And who said it was supposed to be cheap?
When I finish my '56 Caravanner this year (I hope), it will be an heirloom,
although I have no heirs. I probably won't have more than 10 or 15K in it, but
it turns heads the way that no $50,000 white box fifth-wheel can. More
importantly it makes ME happy. There is something very reassuring to me about
mid-fifties space age design. The design concepts are lofty, but constructed
in a handbuilt way. Sort of like building a spaceship in your back yard. There
is a humanity in my Airstream that's missing from modern machines and I think
that's what is so pleasing to me about it. I could afford a new Airstream but
I prefer an old one. Sometimes I get the feeling that vintage Airstreamers
feel like step-children because they own old trailers. New isn't everything,
especially today. If I owned a painting, I think I'd prefer an old Rembrandt
to something more modern. So spend whatever it takes to restore your
Airstream. Mine will live to be a hundred if its next owner takes care of it.
How many trailers built today can make that claim?
Brian