Kimmy, I sure hope it works out for you.
Just to share our own newcomer experiences with you:
A few things to consider are: (a) your budget, (b) your prior RVing or camping experience, (c) your general level of mechanical/electrical/plumbing handiness, (d) the type of camping you prefer (wilderness or citified?), (e) your tow vehicle's capacity, and (f) your list of "must haves" and "can do withouts."
In our case:
(a) The budget could have afforded a bigger unit, but we wanted to buy something with no payments and with some money left in the bank. We found a 2-year old on a dealer's lot.
(b) No prior RV experience, but lots of tent camping. Backing a trailer was a challenge!
(c) Low. Thankfully everything was in good shape when we bought the Bambi and under the dealership's one-year warranty, as a lot of stuff did go wrong the first year.
(d) More on the wild side. So small was beautiful. We are a senior couple plus a dog: kids or grandchildren would change the size equations.
(e) Our Toyota Tacoma wouldn't be happy towing anything over 5000 lbs. Buying a bigger unit would mean a new truck, as well, adding to the cost. If we watch our speed, we get about 15 mpg. With a cap on the back of our truck, we have room for our array of gear.
(f) We figured we could do without most things in an RV. Nearly 6 years later, Len is happy as-is; Jeanne would prefer a unit with a dry bath and some kitchen counter space. But hey, the wet bath provides showers and the food prep moves to the table.
The East-West bed model makes it hard if someone frequestly has to get up in the middle of the night or gets claustophobic, but the dinette provides a second bed option. (Some Bambis have a North-South bed, but they still leave one person against the wall with no easy exit.)
Also, the layouts differ between models. One thing we both like about the Bambi are its big windows front and back. We don't see the back view in some of the bigger models.
We also like that we can fit nicely into the smaller sites at some of the older National Park and Forest Service campgrounds in the western states.
You might think, also, about whether you have space to store a big trailer at home, if you don't have another RV now.
If you visit your nearest dealer having done some homework, they will show you their inventory on the lot. You can also search the floor plans for new models on Airstream's web site.
Happy hunting!
Newbie/Wannabe Airstream Owner
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