Nomar said:
That's kinda like sayin' if you like the Omega Speedmaster, consider the Citizen Eco-drive...
No need to discuss. Call Craig Dorsey, Owner of
Vintage Vacations, an objective expert and pose the question. Found this...
Airstream has a number of nice features I'd like to have on my Silver Streak, among them the semi-independent suspension versus buggy springs. And better the door hinges.
That said, t
he S/S is not significantly heavier but is constructed on an absolutely super frame, not semi-moncocque like the A/S. All appliances (furnace, water heater, pump, etc) are mounted on the sub-floor and easily accessed by doors or false panels from the interior. Same for the fresh water tank. The trailer is .032 double-wall with 2" insulation in walls and roof, the floor is 4" insulated and 4" dead-air space between skins.
The subfloor is NOT a structural piece so you have no frame sag or separation problems as with A/S. My folks had their S/S for nearly 30-years, and beyond replacing appliances as they wore, or carpeting, the maintenance costs were minimal. Repairs were easily handled by more than one tech who simply wouldn't work on an old Airstream due to the problems of accessing appliances, lines, etc. There isn't anything you can't access in only seconds if need be.
The interior fit and finish on a Silver Streaks without question superior to A/S. Besides the higher quality of workmanship, the materials in a decently kept 1970's model will look far better than any A/S of the same age and relative condition. I have read plenty of threads on cleaning interior walls of older Airstreams and have yet to find (of seven recently inspected) anything like this problem.
Storage space is incredible. I recently read a blog of another owner who purchased his new in 1980, and, having inspected and measured carefully all the competitors, chose the S/S based on that storage and construction. He and his wife found over 250 cubic feet of storage onboard, not even close, they said, to the others.
Now, I realize that in intervening years that Airstream has become porky (slide-outs? 11,000-lb GVWR? Wide-body?) as the market has changed. S/S really hasn't been seen since the mid-1980's so they are not as easy to find. The prices are also lower. Cherry condition for a nice early 80's model shouldn't be in excess of $15,000 at present. Prices are appreciating, however, so a good S/S can be remodeled more easily than a comparable A/S with a higher potential profit for resale after a few years (or lower operating cost in this sense).
Best of all, a Silver Streak isn't generic like an Airstream. You won't see yourself coming and going on the road. No African herds at rallies. Just have to get used to people thinking all aluminum trailers are A/S. There never were as many S/S, and, as they only made a few hundred per year with an accomodating factory ["Want an LPG generator? Okay, we'll fit one in"] there are plenty of variations.