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Smokin Camel · 07-08-2005, 10:53 PM

Impulse buy + the price was right. I did not know AS prices at the time, but I knew it was worth far more than I was paying. If it did not work out I knew I could still make a profit. Guess what it has been fun so far. It is a keeper! I only paid 1.5 K & put < 1K into it so far...I wouldn't sell it for 10k.

rickyandcook · 07-22-2005, 07:52 PM

This is our 3rd camper. The first 2 were good but too small. We wanted the best quality mid sized camper we could buy and felt like the Safari 25 was the right one for us. Also we wanted to use a Toyota Tundra for towing and the Safari 25 was the max we felt comfortable with. We feel like Airstreams area slice of true Americana and love the nostalgic looks. Ricky

Cedars · 10-07-2005, 10:35 AM

We never considered other brands!
For us, it was towability and durability!
We knew we would be towing. A lot.
Maybe we read too many romantic stories of those caravans around the world. But we figured if those caravan trailers could survive, that had to be a good thing!
We aren't the kind of users that park in one place all summer. Or tow it out to a nearby campground every other weekend.
We planned to tow about 8 to 12K per year. And that meant one thing to us: AIRSTREAM.
Longevity of the brand and design meant something to us as well.... it wasn't gonna go away any time soon. And it seems only minor tweaking has occurred in the near past so they must be doing something right!
Too, it is a kick to pull in somewhere and folks not have a clue that a) our unit is over twenty years old, or b) they're still making those things! LOL!!

Elizabeth in Iowa

juel · 10-07-2005, 10:52 AM

I agree although I'm not sure I would want a "new" Airstream. They don't seem to be made as well as the "classic" Airstreams. I have a 78 Argosy, 24ft. Those were supposed to be the cheaper ones, but I must say this trailer is in great shape. It's been restored by us "as much as it needed to be", but it's a dynamite piece of workmanship. I feel if it's held together 28 years, it's probably good to go for a lot more years if taken care of.

Bradjun1 · 10-07-2005, 11:50 AM

How about a piece of Americana? Sort of like Apple pie and the Flag.They have sttod the test of time.

flyfisher · 10-07-2005, 02:22 PM

I must have chosen it with my eyes shut.

I had gone to the factory to take the tour 3 times, and seen that it looked like something out of the 19th century.

I had read what the recent independent evaluations said of Airstream's quality - 3rd rate.

I had visited a handful of dealers, half of which were low class by any one's standards, and had been insulted by a salesman, with his gawdy gold jewelry, from one of Airstream's largest dealer in the south..."are you sure you can affford it, son?"

After owning 2 of the best quality travel trailers made (as voted by a broad spectrum of dealers and customers, rather than believing Airstream owners only), I finally ordered a new Classic in 2004, and my eyes were opened to the reality of Airstream ownership.

Oh, I still love the design, and I'm appreciative of all the many fixes that the factory service guys have attempted on my trailer. But you just can't build in quality after a trailer leaves the factory floor, when it is built like a well used garbage can.

I hope you have your eyes wide open. Good luck.

John

n2916s · 10-07-2005, 03:41 PM

My wife and I went to a bunch of RV shows. Poked and prodded lots of SOB's. Then saw and wanted, really wanted, a new CCD but the financial reality was we couldn't justify the expense.

Then we found Fairley, our 31' Sovereign. 20 years old and certainly possessing more than its share of "beauty marks", but he called to us. Long, lean, always looks ready to go - makes us smile every time we pull in the driveway. Everything works, nothing leaks, tows like a dream. Presently at Walt's getting some metal replaced and some vents installed.

Love it.

Mike

LowellN · 10-07-2005, 07:18 PM

John Ratzenberger reccomends them....that's why!!! Really...they are an American Icon. Period. That's why. Not to mention it gives me something to do with all my free time

. Rivets, vulkem, walbernize, carpet,......

