Long Time Vintage Owners Speak Up!

[Safari Tim]

I'm coming up on 3.5 years of vintage ownership and still enjoy it very much. We have fun with our trailer despite the work it takes to maintain it.

It seems when I meet other vintage owners they have only owned the trailer for a year or two. I was wondering how long you have owned/used your vintage trailer.

I suspect maybe some get into the life style with a vintage unit and get tired of the work and upgrade to a current model.... could it be true?

How about a poll?

[Stefrobrts]

We're in our second season. When we attended the Silver Trailer Social in May, we were like the old hands - all the other Caravel owners wanted to ask us about how this and that worked, because they had only had their Caravels for a matter of months! We had had ours for just over a year!

I feel the temptation to upgrade, the draw of those appliances that start with the push of a button, refrigerators that actually keep food cold, the lack of that 'old trailer' smell, shiny aluminum inside instead of yellow sticky vinyl, but my husband reminds me that the grass is always greener on the other side. Reports from owners of new units (which aren't as trouble-free as I'd hope) keep me vintage.

[Safari Tim]

Humm.... 57% newbies here.

New theory.

There are only about 25 vintage trailers in existance and we keep recyling them to new owners every 18 months!

[markdoane]

Should we include the years it takes to make them roadworthy, or just count from the day it makes the first successful trip?

[Safari Tim]

Originally Posted by markdoane

Should we include the years it takes to make them roadworthy, or just count from the day it makes the first successful trip?

Humm. Good question.

How about as long as your actively working on it to take it out for a maiden voyage.

Parked in a farm field for 8 years w/o stepping foot inside of it doesn't count!

[overlander64]

My '64 Overlander found me in 1995, and the '78 Minuet 6.0 Metre found me in 2002. Between the two coaches, I have probably spent enough to have purchased a brand new 25' Safari. Despite, or in spite of the cost of restoration, I wouldn't change a thing - - I have an attachment to my Vintage Overlander and Minuet that I don't think would ever happen with a new coach, and a new coach wouldn't have the spacious, comfortable rear baths found in both of my coaches.

My Airstream and Argosy have become collector vehicles much as my collector cars - - my '65 Dodge Coronet 500 Convertible has been with me since 1974, the '60 Studebaker Lark Convertible has been with me since 1977, the '84 Cadillac Biarritz Convertible since 1992, and the '75 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible since 1994. I suspect that the Overlander and Minuet will be a part of my estate as well as the old convertibles that have followed me.

Kevin

[markdoane]

Originally Posted by Safari Tim

Humm. Good question.

How about as long as your actively working on it to take it out for a maiden voyage.

Parked in a farm field for 8 years w/o stepping foot inside of it doesn't count!

On that basis, I need to change my vote. Owned for 15, worked on for 1. Maiden voyage planned October '05.

[Airstreamer67]

I never would have guessed that I would be the first...surely not the only????...10-year-plus vintage Airstreamer to so register on this forum. Nevertheless, as of this writing, I'm the sole incumbent who has so noted.

I bought my vintage 1967 26-foot International in the spring of 1984 when she was just Sweet Sixteen. She was actually born in December 1967, and by the time I bought her, I bet most other brands of 1967 trailers had already been in the salvage yard "Retirement Home for While Boxes" for a year or two.

I worked on her for a year before I actually got her on the road. I knew she needed a little work, because I could see the original copper pipes had burst from freeze damage even before I made the purchase. So, before I took her on the first trip, I replaced all her plumbing. Just for good measure, I also replaced the original commode, water heater, oven, refrigerator and heating system, and replaced them with a microwave, apartment-type refrigerator and two 6000 BTU catalytic heaters. I've done other things since, of course, and after each trip, I always return home with a list of things to upgrade, fix or change. With one of these babies, you never have to worry about something to do, but I wouldn't do it if it weren't fun.

My Airstream is now almost 37 years old (the same age as my oldest child), meaning I have owned her for some 20 years to date, longer than any previous owner (there were at least two of them). It has provided me bed and breakfast (and lunch and dinner) accommodations for untold thousands of miles. During those two decades, I have been from the Smokies of North Carolina to the Rockies of Yellowstone, from the shows of Branson to the casinos of Los Vegas, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Custer battleground of the Yellowstone River, from the Grand Canyon to the Tetons to Zion to Bryce to...well, you get the picture.

People who travel via planes and stay in hotels don't believe me when I tell them I can leave on a three- or four-week trip without one reservation. They could not believe when I took off this past September with not one commitment for accommodations to visit the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the battlegrounds of Virginia, the Smithsonian of DC, Gettysburg, Niagara Falls, and the turning leaves of Vermont. When I returned after some 20 days, they could not believe that instead of that tour, I had first stopped in Branson for a few days to take in a few shows while watching the Weather Channel to see what the hurricanes were doing. When I saw that the hurricanes, too, were visiting many of the places I originally intended to go, and when I subsequently saw floods roaring down the streets of Asheville, near my original first stop, I decided to cancel all previous plans, and instead of going east and north east, I headed west and north west to Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park and the Royal Gorge and two vintage train rides in Colorado and New Mexico and etc, etc. That's vagabonding in an Airstream for you.

