B190 Enthusiasts

I recently purchased a 1997 and paid significantly more thinking the late model was a better design. I'm not sure that was the right decision but satisfied nevertheless.

These are the differences I'm happy/not happy about:

- interior spare tire in 97 seems like a waste of space vs earlier models, but probably has some advantages I haven't considered

- v10 engine vs v8 may have significantly more power?

- driver seat does not rotate - I'm pretty annoyed by this, though it does have the advantage of being electrically adjustable.

- missing rear ladder and roof railing. This is pretty disappointing. I'd like to install these.

- new style dining table requires losing a couch seat. I'd like to install a ground fixed table.

- wish the main bed were bigger and more comfortable. There's a rather uncomfortable post in the middle and it would be nice if it had an extension to the cabinets for full sleep. (This is true for all models I think, except possibly 2000?)






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Shower bath combo is nicer in later models. Spare tire outside frees up space but you can't use a fold up bike rack without a hitch extension. Ladder is convenient but unless you have a roof rack you don't really need much roof access. Nice to have the bigger engine although my 351 does the job. Just a little slow uphill. Enjoy your rig.

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Regarding the table/sofa set up, sometime during the last years (1998? 1999?), Airstream switched to a sofa with a one piece back that sort of flips/tumbles over the seat to fill the space between the seat and the cabinets.

The table has two felt-lined slots mounted on the underside that rest on the tops of the open cabinet doors, with two swiveling toggles that keep the table from tipping when you e.g. rest your elbows on it. When not in use, the table slides into a felt-lined shelf just beneath the sofa and above the drawers that are beneath the sofa. It does block the aisle while in use, but you can still stand at the sink and stove, so we generally don't put it up until the meal is ready, and we never leave it up between meals.

I think you could pretty easily make a table like mine and just stop using the sofa table, assuming you have a reasonable place to stow the new table when not in use.

Frankly, I'd like to have the 1997-1998 table because it doesn't close off the aisle, and you might even be able to leave it deployed between meals, but I've only seen them in photos so I don't know what other tradeoffs there might be. We don't have more than two for meals, so losing the center sofa seat wouldn't be a problem for us.

I'm not near my 1999 right now, but I'll post photos later. There might already be photos somewhere in the galleries.