Airstream Caravans (1 Viewer)

[Northernraider]

The motorhomes are nice too

 

[Blue Knight]

That Andrew ditton guy that does the blogs on YouTube has one too


I like his dog dougal ....hes a bit long winded but his blogs are quite good

Hats off to you Tam, that was fantastic. The missus and I were glued to the screen. I'm big into bikes.

 

[Northernraider]

Hats off to you Tam, that was fantastic. The missus and I were glued to the screen. I'm big into bikes.

I've watched a few of his videos ....the dogs brilliant.

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[Kingham]

Q. What's nicer than a shiny Airstream glistening in the sun ?

A. Seven of them !

Pulled on to Trevedra Farm site, Cornwall while I was there last year....

 

[Terry]

Importing a van would have it's own issues. Van electrics and appliances would probably be 110 volt and the tow hitch would likely be a 2" job and not 50mm.

Yep he has to fit new A frame and all electrics as part of changing from big single unbraked van to twin wheeled braked van ...he has to alter bodywork etc to accomodate the smaller twin wheels

 

[TinaLes]

Here you go @Blue Knight This is the Andrew Ditton Vlog you should see, he sums up the reasons why he bought one many years ago so aptly, and its still worth what he pais for it new!, But they are Very expensive, but will not date, they Alde Heating, Twin Leisure Batteries, and an on board water tank.
He has done another Vlog recently when he was invited to go over to the states to the Airstream Factory to look at the new Mini Airstream Caravan



If you get one let me know. yes you will be grinning from ear to ear
Les

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[scotjimland]

Import an old yank, and one that has rivets.. like this one, and don't forget the car

 

[old-mo]

Here is one, and not a bad price...

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Import an old yank, and one that has rivets.. like this one, and don't forget the car

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That looks like an Edsel

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[2657]

Apparently that and it's not just the dealer trying to sell his wares. Here's a pic from my shiny new brochure

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Aaaaah!!

 

[138go]

My mate Howard specialises in changing single wheeled vans (illegal here ) to twin wheeled braked vans and in doing so usually does all the insides outTells me when polishing the outer skin you have to be very careful not just to buff untill it shines because the outer layer of alloy has a few microns of hardened skin that once it's polished through cannot be undone (sure you can buff and make it shine but once wore through it's knackered) as it's lost the hardest bit allowing the bare alloy to rot with the weather...the hardened bit protect s it from weather damage
I do know that they are far from equil down each side/front end,I made a seating board for one and I foolishly thought I could simply reverse it for the opposite side which turned out to be over 2ins different

It’s called Anodising and is the same for all aluminium products. If you use an abrasive you can remove it. It can be reversed but you have to put the aluminium in an acid bath and connect it up to an electrical source.

 

[scotjimland]

That looks like an Edsel

had to look that up.. yes indeed

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2017/09/01/10-reasons-why-ford-edsel-floundered.html

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[Blue Knight]

Q. What's nicer than a shiny Airstream glistening in the sun ?

A. Seven of them !

Pulled on to Trevedra Farm site, Cornwall while I was there last year....

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Those pics are very impressive Ken As mentioned before we've only ever seen one on the road so for you to see seven at once would be a real treat.

Your pics are also very useful for helping establish which vehicle would pull the beast. I have four options but there is one particular truck that sticks out a mile.

 

[Northernraider]

Import an old yank, and one that has rivets.. like this one, and don't forget the car

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You wouldn't want to be ugly owning that

But great for fixing your hair as you walk past

 

[Northernraider]

Here you go @Blue Knight This is the Andrew Ditton Vlog you should see, he sums up the reasons why he bought one many years ago so aptly, and its still worth what he pais for it new!, But they are Very expensive, but will not date, they Alde Heating, Twin Leisure Batteries, and an on board water tank.
He has done another Vlog recently when he was invited to go over to the states to the Airstream Factory to look at the new Mini Airstream Caravan



If you get one let me know. yes you will be grinning from ear to ear
Les

Ha ha ha I thought for a minute he said £80 thousand .....




He did say 80 thousand .....insanity ...i love the look of that from outside but there's nothing in this world would get me to pay that kind of money for what I saw inside ...

