This article is all about whether an Airstream RV is really worth it. In other words, is the price you typically pay for an Airstream travel trailer justified?

You know, Airstream has been in business for almost 90 years now. What an incredible achievement that is in this day and age!

And unlike most RVs they’ve hardly changed the appearance of their product during all of that time either. And it’s a very unique look.

Now you see lots of Airstreams on the road today. And in fact, they’re probably more popular now than they have even been in the past.

But that still leads us back to our original question. And that is, “is Airstream worth the money you pay for them”?

Table of Contents

• Airstream RV Pro #1
• Airstream Travel Trailer Pro #2
• Airstream RV #3
• Airstream Pro #4
• Airstream Travel Trailer Pro #5
• Final Airstream Pro
• Airstream RV Con #1
• Con #2 For Airstream Travel Trailers
• Airstream Con #3
• Airstream RV Con #4
• Con #5 For Airstreams
• Final Airstream Con
• Is Buying An Airstream RV Worth It?
• Conclusion

Airstream RV Pro #1

Well, let’s cover the pros and the cons of buying an Airstream first. And the number one pro to start with is the quality workmanship and materials.

For instance, Airstream uses a steel frame with an aluminum shell that’s riveted onto it.

Now does that remind you of anything? Well it should. Because in the World War II era, that’s how they built airplanes for the war.

Yes, they made them very light and very strong as a result of using those materials.

So Airstream has chosen to use that method of construction for their travel trailers now. And does it work?

Well generally speaking, I would say yes. That’s because Airstream says that almost 70 percent of all the Airstreams ever made are still in use today!

Airstream Travel Trailer Pro #2

And that brings us to our second pro to consider. And that is that they just last longer than most other travel trailers.

In fact, there are some Airstream travel trailers from the 1930s when the company first began, that are still in use today.

Now how many travel trailer manufacturers do you know of today that can say that?

Yes, how many are projecting that in 90 years their products are still going to be happily traveling down the highway? The answer is, not many!

Airstream RV #3

And that brings us to our next pro. Which is, there’s extremely high customer satisfaction with the Airstream products they buy.

And also with the company itself. There are plenty of online reviews about Airstreams that indicate overall satisfaction with their RV.

Now of course, they do mention certain things that they’d like to see done better. And that’s to be expected.

But when they’re asked if they’re pleased with the product and the service they’ve received, they overwhelmingly say “yes”.

And that really is something that most RV manufacturers should aspire to, but many don’t duplicate.

So there’s an incredibly high customer satisfaction with Airstream RVs.

Airstream Pro #4

Next on the list of Airstream pros is that they’re very aerodynamic going down the road. And they have a low profile. Now what does that mean?

Well good aerodynamics means great fuel mileage for those that are towing Airstream travel trailers. And that’s a big pro due to the fuel savings at the pump.

Airstream Travel Trailer Pro #5

Then the next pro is incredibly high resale values for many Airstream RVs.

It’s really amazing how often you read about people that own Airstreams talking about their resale value.

In fact, many tell their story of how they bought their Airstream years ago, maybe decades ago.

And then they turned around and sold it for more than they originally bought it for.

Of course, that doesn’t always happen. But it is an established fact that Airstream travel trailers have an incredibly high resale value.

And that’s a big pro for those who don’t like to see their RV’s value decline swiftly.

Final Airstream Pro

Now here’s the final pro we’re going to talk about in this article. And that is that there is a unique tight-knit and social community of Airstream owners.

So if you want to be part of a community. And if you want to feel like you’re in with a group that provides a lot of help and support.

Then you can enjoy all of that and regular social activities when you get an Airstream.

And that’s because there’s a real collection of communities that work together among Airstream owners.

OK now, that brings us to the cons of Airstream RVs. Because nothing is perfect, right?

Airstream RV Con #1

So the number one con without question is the high cost of Airstream travel trailers.

And remember we’re trying to answer the question “is Airstream worth the money”?

Well they are far more expensive than most travel trailers you find on the market.

Especially Airstreams where you normally have two people living fairly comfortably in them.

