Jim Muncy owns two: a 1960 Tradewind and a 1955 Cruiser. The Port Clinton resident laughed when asked how many Airstreams a person needs. “At least two, obviously. The vintage styling is just, you know, sexy,” he says. “They’ve got that bizarre Jules Verne look, I’d say. I have zero desire to own a new one.” New trailer models range from about $50,000 to more than $150,000, but vintage Airstream is not cheap, either. Muncy said he paid about $41,000 for his most recent purchase, and by the time he has it serviced and polished, it will be about $50,000. Despite their age, shiny (and even dull) Airstreams have clout. “My wife called this campground in Tennessee to make reservations and they said, sorry, they don’t allow anything older than 2005,” Muncy says. “When she told them it was an Airstream, they said, ‘Oh, okay.’”
Go anywhere, be anything Pioneer Vintage Trailers, in Oak Harbor, Ohio, specializes in Airstreams. Owner Scott Bowe has converted old Airstreams into ice skate rental booths, food kitchens, full bars, and coffee trailers, among other things, though he doesn’t polish the iconic aluminum skins. For professional shiny, they call in a crew from California, and in a couple days they turn blah, faded trailers into shiny spaceship-like eye-catchers. It’s not cheap: A fullsized trailer polish, at up to $195 per linear foot, can run upward of $6,000. When you start talking Airstreams, start expecting smiles. Continued on page 32
Riding the Miller Ferry with Mitten Kitten was on Lindy Brown’s bucket list, as is evident in this ferry cool selfie (photo courtesy of Lindy Brown). Left, the gleaming shell of an Airstream brightens up any campsite (photo courtesy of Airstream).
AUGUST 2021 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 31