Easily £40k there just for the name and status symbol. All the same fittings as a much much cheaper van

And I seriously didn't like the washroom

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[Infinity31]

My mate Howard specialises in changing single wheeled vans (illegal here ) to twin wheeled braked vans and in doing so usually does all the insides outTells me when polishing the outer skin you have to be very careful not just to buff untill it shines because the outer layer of alloy has a few microns of hardened skin that once it's polished through cannot be undone (sure you can buff and make it shine but once wore through it's knackered) as it's lost the hardest bit allowing the bare alloy to rot with the weather...the hardened bit protect s it from weather damage
I do know that they are far from equil down each side/front end,I made a seating board for one and I foolishly thought I could simply reverse it for the opposite side which turned out to be over 2ins different

Only half true, passivation of the aluminium will occur when the surface comes into contact with oxygen after polishing, the resultant layer of oxide that forms will protect against further corrosion.

 

[Blue Knight]

Here you go @Blue Knight This is the Andrew Ditton Vlog you should see, he sums up the reasons why he bought one many years ago so aptly, and its still worth what he pais for it new!, But they are Very expensive, but will not date, they Alde Heating, Twin Leisure Batteries, and an on board water tank.
He has done another Vlog recently when he was invited to go over to the states to the Airstream Factory to look at the new Mini Airstream Caravan



If you get one let me know. yes you will be grinning from ear to ear
Les

I've just watched the 42-minute video and that was incredibly informative - a big well done for that Les.

We didn't inspect the Missouri ourselves but all told the three vans have very similar credentials albeit the other two have separate showers and a wee bit more space.

That guy, Andrew, is a likeable and cool chap and I'll be subscribing to the rest of his stuff. I did like his point about an 'average A-Class MoHo' being £120,000. There were dozens of useful points that he mentioned on his video which both Nicky and I had missed during the visit yesterday.

What I really do like about the large Colorado is the fact that both ends of the van have full panoramic views which in itself seems quite unique compared to all other motorhomes and caravans alike.

Great post Les - thanks mate

P.S. I think Nicky has already made up her mind so it appears that I have the casting vote.

 

[tacr2man]

Those pics are very impressive Ken As mentioned before we've only ever seen one on the road so for you to see seven at once would be a real treat.

Your pics are also very useful for helping establish which vehicle would pull the beast. I have four options but there is one particular truck that sticks out a mile.

What truck is that ?

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[Basildog]

I've just watched the 42-minute video and that was incredibly informative - a big well done for that Les. .

You're a braver man than me I got to about the 2 minute mark and completely lost the will to live !
No wonder the suicide rate is so high

 

[Blue Knight]

Ha ha ha I thought for a minute he said £80 thousand .....




He did say 80 thousand .....insanity ...i love the look of that from outside but there's nothing in this world would get me to pay that kind of money for what I saw inside ...

Easily £40k there just for the name and status symbol. All the same fittings as a much much cheaper van

And I seriously didn't like the washroom

They're not selling though Tam.

The dealer that we spoke to yesterday (really nice guys BTW) have only started selling Airstream trailers this year and are already looking to cancel the franchise for 2019.

They've only managed to sell one out of their stock and that was some months ago. That said, the price of the Colorado is £91,000 but I think they'll be wanting shot of it/them soon in the same manner that motorhome dealers are slashing prices this month to avoid incuring huge interest payments on their stock loans. There could be a deal to be had yet

 

[Basildog]

They're not selling though Tam.

The dealer that we spoke to yesterday (really nice guys BTW) have only started selling Airstream trailers this year and are already looking to cancel the franchise for 2019.

They've only managed to sell one out of their stock and that was some months ago. That said, the price of the Colorado is £91,000 but I think they'll be wanting shot of it/them soon in the same manner that motorhome dealers are slashing prices this month to avoid incuring huge interest payments on their stock loans. There could be a deal to be had yet

I won't say what the salesman said about the Airstream caravans that we looked at as I will be accused of Swift bashing but let's just say that he wasn't impressed.

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[Blue Knight]

Only half true, passivation of the aluminium will occur when the surface comes into contact with oxygen after polishing, the resultant layer of oxide that forms will protect against further corrosion.

That's very useful stuff to know. In that case what would you suggest would be the ideal cleaning regime for Airstream vans, incl materials etc.

 

[Blue Knight]

I won't say what the salesman said about the Airstream caravans that we looked at as I will be accused of Swift bashing but let's just say that he wasn't impressed.

