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Silvertwinky · 06-19-2005, 08:14 PM

As you already know from an earlier thread,we purchased a (S.O.B.) and we no longer have an A/S. Many thanks go to this forum where it sold very quickly. I do know how well the A/S’s are constructed and know they are a great product.

Every one we’ve owned we have noticed little things that would occur or minor problems; but over all we have enjoyed the quality of a very nice product. One of the most aggravating things we had to put up with was water leaks. I don’t like water leaks but I think you’ll have that with any brand in time. To me they were a little difficult to work on, while at the same time, everything seemed to be tucked away in its own little space utilizing every available nook and cranny. I would also like to have a $1.00 for every time I bumped my head on the doorway, one would think that a person would learn after one or two thumps on the head but I just didn’t seem to learn the easy way.

On the positive side, they have been very easy to tow. With the proper towing vehicle and set up it was certainly an enjoyable driving experience. We also enjoyed the sound of the rain hitting on the aluminum sides during the night; really relaxing.

Our reason for switching brands was primarily one simple fact. We were offered a deal that we thought was too good to be true as far as we were concerned. After purchasing this (new to us) 37’ motor home, it seems to be growing on us, what can I say? We like it and so far have no regrets!

One of the things I like the best is that we have a built in generator. I’ve always thought I would like that but I’ve only heard that some trailers had them, we never did.

My wife asked me what we were going to fill in all of the storage space with. It is a lot of room compared to the 31' A/S we had prior to this. We now have what I call a full size basement, something I never thought about before.

Instead of towing our home with a vehicle, we will now be towing a vehicle with our home. The only difference I see there is once we arrive at our destination, we can do our running around as well as any day trips in a smaller vehicle. The only real down side I’ve noticed so far is trying to drive when it’s windy. Not a good combination IMO.

Would I ever go back to an A/S? Yes, certainly and I wouldn’t hesitate to own one again, but one thing I do realize now, is that there are several brands out there that I find just as nice for our needs. I’m very satisfied with the one we have and think it’s a good product as well. OBTW, its fifteen years old!

Has anyone else on this forum ever switched brands or are we the only ones with a S.O.B. ?

Rog0525 · 06-19-2005, 08:34 PM

Other brands of mohos may serve just as well but I think the true value of an AS is in the resale value. In my area, I see hundreds of other mh brands for sale but no Airstreams. My advice would be to enjoy your moho but don't expect the attention that an AS would draw.

gotair · 06-19-2005, 10:32 PM

Just Look Around You At The Next Rv Park And See How Many Sob's There Are Compared To A.s. Your Not Alone Dude...

Silvertwinky · 06-20-2005, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotair2

Just Look Around You At The Next Rv Park And See How Many Sob's There Are Compared To A.s. Your Not Alone Dude...

Actually, I was wondering if there was anyone else on this forum that has made the switch!

maxandgeorgia · 06-20-2005, 07:38 AM

Hi, Bill and Donna! We still remember visiting last summer at Moraine View

Hope you are enjoying your MH and most of all, enjoying camping! Good to see you post here! ~G

Coloradobus · 06-20-2005, 10:39 AM

Silvertwinkie, You are not alone. We went from a 28 ft Excella, to a 35 diesel pusher airstream Cutter, to Country Coach 40 foot, then another Country Coach 45 ft, and to 2 more different 45 ft SOB motorhomes.. We picked up our '67 Globetortter 2 years ago off of Ebay, and use it locally. We use our big coach for longer road trips. However, we will tow the GT to Springfield this weekend.

Silvertwinky · 06-25-2005, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotair2

Just Look Around You At The Next Rv Park And See How Many Sob's There Are Compared To A.s. Your Not Alone Dude...

We went to Pigeon Forge last fall and looking around in the park what we seen was that we were the S.O.B. Our trailer was the only A/S in the park with the exception of an Argosy some friends of ours had.

Mike Lewis · 06-25-2005, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvertwinky

Actually, I was wondering if there was anyone else on this forum that has made the switch!

