames are galvanized ensuring longevity and interiors are typical Euro-Ikea.
Why can't our frames be dunked in Zinc?

[TG Twinkie]

Because it costs money! It is also something that is not seen by the customer.
Frame weakness and floor rot have plagued these units for 80 years. Still nothing is done to correct these issues.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

Soon enough the market will be saturated and the reputation of low quality will kill them off...
I saw a new unit enroute to a dealer in Oregon.... half the stick on letters forming the AS name trademark and reputation had somehow fallen off already.....
Inside several drawers had fallen out smashed into pieces and gouged holes in the vynil fibre floor.....
Not a fix it on my new $101000 brand mew AS!

People will expect perfection fir that expense! This company is 80 years old
By now they should make a drawer stay and a sticker stick..... its your name afterall!

We teach people how to treat us...
Buy defects... given defects by default.
Just my opinions of course.

I am skeptical of this report, have looked at many new Airstreams, visited the factory twice last two years, bought new ones two and four years ago. They are nicely built, but hand-built. They screw up I'm sure but this sounds too bad to be true, or there's more to the story.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

Because it costs money! It is also something that is not seen by the customer.
Frame weakness and floor rot have plagued these units for 80 years. Still nothing is done to correct these issues.

Floor rot likely for unattended water leaks, yes. But where is the frame weakness on the newer units?

[AtomicNo13]

Additionally I was at the dealer on Amarillo last week. They have 2 units in stock. I believe the bunk had the entire shower door fall off and hit me on the head. A member here bought the unit this week
Maybe he can confirm this as he is the owner and has to make them fix the defect. He's the fellow who owns the chic filet in Amarillo TX.
Realizing this is not a big deal but seriously it's such a lack of fit and finish deal! It was more than $100000 !!!!!

[AtomicNo13]

I'm a fellow who is all about hand built. I believe there is no finer a detail machine than a human craftsman.

I have been to the factory more times than I can count. I see lots of WV checklists with plenty of do overs.

[AtomicNo13]

I had a frame fail on a 34 with a slide. Towed it 11000 miles from new. It was a total loss when the frame cracked.