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Marks71 · 12-02-2017, 04:54 AM

Hello all. I'm looking at Classic 30, either new or several years old.1) What is the conventional wisdom on % discount of MSRP for new?2) Off that price, how much depreciation can one expect in 2-3 years - not as an owner, but as a buyer? and finally3) what are good sources for hunting and finding the 2-3 yo trailers? So far, I'm only familiar with RVTrade, and dealers, and am not finding many out there.

THANKS in advance for any suggestions

kendrick.l.j · 12-02-2017, 10:28 AM

This forum has a classified section for used. I bought a 2017 Classic this time last year and I think it is pretty normal for expect 15 to 20 % off MSRP. You will probably get the best deals with the larger Airstream dealers but not always. I love my Airstream and hope you find the one you want at the price you can happy with.

kendrick.l.j · 12-02-2017, 10:38 AM

I forgot to mention, you will not find very many 2-3 year old Classics, it does happen but not every day for sure. The reason you won’t find a ton listed is because people usually really like their Airstream and they keep them for decades and they just don’t make thousands of them so supply and demand kicks in, Last word I heard was a 3-6 month backlog at the factory for new Classic. So if I have to wait 3 months or longer for a brand new Classic I probably won’t sell it in a year or two. It’s not like finding used cars with 1000’s left unsold on lots each year. From time to time a very gently used or even never used Classic may be put up for sale but again not every day or even once a month.

BigSxyWhtGuy · 12-02-2017, 10:58 AM

I believe I ended up getting about 18% off MSRP for my new 2018 classic. Plus dealer added in a weight distribution hitch. Ended up getting a better deal from a dealer outside of state and will have to drive out to pick it up once it’s completed.
I was looking new and used and found that 2016 and 2017 used trailers still came in around price that I ended up getting a new unit for. I just have to wait. I ordered in September and dealer is saying to expect it in January.

uncle_bob · 12-02-2017, 09:24 PM

Hi

You aren't going to see a lot of Classic's on the used market. You don't see a lot of them on new lots. By the time somebody decides to buy a new Classic, they are pretty deeply into an AS. The net result is that they are *rare* items when used. Anything like that will be tough to find a deal on. Net result is that you may find almost as good a deal on a new 2017 (with the discount) as one that is a few years used.

Toss on this the whole dealer vs private sale thing. A dealer will pay darn close to the private sale price and then mark it up. He's more likely to be the one who gets a "plum" like a 2 year old Classic.

So, the question becomes - If there is a 10 or 20% savings on a three year old "no factory warranty" trailer .... is it worth it ?

Bob

JVfromGrnBay · 12-03-2017, 10:06 AM

We jumped in with both feet 2 years ago, and ordered a 2016 Classic 30 from the factory. Received it in time for "factory training" at Alumapalooza in May 2016, then went full-time that July and sold our home in Wisconsin. After 15 months on the road, we decided that full-timing is not our best fit, and decided to sell in favor of a new brick and mortar home near Portland. We tried selling the Classic ourselves via the classifieds, RV Trader, etc, but had little interest late in the season this year. Feeling a bit cramped, and with an offer to house sit in Salem, we decided to sell on consignment at Airstream Adventures in Portland.
We have had excellent experiences with this dealer on the service side, and I understand they are one of Airstream's top dealers. I will post a link below to their web listing of our trailer, and am willing to share firsthand knowledge of our experience with the unit. It has had exceptional care over the past 18 months, and is still under warranty. We were both satisfied with the Classic, and it worked well for us, but we need to sell in lieu of the new home.
For info on our Classic, go to: https://portlandairstream.com/Invent...sp?Stock=Z1241
Good luck with your search!

Wayne&Sam · 12-03-2017, 11:18 AM

I don't have classic experience, but on other models I've found that if you're looking at a 2 year old used model you might as well buy new. For a few thousand more you get two years of warrantee and improvements.

YMMV.

Starlight Mike · 12-03-2017, 06:16 PM

The good deals come from 5 to 10 year old units. Survey carefully but you can save 50%. We bought an 8 year old 25FB for less than half the cost of a new one however, we did spend a great deal of time fixing leaks. Then again, the new ones have problems also.
If you’re not in a hurry, looking for a good used one can be very cost effective. If spending $100K plus is not a problem, having a new one could be fun. Good luck!

BigSxyWhtGuy · 12-03-2017, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JVfromGrnBay

We jumped in with both feet 2 years ago, and ordered a 2016 Classic 30 from the factory. Received it in time for "factory training" at Alumapalooza in May 2016, then went full-time that July and sold our home in Wisconsin. After 15 months on the road, we decided that full-timing is not our best fit, and decided to sell in favor of a new brick and mortar home near Portland. We tried selling the Classic ourselves via the classifieds, RV Trader, etc, but had little interest late in the season this year. Feeling a bit cramped, and with an offer to house sit in Salem, we decided to sell on consignment at Airstream Adventures in Portland.

