Is it possible to get an Airstream before I retire?

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by mikeinca

Hi Flat 6,

Guilty here too; '14 GT3. I love your comparison of the 911 and Airstream design evolution....it's part of what draws me to both as well.

I'm sure if you can find a way to justify getting an AS that you won't regret it!

986 guy here. Now if I could just use it to tow the trailer or as a toad for a MH.

Al

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

986 guy here. Now if I could just use it to tow the trailer or as a toad for a MH.

Al

Al, that would be sweet!

[kendrick.l.j]

Had a 928 that I brought back from Germany back in the 80's. Coolest car I ever had. On the AS front, do lots of research, sit in as many models as you possibly can, I even rented one for a month just to make sure I wanted to do this, I did. After all that, if this is what you want to do do not wait until retirement. My husband and I talked about Airstream for years and that was our plan. He died recently at 59 now I am on my own and determined to live the life we had talked about for so long. He would be very proud of my decision but not surprised. Life is short, way too short to wait to have fun. So do lots of homework, Airstream may or may not be the right fit for you but you won't know until you get out and start looking, serious looking. Life is what happens while you are busy planning other things.

[70CT]

I would vote get one now. The joy of the AS is the ability to do things and see places you otherwise would not have done. We have a 2 year old and a 1 year old and purchased a 30 ft international serenity on Friday. Saturday afternoon we were camping right at the edge of the national forest an hour north of us.

Experiences do not have to wait until retirement, if you have a free night, you can find a place to go with your AS.

I personally found a pull through storage facility which makes the pick up and drop off much less of a burden.

Don't go in expecting expect Poorsha quality, sure they are well made and all but if the Germans made them, they would cost $300k and they still couldn't sell them fast enough.

[Piggy Bank]

We bought our first, a 22, soon after we lost a good friend and also lost a parent. There are no sure things.

We are in our early 50s.

We liked it a lot and found it very motivating to keep fit and to learn new things. We knew after about a year that we would eventually get a larger once closer to retirement.

We traded up for a 25 this year when our 22 was in a minor accident. We are enjoying it and have a long list of places to see. We chose the 25 to better fit into national parks which is a big interest of ours.

If you like to plan trips that can also be a lot of fun too. Keeps those long afternoons at the office from dragging you down to know that you are heading out after work on Friday.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Well, I can't argue much with the choice of a 30' Classic We bought ours as we retired (one was / other was not). If we had the time to use it in the preceding 5 or so years, buying it then would have been a really good idea. Given our schedules .... not so much. Unless you have a way to free up a couple weeks and a half dozen or so long weekends a year, it's tough to justify a trailer.

A couple things that a "running start" gives you:

1) You can shop for a used one and maybe save significant money vs a new one. If you shop for a year or two, that's fine.

2) You can "ease in" to things like TV decisions. You *will* have at least one trade in cycle in a 5 or 10 year period.

3) You will knock off a lot of the "little trips' in the time you are working. That will give you more experience when it comes to planning bigger trips at retirement.

4) If there is work required (.... when work is required), leaving the trailer for a week to get things done is a lot easier, if you are not traveling every week.

5) New or used, prices on these trailers tend to go up. If you can afford one now, it's likely a cheaper buy than one will be in 10 years. Indoor storage around here is $1200 a year. Insurance and maintenance will add to that. Prices go up by $3K to $10K per year on new ones....

6) If you decide this is *not* your ideal retirement plan, there's still time to ditch it and go with plan B. There's only just so much time ....

Lots of ins and outs.

Bob

[A W Warn]

No reason to wait, if an Airstream is what you want.

I've been camping since childhood. I started trailer camping when I was in my 20's. Got my first Airstream when I was in my 40's, when the children were still at home and went camping with me. I've owned several Airstreams since. Half timing now, since retirement. Airstreams can be great at any age or for any family situation.

One suggestion though. Try trailer camping before you buy. There is more to it than most first time campers realize. Dealing with everything (towing, hooking up and disconnecting, connecting and dumping water and sewer, winterizing, and maintenance) can be overwhelming. Some people enjoy it, some don't.

ps: IMO the 30' trailers are best all round. Good choice!

[VTSmitty]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

AMEN. My dad never got to meet his great granddaughter. He died at age 62, feeling 'cheated', in his words. There were many things he planned, including a grand trip to see our family in California.

