Cost does not always equate to quality. I purchased a NEW Starcraft trailer and found it to be pretty bad. Bad, in the sense of the quality of the materials. I don't think the workmanship was necessarily bad but materials were shoddy. The drawers were never right, cheap guides, wooden rails that were stapled together. A switch for the slideout went TU in the first year. Cheap tires had to be replaced too.
Then I bought an Airstream,used, three years old. I don't really think that the quality of workmanship is any different than many other trailers. There have been lots of stories of new Airstreams with issues off the line. Since mine was 3 years old, I figure most of the early issues had been taken care of. What I can tell you is the quality of the materials they put in these things are pretty good. Latches that work, switches that work, windows that open and close and the awnings are really nice. No mold and mildew to deal with. I have over 50K on my trailer with little to no issues. They are obscenely expensive. I seriously don't know how any regular guy can buy a new one. We lucked out and got a very good price on a used unit.
And, when the "light" trailer became popular I winced at the concept. To me, lighter means lighter materials going into the construction. Perhaps they have improved the building techniques to make up the difference, who really knows? I do know the fiberglass trailers today use materials that do not rot, are light weight and very sturdy. The shells they use make the trailers pretty water proof on top of that. Airstreams will leak if not properly maintained. And older units have wooden subfloors that can and will rot if ignored. They certainly are not perfect. But, I can sell mine today for just about what I paid for it 11 years ago. Still pretty solid.
