2013 Airstream Interstate Motor-Home

Partly prompted by our getting a puppy last fall, we decided one way to travel with the puppy would be with a motor-home. We weren’t wild about getting a large Class A so I began researching what was available. A class “B” appeared to be the right size and, because I have been a German car enthusiast, the Mercedes Sprinter based units had the most appeal. Of that group, the Airstream Interstate caught my eye.

Turns out there was a dealer in Concord, NC, about 25 miles from home. They did not have any in stock when we visited their lot but had some coming in. There was a black one sitting there but our salesman told us it was a customer home in for service. At that point I told him we would be most interested in a slightly used one where someone else took the big depreciation hit.

About three days later the salesman called to say that customer unit we had seen was now on consignment with them and was available. We drove it and really liked it but we still had doubts as to whether that is the direction we wanted to go. Sharon visited her parents in northern Indiana and was thinking about the motor-home on the long drive home while I was also keeping it in mind. We talked when she got back and called the salesman to see if it was still available. It was, we arrived at a price and it was ours with a huge savings off of the list price. It only had 4200 miles on it and still had all the packing in the refrigerator, the microwave and shower stall. It had been owned by Mike Helton, the president of NASCAR, who had evidently only used it as an office.

It has two flat screen TV’s, a satellite TV system that can be used while driving, a refrigerator, a combination microwave/convection oven, an electrically operated sofa that reclines into a bed, seats 8 but only sleeps two, the four front seats all swivel, a power operated awning, generator, water heater, etc. The quality of the cabinets and other fittings is a notch above some others in its class.

We bought the Interstate at Tom Johnson Camping at their Concord, NC location which is just down the street from the Charlotte Motor Speedway.Their main location is in Marion, NC in the western NC mountains. We have five free camping nights in their RV park and plan to use two of them tomorrow and Sunday as a shake down cruise. Out daughter lives in east TN so we plan on visiting with her and her family as well.

I processed some of my photos from the short trip. While the Interstate looks big in our driveway, it sure looked dinky next to those Class A’s.
And here is my wife walking one of the main reasons we bought it. The dog did great but was glad to get home where there was more room to chase her toys. Piper is five months old. And the AI’s name is the Pipermobile!!