Airstream Classic

My wife and I are looking for a 30 ft TT to retire with. We've looked at Airstream models (especially the Classic 30) and conventional TT's. Today we looked at the Arctic Fox 25Y. We like the Classic 30 but it's 3.5 times more $$$$ and I don't think I can justify that.

Slowmover wrote: "Believing one has to be stuck with a pickup is a function of late-day ignorance. It wasn’t ever the norm. Nor need it be." What vehicle today other than a full size truck, van or Suburban like vehicle is adequately going to tow a 30 ft 10,000 GVWR rated trailer / 7800 lb dry weight trailer (Airstream classic 30)? Even a more modest Flying Cloud 26 has a dry weight of 6000lbs.

Go to RVtrader and look up used prices. The only ones that are worth more than new are the old classic collector ones. I can find 100's of AS built in 06-17 worth way less than new.
Does that make them better or worse? No it just shows that they depreciate like the rest. Maybe slower depreciation but they don't hold their value like some think they do. Factor in interest if you're getting a loan and it's even worse cause you're paying more in interest because the purchase price is higher.
Do I think they're built better. Yes. I've watched a couple 1 hour walk thru videos on several and there's more than meets the eye.
Is a 19' Bambi Tommy Bahama worth $81K? Heck no.

Slowmover wrote:
A ten year old AS is still new. A conventional TT is ready to scrap. That’s the simple black/white divide.

Umm.. no. not true at all.

An AirStream just like any other trailer design, can AND WILL LEAK.

Whether it is from the outside or from the inside water can destroy even an all aluminum trailer.

This has been discussed before.

The multiple pieces of aluminum shell being riveted with thousands of rivets making thousands of potential entry points for water can make finding an outside leak a daunting and overly expensive task.

How well the outside skin sheds the water is determined by how good the sealant and rivets are applied at the seams.

Fixing a leaking seam is going to require some specialized tooling making it not a DIY repair job..

You are also ignoring that aluminum like any other metal transmits heat as well as cold extremely well. This leads to moisture condensing on the INSIDE of the shell, that moisture has to go somewhere so it eventually wicks into any nearby wood causing well hidden rot.

Aluminum does have an additional enemy, SALT.

I live in the rust belt and my trailer sits about 40ft from the centerline of a busy road..

Salt spray in the winter is extremely hard on not just steel but aluminum.. I have to bring in any aluminum porch furniture from the outside for winter, otherwise I would be replacing it every two years as the salt spray attacks and weakens the furniture.

Internal water leaks form water lines, busted water heaters or overflows, yeah, AirStreams are no better when it comes to that and any wood will rot if left unrepaired like even a cheap $10K conventional trailer.

Believing a $150K trailer is going to last longer is a huge leap of faith..

I have a 30 yr old conventional trailer that I rebuilt and as long as I do some simple maintenance to keep it dry it should go another 30 yrs.. Yeah I bought mine TT cheap, but it also was cheap to repair.

Maintenance is key, I know where I could get a 20 yr old Airstream, it is sitting in a FIELD ROTTING AWAY since the owner IGNORED the water leaks.. It is too far gone to even think about resurrecting with so much damage.. But yet, someone would most likely be willing to pay what the owner wants ($25K) and then proceed to put $25K or more into repairs..

I would rather not blow my retirement funds on an Airstream, but if you want to do so that is fine by me.. I plan to retire and not have to work at all until I die just be able to say I have a Airstream..

Typical responses. Everything from factual, measured and honest, to the Kool-aid crowd. My favorite are the snobs that dismiss those who are less than enamoured as, "the little people, who simply can't afford what I have". Oh, please.

A ten year old AS is still new. A conventional TT is ready to scrap. That’s the simple black/white divide.

This comes up every so often. Those who can’t perceive important design differences, first, and quality, second.

AS survived where the other aero, all-aluminum TTs did not. It was the entry level choice. None of them were ever cheap. The usual decision to buy one was versus mountain or lake property with a house. Doctors, lawyers, executives.

No one is forced to buy new. Except with a conventional TT. A 10-15 yr old AS has most of its depreciation gone. And is new enough to need little. Possibly nothing.

The difference in towing is night & day. Believing one has to be stuck with a pickup is a function of late-day ignorance. It wasn’t ever the norm. Nor need it be.

My folks bought their vintage kin Silver Streak in 1975. Kept it 27-Years. It’s still on the road. By choice, only two TVs in that time.

My 1990 is nearly thirty years old. But it’s in better shape — and will remain that way — than any seven or eight year old conventional.

FWIW, I purchased both my pickup (at three model years) and the TT (at twenty-two years) and combined had less than 30k in the outlay. True, as third generation I’m familiar with what to look for, etc. I wanted longest life at lowest cost.

With the current price of fuel my towing average is 17-cpm. Maybe $900 in fuel to take a 5000-mile vacation. So, a one ton pickup with a 35’ TT hitting nearly 17-mpg. Averaging 15.

Depreciation? Well, the pickup lost $3k in value the first nine years. The TT has only appreciated.

The used market allows leisure for a search. 10,000 or more of them out there. And the option of upgrading appliances, furnishings, etc is easy. Can be higher than RV quality. The factory sets a higher bar than most meet in their renovations, as there are no rules.

