nervous, excited and taking the plunge...

[bluegabs]

hi guys, im a noob here, in all aspects.

ive spent months reading thru these forums, trying to get as educated as i can about this aluminum lust ive had with me for as long as i can remember.
ive eyeballed for sale listings, for what seems like forever & have even looked at airstreams for sale, knowing full well i couldnt buy.. just to simply get inside. and as a 9 year BM veteran, ive always done my best to go molest any airstream in sight on the playa & really got a feel for what i was after... new/ vintage/updated or restored, etc. i am SO hooked.

fortunately for me, im now financially in a place where i can satisfy this lust &
right now im in the works of what im thinking is a pretty good deal on a nifty lil 77' safari.

ill be checking it out in person in a week or so, ive been sent a kazillion pictures & many happily answered detailed questions from the owners. in fact, im almost feeling as if im annoying or pushy with all my requests & questions ( not based on anything theyve said, of course)

SO...ive got my checklists and am trying to figure out everything i need to be looking for.. not so much to know *if* im going to buy it, but more so to know what, if anything, i REALLY need to get handled right away before we can happily hit the road. i know there will be a certain amount of maintenance & bits needed to be done right away & im fine with that. ive got time, ive got the funds, ive got a place for it to be stored & ive got a fever to hit the road.

so far, the major major appliances have been replaced & everything looks smashing. the couple has redone the soft stuff inside (tho i might still re-do that myself).

ill admit, im naive as heck when it comes to this trailer biz, so bear with me on the next few questions i have...

for repairs & things that i cant really handle myself, where could i take the trailer for repairs, or the ever popular "repacking fo the wheel bearings"? While theres many things i plan to do myself, sometimes, theres just little things id rather pay someone else to do instead, even tho i could prolly handle them myself. ( like oil changes on a car)

any tips or resources i might not have explored?

ps, im in the oakland / bay area, if that helps.

thanks in advance, please be gentle.

[CaddyGrn]

Welcome to the forums. Good luck on your possible A/S purchase! As to your questions... some repairs are best done by yourself even with a DIY video in hand... having others do them can be extremely costly. Repacking wheel bearings, etc. go to your local tire dealer, like a Les Schwab... (or call them and ask, be sure it is someone who knows what they are doing...)

I would make a list of what you see as repairs in the next 6 months before you purchase the trailer and check out and see where you can have them fixed. For example, say you want tail lights repaired. Call a RV place and ask them what they charge per hour and what a ball park estimate would be.

Some things you would want an authorized Airstream Dealer to repair... Check out the Mothership home page and key in your zip to find dealers near you. Airstream, Inc :: Travel In Style
Good luck on your adventure!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi traveling in S Tardis ~ from the Great State of Jefferson
My new blog: Yreka History

[bluegabs]

thanks for the tips
seems the hot water heater is the major issue at hand for replacement. reading the forums, there seems to be a nice variety of options & isnt that much of a headache.

would it be a good idea to take it in to the local airstream dealer service center to get inspected, just to be totally certian everything is up to par, structurally & as far as the brakes/wheels/axels & such go?

[cameront120]

Water heater is a piece of cake. I just replaced mine. It even works!

[Uberphotos]

Congats on everything bluegabs...You should be able to handle the hot water heater..just make sure to turn off the gas, our your new trailers may go up in smoke
Post your checklist items and we can all review it for you...

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by bluegabs

hi guys, im a noob here, in all aspects.

ive spent months reading thru these forums, trying to get as educated as i can about this aluminum lust ive had with me for as long as i can remember. i am SO hooked.
ill admit, im naive as heck when it comes to this trailer biz, so bear with me on the next few questions i have...

We were all naive until we got into it, bought, traveled and repaired. Then we realized that there's even more that we didn't know, so we turn to the forums for the vast knowledge it contains from the membership.

You'll spend alot more than "months" getting educated from your participation in the forums. And the Alumilust is normal... and it doen't go away... you... you, uh... just gotta learn to live with it...

Ask away and welcome!