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Don't despair Tim
I found my trailer (66 TradeWind) about 3
years before I eventually was able to buy it. The elderly owners said their
son was going to take it. They were kind enough to let me show it to my wife
anyway as an example of what I had in mind for our family camper.
Fortunately she "humoured" my infatuation
and after another 1-1/2 years we found a 60 Overlander in Ohio. Fellow listee
Scott Scheuermann was kind enough to perform an extremely thorough inspection
for me, we bought it and last June made the 6000 mile round trip
to retrieve it. The trailer pulled flawlessly and we vacationed our way home. I
stopped at Jackson Ctr for a factory tour,visited Chicago, Wisconsin Dells, made
a stop at the International Rally and took photos in South Dakota with Mt
Rushmore in the background. Then at the KOA (near Rushmore) a violent hail storm
ripped through the campground. Tents and awnings were shredded, windshields were
smashed out of vehicles and our beloved Airstream's top and curbside looked like
a golf ball. We tried not to let the incident ruin a great trip but we were
dejected. I decided that I couldn't invest the effort and expense required to
restore the trailer and still have hundreds of dents. I decided to keep and use
the trailer until a suitable replacement could be found. We enjoyed the
trailer last summer and had many great camping weekends in the Rockies with it.
Still think of the great shape it was in for the 41 years prior to my
ownership and the devastating results after a week in my
hands.
Last September my wife wandered by
the location of the original Airstream we looked at and inquired if the son was
still taking it. Turns out he was transferred to Spain and would not
be needing it after all. Soon after a deal was struck and we became proud
owners of a 66 TradeWind. A friend bought my Overlander (for considerably less
than I paid) and all was right with the world.
An ironic footnote occurred about a week
after I sold the dented Overlander. I was called by a movie production company
looking for an "old" Airstream. They only needed it for exterior shots for about
4 days and would pay about $700. They had a look at mine but found it too clean
looking. I put them in touch with the new owner of my former trailer and it was
just right. It is an office for a crop duster in the soon to be released
(straight to video) Hitcher 2 starring C. Thomas Howell and Jake
Busey.
I know this is a long saga Tim but it shows
if you keep looking and are ready to pounce when the right one comes along you
will find your Airstream. If I had it all to do over again I would not change a
thing (other than staying 1 day too long at the KOA) I have only been an
Airstream owner for a year and I already have lots of great stories for the
fireside chats.
Take Care
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