I strongly recommend reading Skatieros thread on AIR about renovating their 1986 32’ Excella to fit nine. Beautiful work.

If I were looking to replace mine with a lower quality AS I’d search for a mid/late 1990s “wide body” 34’.

Were I again on the search for value I’d choose the family brand or Avion.

No RV is perfect. But you could give me a brand-new New Horizons and I’d put it up for sale that same day. And go buy a TT worth having.

Soren,

You make my point exactly. You are one of those folks who does not feel that there is anything so unique about Airstreams to justify the price.

You have to remember that some people feel that the tube construction alone justifies the high price. Add to this the perception of easy towing and optimised storage and buyers willing fork over the bucks.

You and I might feel this is simply hype but that can be said about almost any item we buy from the vehicles we drive to the hats on our heads.

Yes, you do find Airstreams with the some of the same issues as a standard TT but how many other brands are professionally restored?

Like it or not, we all drink the Kool-Aid and beat our drums to express our opinions. If a person perceives value in a product, that is their choice. I certainly would not try to redefine their version of happy.

Personally I am a bit more frugal with my money but I am not part of the Airstream demographic.

The RV world is a big tent.

Be safe.

DownTheAvenue wrote:
This thread reminds me of the Hensley Arrow debate: many people bad mouth a superior product they have never seen or used. So it is with the Airstream and this thread: many people bad mouthing a superior product they have never used and probably could not afford so they degrade it.

You might be a bit right, however, Airstreams are a "love it" or Hate it" type of trailer.

To be willing to pay the premium price tag, one must "love it".

While I appreciate the "nostalgic" look of the 1950's the design IS completely worn out and out of touch. Modern airplanes have changed looks but the Air Streams have not (and AirStream took their design cues from airplanes back in the day and looked "futuristic"). There is only so much you can do with the silver looking hot dog on wheels to update the look.

Have you ever been in one? The rounded outside takes a lot of inside space away and that IS a "fact" so they are not as spacious as a boxy RV.

Inside construction while based on a modular design approach tends to waste space also and does add weight.

Inside materials are no better than any other RV, they use the same paneling, appliances and so on.

That gets us down to the outside, yeah, shiny riveted aluminum sheets, what can I say, lots of ways of leaking.. Water proofing is an issue and leaks are well hidden for a long time. Aluminum does corrode/dull, and keeping it polished can be a huge task..

Yes, there are folks who love the 1950s look and are willing to pay a premium..

And there are folks like me who enjoy seeing the 1950s look while someone else pays the premium..

For me, they don't make sense to own, partly due to cost, partly due to the dated looks, partly due to same old interior materials as any other RV..

This thread reminds me of the Hensley Arrow debate: many people bad mouth a superior product they have never seen or used. So it is with the Airstream and this thread: many people bad mouthing a superior product they have never used and probably could not afford so they degrade it.

rbpru wrote:
Airstreams cost because of the volume, construction, quality and pride of ownership factor.

They are very high priced and would not be so if they were not worth it in the eyes of their owners.

Considering you could buy two or even three standard TTs for the price of an Airstream and a 20 year old AS is just reaching puberty in TT world, says a lot.

We looked at them briefly, The DW did not like the shape, I want a slide and neither of us wanted to spend that much. None of that has anything to do with the value of an Airstream.

To put it in perspective, if I won a multi-million dollar lottery, Ferrari might just make their first pickup truck. :) Till then its my F-150.

Safe travels

Every winter I spend a few minutes strolling through the giant Airstream display at the Tampa show. As the prices hit the stratosphere over the years, one thing becomes clearer. This is a case of genius level marketing and very little substance behind the curtain. Same ole' appliances, Chinese LEDS, and other junk found in the brands that the Airstream snobs love to belittle. Garbage QC in many areas (huge puckers between rivets on roof seams, really?) All of this is accompanied by ridiculous pricing. The 2018 30' Classic had a BASE MSRP of $142,000..................seriously?

Sorry, but when you go on about just reaching puberty at 20 YO, and Ferrari comparisons, there is a marketing department smiling, and the bean counters at Thor staring at the profit margins in awe. It's all about drinking the Kool-Aid.I wonder how many Kool-Aide drinkers would still wave that Airstream flag after a deep dive into search topics like "floor rot, Roof leakage, filiform corrosion, and factory support for warranty problems" ? I knew that the whole deal jumped the shark a few years back, when I stopped at an Airstream dealer who had a few worn out hulks on his lot. I was actually buying a part for another brand, but I was looking at his inventory before I left. I step in a 28' or so, thirty year old Airstream TT, and my foot goes in the rot hole at the door. the interior is filled with mold smell and need a total gut job. The salesman tells me it's available for $18K and he can't move much on the price. Yea, OK, right after pigs fly. The problem with this whole "value" concept is that, once you step away from the dealer, and back into the real world, a quick search of national databases show an abundance of really nice similar used Airstreams, of the same vintage, that do NOT need $20-30K in rebuilding, for LESS than $18K. That's how it works when you can sucessfully create a perception of value, based on past reputation and brilliant marketing.

I'm happy with this: