In Search of a Unicorn

Airstream is not a unicorn, it's just an over priced horse with a horn glued to it's head.


Buy a new TT and take care of it and go camping.

I totally understand not wanting to buy used...but...a brand new TT can be a nightmare in its own right and Airstream is not immune from that either. Just hang out on the Air forums. People have issues with them too.

Thor owns Airstream and if IIRC they recently acquired Jayco. Jayco is a pretty solid manufacturer as well. Not perfect but pretty solid.

If this is your first camper I would Highly recommend not spending your full budget on your first camper. Once you get camping you may find that dream floorplan doesn't actually work for you as well as you thought.

The rubber roofs are not that big of a problem. Maintain them and they can last and last and last. My last TT had a 17 year old rubber roof and it was in great shape for its age.

Just trying to give a different perspective. There are several people who happily buy a few year old TT that has had all the bugs worked out and camped for years and years with very little issues.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Used doesn't always mean problems. Sometimes, it can mean that any bugs have been taken care of. All depends on age and previous owner.
Our camper was less than a year old and a trade-in. I happened to meet the guy who used to own it at the dealership while he was picking up his new, bigger camper. I found out he had had no issues and never had to bring it in for warranty work. Other than a few minor, easily remedied things, I have had nothing go wrong with the camper.
As I read here in this forum, the majority of complaints are for the same things that are common to all brands and are not manufacture specific.
I would have liked to have an Airstream. Still do. And I would, if I could talk my more sensible better half into it.
Good luck and have fun searching.

Very, very unlikely there is such a beast that meets all your criteria. Take a look at models by Grand Design. Yes, they have issues too - in your price range they all do. Everyone pretty much buys the same components from the same suppliers, and rushes the product off the line as fast as possible.
But, the company is outstanding in after purchase support. Yes, warranty is the standard 1 year, and component repairs are referred to the component mfg (fridge, AC, wheels, etc.). But they work hard to be the "interface" between you and the other companies, and push their suppliers hard to cover an issue. They routinely authorize warranty work to be done by non-dealers if you have problems with your own. The only place they won't routinely authorize is CW. They go the extra mile to provide coverage. For bigger deals, have been more willing to accommodate after warranty coverage than anyone else. At the least, they have a great customer service department, that will respond quickly and talk to you. Several reports of them even flying staff around the country to look at, investigate, and repair "big deal" one-off problems. They monitor the independent "Grand Design" forum, as well as facebook groups, and if someone is posting about frustration with their product, will directly contact them, rather than wait for the person to call them.
After the warranty is over, for the size you are looking at, you should have money left in the budget to replace the roof with one of the "permanent" alternatives, such as rv-armor (http://rv-armor.com/index.html)

Have you checked out one of these? All aluminum (everything). lookup construction videos.
Camplite 21RBS

The Lance 2155 (25'8" overall length) is in your price range after negotiating down some from the listed prices of $31,700 - $46,000 on RV Trader.
(That is really a large difference in pricing for this model.)
Anyway, I was just putting a combination together with a Chevy Colorado Duramax and a Lance 2185 to show my niece who is looking for a lighter setup when I came across your post and thought the Lance 2155 was a good fit.

Good luck with a new 25' A/F for $30k. What I've seen of those have been $40k
Gulfstream TT's have fiberglass roofs, and a range of quality and finish levels.

Good advice guys. I appreciate the input. It doesn't help my feelings! But yeah, its funny, I've been looking at Arctic Fox all night. They seem to offer the best compromise for the money. My wife is in love with Airstream but the price tag has put her off a little. I don't mind the odd fix or maintenance but I've heard horror stories from Jayco and Forest River owners.

You might be able to get an Arctic fox or something similar for that price. They will all need some work over the years. Even airstreams.

You want premium quality, new, and cheap, nope that doesn't exist.

Cheap, new, good pick 2.