airstream TT?

[JOD]

I know that Airstream has been in business many years. are they a great product? do they sale good? is there a huge market for them? do they have any problems getting service?

[JOD]

I know that Airstream has been in business many years. are they a great product? do they sale good? is there a huge market for them? do they have any problems getting service?

[Jestme13]

Best trailer out there, bar none. Jody where are you from ?

[TXiceman]

There a lot of them still on the road that are pretty old. The original company was bought out a few years ago by Thor. From what I have seen, the pre-Thor trailers are much better built than the current versions.

Ken

[JOD]

steve, we live in the Northwest Washington State. I don't see that many Airstreams up here?

[BryanL]

Airstream became a part of Beatrice Foods in the 70's and Thor since the 80's and each new owner has generated FUD mongering about quality decline and 'just don't build them like they used to'

But the fact is that Airstream can't build them fast enough right now to keep up with demand.

They have dropped the Class A motorhome idea that was popular in the 90's.

They do experiment like with the Basecamp or the new Safari Sport line.

They do sometimes have issues with some things.

But the basic build quality is still top notch, the design is still quite durable, the value holds up better than nearly any other other brand on the market, and the service network is generally quite good.

And the owner's group WBCCI is also a significant value added proposition for Airstream.

But they are not for everyone or every style of Rving. That is perhaps one of their biggest drawbacks and biggest assets.

[JOD]

BryanL, do you have an Airstream? if not would you every buy one?

[BryanL]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">BryanL, do you have an Airstream? if not would you every buy one? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have a 1975 Ambassador (29') and a 1991 B190 Airstream B-van to tow it with. I'd buy a new one if I could swing a deal on the right model. I am active with the local WBCCI Unit and have a number of friends (including a neighbor) who have new ones. We have quite a time at rallies cussin' and discussin' and what-if'n and so on. The upshot is that none of them have regrets about the money they spent on their Airstream trailer. See Sierra Nevada Airstreams for a lot of pictures and other stuff.

[450Donn]

Only down side to Airstream is the lack of interior space. Friends once bought a 25 foot Airstream, parked it beside their old 18 foot TT and started transferring stuff from one to the other. About half way through the Airstream was full and the other trailer was still half full of stuff. Needless to say, they did not keep it very long.

[Link]

Airstream is short on storage space--period.
They are also short on insulation.

They would be a very poor choice for full timers.

[PaulDaisy]

I do not own an Airstream, although I considered it when I was choosing. For me the deal breakers were:
1. No slides. We like extra space and it is amazing how much more you get with a superslide.
2. Insulation that is "three season" at best.
3. Price. Very expensive!
Other than these, which may not be important for you, they are very popular and seem to retain value for much longer than any other trailer on the market.
As far as "best quality, bar none" I am not going to elaborate other than to say that a friend of mine bought an Airstream from the earler, "better built" models and took it all apart to rebuild. He found a lot of "oops" and "uh-oh" in both the design and implementation, such as rivets in skin missing the ribs, wrong sheet metal overlaps, etc. Of course a typical user may not have noticed that but he, being a top-notch aircraft mechanic, sees these things immediately. He is re-skinning the unit and made his own tools to manufacture 3D panels, putting disk brakes on it - you name it. When he is done that will be the best Airstream in existence I am sure.
-P

[BryanL]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Airstream is short on storage space--period.
They are also short on insulation.

They would be a very poor choice for full timers. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

interesting. I know a lot of full timers with an awful lot of stuff that prefer Airstream TT's. It is well suited to the retired couple out to see the country.

As for insulation, an inch and a half won't get you much and that is about par for the course for most TT's. There are very few severe climate RV's from what I can tell.

These kinds of concerns are a matter of style and preference. Most I know that want to take it all with them have a big class A. Next is the 5th wheel. Those with a TT are usually not that invested in traveling inventory.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">He found a lot of "oops" and "uh-oh" in both the design and implementation </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I have dismembered both Airstreams and some others. A friend is an accountant and certified aircraft mechanic and also has experience with aircraft construction, Airstreams, and the SOB's (some other brands ;-) ).

Yes indeed, there are flaws in all of them. It is a matter of degree, though. If you compare an Airstream to aircraft, the Airstream suffers greatly. If you compare Airstream to the typical TT on the road, the Airstream tends to come out a lot better. This can be seen in the fact that many of the 40 or 50 year old Airstreams are still worth repair and remodelling.

If you are trying to rationalize an Airstream purchase, or any RV purchase for that matter, I think you are on the wrong foot. You can't cost rationalize an RV by any realistic means other than whether or not you can really afford it as a means to live your dreams. You should purchase the RV for the experience and not for its cost vs whatever ratios.

[Every Miles A Memory]

When we were looking for our Travel Trailer to go full time in, we both really liked the Airstreams because of their cool looks and the fact that you see models on the road from years gone by that still look great.

Then we went to an RV show and sat in an Airstream for a few hours trying to convince ourselves the cost was really worth it.

We couldnt see spending double for a camper just because it looked cool, but had half the amount of storage space most of the other campers had.

In the long run, we decided that spending double would instead get us a good model camper, and also allow us to add solar panels, multiple upgrades and still be under the base cost of an Airstream.

In my mind, Airstreams are just a fashion statement like the guy that has that Porsche 959 when a Lotus Elise will blow its doors off for half the price. Or that girl that has to have a $600 Coach purse when a $20 wal-mart model will hold her stuff just fine.

Just my 2 cents

Pat

[TXiceman]

Pat, rather than a new expensive Air Stream, why no look for a nice used A/S. Lot of good values out there on them and they can be fixed up pretty easily. Just do a search using something like Google fro Air Stream.

We recently switched from a big 5er to a smaller 28 year old Silver Streak.

Ken