Totalled the Keystone, looking to upgrade

[swimbody]

Hello folks, (please give links to similar threads if this is annoying)

4 years ago we thought about an AS but bought a crunk 2015 Keystone Outback. We camped in it every month. I learned how to tow a 35' bumper pull, backing it in and out all around Texas, changed the chinese tires to Goodyears and then bam, Hurricane Harvey decided to push gallons of water into the side of one of the slide outs. I'm 45 and make a good living as an outside sales schlep in the oil industry. We are waiting for the payout amount and I swore to myself I wouldn't buy another formaldehyde glued, particle board POS. I know camping is what you make of it and we made the best of it. We know how to do it and my wife has her role when packing up and I have mine. Our friends are dumbfounded how well a machine we become when it's breakdown time. I'm usually able to set up in 20mins with a beer in my hand.

We just got back from looking at a bunch of airstreams near us. We saw the new Tommy Bahama mobile bar for $120k. It was nuts and appealed to my wife's interior design tastes. We also looked at a lot of new ones. I can put down about $15k towards but I'm torn...I have no problem driving anywhere in the country and picking one up if the price was right. I feel this area of the country draws a high premium on new AS units. I feel I could do better in another area of the country, dunno. Looking for recommendations. Do I save up and buy a used or plunk down the cash and get a new and finance. How are folks feeling after financing for 10 years? 5 years? 240 months!!!!???

We know we love to camp and this is a major passion of ours. We also have two dogs, one is 35lbs, the other is 17lbs, any gripes with the lack of space and two dogs? Our 17 year old is getting older and may not camp with us too much more but we'd like him to feel comfortable when we camp. How big is this new solar craze? Are people really seeing an advantage to this? We don't boondock too much but might consider if it's practical and solar would give you the necessary power off the grid.

Man do I love the airplane like feel. I'm 6'5" as well and wondering if the shower will eventually make me crazy. I'm not too concerned as most of the parks we visit have showers nearby. I also am a former Navy man so I take a 3 minute shower. Alas. Thanks in advance for any responses and please let me know if there are threads that cover this exact post as I apologize for not searching more thoroughly.

[AirMiles]

"I'm 6.5" - as am I. I bought a new 2017 Flying Cloud 25' Front Bedroom (FC25FB) because of my height. First, a 25' because the east-west bedroom's 8' 6" length allowed me to replace the "RV Queen" with a real 80" long queen. I prefer to shower in the Airstream rather than going to the larger campground showers. I bought new because I wanted the ducted air conditioning and used ones with ducted air were rare and nearly the cost of new. Ducted air also provides more headroom.

Sorry to hear of your issues with your prior TT. I hope you find the Airstream that meets your needs. Have fun shopping!

[Piggy Bank]

Sorry about your storm damage. That's never fun.

We also have 25 like the previous poster. We chose the twin rear bed, and here is why, for your consideration:

1-Twin beds ran longer than the queen bed.
2-Twin beds are not east/west, so if you aren't 100% side to side level not as noticeable when sleeping.
3-Twin vs queen beds. With the RB twins you get a super fantastic rear storage locker that spans the entire back end of the trailer.
3-Twin vs queen beds. On the 25, with the queen arrangement and east/west bed, that overhead storage locker in the bedroom was just an ER visit waiting to happen. Ouch. I knocked into it but good at the dealer. Don't want to worry about that every time I step out of bed.
4-Twin vs queen. Aisle space in the bedroom for dressing or utilizing the storage is easier with the twin. Not sure where your dogs like to sleep but that also does give a nice space for a dog or two.
5-Rear bed vs front bed. On the 25 rear bed, the bathroom WC is much roomier. Much. Sit down and close the door on both options to compare. Front bed has an angled toilet. Rear bed gives a daylight window in the bathroom which is nice to have. We liked the shower a bit better also.
6-Rear bed vs front bed. We like to sleep with windows open and find that we have more sleeping privacy with a rear bed than on our pervious front bed 22. We get to look right at the lake or the river from bed. Quite nice.