And one more vote on the "don't wait". You never know what the future holds, or how much of it there is. Get it as soon as you can; you may be limited to shorter trips until retirement, but they'll still be great. And if you finance it, just think of the joy of heading out on retirement in an Airstream that you've already paid off! We bought first, retired later, and it has worked well for us.

Dan and Chris

[Flat 6]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. I am simply amazed at all the detailed replies!

Sad to hear some of you have lost your loved ones so young in life :-( That really makes everyone think!

Reading through, the general consensus is...why wait, get one now. Definitely like the idea of getting some experience on shorter trips before full retirement. I really have to learn a lot about "camping".

Colonial Airstream is only about an hour or so from me. Met Patrick (I imagine you all know him from YouTube), he was very laid back and happy to let us spend as long as we wanted to sit in a few Airstreams. That was a memorable day. The multiple windows with so much light pouring is a huge plus factor.

I will keep reading and learning from everyone.

Cheers
Paul

.

[Utah Man]

We bought used (2007 27' Classic) 3-1/2 years ago and an unspecified number of years before retirement. We already knew we liked camping and getting out to the many scenic spots around here. It was really a transitional issue for us, helping gain a few new things to do as we get ready for what will be a significant change in pace of life.

I can't speak for you or others, but our experience has been overwhelmingly positive on a number of accounts: (a) buying used, (b) camping and sightseeing, (c) discovering the larger AS community on Air Forum and WBCCI (mostly our local Utah chapter), (d) realizing that more extensive travels awaits in the AS (may upgrade to 30' Classic) when I do decide to retire.

We live in a much different area where there are many convenient places to camp for a week or a weekend. The only limit is the 5+ months we have to winterize.

Storage is a non-issue as we built a pole barn for the AS on our ranch property (you can find a thread on this I started about the process.)

Best wishes - Ron

[dasams]

Originally Posted by mikeinca

Hi Flat 6,

Guilty here too; '14 GT3. I love your comparison of the 911 and Airstream design evolution....it's part of what draws me to both as well.

997.2 for me Tow with a 955 Cayenne

Back on topic, my wife and I have never owned an RV but we were corp people working and traveling stupid hours. On the weekends, I just wanted to do my Sat ride and Sun run and chill. But when retirement presented itself last spring, we jumped at the chance and bought our FC. So no, owning an AS preretirement wasn't in the cards for us. But if you can make it work, do it. Life's too short not to. Dave

[SSquared]

I've got a different take on it.

My wife & I both worked very demanding jobs in the tech world. We tent camped for a number of years, then decided to get a trailer. Our priority was to get something that would require little in the way of repairs or maintenance before and after our trips.

Our style of tent camping was to always stay in a state or national park or forest service campground with at least pit toilets. We enjoyed that and wanted to camp in a similar style but with a dry, comfortable bed and bear-resistant shell. We got a 13-foot Scamp with fridge, furnace, cooktop and sink, but no bathroom. It had a water tank and hand pump but we never used them--we carried water in the same 4-gallon jug we used before, and transferred water from there into quart bottles for use inside. That's not as convenient or even "luxurious" as an AS or any other fully-equipped trailer. But it met our need to minimize the time spent dealing with the trailer when not camping.

We enjoyed the heck out of the Scamp, and still have it for simple escapes into the mountains.

We also love our 25FB Flying Cloud. We got it when we retired because we planned on travelling and living at volunteer work sites for months at a time. But there's a much longer learning curve for a full-function trailer like an Airstream (weight distribution hitches, dumping, winterizing, sanitizing water systems, flushing water heater, air conditioner maintenance, complicated thermostat that can require a reset...) and a lot more that can go wrong (we had three different plumbing leaks show up in the space of an hour, an air conditioner failure, a different plumbing leak, burned 120V wires in the main connection box, a serious leak in the shell, etc.). Since we're retired, we can take the time to learn the ins & outs of the trailer (and enjoy learning new things) and we can deal with the problems.

Bottom line: If you want or can handle a major new hobby while you are still working, get an Airstream. If not, consider an alternative like a teardrop, a Scamp, or other minimal (simple) trailer.

And about storage: We have both trailers stored in commercial RV storage. The AS is stored under cover (we live in hail country). The Scamp is outdoors (and survived a heck of a hail storm with no damage except to a plastic roof vent cover). We would much prefer to have the trailers at home, haven't found a suitable property.

