Visit our Popular Forums

shrug · 12-08-2011, 04:09 AM

Hi all, I'm new here, I live in the lower mainland of British Columbia Canada, and I'm looking for an airstream that is under 20 years old, and under 10 grand, and over 30 feet, I am not adverse to the idea of getting it from washington or whatever, but would worry about getting ripped off...

Does anybody know where I can find such a thing? i've looked on craig's list vancouver, and kijiji... not much there to suit my needs... am i asking too much? it can be 19 years old, but it has to look nice on the outside for the park we live in to approve it...

Plus, my husband has a ridiculously negative idea of airstreams, because they have no pull outs, he thinks he will be cramped in one and refuses to even talk about it with me, so if anybody has any great selling points about airstreams that i can tell him, would really appreciate it!!

Thanks guys!
shrug

casa3805 · 12-08-2011, 04:33 AM

Welcome Shrug,
We had been looking for a year or more, no particular brand, and saw in the paper one day that an Airstream Rally was nearby. So we drove out to look at them all. Kinda catches the eye when you see a bunch of 'em all in one place at the same time. By the time we left we had a handwritten list of all the Airstreams the people in the rally knew of that were for sale. And you get some personal insight as to the potential condition of the units when you do it this way. A couple months later we bought one off that list. Price was about what you are looking for but 27ft. We love it. Selling points??? You will here positives and negatives. But to me, the "cool" factor is a good point. They did make some for a few years that had slides, but they stopped a while back so you could find one with a slide.
Space is definitely a consideration though so this is a tuff one for you guys. We find the layouts very efficient and functional. But everyone has their own needs.
Enjoy the hunt!

Ridgerunner3 · 12-08-2011, 04:50 AM

I would also search rvtraderonline.com and ebay. We found ours on rvtraderonline for a very good price. We have only had it for a few months.

We have owned three fiberglass trailers, including one with a slide-out, before we bought the AS. We both really are in love with the AS. There is an amazing amount of living and storage space in our 25 footer. I believe, and others have shown, that proper routine inspections and maintenance will result in many decades of useful life for an AS. To me an AS is like a fine old sailboat.... you are less like an owner and more like the guardian of the AS during this particular period in it's long life.

The care and feeding of the AS has been a learning curve for me. I typically try to do all of my own maintenance and an AS is a very different machine from our previous trailer. This forum has been a great source of information for learning how to be the guardian of an AS.

Good luck on your search. Your husband just needs to spend some time looking at a few AS examples. They are great.

Splitrock · 12-08-2011, 07:19 AM

As positives for Airstream go there are quite a few. Airstream has all the issues of wood frame trailers except the deterioration of the body. All water heaters will need to be replaced on all trailers but the Airstream body will not need to be replaced.

Good luck with the search.

Del Gurney · 12-08-2011, 09:04 AM

Hi Shrug:
I'm just South of the border from you near Bellingham:
I bought my AS from a "Want to Buy" add I placed on C.List. I suspect that many people who own AS's check the for sale sights from time to time and you might just get the one if you just advertise.
As for your reluctant "other half" that's another story but from my experience (10 months so far) of pretty much full timing. This I have determined: AS's hold they're value a little better than most other brands but they are more expensive up-front. They are better insulated but tend to be heavier requiring a larger tow vehicle (especially in the 25' and up range). They look way cooler than any other RV.....so if I'm to be trailer-trash, well at least I'm doing it in style.
TIPS (PS: to me odor and humidity management are key to comfort in enclosed space)
To keep mold from growing (a hazard of full timing) I open up the trailer every morning and crank up the gas heater for a 1/2 hr and never hang moist clothes/linens etc inside.
Always shammy the shower after use.
It's cozy living but not for those who can't live by the boat saying "everything has a place and every place has a thing".
It's better if you Broil/fry food out side on a BBQ/grill so you don't smell up the place and get grease everywhere.
The grey water tank fill's up 3-5X faster than the Black....so divert any water coming out of taps to the Black if you can (think rinsing in a large pot).
Rather than a "pop out" you can expand your "space" by using the awning with tent wall's optioned by the Zip-Dee company.....after all Surrey is'ent as cold as "Winterpeg".!!
Good luck in your search!

Ag&Au · 12-08-2011, 10:03 AM

Have you check the classified ads on Airforums?

- Airstream Trailer Classifieds - Airstreams Trailers For Sale

**Stefrobrts** · 12-08-2011, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Del Gurney

Hi Shrug:
I'm just South of the border from you near Bellingham:
I bought my AS from a "Want to Buy" add I placed on C.List. I suspect that many people who own AS's check the for sale sights from time to time and you might just get the one if you just advertise.

That's how I got mine too, but I placed the ad in the local paper

If your husband really has his heart set on a slideout, and you're going to be living in it (I couldn't tell for sure from your post) you might want to look in some AS first and compare them to slideout models of other trailers. I'm all for AS, but I have to say, my friend's trailers and fivers with slideouts do feel incredibly spacious inside. Airstreams kind of go all in one straight line, and there's no way to break up that feeling. We lived in a single-wide for a few years, and after a while that got a bit claustrophobic feeling!

Bill M. · 12-08-2011, 10:46 AM

Given the situation I am not sure that and Airstream is your best choice. I have bought 2 Airstreams about 20 years old and they required some work and some money to get them up to snuff. I probably have 15 or so in each. I was buying before the recession and you might get lucky now. Your target price is not unrealistic, but certainly at the bottom end of the range. Would you spend more to fix it up road worthy or is that the limit.

I see an awful lot of other brand trailers that look fairly new and have slides and much more living space than an airstream. I would say the real advantage of an Airstream is if you are going to pull it or travel in it. If you are just going to park it and have to listen to hubby complain and have a tight budget I would also look at other trailers also.

