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Old 05-03-2018, 06:40 AM   #1
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2007 31' Classic
Gulf Breeze , Florida
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Trailer to Motorhome

I am thinking about switching from my 28 foot International to a motorhome. Is there a certain year range of Airstream to avoid? My 2007 cCD is known for bedroom floor rot and sure enough I had to replace it last year. I would not want a maintenance headache because AS had some bad years.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 05-12-2018, 09:27 AM   #2
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Any used RV left in the weather is prone to leaks. I recommend that you buy a moisture meter to check ceilings and wall areas. In Airstream motorhomes, both older and later Class A, check the front and rear end cap areas. There will be a seam across the drivers area visible and another over the bed. The headliners are also known to sag from excessive heat. Its a project to fix but easier than a roof leak.

Good luck with your search. Keep us posted.
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Old 05-12-2018, 09:29 AM   #3
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Also, another area to check is the marker lights on the front. Those were known for leaking and will cause a problem around the windshield. I just replace the front lights with LED and plan to do the rear this summer.

Feel free to contact me directly if you have more specific questions or concerns.
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Old 05-12-2018, 11:38 AM   #4
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Just remember with an Airstream "Motorhome" you DOUBLE ALL OF YOUR TYPICAL AIRSTREAM PROBLEMS PLUS SOME ALL IN ONE UNIT!

You have all the problems you could ever have with an Airstream trailer sitting on top of a truck chassis (depends on the type/brand Airstream motorhome you purchase) or van chassis AND all the problems this possibly overloaded "truck/Van" chassis can provide AND all the service issues plus some that you had with your tow vehicle/Airstream trailer combination AND No ability to go ANYWHERE when this "Palace on Wheels Airstream Motorhome" takes a dump just East of NOWHERE and leaves you stranded!

Repair, maintenance, upkeep, towing when needed, storage, tires, fuel, insurance, glass repair, second vehicle cost for your daily driver since you now have "Airstream Motorhome" and most anything else that CAN AND WILL GO WRONG WILL COST "Mo Money" with an Airstream "Motorhome" than with the Tow Vehicle/Airstream Trailer combination.

Sounds like a great reason at the end of the day to get that Airstream Motorhome with that Neato and Problematic "Slide" you always wanted and never had in your Airstream trailer.

YES!


"I" think it's a great idea to go from a Airstream trailer to an Airstream Motorhome can't you tell?
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Old 05-12-2018, 12:08 PM   #5
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double post by mistake
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Old 05-12-2018, 01:42 PM   #6
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Classic motorhomes were far more expensive to buy when they were new compared to a trailer, as they were built far better and stronger than the trailers; no flimsy outriggers or flimsy frame to rebuild; wimpy axles, propane tanks that need to be replaced every 10 years or they don't meet certification, and no trailer sway or flipping over in high winds.

The P30 chassis is dirt cheap to maintain with most parts under $50 bucks, and most mechanics or DYI's can fix them using basic tools; no computers, sensors, DEF or OBD anything that are associated with modern tow vehicle engines. The lastest Ford, RAM and Chevy diesels require up to $10,000.00 to replace injectors. My diesel is simple, with direct mechanical fuel injection; once started, it will run as long as it has fuel, simple maintenance keeps her happy. Even shutting her down requires pulling on a handle to choke of the fuel supply.

My Classic is also rising in value everyday as people get tired of having to fix crappily built trailers and sophisticated RV's.

Buying the Classic was such fun as a project I bought another.

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Old 05-12-2018, 02:00 PM   #7
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trumpetguy-

I probably am going to regret this, but fwiw, don't do it!

We went the other way, buying our 2014 Shiny Pete, a Flying Cloud 27 fb twin AFTER 5+ years of motorhome ownership (and 10 years before that of sob trailers). We had a 2000 Newmar Dutchstar 39' diesel pusher with one slide. A nice coach right? A high end coach, right? Well, upper mid-tier anyway...…..

I can tell you that we spent WAY more on yearly maintenance and repairs on the mh than we ever spent on any trailer, even Pete (especially Pete, actually). The costs of built-in generators, transfer switches, 6 batteries, $400 each tires, commercial-grade chassis items, way too many electronic thingys (all out of date due to age), etc., etc., etc. made us want out. And I did a lot of maintenance myself, a ton of upgrades myself, and used a local diesel mechanic for as much drivetrain maintenance as I could.