[TouringDan]

Flat Six

Since you own a Porsche, an Airstream would be the only trailer for you. I have owned Porsche's, BMW's and now VW's, and I have always wanted an Airstream. I bought an 84 31' Excella 20 years ago and now have a 66 Tradewind and a 95 34' Excella. I have the know how to repair, improve and upgrade, so vintage works best for us. Don't wait. Buy now whatever works best for you. There is so much to learn but that is part of the joy of owning an Airstream.

This forum is wonderful. Glad to have you with us.

Dan

[Lara Me]

Originally Posted by 70CT

Don't go in expecting expect Poorsha quality, sure they are well made and all but if the Germans made them, they would cost $300k and they still couldn't sell them fast enough.

Actually, if the Germans built them, they'd be brilliant...until just off warranty when the electronics would take a dump and fluid pumps would go south. I kid...but just barely. I've owned German cars for years - currently own two BMWs (one an M car and one on Warranty!) as well as two air cooled 914-6 conversions. For commuting I drive a Honda - it does everything well and cheap to own.

Don't wait. Takes a few years to learn the AS ropes and you'll enjoy it every time you head out. If finances are not an obstacle and you know you'll use it enough, go for it. About the only reason not too is if it will sit for too long or if you'll delay other things like paying down mortgages or not funding your retirement sufficiently.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Ok, backing up a bit, this is a multi layer decision. That's not bad and you have time to work it through. You still need to go thorough the steps: (in no particular order ....)

1) There are a lot of ways to do this. Tents are at one end. Million dollar (or multi million) Class A's are at the other end. A multitude of trailers, popups, class C's and class B's are in-between. There is no one size fits all answer.

2) There are a lot of places to go. The giant Class A is perfect for the yearly escape from the snow. The back pack tent is ideal for tossing in the canoe to get out to that cute little island campsite. Bigger trailers vs smaller trailers also impact where you can go and what you can do. I've been camping since a very young age. That made sorting things out a bit easier.

3) There are a variety of trips you can take. Living for a month in a tent is something you *can* do (been there / done that). Living in a 54' Class A for a month is a *very* different experience. As we got older, the appeal of sleeping on the ground for weeks ....errr ... diminished. The appeal of long trips has (if anything) increased.

4) Like it or not, this costs money. How much you have in the bank is none of my business. It *is* very much yours to look into and decide about. In retirement there is no paycheck to pay off loans with. Food is a *lot* more important than a trailer. Working out exactly what the 401K stocks (or whatever) will do over 10 years? good luck ... If this represents < 10% of your net worth, that's one thing. If it is > 50% that's a very different thing.

5) You need to have a pretty good idea of the size of trailer you are after. You then need to pick the trailer. We went over to Colonial and came back with a different size once we spent the day in them. Narrowing in can take some time. Invest the time to figure this out. One debate we spent 10 years on was "slide outs or not?". Durability also matters, some trailers simply are not made to last 10 years ....

6) After the trailer comes the hitch and the TV. Hitches are a religion around here, that decision will be more emotional than any of the rest. Tow vehicles are also a bit less contentious, but still a bit crazy. You *will* need a TV for the trailer. Towing a 30' classic behind a typical sedan ... not so much. In our case, the TV was a significant fraction of the total cost. You need the hitch and TV *before* you pull the trailer off the lot.

7) Once you own it, you need someplace to store it. Start phoning around now. Many of these places have waiting lists. Ideally you want inside storage. You also want to do that for $100 a month and not for $400 a month. Accessibility, security, and cleanliness / upkeep all count in the decision of where to store.

8) Do you have "special needs?". Do you own a boat? How about an ATV? Maybe mountain bikes? Five cute little 3 month old Newfoundland puppies? This all factors into what you get and how it all fits. (Hint: anything much over 3 Neuf's in a crew cab ... not going to work )

9) Insurance on RV's does cost money. How much it costs varies from state to state, and with the amount of coverage you get. Do some research about "agreed value" now before you have a policy and decide what you want to do.

10) If you or the other drivers in your group have not towed something large before - think about going to class. Again, a good thing to do *before* you pull the trailer off the lot. It will soak up some weekend time. It should give everybody a bit more confidence in what they are doing.