Rear bed model also does give both propane oven and microwave, which is pretty nice.

[swimbody]

Thank you for the words of knowledge. I am curious if anybody has ever bought an airstream on this forum from PPL in Texas? Did they feel they got a reputable deal? That also begs the question, if I buy an airstream somewhere else but then bring it back to Texas, will we have problems getting it worked on because I didn't buy it at the same dealer? The dealer closest to us is very expensive. They want Max price for the airstreams right now. When is the best time to buy an airstream?

[Foiled Again]

Best time to buy is mate fall when sales are slow. Bargains can happen if you buy in stock rather than ordering from the factory. Financing is a very personal decision. Look at all of your other recurring expenses - especially what you should be saving for retirement - and if you CAN afford the additional amount, then go ahead. Interest rates are a bit higher than historic lows, but are still bargain basement IMHO.

A key thing to recall is that with simple interest loans you can pay extra and save a lot of the imterest cost while retiring the loan much earlier.

I would also consider a 27, 28 or 30 footer... you are used to a BIG RIG with slides.. a 25 could be too much of an adjustment.

And I do have the feeling that Texas isn't the bargain basement for Airstreams.

Paula

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Figure that it's fall, heading into winter, this is a good time to shop for a new or a used AS. They hold their value pretty well, but not *that* well. You will save money on a used trailer. This *is* the time everybody puts them up for sale. Financing anything over about 7 years old may be difficult. It is up here where I live.

Size wise, go find a dealer who has inventory. You've done the "trailer thing" before. You will pick up on this and that. Spend some time sitting in everything on the lot. Make a day (or maybe more) of it. Don't be rushed or hassled by the sales guy. Sit here, sit there. Try to use the kitchen .... note how your head bumps the cabinets when you do this or that ... is it ok or is it a problem?. Only you can decide that.

The shower will be a bit of a hassle. Sorry about that. Washing your hair will not be very easy. If your happy time is taking a long comfortable shower ... not so much. That said, you can use it and it will let you get the job done. Get used to bumping this and that while showering.

I would also point out that a *lot* of trailers that went underwater are now going to show up on the market. There will always be a few out there who will try to hide that fact. Airstreams do not take kindly to being underwater. There's to much plywood in them for that to come out well. I'm not suggesting that *every* trailer you see is something to reject. Just be careful and ask a lot of "history" questions.

Bottom line - go for it !!! You have some time, start shopping. Look at this and that. Stop and talk over what you have seen. A good used trailer might get away from you early on. That's better than buying the wrong trailer. Check out finance options *before* you start the serious buying phase. You don't want that to stop things dead ....

Good Luck !!

Bob

[DaveP]

Swimbody,

Your thread caught my eye because we bought our 2004 AS Classic 28 from a fellow who lived in Katy TX. Drove over a thousand miles each way from Colorado two years ago, but it was well worth it because the trailer was in great condition.

You should take a look at used trailer. We got ours for about $30,000. This pricing is just for Classics (because that's what I keep my focus on). If you buy a 2000 to a 2005, you can get good used for $30K to $40K. If you buy a 2006 to 2010, you are looking at $40K to $55K. 2010 and newer, you are looking at $55K and up. Prices will very by model. If the payout on your Keystone is good and you have some $$ in savings, you might be able to pay cash (which we did).

We also wanted to renovate a trailer which we are doing. New tires and brakes the first year. New flooring, batteries, inverter, WeBoost and stereo year two. This winter will be new leather upholstery for the couch and new valencies over the windows (for year three). We have enjoyed making the trailer to our own liking/image. We also like staying in state/national parks which often do not have hook-ups, so we put in a good/large battery system, and have two Honda 2000s to charge the batteries in hours that generators are allowed (or to run A/C). Solar may be in our future if the pricing keeps coming down.

Good luck with your decision making and search!