Starting off with hello and going on from there

[WillZoom]

First off I, really my wife and I, just joined the forum.

We have become enamored with Airstreams over the past few weeks. Thinking back we are not really sure it took hold. We have been watching a lot of youtube, getting ready for a trip out to Utah, later this year.

We had planned to go with another couple and rent a motorhome. They were unable to make the trip,do to work obligations. We suppose the recommend viewing for RV and traveling in trailer stem for this viewing, research you could say.

We have been following a number of people on Youtube and it got us to looking into Airstream. We are really amazed at the number of sizes, layout and styles that can be had. In some cases made, by the particular owner.

This is a dream to get a 28 Serenity, or Signature. We have all the intention of trying to get finances in order to allow us to go live full time, as others do. We want to be smart about things and not over extend ourselves. Baby steps if you will.

First off we have the bug and desire. It is nice to have a dream to work toward together and work as a team. We might ask some obvious questions, but we will try to research thing first, prior to making a new topic.

None the less, we wanted to say hello and see where this life leads us to.





Take care and enjoy.

Penny and Will

[DBinSD]

Welcome!

Obviously you must decide on what fits your life.

As an FYI take a look at GoodSam loans. They have ok rates but, they will finance over 20 yrs!

You can take their rate and see if you can beat it locally. It’s always good to shop the interest rate.

Besides that, it’s up to you to pull the trigger. Time will never wait for the “right time” to do anything.

I hope you find what you’re after.
Good luck.

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us. Best wishes in your quest.

Brian

[kendrick.l.j]

Why not look into renting one? I did it just to make sure I really, really wanted to do this. Best decision I made in a long time. I rented from Airstream2go out of Bozeman, Montana. It was not cheap but much cheaper than making purchase and then finding out it was not for me which happens way to often. Go to the RV shows, go find an Airstream dealer close to you and sit in every single one. Keep reading the forum. The more information you have the better prepared you will be when the right one comes along.

[switz]

Glad you found this fountain of knowledge of all things Airstream. Mixed in with the facts are opinions and the newbie challenge is to be able to discern the difference.

Ask away, as all of us started with a zero knowledge base. The search engine is pretty good at finding topics. Also in the Horizontal tabs below the words "Air Forums" are headings for lots of the sub-topics below on every subject imaginable and by model and even trim lines.

Welcome aboard.

A really strong suggestion for every new person(s) is to spend lots of time at a full line dealership and spend hours in each model (with no salesman) thinking about what and where you see things in the layout and imagine living in the space.

In the 25' models, lie on the cross frame bed and situp when by the front window. One can instantly learn about the close proximity of the overhead roof locker. Walk around the bed and pretend to make it. Not too easy on the cross frame 25. My comments are based upon our buying a 25FB sight un-seen when overseas. If I had been there in person, the 27FB would have been our choice as the twin bed option for the 25FB in the International trim lines did not exist at that time.

Great luck in your search.

[badkat]

We went with a 1999 28' Excella 5 years ago and have made it our own. No debt on it are our tow vehicle to full-time. Yes some things broke and were replaced but that happens on all trailers. Every year we think of something we want to change cosmetically and just do it.

Everyone has to do what works for them..we are very happy with our 1999.

[dbj216]

Greetings from Colorado: You are wise to research all aspects of Airstream ownership before you jump in. Yep, they are nice trailers, and they are high end trailers mainly due to the all aluminum body. They are not for everyone.

We have a 86 Limited that has been in the family since new. It is in good shape and very comfortable. It isn't worth near as much as a new one. A good used Airstream can be a good value too, especially in the longer lengths. You gotta be rather handy and able to fix or replace things as they break.

David

[switz]

The unmeasurable return on investment of the Airstream world are the friends, the memories of places seen, and the freedom of movement (or not staying a couple of extra days...). Like anything man made, the perceived value declines because of the passage of time.

We have greatly modified ours with improvements ( at least to us) that increase our enjoyment when using the trailers. Hard to put value to that, but certainly would not show up in the sales price to the next person.