11) The state of your health and of the rest of your group is, (like your finances) none of my business. Few of us get more healthy as we age. The idea of a 20 mile hike with a 40 pound pack is a lot less appealing to us than it was 30 or 50 years ago. I doubt that hikes at 14,000 feet are still on the "to do" list. There is some physical effort involved in setting up and tearing down a trailer. Driving and living "on the road" is not as comfy as the arm chair at home. How long any of us will be able to do this is very much a - "who knows" sort of thing.

12) To some degree any decision impacts other parts of life. For the same investment of money and time, you could hop on a boat and let them take you here and there. You probably could do that a *lot* of times. You might buy that little cabin in the mountains. There's the condo at the beach. The 54' Hatteras is appealing to many. There are a *lot* of alternatives. Sorting all that out took us a *long* time. For the vast majority, this becomes an "either or" rather than a "let's do them all" process.

13) You will maintain any object you own. Right now, you maintain your house and your car. The trailer will add to that list. There are some things like tires and batteries that are predictable. There is a lot of stuff over 10 years that you can guess at, but not be sure of. Accept that there is a range on the time and money involved. How long will the AC on your house hold out? Who knows. Same thing with the trailer ....

14) To some degree I have implied a "permanent" situation. Nothing in life is ever permanent. You can change you mind down the road. There is a financial hit you will take. Accept that on a big spend, there is a significant hit in reversing it. It's "sunk money" the day you spend it. The only real gotcha is that there will be less money to spend on the alternative you switch over to.

Lots to think about !!

Bob

[B00merang]

I think the advice you're getting is unanimous...get it now. One never knows what the future holds in terms of health or other personal circumstances. When I was younger and a single dad, we would meet so many older folks (retired ones) who stated that they wish they had not waited until retirement to travel and enjoy life more....by then a number had lost spouses and wish they could have had the AS experiences together. Don't wait. jon

[coasttocoast]

My wife's health has improved since the purchase. You can't predict the future. Go now.

[m.hony]

I was 39 when I bought a full size pickup- a 2007 Tundra.
The economy had gone bad and I had lost a lot of money on paper.
I wanted something tangible.
I was 41 when I bought the first travel trailer- a 2009 Forest River Wildwood 28RLSS.
I was 43 when I bought a brand new Classic 30.
That was 5 years ago.
I decided not to wait till retirement because there are no guarantees.
We may not have any money.
We may not have our health.
I am 48 now and will work at least 14 more years, maybe 19 more years.
Maybe at 62 I can go part time at work.
We'll see.
We were tent campers before we had a trailer.
A trailer was the next step for old tent campers.
So to answer your question, yes, it is possible to buy/own an Airstream before you retire.

[GallivanGM]

I am 63. My wife and I bought our Airstream in 2015 when she retired. I still work part time. A trailer as big as you describe has a learning curve to it. Buy it now and enjoy as you have time. Use more as time permits. I keep mine on my property and have purchased plans for a storage carport/garage so I can use as a guest house when needed.

[Loden]

An Airstream trailer is not just a travel trailer. We bought a used 2013 Eddie Bauer 27' FB in 2015 on a 15-year mortgage. Yes, I wrote "mortgage" because it was a choice between buying a vacation cabin or the Airstream. We chose the Airstream and have just finished a vacation in Fun Valley, Southfork, CO, and then at a week-long star party, boondocking in the high desert near Kenton, OK.

Instead of a fixed location and potentially high-risk cabin, we chose to make our cabin mobile. A cabin has a potential to appreciate but had we chosen one on the Gulf coast it would have just plunged in value. Had we chosen the one we were considering in Colorado, it today would be surrounded by a ghastly, burnt out forest, following a period of inaccessibility because of flooding.

Instead, we chose a relatively expensive Airstream. Interestingly, the Eddie Bauer is apparently worth more today than when we bought it in 2015. More, USAA, upon hearing the offering price, was willing to loan the entire amount on a low interest, 15-year note. The loan officer there told me that Airstreams, if well cared for, tend to appreciate, and he was right. He said the unrecoverable loss risk for an Airstream was less than that for a Cabin either in Colorado or on the coast.

Yes, "well cared for" equals some expense, but certainly, no more than would be required for a cabin. We call it "Our cabin in Colorado" when we point to its parking place by our house. No regrets here.