Silvertwinky--- Please don't misunderstand me ,but why are you interested? Reading between the lines it sounds as though you're having a little remorse and looking for someone to confirm you made the right choice. I enjoy your input here on the forum ,it just seems strange you would hang out here if your heart was in another place, or is it? Just wondering--Pieman

ALANSD · 06-25-2005, 05:32 PM

so what sob did you get? I have looked oer the past couple of years at a few for sale, thinking I could get into something a bit bigger, more storage, and about 10 years newer. I looked at Holiday Ramblers, and BlueBirds. Both are metal riveted construction, which attracted me.
But when I look at that aero aluminum shiny thing in my driveway, it becomes really hard to consider selling. And as my kids put it, " Dad, you've done soooo much work to the Airstream, how could you get rid of it?" Thats been my problem,,,,though I still look and ocassionally lust a little.

garry · 06-25-2005, 06:29 PM

Last year we purchased a 1990 Holiday Rambler Alumalite 31ft MH at a price we could not refuse everything works no major problems, motor runs strong at 71000 miles (we have put over 7,000) miles on it so far and no regrets. Pull a Jeep Cherokee Sport.

However we could not let the Airstream go it is still a work in progress.

Garry

TheLuvShack · 06-25-2005, 06:43 PM

My TT education began right here at the U of A (University of Airstream)! Having never owned a TT I needed some insight on ownership, restoration, towing, etc. What drew me to AS? I grew up in California in the 50's and always admired AS. I love the sleek aluminum aerodynamic style. I looked at new and used every chance I got but couldn't bring myself to close a deal. Most new AS's were more than I could afford and most used ones needed more restoration than i was willing to tackle. Last May I found a 1971 28' Avion in good condition for what I felt was the right price. I've used it several times and just returned from a five night 450 mile round trip. I spent time in two state parks in Indiana. I wasn't the oldest trailer in the park but I was the only silvertwinkie in the park. It pulls great, I love the birchwood interior and everything works! I guess I own an SOB but I like to think I own one of the AS cousins.

Pick · 06-25-2005, 08:05 PM

I'd rather work on my Airstream, then go camping in an SOB.

Silvertwinky · 06-25-2005, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALANSD

so what sob did you get? I have looked oer the past couple of years at a few for sale, thinking I could get into something a bit bigger, more storage, and about 10 years newer. I looked at Holiday Ramblers, and BlueBirds. Both are metal riveted construction, which attracted me.
But when I look at that aero aluminum shiny thing in my driveway, it becomes really hard to consider selling. And as my kids put it, " Dad, you've done soooo much work to the Airstream, how could you get rid of it?" Thats been my problem,,,,though I still look and ocassionally lust a little.

We have a 1990 Gulf Stream 2000 37' 460 gas on an OSHKOSH chassis. You can see it in my profile. A new diesel pusher would be nice but just a little out of our reach right now. We did like the A/S a lot but we're not sorry we sold it. I wasn't home when it was picked up so it didn't hurt so bad when it left. What would be really bad is if there wasn't any kind of RV around at all! It just didn't seem practical for us to keep them both. I had to fix a few things since I purchased the M/H but hopefully after all the bugs are out it will ease off a bit.

We are getting ready to head out for a few days and I ended up storing a lot more stuff in it than I originally thought I would, including a 6' step ladder for those hard to reach places near the roof.

I keep hanging around this forum because I met a lot of nice Airstreamer's at a couple of the rallies I went to. In general, I think this is probably the best forum on the net right now.

Astrodokk · 06-26-2005, 11:01 AM

Silvertwinky,
Do you recall William Henshall? He sold his beautifully restored A/S MH and bought a much bigger and newer SOB MH for full timing I think.