Mike Lewis · 10-07-2005, 07:57 PM

For us the first one was mostly style and nostalgia. We saw one, a 16' Bambie, while on a trip in Az. We had a coleman popup at the time and cold weather had us thinking of something, hard sided. Like many folk we thought, "I didn't know they still made those things". Shortly afterward we bought an 2004/16' CCD Bambi. Quality wise this trailer turned out to be a nightmare. A year and two months later I had all the problems worked out "BUT", now we wished we had something slightly bigger. We had decided we wanted something that felt a little more "Homey" as DW was retiring and we could spend more time out. Feb of this year we got a 25' classic. I was scared of the quality but as it turned out this trailer was letter perfect, a KEEPER. Yea RIGHT! Today we signed a deal on an 06 / 30' Classic!! This is going to be a keeper too. Honest! The reason for this trade<you have to have one> is we wanted a dinette. Pieman

SilverRanger · 10-07-2005, 08:07 PM

Primarily for the style. I've been attracted to them since I was a teenager, which is curious since no one in my family or circle of friends had ever owned a TT, or were even campers.

The functionality was also a factor, especially in the older models. I have this 68 Tradewind in my driveway that's begging for a little fixing up. It's in pretty good shape and has all the original parts and had one previous owner who kept meticulous maintenance records. I'm afraid it'll have to wait until I retire, which I hope to be be soon.

bill benton · 10-07-2005, 09:25 PM

Rivets I have a thing for rivets. They don't build anything as well as a airstream. at least on wheels in america. Our first one was a 71, kept it for 10 years. Had kids, sold the first one for the largest one. Mabe in 10 or 12 yrs we will get to be full timers. I'm sure our trailer will still be around. But probally we won't be able to afford gas.

tin sista · 10-08-2005, 08:13 AM

and ...well it reminds me so much of the mother ship!

cccamper · 10-09-2005, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiniree

As (hopefully) soon to be owners of an Airstream, I started wondering why all of you became Airstream owners?

for us it is a combination of quality you can't find anymore, and the ability to "make it ours" feeling you get with Airstream.

well, for the shallow, it just looks *really* cool when driving down the road.

also it's fun to pass a car full of kids, see their jaws drop and the gum fall out while they are looking for wings. and hoping to be assured they are on a road, not a runway..

we got an airstream because we had always loved them. my family camped endlessly in the cascade and blue mountains when i was a kid. whenever the wind blew really hard and collapsed our tent, or it the rain dumped and dripped through the tent roof, or a howling bobcat or whatever sang to us while in our sleeping bags... that was the time that despite our rustic spirit I WANTED AN AIRSTREAM

now we want to disperse nearly everything and live on the road (well, live in the airstream and get there on the road)

we had looked endlessly at the toy trailers and RVs. you know, the ones that a baseball not only can break a window, but put a hole through the wall..

then one day we saw our airstream on ebay. zipped off the payment. my husband drove to houston and brought it home.

800 miles with the brakes not set up right. after spending 3 hours laying on the asphalt of an auto parts store in texas in 100 degree weather, robert decided he was a good enough driver to get home w/o. we had just purchased our big honkin' 4 door, 4x4 ford lariat and he had no problems. we won't do that again of course.

we probably won't do the pink flamingo (did you know the more shrimp the eat the pinker they get?) i've been thinking maybe sturgeons on a stick, aliens on the awning or such would be more "us"

btw, one of my favorite things about an airstream is there is a real toilet and seat... when i was a kid that army surplus folding shovel seemed to send out a signal to every mosquito and yellow jacket for miles around. not to mention the perfect balance required........

e (and Robert, who is much more grown up)

SilverToy · 11-03-2005, 01:06 AM

As I was growing up I was always infatuated with cars. My uncle, a mechanic, had regular access to fine vehicles that he woud buy and then sell to me for little or nothing. Couldn't do it. I was always looking for that one 'special' car that would speak to me, while telling others about me. You guessed it, NEVER found that car - so far!

All the time I was looking at every car!, reading magazines, TV cars and racing - NOTHING. But did see herer and there in these places where I was trying to find a car, that there was frequently and 'cool' baby Silver Tube thing. Found out it was AirStream.

Yeah, Uncle said they were the Cadillac of RV's at the time - and he DROVE a Cadillac. Gotta get me one of them. In spite of the TOTAL LACK of camping experience, family or otherwise, I knew that with the AS things were going to be great! No doubt about it. I just knew that sometime, somewhere and AS would 'talk' to me and we would become friends from that time forth. Done!

Will, it took me a LOT longer than I had planned, but SilverToy is a great family addition.

Lovin' that AirStreamin' !!!!!!!

