Is Airstream worth the price?

[dames7]

I look at it as a investment, the 2017 & 2018 like mine sell for thousands more for the same thing.

[sunseeker]

This is our third AS, progressively larger. We now have a 31 International Serenity.

As always there is no yes/ no answer. In many ways the AS trades on its name and there are many options that could/ should come as standard such as a better awning, 50 Amp service. Quality control is lacking and some interior fittings just break the very first season. Overall - you get a very good Chevy but for a Cadillac price. That said it beats all the other Chevys out there.

[Mollysdad]

Probably not from a quality standpoint.
Airstream lives on it's iconic legacy.
Some people will only drive a Bentley even if it breaks down.

[donna18294]

Yes. We have two: A 1973, 31 ft sovereign and a 1979, 25 ft tradewind. Love them both. Yes there have been issues such as replacing refrigerators, hot water heater, axils, tires, and AC. But how many box trailers are still on the road after 38 or 44 years. Lived in the 31 ft for 3 months each year for the last 12 while in Florida and just brought it back to NNY last week. We love the club (WBCCI) and have been to Newfoundland, Alaska and the SW, as well as several international rallies. 😄👌

[m.hony]

Slightly different answer:
No, they are not worth the price, but...
It's the only trailer I'll have...
So I willingly/knowingly paid what I thought was too much for something I wanted.
Doesn't happen very often.

[wavelength]

We have a 1999 25 ft Excella which is in excellent condition. Other than a few appliance replacements(AC and hot water heater) this trailer looks and performs like it was new. Show me a 1999 white box that looks and acts like our AS and I'll consider switching brands. Matter of fact show me any 1999 white box still on the road period.

[Anders79]

for those that want to camp for just weekends, i think some of the small tear-drop ones are great - good value and surprisingly roomy / full featured for their size (and price). If you are going to full-time it - I personally think Airstreams are a little small, but many people are happy with them and full time. We like to go for a week or maybe a few weeks - and we love our 25' for that. Fits us perfectly. The upside as several commented - resale value is Huge, and hard to get that with any other trailer.

[Boxite]

No matter WHICH brand of travel trailer you buy.... you will end up having to fix things on it yourself...or pay someone else to do so. The appliances are the same and are not the reason an Airstream is a better trailer, IMO.

The difference is... that regardless of the appliances, the basic trailer is better constructed from the standpoint of materials....than other brands. It's like you've heard so many times in life: If you build on shifting-sand... you will forever have troubles. If you build on solid-rock you will always be happier.

The Airstream is more like solid-rock.

The advice of buying lightly-used is good advice if you're not particularly handy.

If you are very handy, buying more-than-slightly-used can be a real bargain!

My wife and I bought a smaller unit (22' Sport) for our first travel-trailer, which was 7 years old and in "slightly-used" condition... and I spent another $3K on it right away making it our perfect little camper. It was about half-the price of a new one when finished with the improvements, and we're thrilled with it's functionality and appearance. I would never have considered a new one for our first AS purchase.

Getting a used one from an individual is likely a better bargain than from a dealer as long as you (or someone you know) has good inspection-skills and knows what to look for. Don't go it alone if you're not familiar with this sort of merchandise.

[Philandsue]

yes!

[B00merang]

Just read all these replies, and it looks like they covered every pro and con re AS values. So I think it boils down to whether you have the money for your chosen model without affecting your other goals/obligations, and whether you would like to smile every time you lay eyes on your unit.
And since Idaho is closer to AK than NC, and if you'll make the trip to the Lower 48 to look at units, I highly recommend the Caldwell, ID (25 miles north of Boise) AS dealer who....just for you....currently has a huge stock of models including the oh-so-sweet-looking Tommy Bahama (list $126k!!). Looked like he had about 50 units onsite. Good luck with your decision. jon

[lsbrodsky]

I am with M. Hony, no. Why would anyone pay 126,000 for the piece of xxxx that AS sells? For that kind of money you should get quality, not curb appeal. Sure, there are lots of reasons to buy an AS, not the least of which are its iconic nature and especially the camaraderie of the clubs. But, it is not worth the money unless you buy used, get a good deal, and can live with the warts.

Larry

[MarkFinATX]

Originally Posted by csmith279

So we are in the initial stages of researching and setting a budget and I want to know if Airstream really is worth the exceptionally high cost? Are their any competitors even close to their quality that should be considered?

We love our Pendleton and are looking for a 2nd AS right now. In my search I've run across a neat looking rugged, go anywhere TT from Australia called the Bruder EXP-6. They have some great YouTube videos and since you are in AK you might want an off road type trailer. About the same price as an Airstream and most likely not available till 2018.

Good luck on your search...

[brokeboater]

Originally Posted by wavelength

Matter of fact show me any 1999 white box still on the road period.

There are some. Alumicape and Alumi-lite come to mind. New Horizons. Auto Mate. Alpenlite.

Airstreams are unique in in how they lend themselves to being rebuildable but if one looks at the amounts of money thrown at them in the process I think that would cast doubts on the "are they worth the money" question.

[cazual6]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

Wow; this should get some interesting responses for sure! In the end, everyone's experience is personal. We are on our 3rd AS; we have also owned a Casita in between the AS's, a Class A MH, a pop-up, modified van, and couple tents. Wife will not look at another brand. I find when I'm sleeping, it really does not matter, as long as I am comfortable! AS retains it's value probably better than anything out there. They have similar "flaws" like any RV built by hand today. (some may say "more") But what you have is a solid travel trailer with great aerodynamic properties (compared to other RV's), that will last longer then most anything else in this space, and a great bunch of folks on the forum to help you with any questions!(And, you also have a "lighter" wallet, which may be an issue to some!) To us, nothing comes close.

I concur

[FCStreamer]

Originally Posted by csmith279

So we are in the initial stages of researching and setting a budget and I want to know if Airstream really is worth the exceptionally high cost? Are their any competitors even close to their quality that should be considered?

I think the issue of worth is personal and relative. Something may be "worth it" for me and not for you.

I think Airstream is one of the better made travel trailers out there despite all the noise in the forum. Remember that a forum tends to attract people with issues and is not representative of the entire AS ownership population.

I made my own assessment by looking at Airstream and at many other trailers. I started out with a blank slate and looked at 5th wheels, motor homes, even pop ups.

For ME, it was worth every single penny. Your mileage may vary (YMMV).

[jimfa440]

To me it depends on what you want, can you afford it, and do you want the best. Settling all of that, you obviously want one, you can afford it, you do want the best. We own our 3rd one and have been very happy with all 3. We buy used, we don't always get exactly what we want but settling on very few options we are happy. We never have to wrestle with the bugs that new unit owners have. I would never go back to the other RVs.
One edit, we are getting older (I'll soon be 70) and we have our last one God willing, we will travel and camp for many more years.

[banderabob]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Worth it to me. I let someone else eat the deprecation by buying a pre-owned Safari.

Ditto. We're on our second, one-owner unit. Well worth it.

[dames7]

The value is worth it, what you here on the forum is things that AS put in to the AS that people complain about.

They should be the very best

[dames7]

Tires, converter, AGM battery and other add-on that people due once they buy on

[kdickinson]

probably best to not confuse Airstream owners with Airstream sales people. I've not felt any obligation to try to sway anyone in any direction for an RV decision as if my opinion and input would have any value anyway. Another poster on another thread summed it up really well when he said - Airstreams make people smile, and he was right, they do.