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ericpeltier · 09-14-2015, 09:27 AM

Regardless, I would ask for BRAND NEW Batteries and check in cabinets for any sign of water/bug/rodent action.

lbdesign · 09-14-2015, 01:32 PM

@DHart It's a 2015 30' International Signature —*close to yours, but I'm jealous of your recliner option. This one is remaindered so a good price.
I'll definitely be driving out to pick it up and sign papers, but that's a bit late to detect a fatal flaw.

@Hittenstiehl, that's so nice of you! They lock it up because it's under deposit, but I could talk to the salesman...

They've been sending me pics of my "lot rotted" AS and it looks showroom-perfect to me from the overall and detail shots. (of course you can't see everything this way). He says the dealership is laughing at that term. They keep a bucket of water in the kitchen sink on all of theirs to add moisture to the inside air. I got a pic of that too.

BScott · 09-14-2015, 02:08 PM

I bought a 1973 Safari from Desert Autoplex and was very satisfied with what I got.

DHart · 09-14-2015, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbdesign

@DHart It's a 2015 30' International Signature —*close to yours, but I'm jealous of your recliner option. This one is remaindered so a good price.
I'll definitely be driving out to pick it up and sign papers, but that's a bit late to detect a fatal flaw.

@Hittenstiehl, that's so nice of you! They lock it up because it's under deposit, but I could talk to the salesman...

They've been sending me pics of my "lot rotted" AS and it looks showroom-perfect to me from the overall and detail shots. (of course you can't see everything this way). He says the dealership is laughing at that term. They keep a bucket of water in the kitchen sink on all of theirs to add moisture to the inside air. I got a pic of that too.

lb... we've spent a LOT of time in that particular coach when we were formulating our decision on what to order. It is the one with 30amp/one AC unit and Espresso (dark) wood work. You can use the single AC unit as a bargaining chip. The single AC in a 30' coach is not very desirable here in Arizona and that's why it hasn't sold yet.

As I understand it, that coach was originally ordered by another dealer that for some unknown reason was unable to or decided not to take it. I believe DAP probably picked it up at a little bit of a deal.

It is a nice coach. If I recall correctly, one of the lower kitchen cabinet doors may have come loose for some reason, which is no big deal, and I'm sure that would be corrected prior to your inspection. My only qualms about buying that particular unit would be the lack of 50 amp/two AC units. But that may not be as important to someone else who travels in cool climates.

lbdesign · 09-15-2015, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHart

...
As I understand it, that coach was originally ordered by another dealer that for some unknown reason was unable to or decided not to take it. I believe DAP probably picked it up at a little bit of a deal.
...
.

Thank you! That's great to know. And also it's good to know you saw it and though it to be in good shape.
I will probably not intentionally spend time in very hot climates at the peak of the hot season, so the 1 AC should be enough for me. And sometimes having only a 30 amp draw is a campground advantage.

DHart · 09-15-2015, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbdesign

Thank you! That's great to know. And also it's good to know you saw it and though it to be in good shape.
I will probably not intentionally spend time in very hot climates at the peak of the hot season, so the 1 AC should be enough for me. And sometimes having only a 30 amp draw is a campground advantage.

It may well serve you wonderfully. We don't intentionally spend time with the Airstream in very hot climates either! Even with two AC units, spending time in temps of 100*+ isn't all that enjoyable!

Having 50 amp, however, doesn't preclude you from plugging into 30 amp, or even 20 amp power supply. It just enables you to have a great amount of power when it is available. Running AC units, coffee maker, hair dryer, microwave, hot water heater, fridge... ALL at the same time, can be a nice convenience. But it certainly isn't necessary most of the time.

With 30A service, you have 3600 watts available to you (30A x 120V).

If you have 50A service you have two 50A legs, so 50A x 120V x 2 = 12,000 watts, nearly 4x the wattage of 30A.

55AS · 09-15-2015, 06:12 AM

Great dealership. Bought my 1955 FC from them in January. Even it has very little "lot rot". What a crock of BS :-)

dames7 · 09-15-2015, 08:43 AM

We got ours from Desert Autoplex and could not be happier with the dealer, Denny is the guy to get anything fix, we had ours in two times for little things and they fix it while I waited.

Denny told me to call him anytime if I need help with anything while on the road, what a great place.

aluminitus · 09-16-2015, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHart

Hi Laura... we met you last spring at LD. Nice to see you here. That's great how you guys deal with your batteries!

Don

Hello! It is a small world! I hope you are doing well and enjoying your new Airstream! Your Airstream is beautiful

DHart · 09-16-2015, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aluminitus

Hello! It is a small world! I hope you are doing well and enjoying your new Airstream! Your Airstream is beautiful

Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting and talking with you at LD. I'm sorry the manager was having a tough time with us that day, but you were great!

lbdesign · 09-22-2015, 10:28 PM

Quick update: Things are moving well with Desert Autoplex. Got a call today that they started their final inspection process more than a full week prior to my pick-up date. They found a few items to fix, informed me, checked my scheduling to ensure they'd finish in time to match my plans, even if it meant overnighting parts. At every step of the process I have been impressed. So far, I'm glad I chose them over other dealers I've been speaking with. I get the feeling they care about more than just moving one more unit off the lot.

DHart · 09-23-2015, 11:35 PM

lbdesign.... excellent! DAP took very good care of us. No complaints. And Denny is especially helpful, knowledgeable, and generous with his time and attention! They went over our rig with a fine tooth comb the day is came in. They didn't expect us to find problems and return it for correction; they saw to it that all worked well before we took delivery.

We've spent weeks traveling with our Serenity since taking delivery in July and everything works as expected, aside from the hall closet floor needing reinforcement to bear the heavier-than-designed-for load we put on it. I fixed that issue myself and don't fault dealer or factory for the issue. The closet was intended to store clothing and we decided to use it for general storage with a drawer unit.

We're very happy Airstreamers and happy with the trade & purchase experience at Desert Autoplex RV, as well.

lbdesign · 09-29-2015, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHart

...aside from the hall closet floor needing reinforcement to bear the heavier-than-designed-for load we put on it. I fixed that issue myself and don't fault dealer or factory for the issue. The closet was intended to store clothing and we decided to use it for general storage with a drawer unit.

DHart, I picked mine up today. And I think I need to do the same thing with the closet —*at least half of it will need to become drawers or shelves. Would it be easy to share a picture or describe what you did for storage there? And also what you had to do to reinforce the closet floor? I can see myself putting lots of stuff in there —*gear, not shirts!

Denny is fantastic. It is a great crew at Desert Autoplex.

PS: Thanks for the earlier lesson on 30 vs 50 amp power! I did not realize how it multiplied out.

DHart · 09-29-2015, 09:18 AM

This is the Elfa Mesh Drawer storage unit we got from The Container Store:

It is an awesome solution.

The floor of the closet MUST be reinforced, or it will collapse under a certain degree of weight. All you need is some means of transferring the load of the closet floor directly down to the trailer floor. I did so by creating a number of plywood panels placed vertically (with cut outs to allow the water and furnace conduit lines to pass through) going from the closet floor down to the trailer floor. Solution works well and still allows access to the water pump and other stuff under there. I put a number of these 3/4" plywood supports around at various places under the closet floor. Will shoot a pic for you.