Personally I probably will never have any other brand than Airstream. We have ours fixed up now and just love them and have logged many miles. But.....we are airstream nuts. Advantages are how well they pull, how well the exterior is made, and how well they are laid out inside, and I have grown accustomed to the look.
Downsides are that if they leak they take some work on the floor and maybe the frame. And they are not suited to carrying a lot of extra gear.

Are you going to live it it, or is it a for a cottage or summer use?

shrug · 12-08-2011, 01:57 PM

Hi guys, thanks for all the thoughtful responses, yes we are going to live in it, but right now our only option is a 10 year old 5th wheel that the guy is asking 25 grand for, and to me it looks like it's on it's last legs, why is that our only option? because he is will to finance us, hubby says he 'likes it' but i found it completely depressing, and would love an older airstream that's lovely outside but 'kitsch' inside, we used to live on a boat and my husband is horrified at the thought of moving back into a small space... if an airstream isn't our best choice because of this, what IS? how can we satisfy both my need for 'cool and durability' and his need for space? thank you again, and would appreciate anymore help you can give me!

cheers
shrug xoxoxox

Bill M. · 12-08-2011, 02:24 PM

well, I do think the airstream would be a much better choice that 25 grand for a old fifth wheel.

kb0zke · 12-08-2011, 06:50 PM

You don't mention what brand the 5er is, but there are very few brands that I would trust at that age. DRV (Mobile Suites or Elite Suites) would be one, Excel would be another, and New Horizons would be the third. They are heavy, though, and will require a pretty hefty truck to tow them.

Yes, financing is an issue. We're still in the research stage, so I don't know from personal experience, but I've heard over and over that getting a loan on an RV that is more than 10 years old is almost impossible.

Another thing to consider is that almost any used coach will require some repairs/upgrades to suit your needs. It might be possible to roll those things into the purchase price, and therefore have your financing cover them, too, but you may have to pay for those things out of your own money. That will be cheaper in the long run, but can put quite a dent into limited savings and cash flow.

I just reread your post, and since you are going to be staying in the park, rather than traveling, things may not be as bleak as you might think. If you can find something fairly close, you may not need to do much to the running gear, as all it has to do is get from wherever the trailer is to the park. You may not need a 5er that can stand up to lots of travel.

Check Prices & Used Values for RVs, Travel Trailers & more - NADAguides for some trailers you find for sale and see how the asking price compares to NADA. You might be surprised to find that you can offer a lot less than the asking price, and come to an agreement near where you want to be.

When you find something that you like, go ahead and make an offer. If the seller absolutely refuses to even think about your offer, go elsewhere. You aren't out anything, since even the time you spent was educational.

Enjoy the hunt!

shrug · 12-08-2011, 08:58 PM

thank you David, i've been searching all day and am quite depressed right now, i didn't think the 20 year limit the park has would be an issue, but now that i've got my heart set on an airstream, ugh... i feel like i will never be able to find a home in our price range that won't be totally depressing to live in... down in the dumps at the moment

zlee · 12-08-2011, 09:40 PM

Aw. Don't be down in the dumps. Keep searching, your perfect home will come along, whether it's an Airstream or not.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 12-08-2011, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shrug

thank you David, i've been searching all day and am quite depressed right now, i didn't think the 20 year limit the park has would be an issue, but now that i've got my heart set on an airstream, ugh... i feel like i will never be able to find a home in our price range that won't be totally depressing to live in... down in the dumps at the moment

Hi, if the park has a 20 year limit on trailers and you buy a 19 year old model, does that mean you have to move or buy another trailer next year?

shrug · 12-08-2011, 10:19 PM

i'm trying not to be down in the dumps, we just might have to wait till we have more money... thanks for trying to cheer me up

and no we don't have to buy a new trailer next year, once it's 'in' it can stay in no matter how old it is...

i am getting so angry at the people who want so much money for their old 5th wheels and such... maybe i should throw in the towel for a while... *sigh*

shrug · 12-08-2011, 10:37 PM

i ALMOST just posted a post to craig's list that said 'dear spazz, just take your meds like the rest of us if you are going to post ads and then never answer your emails'... but luckily i came to my senses before i comfirmed the post... yes, i'm getting a little cranky haha

zlee · 12-08-2011, 11:05 PM

Quote:

i am getting so angry at the people who want so much money for their old 5th wheels and such...

Don't be mad. It may be that they've bought a trailer, then had to sell, and this is what they have left to pay off on their trailer. Hard times all around.

zlee · 12-08-2011, 11:12 PM

Quote:

how can we satisfy both my need for 'cool and durability' and his need for space?

Something like one of these, maybe? If I was handy I'd totally do that...

shrug · 12-08-2011, 11:36 PM

yes i suppose i shouldn't be mad, people don't want to lose alot of money on their RVs they bought new... i'm thinking we will just wait and spend 35 grand on a 2012 35' whatever it was that i saw...

and yes yes i love tumbleweed houses, but my husband is NOT handy AT ALL haha, they are great tho aren't they?? thanks for that link i had never seen that one!

SeeMore · 12-09-2011, 12:34 AM

We searched for 6 months, knowing an Airstream and not a SOB was the answer, until we found one within the right age, model, condition & price parameters. Luckily, it was only 800 miles away and I had a friend willing to loan his truck for the long haul home. We got a '03 slide-out, 28' Safari, used 6 times for a total of 28 days for much less than that 5th wheel your husband has his eye on. The added space is worth it for us as we have two Great Danes that hang out with us on every trip. You can be cool and roomy too