Hello all !

[Britbox]

I am an admirer of AS design and lifestyle, and am here to research the realities of what I can expect as far build quality, warranty response, and cost, before I purchase.
I have read a few stories that have made me think twice, and then others that pull me back.

[Rich W]

Hello Britbox, greetings from central Kentucky and welcome to the forum. My wife and I had our hearts set on an Airstream when we retired. We didn't even look at anything else. I have seen a lot of old ones on the road and looking at the ones in the Classifieds section of the forum shows that they hold their value. Interior components like the fridge, stove, microwave, etc. are common throughout all brands. The exterior, frame etc. are all Airstream. Yes, we've had some problems but we wouldn't consider an SOB (some other brand). Everywhere we go we get compliments and questions about our AS

[GetawA-S]

Britbox, We are happy with ours, having found our match on the second try. We liked long distance travel and hope to do more someday, - the low profile is definitely easy to tow. The small footprint of our 23FB allows us to go almost anywhere. I am totally sold on the ducted A/C , being a light sleeper.
As for quality, yes, there were some disappointments on our first trailer, but the factory came through when needed.

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

As to your concerns about Airstreams, I will share with you our lengthy Airstream experience. We have been avid Airstreamers for the past fifteen years. We have over 2,100 nights of Airstream camping experience. We have camped all over the United States and Canada, including an Alaska trip just last summer. We have almost 200,000 miles of Airstream towing experience.

We started out with a 25FB, had one year of experience with a 23FB, and went back to a 25FB. We have enjoyed all three of our Airstreams immensely. Are Airstreams expensive? Yes. Are Airstreams without flaws? No. They actually should be better for the money they cost.

Each time we have replaced our Airstreams, we have done extensive research and shopping. We have always ended up back at Airstream. There just isn't anything else out there that compares to an Airstream.

Brian

[Britbox]

Thank you Brian, and the rest who commented,. What I’m starting to understand is for the price you pay you would expect perfection, but it’s more the feeling they give you is what you’re paying for.

[Joe15601]

We are on our second Airstream. The first was a 2009 International 23D. At the time the Airstream dealer was next to where I work. I told them if they ever had a deal I couldn't refuse let me know, I wanted one. Two years later they said they had a deal for me and I was an Airstreamer. That was during the great recession and there were brand new two year old trailers on the lot (mine was 1 yr). We kept it for 10 years and sold it last fall and ordered our 27GT. They are no longer a dealer, but an excellent repair option for the stuff I don't want to do. There are no good options for warranty work nearby so I shopped all the eastern US for the best deal on the GT.

Both have had bugs to work out when new, but nothing that would cause us to miss any trips (so far). I take care of the issues I can and think it makes the ownership experience much better if you're mechanically and electrically inclined so you don't have to waste time running back and forth for repairs. Either way, once sorted you should have many years of use with minimal issues. Just be proactive and prompt when issues do arise. I like to scan for leaks or water intrusion when convenient, check hub temperature (by feel) after towing and general monitoring of all systems functions. It is also kept as clean as possible inside and out. These forums are a great resource, even if you need to read between the lines sometimes.

If your expectations are reasonable you will likely be very happy. Over the last 20 years we have probably been in over 1000 trailers at the shows. Most don't interest us at all, few are admired, but not for us. Then there's the Airstreams. They have an ambiance that makes you feel like your doing something special, not just sitting in a tiny house. The way light reflects off of the interior, panorama & vista view windows, design of the cabinetry and back-lighting make for a unique experience.

Think seriously about your intended use, storage needs, maintenance needs and budget. Will you really use it enough? The decision is yours, but for us there is no other. If we didn't have our Airstream, we would have a second home or houseboat.

[kpfate]

We are new to AS with our purchase of a 2018 22FB in June. It is just the two of us with our two 4-legged friends so the 22FB was a good starting size for us. We love it so far and whether we decide to go a bit larger is way down the road for us. Welcome and enjoy!