We have had excellent experiences with this dealer on the service side, and I understand they are one of Airstream's top dealers. I will post a link below to their web listing of our trailer, and am willing to share firsthand knowledge of our experience with the unit. It has had exceptional care over the past 18 months, and is still under warranty. We were both satisfied with the Classic, and it worked well for us, but we need to sell in lieu of the new home.

For info on our Classic, go to: https://portlandairstream.com/Invent...sp?Stock=Z1241

Good luck with your search!

Love Portland Airstream. That’s the one we purchased our 18’ classic from. We actually lived near them in Gladstone as well in the past and they were always friendly which earned our business when we were ready to buy. Best of luck with sale of your 16’

Would love to hear some of your thoughts on full timing as that is what my wife and I decided to do.

Pen pal me?

kendrick.l.j · 12-04-2017, 04:50 AM

BSWG, in the forum will can find tons of information regarding the pros and cons of full-timing. In the blue box, search under life style.

uncle_bob · 12-04-2017, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

I don't have classic experience, but on other models I've found that if you're looking at a 2 year old used model you might as well buy new. For a few thousand more you get two years of warrantee and improvements.

YMMV.

Hi

One of the really odd things - you may actually pay *more* for the used version than the new one. I've sold several trucks and gotten more than I paid for them new. There are people who very strongly believe that a used one is better than a new one. "New ones have all sorts of problems, let somebody else keep it in the shop all the time". The exact same thinking shows up here on the forums relative to Airstreams as well. I *know* what I did on those trucks over 3 years of ownership ... it wasn't much ... I changed the oil a few times, didn't buy any tires or shocks ....

One important detail - you can get a factory discount right now on any 2017 trailers still on dealer's lots. A new Classic with that discount on it will be almost impossible to beat on the used market. Of course, you may or may not find any still on the lot ... Same problem as buying a truck that's on the lot months after model year rollover. Not a lot of selection. You can't be picky.

Bob

daleyocum · 12-04-2017, 09:03 AM

I don’t know if it would work on the larger unit you are looking at but I was able to get 21% of MSRP on a new 2018 25FB Flying Cloud. We did it by first figuring out exactly the options we wanted and then getting a quote from www.rvdirect.com. They will order the unit from AS and ship it anywhere in the US but you have to take delivery at one of their locations. From there we used that low quote to work with all the dealers within driving distance of us. They were able to match it, and even beat it, because we weren’t paying double shipping costs across the country ( AS to dealer and then dealer to us.) AS charges them all a flat transportation fee to get the unit no matter where they are to level the playing field.

This was also more doable this time of year when things are slow. Buying a unit already sitting on the dealers lot was not nearly as good a deal in our experience, even left over ones from the previous model year.

rodsterinfl · 12-04-2017, 09:20 AM

Quote:

The good deals come from 5 to 10 year old units. Survey carefully but you can save 50%. We bought an 8 year old 25FB for less than half the cost of a new one however, we did spend a great deal of time fixing leaks.

This is what I found as well, Classic model or not. The (make-a-difference) pricing jump is about five years. It comes down to what you are willing to spend and, there are no guarantees new will NOT have issues and, from what we all read on the threads, even warranty work may/may not go smoothly. I did not have leaks but I had a bad fridge and some dings and scrapes to live with. Someone recently posted to avoid buying used because you will just be buying someone else's problems. I believe that there is more chance that they dealt with any problems. A savvy buyer can tell. New buyers are usually caught by surprise with a different expectation.

Marks71 · 12-04-2017, 02:45 PM

Thanks for all the input everyone. Good, informative responses.

rodsterinfl · 12-04-2017, 03:00 PM

Quote:

I believe that there is more chance that they dealt with any problems. A savvy buyer can tell. New buyers are usually caught by surprise with a different expectation.
__________________

Sorry about the confused wording at the end. I meant to say that previous owners most likely dealt with any problems found and, it is more likely buying new, owners would be surprised by issues not expecting problems. When it comes down to it, the biggest competition to a new Airstream is a used one.

Zybane · 12-07-2017, 05:32 PM

There are 8 almost new Classics on RVtrader as of this writing:

https://www.rvtrader.com/search-resu...View=listView&

Only one has a firm price and one is barely used for $84K that you could probably get for $75-80K.

sb55 · 12-07-2017, 06:34 PM

I ordered a new 2018 FC30 RBT and got 25% off list. (Plus a hitch thrown in) to replace our 2004 Safari 25 SS. We had to wait almost 4 months for it to arrive, but I am very happy with our deal.

Zybane · 12-07-2017, 07:07 PM

25%, you sure? I think that would be around dealer cost, meaning the dealer would make zero money on the sale. Usually a "great" deal is 20-22%. Would you mind stating the MSRP?

HeadWest · 12-07-2017, 08:55 PM

25% off sounds a little suspect on a new one.

kendrick.l.j · 12-08-2017, 05:37 AM

SB55, did you trade in your 2005 25 footer in the deal? I’m thinking that if you did than that is were the dealer is going to make his profit. The 25’ are extremely popular and to have one in good shape available to sell then the dealer can jack the price way up. Just asking. To be able to get 25% off MSRP directly from the factory does seem a bit unusual.