InterBlog
Senior Member
Our existing Airstream Interstate is now *eighteen* years old (!!), and as long-time DIYers, my husband and I are on the fence as to which way to proceed on a replacement, with our research just beginning. We love our Interstate but:
(a) It’s so old now that system failures and breakdowns seem to be unavoidable no matter how much preemptive work we do, and
(b) More importantly, we have reached the conclusion that we must have AWD or 4WD going forward. It has always been dicey for me to get our rig down the old logging road that leads to the off-grid property I have in the Canadian wilderness, which is our primary vacation destination. We had to cancel our most recent trip because abnormally-heavy rains meant that none of our neighbors were able to get back there without 4WD. I only have so many travel years left in my life by this time, and I cannot be canceling trips because conditions outstrip my van’s ability to handle them.
If we go the route of building, right now we are envisioning a high-roof Transit 3500 AWD with the upgraded suspension package, either long or EXT (undecided in view of the clearance issue).
Alternatively, it is possible that we snag someone else’s good-quality build or build-in-progress because I am open to anything at this point as long as there are no dealbreakers.
A few weeks ago I came across a half-DIY-built Transit on Facebook Marketplace that the owner was selling due to an overseas job transfer. I would have bought that rig in a heartbeat except it did not have OEM AWD, and after an exhaustive discussion with Ernie at Quigley Motor Company, I concluded that a 4WD retrofit was not within reach - not for a van that had already undergone significant aftermarket DIY mods.
So my purpose with this thread is to ask you guys for any words of wisdom that you might have as we scratch our heads and begin this transition. In the past several years, I have not kept up with all of the manufacturers, the new off-the-lot options, pros and cons of various approaches, etc. What would y’all do if you were me? My husband and I do have all the DIY skills needed to pull off a whole build, plus we now have a dedicated separate van garage to potentially build it in, but what we still do NOT have yet is TIME. We are both still working - we are not retired with abundant free time - so a whole-build is not necessarily our default pathway, as much as we would love to take it on. I am not prepared to go out and spend absurd amounts of $$$$$ on something like a new ARV build, but I am open to a lot of other creative possibilities if an appropriate alternate pathway reveals itself.
Thoughts??
Thanks!
(a) It’s so old now that system failures and breakdowns seem to be unavoidable no matter how much preemptive work we do, and
(b) More importantly, we have reached the conclusion that we must have AWD or 4WD going forward. It has always been dicey for me to get our rig down the old logging road that leads to the off-grid property I have in the Canadian wilderness, which is our primary vacation destination. We had to cancel our most recent trip because abnormally-heavy rains meant that none of our neighbors were able to get back there without 4WD. I only have so many travel years left in my life by this time, and I cannot be canceling trips because conditions outstrip my van’s ability to handle them.
If we go the route of building, right now we are envisioning a high-roof Transit 3500 AWD with the upgraded suspension package, either long or EXT (undecided in view of the clearance issue).
Alternatively, it is possible that we snag someone else’s good-quality build or build-in-progress because I am open to anything at this point as long as there are no dealbreakers.
A few weeks ago I came across a half-DIY-built Transit on Facebook Marketplace that the owner was selling due to an overseas job transfer. I would have bought that rig in a heartbeat except it did not have OEM AWD, and after an exhaustive discussion with Ernie at Quigley Motor Company, I concluded that a 4WD retrofit was not within reach - not for a van that had already undergone significant aftermarket DIY mods.
So my purpose with this thread is to ask you guys for any words of wisdom that you might have as we scratch our heads and begin this transition. In the past several years, I have not kept up with all of the manufacturers, the new off-the-lot options, pros and cons of various approaches, etc. What would y’all do if you were me? My husband and I do have all the DIY skills needed to pull off a whole build, plus we now have a dedicated separate van garage to potentially build it in, but what we still do NOT have yet is TIME. We are both still working - we are not retired with abundant free time - so a whole-build is not necessarily our default pathway, as much as we would love to take it on. I am not prepared to go out and spend absurd amounts of $$$$$ on something like a new ARV build, but I am open to a lot of other creative possibilities if an appropriate alternate pathway reveals itself.
Thoughts??
Thanks!
