To complete purchase now?

[Garfish]

Originally Posted by Meeks

I don’t think it was a foolish question to ask. Truly how else do we learn but from ours and others experiences?

Perhaps foolish to hope that there would be a consensus that would make one path forward so clear (if you even hoped for that!). But haven’t we all been there in our life at some point ? I know I sure have!

I wish you the best with making your decision and happy camping when that happens again for you! Take care.

No different than what TV I should buy. That’s why we read and ask here

[Jayharr58]

I decided to move forward with my purchase on Thursday. I leveraged the current situation towards my benefit. I was able to negotiate price down 17% from asking from the loaded basecamp x , I was able to get my interest rate down another 1.5% and got a crazy deal on the nano coating. I’m very happy with my purchase , payment is extremely affordable and with all the parks closed in Seattle we have already taken up to the mountains and had a great time.

Also , the airstream dealer was packed Thursday, actually we had to pick it up than because they had 9 picks ups on Saturday and 6 on Sunday, business they said actually picked up because as sht hits the fan people can escape to the mountains or wherever they want to escape.

Best of luck . Only live once!

[GettinAway]

Congrats! Enjoy your new trailer! Good choice!

[DC Bruce]

Really depends on your financial situation. For us old folks the recommended strategy is to reduce the size of your monthly “nut.” That way, if unpleasant financial surprises hit, you can weather them without having to scramble to liquidate assets and pay off debt that you can no longer service. Most of us over 65 have a limited ability to generate more income. In my case, I have no debt, owning my residence, my Airstream and my vehicles free and clear. I am wincing at the hit my retirement portfolio is taking, but I can trim my financial sails pretty easily if necessary and without a lot of pain. That’s not the way I lived my life when I was in my 40s and 50s, which worked out fine for me and my family. But it would be dangerous to be highly leveraged right now if you’re 60 or over unless you have a big pile of cash.

[INA]

I just did the same. As someone suggested, it’ll be a good thing to look forward to. If it’s your dream unit go for it.

[katdoug]

We bought our 2020FC27 a couple of days before Christmas in Michigan. We knew we would not be able to use it until spring, but we loved having it, having coffee in it, imagining all the stuff we would do very soon. Now all our trips are canceled for this year (we will make new plans) and we are both in the high risk group. Not once have we felt like it might have been a bad decision. If we both survive and the parks reopen, we will still love having it. If one or both do not make it, we make do with whatever options we have. It is perfect for us and we have hope for fun times in the future.

[vintageracer]

I have always lived my life with the following attitude that has ALWAYS served me well in all aspects of my life including love, business, health, wealth and most importantly when it comes to buying STUFF I like that I certainly do not need:

"When In Doubt DON'T"!

[DaveG]

Great discussion! We are new to AF, also we are in a queue for a new coach (very recently transacted) so this thread caught our interest more than some. The 'should we wait' question has come up more than once. Agree with the idea that change will occur in the next few weeks but then does one wait another three weeks, and so on as change brings new and more questions? Pricing and conditions becoming safe to use have also been in our discussion. At this moment we are going forward. We are in the "enjoy every sandwich" mindset. Life IS for living and fear can limit adventure. Finding the right balance of risk and caution, foolish and smart is an individual choice. For us finding, buying, anticipation, getting, learning, and using are all elements of the adventure. If we were by chance talking with you as strangers in a coffee shop we would likely say go for it and seize the adventure. Thanks for starting this thread!

[mythbuster88]

Not counting the ambiguous answers, the score so far is:
Buy 12
Wait 16

[jcanavera]

Bought my first Airstream new in 2001. I decided to buy for the future and the fact that I was still working and could "afford" the purchase. My reasoning for buying then was tendered after life experiences that my wife and I had in losing parents who so much looked forward to having fun in retirement, but never were able to reach that point.

During that time we owned our Airstream(s) we throughly enjoyed our time and our trailer and quite honestly while restricted somewhat in its use due to my work commitments, I'd wouldn't change my decision one bit.

I lost my wife not quite 2 years ago and quite honestly if we had waited for true retirement, and because of her health, we wouldn't have made the jump. And again in my life I would have lived the regrets in seeing a dream go unfulfilled.

Life isn't fair and the future isn't guaranteed. I've had no regrets on my Airstream(s) and my current Classic will be reaching the ripe old age of 16 this fall. It has given me countless hours of joy. Obviously I have been fortunate and had the income to make the jump when I did in 2001. The other factor was while expensive at the time, it's cost me a lot less than if I had bought today! Secondly I personally have had 19 years of living the dream. My advice is if you can financially do it and everything else lines up, you won't regret the decision.

Jack

[out of sight]

If I had a down payment on an Airstream right now and If I had the opportunity to get out of it, I would do it. Nobody is buying trailers right now and the dealers will be starving and slashing prices in the summer. I bet you could save 20k or more by waiting.