Yep, my 37-year-old Airstream is still performing yeoman's duties as faithfully as one could hope. I retired last year, and this year came close to buying a brand new Airstream. Even went to a dealer and inspected lots of models and got prices. I came close, but I felt like an old fool going after a young trophy bride. Maybe next year, maybe the next. Maybe not.

But one thing's for sure. Airstream Rocks!

[Ken J]

Streamer 67

What a great story - really appreciate your taking the time to share your experiences - I've had trailers since 1988 - tents before that - we keep a long of all our trips - what a great time we have had!

Ken

[Pick]

When I see what new units are going for, it makes us appreciate ours even more. Sure, ours is not in perfect shape, but she suits us just fine! Working on them is part of the hobby. Understanding how all the systems work, gives you confidence to travel hundreds of miles away, knowing you can tackle any problem that might surface, with confidence.

[Ken J]

In a way it does not surprise me to see vintage owners less than three years - to maintain these trailers it does take a bit of well-worth-while commitmet - its a hobby and I think you need to look at it as such - if not it becomes work and I think quite of number of folks it becomes work. Often times I see those that buy impossible projects or make projects bigger than than need to be and so they quit.

Anyway just some idol thoughts

Ken

[Chuck]

one thing about the demographics of this site is that it is primarily us "newbies" that need to mine for information. People that have been there and done that for so many years already know all the answers!

[Ken J]

Ya but some of us oldies don' t have much of a life

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by Ken J

Ya but some of us oldies don' t have much of a life

...which works out well for me!!!

so, since you're not doing anything, go answer my plumbing question!

[markdoane]

Originally Posted by Ken J

Ya but some of us oldies don' t have much of a life

Agreed. There is a sub-population that really love working on our toys, and dread the day we have to go 'camping'

My idea of camping out is a Marriott without a two pools.

[kposey]

While I have only owned my current vintage Airstream for 11 months, I owned my first one for 7 years. I upgraded to a bigger model (23' to 31') and downgraded to an older model (73 to a 72). I can't imagine not owning an Airstream and was sadden when I sold the first one! The thought of keeping it really did cross my mind, but my driveway looked like an Airstream parking lot! Didn't bother me, but did take up a lot of space.

I, too, have looked at the newer models. They are nice, but I do love my vintage!

[Tom Nugler]

Originally Posted by markdoane

Agreed. There is a sub-population that really love working on our toys, and dread the day we have to go 'camping'

My idea of camping out is a Marriott without a two pools.

My better half's idea of camping was a Marriott until she was introduced to an AS. Working on the toys seems a much more constructive use of time than watching the idiot box.
I will send quite number of hours in the basement this winter building a new folding table and reworking the front couch. Probably twice as much time researching the project so that it looks, and, has the feel of authentic. But, isn't the satisfaction of finishing a repair or modification in seeing if it works when you're sitting in the camp and you can say to yourself, OK, I guess it works.
I've seen too many automobile restorations that are only driven on and off the transporter. Isn't the idea of restoring an item to return it to functionallity?
Enough rambling. I've got material to browse and wood to buy.
Tom

[Safari Tim]

It's still well over 50% for the 1-3 year range.

Now the question is why?

Are vintage units too much work?

Are people getting rid of vintage units in favor of more modern trailers?

[05ModPod]

We too are in the 1-3 year ownership range, may have been prudent to put in an under 1 year button we will be 10 months next week.

The comments throughout this thread are so true - the hours, the enthusiasm, the reliance of the diversified expertise of forum members, the hours and hours of research and just as many putting A/S back together again.

Just taking the past few months off from thinking Airstreaming 24/7 - I know shocking!!! I see that there are a lot of new names here - lots of exciting newbie posts (and to think we were only a mere 10 months ahead of the game. It seems like 10 years of fun so far)

But what I wanted to share with you is; we just recently met the nicest people within our own WBCCI Unit - well not personally - spoke over the phone and have exchanged a few e-mails.

Some will find you get pretty attached to the "year" of your Vintage (or new) unit and everything you see relating to that year is so intriguing - or a must have.

Well the year our GlobeTrotter rolled out of Ohio 69' - was the year our new friends joined the WBCCI - they have just celebrated their 47th year "trailering" and are now considering selling their fourth Airstream owned in as many decades Streaming, with their first being a 66, 22' Safari. We can't wait to meet them in person and get to sit through hours of "yesteryear" What stories they must have!

And my other little story from this morning was an almost new Tow Vehicle - just missed by a hair. A 1970 Ford V8 350 Econoline Van - used by a Volunteer Fire Hall - in mint condition stored indoors and with an original 37K miles on her at a so cool price of $4900.00 CND - someone got themselves a nice cool ride. If you are into the 69-70 era.

I hooked her up to MoonBeam just to see how she would feel (in photoshop of course) and to think we missed out by one hour!

Hi to all you new guys and gals - and hello back to some familiars - get ready for another Winter of this and that.

[Stefrobrts]

My guess is that vintage people who enjoy working on trailers finish theirs up and go looking for another one that needs work. You need to find out how many people fall into that catagory.