And in spite of all that, we averaged $4000 annually for maintenance and repairs. Every year. Now I don't know much, but I know that our Airstream trailer costs WAY less than that to enjoy and maintain/upgrade...……

Of course, like Isuzu said if you're talking classic Airstream like his...…… I might bite. Seriously though, motorhomes are nice, but they cost more. Period...….. We proved it, and are happy towing again, and totally in love with our Airstream trailer!
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Old 05-15-2018, 11:12 AM   #8
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Its to bad Vintageracer did not share with us which motorhome he previously owned to have had such great expenses and problems!!

There are different ways to look at this....first for anyone who has ever purchased an old car (classic or not), there are expenses to get it roadworthy. Once repairs are made, it requires maintenance, cleaning, and upkeep. An older motorhome (or any Airstream product for that matter) should be viewed the same.

There is a guy on this forum who is in the process of restoring a 1955 Airstream trailer that belonged to the founder of Airstream. He is looking at $100k in renovation cost, not sure he has gotten it past that point yet but the upkeep, insurance, etc, will all add up on the tail end of the project.

If you take a new Airstream Classic trailer and compare it to a new Airstream Interstate, the operating cost will be very close. You still got to have something to pull it with so that another expense. A 2018 Airstream Classic pulled with a 2018 diesel Dodge pickup will set you back about $145k total give or take 10K. Airstream Interstates are selling for $110 to $120k out the door.

The point is your gonna pay for it one way or the other. Its more about how you chose to travel which dictates what type RV you own. An older seasoned RV owner once told me "I would rather drive something big and tow something small vs drive something small and tow something big".

Good luck with your search and keep us posted.
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Old 05-15-2018, 11:38 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike1997 View Post
Its to bad Vintageracer did not share with us which motorhome he previously owned to have had such great expenses and problems!!


If you take a new Airstream Classic trailer and compare it to a new Airstream Interstate, the operating cost will be very close. You still got to have something to pull it with so that another expense. A 2018 Airstream Classic pulled with a 2018 diesel Dodge pickup will set you back about $145k total give or take 10K. Airstream Interstates are selling for $110 to $120k out the door.
A Prevost Marathon Bus, Airstream 28Ft Motorhome, Argosy 20ft Motorhome, Argosy 6.0 Minuet Trailer, 1958 World Traveler Trailer, 1957 Avion Trailer and on and on. BIG Motorhome to small Motorhome's to trailers I have had them all!

I too "thought" a Motorhome was the "Shitchs" until I owned several and got to "Experience" the fun, expense, maintenance cost, operational cost of Motorhome ownership. It took my stubborn butt ownership 3 different Motorhome's to ACCEPT the reality of that Motorhome ownership was NOT the way to go!

That includes the TINY MERCEDES SPRINTER Airstream Interstate you reference in your post above! Here is but one example of the problems that plague the newer diesel ONLY powered Sprinter's.

https://www.expeditersonline.com/for...s.64121/page-5

Given ALL problems the 2007-2018 Sprinter's have with the emissions systems it takes a brave soul to purchase one. Just google for all the problems. Virtually all the big fleets (FEDEX, UPS etc) have all abandoned the Sprinter's from the fleets due to these problems. BY FAR it was Much More Expensive to Own/Operate/Repair a Motorhome of any brand/type versus a tow vehicle/trailer combination.

It does NOT take a 2018 Dodge Diesel to pull a an Airstream trailer. There are many less expensive tow vehicles capable of pulling most Airstream trailers as demonstrated daily by somebodies "What Tow Vehicle Should I Purchase" thread. With a tow/trailer combination you still have vehicle that you can use for other purposes besides pulling the trailer OR as a daily driver if needed.

A Motorhome is a single use dedicated purpose vehicle that STILL requires you to have alternative transportation for daily driving when not traveling in you Motorhome. The few exceptions could be those full timing in a Motorhome. Most of those "Fulltimer's" also pull a "Driver Vehicle" behind the coach.

So where is the advantage???

The answer is clear to "Me".

There are many disadvantages to Motorhome ownership versus travel trailer ownership.

Just "My" opinion based upon "My" experiences with ownership of both!
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Old 05-15-2018, 11:27 PM   #10
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Thanks for sharing the list of your previous motorhomes owned, glad to know only 1 of them was an Airstream.