Ciao

Axel

Randy Wilson · 11-03-2005, 03:42 AM

I just brought my newly acquired 1975 31ft. Land Yacht home a few days ago. Ironically I really wasn't in the market for an RV. However during a casual conversation with a long time friend he advised me that he was going to sell his Airstream. It seems after he bought it 10 years ago he parked it next to his garage and never used it one time. Since I am a recent retiree and now even a Grandfather I thought perhaps this could be fun for camping trips. Now as a lad (in the 1960's) a traveling carnaval always came to our town. It was amusement rides and a caravan of Airstream Trailers that the carnies lived in. I remember my Dad mentioning that the Airstream was the "Cadillac" of travel trailers so I was kinda biased. The more I thought about it in a few days I went to my friends and made an initial walkthrough and within another several days we made a deal. That's my take on an Airstream. Randy Wilson

balrgn · 11-03-2005, 03:57 AM

Started out as a restoration project, you can only vote for one category, Quality and style are equally important. Now after acquiring 3 it seems to be a passion

SafeHarbor · 11-03-2005, 10:42 PM

I said "Style," but it was really for reputation. My dad was a trucker, and back in the 60's and 70's the great American road idea was to load the family up in the hardtop or the wagon, and set out on distant vacations at least once per year.

I became aware of Airstreams in the 60's because my dad would point to one and tell my mother, "That's what we'll get when I retire."

He was supportive of my getting an "Airstream Argosy" in 1992, even if it did not look exactly like what he though it should. Now that I've bought the Excella in 2005 that brings the "leisure world of Airstream" into the family, he has Alzheimers and other health problems, and can't enjoy it. I drove to north GA and took him to his VA appointments in Atlanta today. Neither of us used the word "Airstream" even once.

I'm just glad that he got to walk through it one time earlier this year and understand what it was.

And that he was happy about it.

Lamar

rebel beck · 11-08-2005, 04:23 PM

We have been family camping for the last 2 years with a popup and everytime we went camping we noticed an Airstream and my husband would always say my daddy always wanted one of those. Then it got where we always looked for them where ever we camped. One thing after another and it got to be a chore to go camping and have to set up the popup. So I started looking at this forum and hinting around to my husband about an Airstream, his first quote was honey we cant afford one so I started looking at the older ones 70's model. So after I had my plan all thought out I asked my husband again and I told him that driving a bigger truck around would not bother me and I promised him I could find a truck and trailor for what we could sell my car and our popup for and end up with no payments. His quote was if you can do it. Saturday we picked up our new 75 Airstream up in my 2003 truck. All paid for at this point the restoration will cost but hey it is an Airstream as we call it our dream stream. Airstreams are classic and they are a piece of art in our book, and to have one setting in the driveway is sheer joy.

The lacy's

StingrayL82 · 11-08-2005, 05:11 PM

Honestly, because they're the only tin can company still in business. Streamline went out of business in 1974 (thank you OPEC) and, if I remember right, Silver Streak went out of business in 1996. I really liked my 1968 Streamline Empress; it was very well built, and I really liked the Bair hydraulic jacks/stabilizers. I also liked the showers in both the Streamline and Silver Streaks, actually moreso than that of the Airstream. But Airstream is the company that has managed to weather economic slumps, and I like the fact that I can still find parts for my Sovereign.

Frederic

razorback · 01-30-2006, 12:14 AM

I liked the shape of the shiny airstream trailers when I was a kid. When I retired last year, I had never owned an RV of any type. My wife and I had planned to travel full time when I retired, but didn't know if we wanted a bumper pull, a fifth wheel, or a motor home. We settled on a 25 foot 1976 AS thinking that if we didn't like it, we could get our money out of it and try a fifth wheel. To make a long story short, we traveled in the 76 for 4 months through four states and fell in love with it. We were not looking to buy another one, but decided that for full time, the 25 foot was closing in on us.

While in Texas we saw a Classic 30 on an RV lot and my wife wanted to see what the new ones looked like inside. I didn't want to be a "tire kicker" and tried to discourage her, but you know how wives are. We stopped and looked through it and were hooked. A week later we bought the Classic and haven't looked back. We don't anticipate ever owning any other brand RV. We sold our 76 for what we gave for it and made another couple very happy.
We still enjoy "counting the twinkies" as we travel from one place to another.
AS is the only way to travel!