[PKI]

Originally Posted by ewor

-- snip -- it was a foolish question -- snip --

Not a foolish question to ask. As you type in the question, you think. As you read the responses, you think. As you discuss with your primary advisor, SWMBO or ?????, you think. Ultimately, the more you think, the more ownership you have in the decision. Point is to understand/know thy self and thy finances.

Hope to see you down the road with a smile. . Pat

[sschott]

My wife and I were in the same situation this past weekend. We were supposed to pick up a basecamp X on Friday. The dealer offered a limited walk through with a follow up walk through when the virus issues calmed down. I was not comfortable without a complete walkthrough for warranty purposes. My wife was very disappointed but understood. The dealer has been great to work with and rescheduled the date to mid April. Good luck!

[JimCT]

not sure it is honorable to use a pandemic to beat up a dealer that is trying to earn a living as we all are

[Kanusport]

I may be missing something but don’t get caught up in buyers fever. Base camp globe trotter whatever it is they will make more. There’s always another trailer. I’d protect your cash looks like we are headed for a recession.

[JohnandDonna]

To all the gloom and doom people out there, this too shall pass. No, life as you know it is NOT over, just on hold for a couple of months. While a lot of people are in panic mode, as is the markets, history has shown that we will recover, including the markets. Now, that said, if you are in a high risk group please do take all precautions which probably means a delay in delivery. As it was stated here, there will always be another trailer. It is possible prices will go down. Also there could be a real concern that the AS factory shuts down. That could drive prices up. Our order is scheduled to come off the line at the end of the month and then delivered the following week. We are in Illinois where everything has been shut down. Not sure what will occur, but if we can we plan to close the deal and get our baby home. Good luck with what ever you decide!!!

[NY24]

You found "it" once, you'll be able to find "it" again. SO many things can go wrong. What if either of you develops a health issue (Covid19 or anything else) that prevents you from using your new trailer at all? RVs left at dealers can have strange things happen to them. Can you even get insurance for an expensive trailer that will be 1000+ miles away that you have ZERO control over? I've heard of parts being scavenged, body damage etc happening to RVs left at dealerships. The batteries WILL run down and, sitting for extended time periods are NOT good for tires. If you could find a way to get the trailer to you, many of the problems I've mentioned could be avoided (especially if your new trailer can be kept ON your property). Of course the decision is your's and your wife's. If you BOTH are STRONGLY of one mind, so much the better. If both of you are NOT of one mind, that would be a STRONG reason to cancel at this time. Covid19 is going to be with us for a long time. Be sure to make a VERY WELL INFORMED decision.

NOTE: This opinion is worth EXACTLY what you paid for it.

[Mikebrady62]

Originally Posted by out of sight

If I had a down payment on an Airstream right now and If I had the opportunity to get out of it, I would do it. Nobody is buying trailers right now and the dealers will be starving and slashing prices in the summer. I bet you could save 20k or more by waiting.

Also , the airstream dealer was packed Thursday, actually we had to pick it up than because they had 9 picks ups on Saturday and 6 on Sunday, business they said actually picked up because as sht hits the fan people can escape to the mountains or wherever they want to escape.

Facts vs opinion

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by out of sight

If I had a down payment on an Airstream right now and If I had the opportunity to get out of it, I would do it. Nobody is buying trailers right now and the dealers will be starving and slashing prices in the summer. I bet you could save 20k or more by waiting.

You'd think but the opposite seems to more accurate!

I picked mine up last Monday and the dealer was as busy as I'd seen! 4 or 5 PDI's lined up on a MONDAY! I had to skip a PDI from 10 days prior and this was the soonest they could get me in!

My reasoning was a survivalist move! IF things spiral down I can survive a solid year with not another dime income in an RV. Watching TP hoarding I KNOW rentals will go up too!

IF this keeps up who knows what AS production will be? If they have to close down for a month or more.....

I'm an optimist and think we'll be past the worst in a couple weeks and things be settled down by June for the most part. But may be till the holidays before we are back to normal economy wise.

But I feel a LOT more optimistic now that I have an AS and the options it provides!

[Belbein]

Don't wait because you're in the high risk group. Wait because of the following reasons:



1. This is going to go on for 90 days until the peak, G-d only knows how long until it's gone enough for everything to be back to normal. China's 90 days in and they are only leveling off. Not declining.



2. We don't know what the camping situation or the economic situation is going to be like in 90, 120, 160, 365 days from now. Will there be parks open? Will there be money to travel? Will there be affordable gas? If it were me, I'd wait for events. Its not like you're going to lose a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No matter how it feels, there are always new and used Airstreams available. You just have to wait.



3. I think the smart money says there's going to be an economic ... let's just say "dip." Trailers will get a lot cheaper in a depres... -- I mean, "dip."