You misread my post...I was specific in comparing an Airstream Classic trailer to the Class B Interstate rv. Trying pulling that Classic with something smaller than a diesel truck and let us know how it goes...or rather where you do not go. Great place to start would be Donners Pass out side Reno. Once you get past all the broke down RV's that are overheating or got smoking brakes, hopefully the dude pulling the Airstream trailer on 3 wheels in the center will not slow you down very much. After all he needs to be in Reno before dark.

Yes I am a fulltimer with my diesel pusher Airstream and it tows a Jeep diesel behind. Been cross country with it 3 times so far. My maintenance and living expenses are very detail. Much less than a mortgage or apt rent for sure. Since 1/1/2018, my expenses have added up to $100. As a work camper I have $0 site rental or utilities but did get a $30 cable bill when I switched from satellite to cable. My dash AC has not worked correctly in awhile so it required a new ground screw plus a new compressor switch to make the cooling fan operate. Got it for $70 on amazon. Grand total $100 spent as of today.

If your doing it cheaper with a trailer....share the news. Lots of newbies around here always looking to learn.

Btw...if you want to compare emergency costs sometime.....like what a flat tire on a Bluebird Wonderlodge vs Airstream Landyacht pusher or Airstream Classic can be....let me know. I got that info too with pictures.
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Old 05-16-2018, 04:41 AM   #11
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Or this. (Hopefully that bike rack isn't a problem)
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Old 05-16-2018, 06:26 AM   #12
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Perfect set up!��
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Old 05-21-2018, 10:16 PM   #13
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Very cool......I bet he has a high tow capacity too!!

Would be interesting to see Airstream do something like a Super C chassis.
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Old 06-08-2018, 09:56 PM   #14
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Much to complicated

We went from a 25 Classic to a Country Coach 40 ' diesel pusher. The CC is to complicated to many things to go wrong or cause problems . Depending on the trailer weight you pull and the horse needed this can also be very complicated. We are now without an rv and we have what I call itchy hitch....What we are considering is an older LY gasser and a Jeep Wrangler toad. There is no easy quick answer to this age old problem any way you go it is very hard to justify the cost. If you full time ..been there done that it is a little easier to justify the cost. We now travel almost exclusively to visit family we travel the back roads and stop a lot.....hmmm...seems like a hobby..I have not been on this forum since I sold our Classic 4 years ago......so I had to make my mark. I have just started looking at the LY. But one question do the mid 2000 motorized LY have air bags front and rear or none

Thanks
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Old 06-09-2018, 12:56 AM   #15
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We bought a used 2005 moho, a 30' SO and, at the time, a dolly for our existing toad. It seemed more cost-effective than buying a TV and a trailer. We had to deal with some issues from the PO including the leaking clearance lights mentioned previously, overhauling the gen set due to maintenance issues and the "usual" small stuff. We need a second set of house batteries but need a 3 stage charger first so we don't boil away the batteries, but a 30' LandYacht is on a truck chassis from Workhorse (nee GM) and service is available wherever trucks are used and serviced.

The major downside: I think the driving setup, with or without the toad is more of a challenge and my wife is reluctant to drive it. OTOH, I have had no issues with brakes, grades, etc, only some parking lot style maneuvers, probably because of my inexperience.

go test drive some new mohos, any brand to see if you are comfortable with them, then use that as a starting point. My NorCal Airstream friends like the layout and enjoy the differences when they visit us, and I enjoy theirs. (I think I have a little more storage space but I miss the truck bed storage.)
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Old 06-09-2018, 05:56 AM   #16
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I did the opposite. Went from a very cool 88 Bluebird Wanderlodge to a nice 83 Excella trailer.

The Wanderlodge was comfortable and had a lot of great features...twin ACs, massive on board generator, very large water and waste tanks, full size fridge, etc. But tires were $600, and insurance was about 6x that for the trailer, plus we didn't have any way of getting around once we were camped. And, frankly, even though the brakes were in tip top condition, emergency stopping a 32000 lb truck with air drum brakes and no ABS was definitely an "oh sh*t moment".

So we sold it and bought an AS trailer in reasonable shape. Yeah, it's smaller, and some compromises are necessary, but we spend more money improving it than repairing it. Plus we have a decent truck to fetch things or sightsee when we are camping.

One mans experience. No regrets.
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Old 06-09-2018, 06:46 AM   #17
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We went from Airstream Travel Trailers, owned three over the years. We bought a '95 Land Yacht MoHo for the convenience of part time travel, which we havent started yet. There are some issues we've been taking care of, i.e. new batteries,updates and cosmetic, but on the small trips we're taking at this time, all seems well. I don't tow anything, yet, another bridge to cross in a year or so, but plan to. I do love the convenience of backing it up, it's only 30', and love the control when driving it, as opposed to some of the external towing of a travel trailer. Good luck! An Airstream, or any other adventure for travel is always an adventure.