One does need to know the difference between phillips screw drivers and flat bladed screw drivers, how to use an Ohm meter for electrical issues, and a traveling machine shop in the truck...

Your first few trips, the trailer will be bulging with what one thinks they will need. Over time, the experience of what is needed will lighten the trailer of the unnecessary stuff.

Good luck in your search.

[Hans627]

One thing that might be helpful is to find the local chapter of the Airstream club, WBCCI. You could attend some rallies as a guest. Being able to network with other streamers might be helpful. It has been for us.

Welcome to the forum and wish you success!

[rwsjms7]

Originally Posted by WillZoom

First off I, really my wife and I, just joined the forum.

We have become enamored with Airstreams over the past few weeks. Thinking back we are not really sure it took hold. We have been watching a lot of youtube, getting ready for a trip out to Utah, later this year.

We had planned to go with another couple and rent a motorhome. They were unable to make the trip,do to work obligations. We suppose the recommend viewing for RV and traveling in trailer stem for this viewing, research you could say.

We have been following a number of people on Youtube and it got us to looking into Airstream. We are really amazed at the number of sizes, layout and styles that can be had. In some cases made, by the particular owner.

This is a dream to get a 28 Serenity, or Signature. We have all the intention of trying to get finances in order to allow us to go live full time, as others do. We want to be smart about things and not over extend ourselves. Baby steps if you will.

First off we have the bug and desire. It is nice to have a dream to work toward together and work as a team. We might ask some obvious questions, but we will try to research thing first, prior to making a new topic.

None the less, we wanted to say hello and see where this life leads us to.





Take care and enjoy.

Penny and Will

I went on a motorcycle ride last June into July and the further west I went the more TT I saw. My wife and I have been blessed and fortunate enough to enjoy Europe a number of times and we decided to stay stateside for a while. As I saw the TT, I said to myself, what a great way to see America and the National Parks, etc.. Btw, my motorcycle trip ended up being over 8k miles. :-)

When I got back from my 'outing', I told my wife what I had in mind. Needless to say, our camping excursions in the past were virtually nonexistent and the one or two times we went, we were less than enamored. We were not camping types...or so we thought...

From the time I came back to now, I've spent about 500 hrs of research and Youtube time coming to the where we are now. I looked at a lot of different brands, types, etc.. I came to the conclusion that AS offered the best for our purposes. It is not the roomiest choice, but it was certainly the MOST expensive conclusion we could have come to. LOL

There are many things you will have to consider. If you are looking at the 28', you will need to factor in the TV and hitch arrangement. There is a lot of discussion about this so I'm not going to amplify an already exhaustive theme, but I can tell you what we did.

Fortunately, we live relatively close to Colonial in NJ. I went to scope out the situation myself and then brought my wife in for the soft sell. We started out small, worked our way up and then back down and then back up - ultimately we decided to purchase a 2018 30' FC. I know there are many choices, but we liked the FC over the other models.

Regarding the TV, we just purchased an F250 Lariat Diesel. We had an F150 that could have done the job, but I didn't want to push it. Not only does the TV need to tow, it needs to stop and the engine braking on diesels was the selling point for me.

Regarding the WD and sway control, I went with a ProPride. Again, very expensive choice, but everything I saw online simulating sway proved ProPride a sound investment.

So, I know I gave you a bunch of stuff that worked for us, but you need to decide what works best for you. This is not a small undertaking and there are many, many factors to consider. I hope you find the right choice for you!!

[VT Wanderer]

We started with a 25ft. Safari in '07 and then moved up to a 27ft. in 2014 as we wanted more space for grandkids etc. Note - the 27 is actually 28 ft. and the 28 is actually 27+. (Why did they ever do that????) Take your time and see what's best for you. Be sure to lie down on the bed to check the fit - stand in the shower for fit - sit on the "throne" - check the couch and dinette for comfort as well. If you are headed west into the Rockies, check the power of your tow vehicle - do you want gas or diesel????? The list goes on. It's such an exciting time for you. Enjoy it!!!!!