You can't leave it at that sir - you need to spill the beans please and if anyone gets offended then so be it. After all, we're not just considering the cost of the van but the cost of a new 4x4 on top so bash away if need be - I'll take any advice available

I'll be very honest with you - the Airstream looked stunning and the cabinet work was extremely well built but having a Sargent PSU; a crappy dometic fridge that doesn't chill food properly and a toilet cassette straight from an Autotrail didn't fill me with any confidence at all.

 

[Blue Knight]

Import an old yank, and one that has rivets.. like this one, and don't forget the car

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You're a tease Jim

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[Hellski]

I dreamed of owning an Airstream not so long ago, the build quality and uniqueness were very appealing. The original importers prior to swift were Adventure Leisure Vehicles. They too originally imported the shell and then kitted it out themselves. I believe due to a shortage of quality craftsmen and more probably down to cost, they then worked with the main European importer based in Germany. The reason for them no longer importing was supposedly down to increase in import taxes and lack of sales.

Swift took on the UK distribution and I understand they are back to importing the shells and kitting them out at their own factories. They will of course be under strict design conditions for layout and cabinetry but no doubt this doesn't prevent them from what equipment is used. One thing is for sure, the cost has certainly increased since we were interested but this is the same with everything I suppose.

Why didn't we pursue, for the cost of a rig and suitable vehicle we could purchase ourselves a very nice motorhome that is much more suited to our style of touring.

If I was in the market now, I would personally be looking for a S/H 684 international, a LR Discovery and in the long term getting the guys at ALV to be maintain/service the rig.

Good look with your research

 

[Blue Knight]

I dreamed of owning an Airstream not so long ago, the build quality and uniqueness were very appealing. The original importers prior to swift were Adventure Leisure Vehicles. They too originally imported the shell and then kitted it out themselves. I believe due to a shortage of quality craftsmen and more probably down to cost, they then worked with the main European importer based in Germany. The reason for them no longer importing was supposedly down to increase in import taxes and lack of sales.

Swift took on the UK distribution and I understand they are back to importing the shells and kitting them out at their own factories. They will of course be under strict design conditions for layout and cabinetry but no doubt this doesn't prevent them from what equipment is used. One thing is for sure, the cost has certainly increased since we were interested but this is the same with everything I suppose.

Why didn't we pursue, for the cost of a rig and suitable vehicle we could purchase ourselves a very nice motorhome that is much more suited to our style of touring.

If I was in the market now, I would personally be looking for a S/H 684 international, a LR Discovery and in the long term getting the guys at ALV to be maintain/service the rig.

Good look with your research

Great post and one that has knocked a fair few nails on their heads at once. I was not aware of the info in para-1 and 2 above (very informative) , but like you we are scrutinizing such things as cost, practicality and quality. I still have an issue with some of the component bits that have been added to the Airstream vans by the UK converter so I may have to sit on the fence for a wee bit longer before a decision is made.

 

[Blue Knight]

What truck is that ?

My main preference would be a bespoke Defender 110 by Twisted Tuning but since we have recently owned a Rangey Vogue and Toyota Land Cruiser then those are in the pile too. The 4th is a modded-up Toyota Hilux with hard back.

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[tacr2man]

My main preference would be a bespoke Defender 110 by Twisted Tuning but since we have recently owned a Rangey Vogue and Toyota Land Cruiser then those are in the pile too. The 4th is a modded-up Toyota Hilux with hard back.

Defender110dc pu or RR supercharged

 

[MillieMoocher]

I’d definitely go Airstream if I went tugging, to me they are as iconic as a Defender and probably suffer as many foibles but that’s all part of the fun.

When we went to Adventure Leisure Vehicles last year they had a fair number of pre owned Airstreams, seemed to hold their prices very well and some of them I thought were new stock but actually were 5 years old.

The guy whose name escapes me (Mike?) said the problem was the dollar to sterling exchange rate combined with minimum order per year requirements - he’d have had £1m + tied up in stock, around 15 vans at trade price, more than he’d would sell in 2 years.

I guess that Swift were able to comply with the minimum order requirements by selling the vans through their dealer network. Personally the fact they are imported and fitted out by Swift wouldn’t worry me one bit, I’d be more concerned about a dealer who has held the franchise for 1 year only, sold very few, and would struggle to deal with any warranty issues. Unless of course the price was right

 

[Margaritaman]

When you get your Airstream @Blue Knight write a blog and call it “Living The ‘Stream”

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