Well then, you’re starting in the $80,000 to $90,000 range, and it goes up from there.

In fact, it’s really not uncommon to spend $150,000 for an Airstream travel trailer these days. And that’s way more than most other travel trailer brands.

So the cost of Airstreams can be considered a con. Because not a lot of people can afford that kind of money for a travel trailer.

Con #2 For Airstream Travel Trailers

Now, number two on the con list is that Airstreams do not come with slide-out rooms.

Of course, there was a time that Airstream actually built some that had slides in them.

But they stopped that. And they haven’t made RVs with slides for a while now.

So what does that mean? Well, it means less living area than you’re going to find in most other travel trailers.

In fact, if you’re going to buy an Airstream, expect to be living in less than 200 square feet.

And that kind of small living space is a con for many buyers.

Airstream Con #3

Now the third con we’re going to talk about here is that beautiful aluminum skin.

Of course, it’s very unique and it looks so nice. But as many Airstream owners will tell you, it’s easily damaged.

In fact, it can be very easily scratched and dented too. And if you want to fix that, it’s not going to be cheap.

So the outer shell can be very expensive to repair. And that could be considered a con for many buyers.

Airstream RV Con #4

Now the next con is there’s very limited outside storage space in most Airstreams.

You know how most travel trailers have that little storage area up front on the bottom? Well not Airstream.

Instead, they generally only have one storage space. And it’s most often in the back of the RV, and it fills up very fast.

So keep that in mind if you’re considering an Airstream travel trailer. You will need some other way to carry many items for storage along with you.

Con #5 For Airstreams

Now the next con for Airstream RVs is that the kitchens are usually very small.

So if you like to cook a lot, and you like to have plenty of space to work in, Airstream is not going to be a great choice for that.

And that’s because there’s super limited counter space in most Airstreams.

Also, the refrigerator is often very small too. So this is another area where there’s going to be a lot of adjustment for most people in an Airstream kitchen.

Final Airstream Con

Now the final con we’re going to cover here is the Airstream’s low ground clearance.

Remember how I mentioned that Airstreams are aerodynamic and low profile?

Well, to achieve that, they sort of sit down fairly low to the ground. And what that means is if you want to take them off-road, you better be careful.

Because they do sit very low to the ground. So many owners who use them that way often install lift kits, and then they’re fine for boondocking.

Well, those are the pros and the cons of buying an Airstream RV.

Now that doesn’t mean we have covered all the Airstream pros. And it doesn’t mean we covered all of the cons either.

But these are the ones that I felt might impact most RV buyers the most.

Is Buying An Airstream RV Worth It?

So we get back to the question then, “Is Airstream worth the money you spend for them”?

And my answer is this it depends on what you want from a travel trailer. And what kind of RVer you tend to be.

Suppose you’re a weekend RVer or you just like to vacation in an RV every now and then.

Well, the cost of RVing trips is really going to be high for you if you buy an Airstream in that case.

And it’s kind of hard to financially justify that unless you have plenty of available cash to spend.

But for most people, it’s just going to be too much money to spend for each RV trip.

Especially if they’re not going to be using their RV on a really regular basis.

However, that changes if you are a part-time RVer, a snowbird, or a full-time RVer instead.

In that case, an Airstream’s quality construction can really be important to consider. It’s going to make that travel trailer last so much longer than, and better than, most others on the market.

And that’s a huge attractive point in favor of buying an Airstream RV.

In fact, that point alone can really make Airstreams worth the money that you spend on them.

Conclusion

But let me say this. If you’re going to buy an Airstream, whether it’s new or used, let me remind you to get it inspected before you buy it.

Yes, even quality manufacturers like Airstream are still having some quality control issues these days.

So a certified RV inspector can help you find those problems. And you can get them fixed before you take delivery of the RV.

Then you’ll have the Airstream that you want from the very first day of ownership.

So my final thought is this. If you decide to buy an Airstream, you can be sure that it really is a quality product.

In fact, it may even last you a lifetime of your RV travels and adventures.

Have safe and happy travels my friends!