Re: [A/S] New Ideas

["Carol and Oliver Filippi" <ofilippi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Harvey makes a very valid point.

I think it is significant that most of us with older Airstreams bought them
for their inherent quality and appreciate their performance.  This contrasts
to a portion of the population who buys something based on cost (and
bragging rights - " mine is bigger or cost more than yours so mine is
better.")

I bought my '76 Tradewind used in 1978  (it was a cream puff).  My wife and
I were 40 then and our son was 2 years old, so I guess I was one of the
young folk then.  We used it a lot for several years, visiting state and
national parks which were very interesting and educational for a young
child.  These places were not readily accessible to conventional travel
particularly in that hotel rooms and facilities were lacking.  Also, with
the trailer, our  young child  always had a familiar bed to go home to.  I
cannot  think of a better way to show a child what the world is like.

We never got involved with the WBCCI since we perceived it as an
organization for retired people who could take off for months at a time,
which we, of course, couldn't.

Business and other circumstances did not allow us to use the trailer for a
dozen years (we didn't plan it that way) and the Airstream was in storage.
However, we never considered selling it because we knew we would be using it
again, and the quality, functionality, and performance was as good as one
could get, even many years down the road.

So now we are refurbishing it (new drapes, etc.) and have a new tow vehicle
and will soon be using it as much as possible.

Which brings us back to the original issue. The inherent quality of the
Airstream has endured, but it was also the reason we bought it in the first
place.  I am sure that there are a lot of younger folks who would follow my
logic if they understood the true value of the Airstream (and Airstream got
the price down sufficiently to not have the product written off by the
younger potential customer).

Another similar example is my Leica 35 mm camera (which I bought at a PX  in
London in 1960).  For those who are not camera buffs, the German Leica was
(and still is) the finest 35 mm camera (and lens system) in the world. Yes,
it is expensive (but not that much more than the high end Japanese Nikons
and Cannons), yet few camera dealers carry them, And now a days, few amateur
photographers have even heard of Leica.  But the cost of the camera fades
away when you consider the cost of the film and processing that goes thru
it.  But the real reason for owning a Leica is the incredible quality of the
pictures it takes, even under marginal lighting conditions - crisp, sharp
and plenty of contrast. So forty plus years later, there is no need for me
to replace this camera to get better picture quality - ditto the Airstream!

Oliver Filippi