22 or 23' Airstream

[Devoman]

How long should I wait to sell my 05 19' Bambi Safari to purchase a new one.How much do you think I would be under right now?Just curious as we do want to purchase a bigger one in the next few years before my daughter turn around 6 years or so.Thanks

[Silvertwinkie]

You know when we upgraded from our Bambi to the Safari, we got a great deal....when we were looking at a 25' SE SS, the deal was not as great.

I'm thinking you'd be better selling yours and buying new without trade based on my last 3 exp with dealers......

Also, I like the 23' vs the 22'.

[2airishuman]

yea baby, that's the best solution yet for the tote along issue, get a new trailer!

it's usually expensive to upgrade frequently since the biggest depreciation is in the first 1-2 years.

that said, once the idea takes root......it's time to act!

you'll need to think about the t.v. issue as part of the upgrade cost.

i'm sure you realize the 22/23s are exactly the same size, it's the floor plan that makes the 23 a 'model'....hey why not just skip a size and go to 25 which is a great size, comes in the most models/styles and is sometimes LESS money than a 22/23.

trades have the advantage of saving sales tax but any dealer that is really competitive on new models will be tightest on trade offers too...selling yourself might bring more than trade but finding buyers, showing it, awaiting for their financing and so on.....all cost you....... time=money.

here's a dealer with 6 25s and 4 22/23s on the lot! lots of photos of these on their website for your enjoyment. they are very good folks and will deal on the phone.....and won't bait/switch to get you there.

www.airstreamofarkansas.com

or why not opt for a new 34 classic for nearly 20k off!

cheers
2air'

[CanoeStream]

Airstream's website graphic on the Safari page suggests the 23' is slightly longer. The specifications page states the difference is 8". Yes, I too had read here somewhere the frame/shell was the same (notwithstanding the totally different floor/window plan).

[Devoman]

I am just curious as to what my options are when I decide to actually go through with this.I dont want to lose a lot of money but a little wont hurt me though.My T.V. can pull 7700 lbs w/a 770 tongue weight so I know it can carry this size vehicle.Anything larger and I will have to get a new vehicle.pLUS it has air suspesion so I am not worried about a hitch setup if the hitch is to small for the larger Airstream.I will only need a antisway mechanism.
So what does evveryone else think I could get for this Airstream by chance?Thanks

[Silvertwinkie]

Your VW should not tow a 25' coach. I know some folks that do, but the 22/23' unit is all that you should safely consider. I have a 25' and towed it with a sedan that had gobs of power......power is NOT the only issue as I found out. Any way you look at it, you will take a hit on the upgrade. The longer you wait, the more money comes off the table. Air is right, time is money, but I have seen these units move fairly quickly on eBay. True you pay a premium when you sell on eBay, but frankly, after going through the possib of upgrading for the 3rd time and talking to 3 dealers, it was my conclusion that if I wanted the best return on my coach, I'd have to part with it first and then go fishing with a big stick and get near the 19% folks are talking about. Most dealers I just recently went through the process with were saying we can do a retail to retail or wholesale to wholesale....problem was that when I called them on their numbers, they were typically near wholesale for our current coach and near retail for the new coach or the other way around. I never truely got a retail to retail or wholesale to wholesale and this was the same story from 3 dealers just two months ago. This was not the case when we upgraded to the 25' from the 19' in late 2003/ early 2004. I don't anticipate it getting any better in the spring, but I intend to talk to one more dealer before giving up on the next upgrade for a while.

[Silvertwinkie]

BTW, the 2005s are not on the NADA site yet, but here is a 2004's NADA value:

Low Retail Average Retail Base Price

$19,020 $22,910

Options

AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING
13,500 BTU Central/Ducted: $535 $650
Furnace (13,000-17,000 BTU): $120 $145
APPLIANCES
Refrigerator Adds For Non-Self Contained Units 2.5 - 4.0 Cu Ft.: $405 $490
Water Heater 6 Gallon Gas/Elec. w/DSI: $215 $260
ENTERTAINMENT
AM/FM/CD Stereo: $210 $255
JACKS AND LEVELING SYSTEMS
Stabilizer Jacks (Crank Down): $155 $190
MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
Awning 13' - 14' (Each): $415 $505
LPG Gas/Smoke Detector: $70 $90

TOTAL RETAIL PRICE $21,145 $25,495

I would estimate yours, depending on options could be higer by about 2 or 3 thousand dollars. Keep in mind the 2006 models have been out now since May or June of 2005, so your unit is now last year's model as mine is a model of 2 years ago.

[Mike Lewis]

Deovman---We were faced with a similar decision reciently. Having purchased an o5/ 25' classic last march we realized if we were to go "full time'' in the future we wanted one slightly larger with a dinnette. Our dilema -- should we wait until that time to trade up, thus giving us time to save the difference$$$$, or trade now and take our losses now. We decided to trade now for the following reasons. Even though the greatest depreciation ocurrs in the first year we had purchased our just before Airstreams price increase this year. This actually helped us as the trade value went up on ours as well.
2nd, if you have to finance, as most of us do, interest rates are as low as they will be for the foreseeable future. 3rd, Had we waited to save enough and avoid financing, chances are price increases and additional depreciation would have out run what we saved. 4th, our trade was absolutely perfect, thus anyone purchasing it, or taking it in on trade, could not point to defects or damage, even slight, and use that as a reason to offer less for it. Our final conclusion was that it wouldn't be saving any by waiting and we could be enjoying what we wanted now.
Pieman

[overlander63]

I found a 2005 brand-new, slightly used 19' unit for $28,995. It had been used exactly 27 hours, and brought back and traded for a 22' coach. That should help you decide what dollar figure to put on yours, as you haven't used yours much, either.

[2airishuman]

canoe stream...
well the web site does list the 23 as 8 inches longer and it even has a different hitch height.....and it also lists the 28/slide as a foot longer than the 28sanslide....seems they are really tweeking the safari model frames/shells alot....

on the tour, when poking around in the first 23....about to roll out the door, we were told it was a "floorplan model designation" but the folks doing the web info are pretty careful about listing correct info, so i'd believe their numbers....but check with a dealer or customer service rep before buying.

devoman....i love vw/audi products and have owned 30 years worth....but i'd still be leary of controlling a 23-25 foot trailer with the t-reqs....because of the short wheel base.....it's shorter iirc than the s6 avant i own now. i'd love to have the vw diesel version but STILL wouldn't feel safe controlling more than a bambi with it. of course you may feel safe about the combo.

i did meet one cayenne /bambi owner at the factory....he was there upgrading his bambi to disc brakes after having a "close call" during a panic slow down/stop on a flat interstate. the factory actually had 3 cayennes there at the same time and were taking them to a local closed course for handling issues while towing bambis......

cheers
2air'