I've considered getting a different brand myself, but when my kids are gone to college. That will be in 10 years. So like Alan, I've been looking, inspecting, going to RV shows, and lurking at sites to learn about other brands. If I can stay A/S and get a nice '96 360 DP when I "retire" my old '81, then I can still be Airstreaming! These sure attract attention in places. However, I won't hesitate to change brands if I get a deal I shouldn't refuse. That's good business sense! I really like Bluebird, but others have piqued my interest as well. I didn't know Holiday Rambler was metal built. Thanks Alan.

Is your new one silver, or is your name up for grabs to the highest bidder?

Kistler · 06-26-2005, 12:07 PM

Just an "aside" here....I can see the day coming when my wife won't be able to enjoy travel. We are going to have to move to independent living, I think.

This means our second car (Jeep GC) is totally unncecessary--it is now by the way--but I want to keep the Expedition and tt....is this crazy... I guess what I'm saying is "after an Airstream ?????" guess for me nothing.

Davydd · 06-26-2005, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

Silvertwinky--- Please don't misunderstand me ,but why are you interested? Reading between the lines it sounds as though you're having a little remorse and looking for someone to confirm you made the right choice. I enjoy your input here on the forum ,it just seems strange you would hang out here if your heart was in another place, or is it? Just wondering--Pieman

Silvertwinky was a great contributor here. When he announced he could not pass up an offer for an SOB several members here asked him not to be a stranger and he was more than welcome on this forum. So here he is and asking what I think is an interesting question.

ALANSD · 06-26-2005, 04:04 PM

There is no rule that I know of that says you have to own an Airstream to be a member here. The common thread is that we all like them.

airstream6666 · 06-26-2005, 05:14 PM

I've owned Airstreams for almost thirty years, except for a 7-year period in the 1990s when I lived on Oahu. I had lived there for two years before, and knew that I would not have a use for a travel trailer. The important thing here is that I had no other experience with travel trailers. Before my first purchase, I did look for a long time at Argosy motor homes when Airstream did not make one, and I also considered a GMC MH. In both cases, I actually camped in the motor homes as a part of my consideration.

I didn't even look at any other manufacturer's products for my first ten years as a TT camper.

I was not, BTW, a "family" camper. I worked as a technical professional in the hazardous waste industry, and have always been a gypsy. Since my separation from the submarine service shortly after the Vietnam armistice, I have worked all over the country (and in Canada) and have called a TT "home" for most of the time. I've also lived on a sailboat for one year, and still have a love of sailing.

As I've grown older. the reasons for my first selection of an Airstream have been forgotten. Now, the Airstream is just what I know. I still like some motor homes (particularly, Bluebirds) and undertaking a complete conversion of a diesel bus seems particularly appealing. I guess I never really got van customizing out of my system.

As I said, I was not a "family" camper. I was one of the folks many of you might have helped "run off" in campgrounds over the years — maybe because of loud music, suspicious odors, or general principle. But I have learned to behave, I suppose, and I certainly do appreciate "family" camping — even if my own marriage never produced children.

Because, IMHO, "family" camping is really where it's at.

It’s not where you've gone or what product you use to get there — it's who you share the experiences with.

— Johnny

Mike Lewis · 06-28-2005, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davydd

Silvertwinky was a great contributor here. When he announced he could not pass up an offer for an SOB several members here asked him not to be a stranger and he was more than welcome on this forum. So here he is and asking what I think is an interesting question.

Davydd---Just a word to clarify my post you are responding to. I don't think I inplied Silvertwinky was not a great contributor or that he was not welcome. I remain in agreement about both. My responce was because it WAS an interesting question, perhaps in a different way to me than you.

Davydd · 06-28-2005, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

Davydd---Just a word to clarify my post you are responding to. I don't think I inplied Silvertwinky was not a great contributor or that he was not welcome. I remain in agreement about both. My responce was because it WAS an interesting question, perhaps in a different way to me than you.

Mike, No problem. It is just that sometimes trolls come into forums to shake things up with questions like Silvertwinky's and members start to question motivation. I think not the case here and just wanted to point out Silvertwinky's credentials and history.