The Mayor’s Vice has been all about tobacco, pipes, and pipe smoking. I’ve been thinking though that I do have a second ‘hobby,’ and that there are some links out there from specialist sites dealing with that hobby into this Mayor’s Vice.

Therefore, I think it might be appropriate to expand the scope a little, to include at least a touch of that second vice. That wonderful silver money eater.

This second vice if it may be called such is for Airstream brand travel trailers. I am filled with great childhood memories of our family camping in our Coachman trailer. Alas though, many of those memories are of just how amazed we children were each time one of the wonderful silver Airstream’s pulled into the campground. I remember us kids just standing and looking, wondering about these striking homes on wheels, and the fortunate occupants inside. I also remember my parents assuring me that such Land Yachts were very, very expensive.

They did get the expensive part right, a top of the line Airstream today costs just under $100,000.

About a year ago the time came for me to realize this childhood dream, to posses an Airstream of my very own. I strongly considered a beautiful new one, and am lucky enough in my life that such an option is open to me. Alas though, while truly amazing, the new Airstream is not the exact Airstream of my memory. Luckily, Airstream’s don’t die. They are restored, rebuilt, and returned to their original glory by wonderful craftsmen everywhere.

I found a vintage 1973 International Overlander, just perfect for me. The exact trailer of my memory having been a young child in the early to mid 1970’s. I suppose that one of these days I’ll pass the old beauty on to another and buy the newest and best, but for now this truly vintage trailer and I are a perfect fit.

Vintage Airstream’s are extremely popular, so I am not alone with this hobby, but one thing I am not is mechanically inclined. I lack the desire or ability to restore a vintage car, and in much the same way, I’m not a craftsman who could restore a vintage Airstream.

As luck would have it, mine precluded that need. It came to me fully restored on the interior, and with all the working systems rebuilt. From day one it was ready to go, good as new. A sad story, a fellow decided to have the Airstream he grew up traveling in restored, and took it to a professional shop to have the work done. The shop assumed he could pay for the project, he assumed it would not be very costly. Both assumptions were wrong, and the shop sold the trailer to me when he was unable to pay for the work they performed. He learned the hard way that even very old Airstream’s are very expensive, and they learned the hard way that just because someone is in possession of such a beauty doesn’t mean that they are in a strong financial position.

The only thing not restored on the Airstream was the exterior. It lacks the high shine that it was born with. I suppose that the financial problems were figured out prior to polishing taking place, hence it’s dull grey appearance. I’ll have to have that problem remedied one of these days.

For now, I am enjoying this piece of my childhood, spending way too much money on all things Airstream, and enjoying the envious looks it gets whenever we are in a RV park.

So, there you have it, the second ‘vice’ and a little something of interest for those who may have followed a link here from an Airstream website.