Vintage Family Handyman Feature from 1987: Buyer’s Guide to Vacation Vehicles

Harrison KralUpdated: Feb. 22, 2022

In celebration of Family Handyman's 70th Anniversary, we're diving back into the archives and highlighting some of the great stories from past issues of the magazine, like this one that introduced road-tripping readers in 1987 to the wide world of vacation vehicles.

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Family Handyman

The Great American Road Trip

Road tripping across the country with your entire family packed in around you is an American tradition, so it’s no surprise that we ran this story in the late ’80s breaking down everything a person needed to know about choosing the right vehicle for their summer vacation. A few things have definitely changed in the time since this article was published… good luck buying an air-conditioned luxury camper that sleeps eight and has a kitchen, furnace, and bathroom for just $7,000 in 2020.

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Family Handyman

The Price is Right

This page continues to break down what prices on campers and motor homes looked like in 1987. There really was an option for every budget, with prices ranging from as low as $1,900 all the way up to $150,000.

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Family Handyman

Plenty of Variety

“Vacation Vehicles” came in all shapes and styles. This article breaks down in detail the pros and cons of the various camper styles, explaining to readers what to look for and considerations to keep in mind when shopping for a travel trailer.

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Family Handyman

An American Icon

Airstream campers like the one pictured above have become iconic since this article was published. Hard to miss on a sunny highway, they embody everything that was cool and sleek about motor home travel at the time.

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Family Handyman

Before You Buy

This text-heavy page of the story contains some solid nuggets of information as well as some essential advice: before purchasing one of these potentially very expensive vacation vehicles, rent first to see if the RV life is the life for you.

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Family Handyman

Reader Beware

The story wraps up with a warning to readers: towing is hard on a vehicle, so make sure your truck is readily equipped to haul a camper around before you start off on your great American road trip .

Originally Published: December 27, 2020