I put down on my profile that my Airstream is a 1972 Ambassador, but that really is what my father and mother owned. He was a teacher, and as a family we went tent camping every summer for months at a time. He finally could afford a travel trailer, and got a Scotty after I graduated from high school. But his dream was always to own an Airstream.
Finally he retired, sold the house, and bought a brand new 1972 Airstream Ambassador in Lansing, Michigan. The price was $10,752.72. I have the original MSRP sheet, and the base price was $9,395.00.
My parents moved into the Airstream and traveled around the country full time, living aboard from early 1972 until late 1978. They loved the lifestyle, and I never heard him complain about the quality of the trailer. Whenever something went wrong, he took the trailer to an Airstream dealer and got prompt service.
My dad kept a detailed log of his travels and expenses. Many campgrounds back then cost $3 or $4 per day for full hookup. Some were higher, up to $9 per day. When poor health finally caused him to hang it up in 1978, he had put 37,521 miles on the trailer.
Sadly, he put it up for sale on consignment for $6,000 with an Airstream dealer in Florida who sold it and didn't give my dad the money. My dad was pretty well house bound by then with his illness, so I tried to get the money for him. I had the choice of putting the dealer in jail or working out a payment plan. He agreed to a payment plan, then promptly went bankrupt, and there went my opportunity to put him in the tank.
I've been wanting to get a smaller Airstream, but I've been concerned about some of the quality issues that have been discussed on these forums. I don't remember my dad ever complaining about quality. Once in awhile something would break, but that seemed to be a rare thing.
So I'm debating now: should I buy a new one or a used one? And if a used one, how far back do you have to go to find that quality my dad loved so much?
Finally he retired, sold the house, and bought a brand new 1972 Airstream Ambassador in Lansing, Michigan. The price was $10,752.72. I have the original MSRP sheet, and the base price was $9,395.00.
My parents moved into the Airstream and traveled around the country full time, living aboard from early 1972 until late 1978. They loved the lifestyle, and I never heard him complain about the quality of the trailer. Whenever something went wrong, he took the trailer to an Airstream dealer and got prompt service.
My dad kept a detailed log of his travels and expenses. Many campgrounds back then cost $3 or $4 per day for full hookup. Some were higher, up to $9 per day. When poor health finally caused him to hang it up in 1978, he had put 37,521 miles on the trailer.
Sadly, he put it up for sale on consignment for $6,000 with an Airstream dealer in Florida who sold it and didn't give my dad the money. My dad was pretty well house bound by then with his illness, so I tried to get the money for him. I had the choice of putting the dealer in jail or working out a payment plan. He agreed to a payment plan, then promptly went bankrupt, and there went my opportunity to put him in the tank.
I've been wanting to get a smaller Airstream, but I've been concerned about some of the quality issues that have been discussed on these forums. I don't remember my dad ever complaining about quality. Once in awhile something would break, but that seemed to be a rare thing.
So I'm debating now: should I buy a new one or a used one? And if a used one, how far back do you have to go to find that quality my dad loved so much?
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