Sincerely,

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Old 06-09-2018, 07:05 AM   #18
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I recently decided it was time to downsize from our Classic 30 trailer to a class B motorhome (Pleasure Way). The truck and trailer are now gone (trade in) but we don't get the new B van until Sept. This will be my first "New" RV!

Looking forward to it - it will be a big step to get used to the reduction in space but we did have a VW Westfalia van years ago so not entirely unfamiliar!

I was not able to store our trailer at home and so was not able to look after it as well as I would have liked. As a result, every time we took it out, a good portion of my time was taken up in repairing backlogged items - that was getting a bit tiring.

As well, I was finding that as I got up in years, dealing with over 50 ft of Truck/RV - especially in tighter RV sites was becoming more stressful. I think the van will be a lot less so and will allow us to get into almost any site in state/provincial parks as well as giving us other options for "stealth camping" when on the road.

I have had my share of water leaks and damage on the various RV's we have owned over the years - just part of the game I guess. I am hoping that will be less so with a van conversion that uses entirely the original van shell - hope so anyway.

I'm not kidding myself that we won't have any issues with a brand new RV - but at least it will be just the aggravation of taking it back to the dealer to be sorted out!

I do believe we will get a lot more use out of the smaller van as it will be parked in our driveway ready to go for a couple of days any time we like. With our trailer I just found it too much of a hassle to bring in home to pack for a trip of less than at least a week or two.

Anyway - time will tell if it a wise choice, I do hope so!

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Old 06-09-2018, 07:17 AM   #19
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We underwent the shift recently in order to accommodate our new health-related situation. To do so, I find a 1999 model 30' AS moho with relatively low mileage ... and bought. (Still haven't developed the courage to put our much-loved 1967 AS 30' on the market, but that's another story.)

Sure, there were some headaches. Leaks that the previous owner couldn't see or didn't care enough about to deal with responsibly; maintenance issues that were neglected. I did some of the repairs; chassis stuff went to a recommended shop. All in all, we counted these kinds of repairs as just addition to the sales price.

Are there bad years? I'm not sure. There are certainly expensive years! Try one of the absolutely beautiful AS mohos at the end of the aluminum-body run in the early 90s! Gorgeous, but beyond my pocketbook! And try practically anything from a used-moho dealer! Way too much!

Otherwise, watch for interior designs that you like, mileage. The 70s to the 90s saw some major changes to motor design even with more or less the same engine block; in general, more recent is better than older, I think. I also avoided mohos that were for sale in flood or hurricane prone areas.

AirForums classifieds are your friend, but check some other sources, too, just to get some feel for comparison prices, layouts, etc.


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Quote:
Originally Posted by trumpetguy View Post
I am thinking about switching from my 28 foot International to a motorhome. Is there a certain year range of Airstream to avoid? My 2007 cCD is known for bedroom floor rot and sure enough I had to replace it last year. I would not want a maintenance headache because AS had some bad years.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 06-09-2018, 04:31 PM   #20
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AS Trailer to AS Motorhome

We began with a Argosy 6 Meter trailer by AS. I lasted one year before we decided that towing was not our thing. Bought a 77 Class A GMC and a 66 VW
as our toad. Life was good for 14 years until we decided we wantes to take our 34 Ford on Glidden Tours around the country (Week long antique car tours)
A car trailer was needed for that and it was a little heavy for the GMC. We then bought a light weight aluminum car trailer and kept going.
With nearly 4000 lbs behind us, uphill entrance ramps became a challenge to be up to merge speed.
That's where the AS 35 foot DP Land Yacht came available. What a difference!
Stronger, bigger, more room and 11 MPG @ 70 MPH. Now 14 years with the "Roadhouse", we're considering Hampton Inns vs Campgrounds. Tires are cheap, diesel is down, ours is in good shape, but it takes up a lot of space in my garage. (We've always kept them all garaged because sun and rain are not good for storage)
Hind sight, getting the Land Yacht was great thing. We even take a small SUV in tow when not on an antique car adventure. (06 Saturn Vue with Honda engine and transmission)
The answer to your question is to be determined by your use. For us it was a good thing.
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