New to Airstreams

[emilyweav]

Hi! I'm new to airstreams and looking for my future tiny house! I found an 89 Excella 34' for sale that I'm very interested in and seems to be in good shape. Is there any downsize to buying one this large? Will it make it harder to resell in the future if I choose to? Thank you for all your help!

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us. As to starting out with a 34 footer, that is a personal decision. It is a large trailer to start with if you do not have any trailering experience.

Brian

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the Forums!

In answer to your question, I would say, that in general, the smaller trailers are more in demand, and fetch a higher asking price. This doesn't mean you won't be able to resell the trailer some day, just that it might be easier with a smaller trailer.

Whether there are any other downsides to having this particular trailer depends on what you are going to do with it. If you intend to just park it somewhere and live in it, then I would say get the biggest trailer you can find. If you intend to travel the country and stay in national forest campgrounds, then I would say a trailer that large isn't going to be able to park just anywhere. You will also need a stout tow vehicle for a trailer that big and heavy.

Good luck!

[emilyweav]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Welcome to the Forums!

In answer to your question, I would say, that in general, the smaller trailers are more in demand, and fetch a higher asking price. This doesn't mean you won't be able to resell the trailer some day, just that it might be easier with a smaller trailer.

Whether there are any other downsides to having this particular trailer depends on what you are going to do with it. If you intend to just park it somewhere and live in it, then I would say get the biggest trailer you can find. If you intend to travel the country and stay in national forest campgrounds, then I would say a trailer that large isn't going to be able to park just anywhere. You will also need a stout tow vehicle for a trailer that big and heavy.

Good luck!

Thank you! I'm intending to park it and live in it for a year or so, so I thought a bigger one would be better for that application but I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to end up feeling stuck if I decide to do something different and not be able to sell it. Thanks for your input!

[dznf0g]

All ASes sell....for what is the question. Large ASes hold value better than corresponding SOBs, as a general rule. As stated smaller ones are in vogue right now and have been holding a higher percentage of their procurement price than the large ones. This is a lifestyle question, IMO. I wouldn't want anything smaller unless I should find myself alone someday. I have had no issues yet with a 30 being too large, although there are some really old campgrounds out west (govt) which were made for smaller units and can't be modified, due to geography. A 34 might a bit more restrictive, but not a whole lot, in my experience.

[dbj216]

We have an 86 Limited 34' and love it. It was the first trailer I towed. I weighed it at about 7700 pounds with about 850 pounds tongue weight. It take a 3/4 ton truck to tow it safely in my view. That is what we have always had. Towing any trailer takes practice and patience.

The long trailers don't hold their value as well as the 25' or less. But the 89 you are considering has already depreciated a bunch, so you should be okay at resale time in my view.

You can learn all about the Airstream brand in these Air Forums.

David

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Welcome to the Forums!

In answer to your question, I would say, that in general, the smaller trailers are more in demand, and fetch a higher asking price.

Good luck!

A 34 is an exception. They are not made anymore and have a niche, although smaller, in the market. As far as a tiny house keep in mind Airstreams are 3 seasons trailers. There are a few things you can do to spend a winter in them though.

[OTRA15]

If you are planning to live in the 34' year-round in Indiana, you might want to re-think things IMO. The winter will be an incredible struggle and expensive to heat, especially if this is your first RV.

This list of topics in the Winter Living sub-forum will be a good place to start:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f462/

"Winter Living" search results:

https://www.google.com/search?q=wint...=airforums.com

Also, the 34' is almost 30 years old, so the mechanical etc. systems will require a lot of maintenance and/or replacement IMO.

Good luck!

Peter