Damn Top Gear and their Astro AWD

I have been craving an AWD Astro for a while, but realistically have to sell the MR2 to finance it. (I know that sounds heretical, but with two kids and more camping trips on the horizon than race days, it's reality. And why not let someone else enjoy it?)

The mild winter and warmer weather should have slowed the craving a bit, but it has not. I can still justify hauling stuff, towing the Jet Ski and the Quad, camping trips, taking all the friends places...

Top Gear's test of minivans did not help! Now I want one even more, and I want it with a 2" lift, big tires, a safari roof rack and KC daylighters. Dammit!

Anyone have one to trade?

I saw that episode - sent me scrambling to CL looking for and Astro.

Fortunately, the feeling has subsided.

It did look sweet with the lift and the rack.

http://sandusky.craigslist.org/cto/2835698888.html
Old-ish listing in my not too far away neighborhood. I will pre-screen if you like.
Easy to pick up as you drive out your MR2 and just leave it here with me.

AWD astros are great, like a poor man's quigley conversion.

my next astro will be AWD.

i'll actively be looking this summer. i feel weird without an astro right now.

Funny, that episode made me want a Town and Country to tow my RWD Aerostar Drift Van with...

it made me miss my AWD astro... not that the AWD part mattered to me after I moved down to FL... it seriously made me contemplate selling the turbo volvo wagon... it was SO practical, I'm still amazed at how much crap you could fit in it... wife and I camped in the back on a few trips, bikes fit nicely in the back even with my rediculosly tall BB to saddle height... and plenty of power with the 4.3 vortec and the MPG isn't very far off from the wagon (1mpg or so... and doesn't need premium)

I think the only real thing holding me back from that thought of working on the dang thing... i HATE that dog house... getting to it was a PITA... basic brake work wasn't hard but everything else sucked... the volvo is SO easy to work on...

and again the driving position... for long drives the leg room sux, typical of a van...

I'll prob never own another... but I wouldn't be sad if I came into another one

Watching that made me want an AWD T&C with meaty tires.

Similar, close to you.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=314499086&dealer_id=567681&car_year=1997&pager.offset=0&search_lang=en&start_year=1981&body_style=VANS&search_type=both&distance=100&rdm=1331577468288&drive=4+wheel+drive&marketZipError=false&advanced=y&sownerid=1389000&lastBeginningStartYear=1981&end_year=2013&showZipError=n&dma=CLEVELAND_NW&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&body_code=64&first_record=1&isFlashPlugin=true&default_sort=priceDESC&address=44870&sort_type=priceDESC&max_price=10000&seller_type=b&num_records=25&cardist=119&standard=false

I kept thinking how my stock MPV 4wd probably could have handled the terrain they were tackling.

Funny, I went straight to CL for an Aerostar after watching that episode.

I did not see the episode but the story idea sounds like it was lifted right off the GRM Board.
Anyone have a link?

Grizz wrote: Watching that made me want an AWD T&C with meaty tires.

This. Or that aerostar.

I wish they brought a supercharged previa awd instead of the aerostar.

Or a Toyota Van.

Now this is a thread I can relate to!

pinchvalve wrote: Now I want one even more, and I want it with a 2" lift, big tires, a safari roof rack and KC daylighters. Dammit! Anyone have one to trade?

Anyway, you're going to need more than 2" of lift if you want "big tires" without cutting. Here's mine with 2" blocks, long shackles, and the bars cranked. This was before I installed the helper springs to level out the rear.

It's got 30x9.5 on there right now, and that required some trimming.

Please forgive the ignorant... which episode of TG did you guys see? Unfortunately, I've missed the last few USTG episodes.

For your AWD van drooling pleasure:

http://www.4wheelfun.de/einzeltest/mercedes-sprinter-316-cdi-4x4-test-offroad-daimler-in-xxl-4418973.html

(note the movable stick-thingy with the number on it. )

Dammit, I knew I should have kept my family's AWD Aerostar. I had evil plans for a stupid lift and mudders. (Wonder if the transmission would hold up to that...?) Traded it for CCW classes for my dad and me. Fortunately the guy's an old family friend, and I bet I could buy it back for a song.

Of course there's this...

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/2897068313.html

How awful is it to get to the lower intake manifold on these things?

for $600 how could you possibly go wrong?

If you weren't on the other side of the country, I have one for sale.

failboat wrote: for $600 how could you possibly go wrong?

This line of thinking has got me into trouble more times that I can count.

why would you have to sell a car to get an AWD Astro van? i run across them in running/driving condition for $500 or less on a fairly regular basis.. they've all got miles on them, but mileage isn't an issue when something is well built and maintained..

i had one 6 years ago.. it was a 92 that i bought it from my mom for $500 when i was moving up here.. she owned it from the fall of '96 until the summer of '05. she got it with 60,000 miles on it and i got it with 180,000 miles on it.. she drove that thing everywhere and at any time.. from MN to Alabama a few times.. out to Rapid City a bunch of times. the 200 miles each way down to the Minneapolis/St Paul area only the Flying Spaghetti Monster knows how many times..

the only stuff that went wrong over the 9 years and 120,000 miles mom had it was the EFI spider and a front brake line.. the egr valve did get carboned up every once in a while, but 5 minutes with a 10mm socket was all it took to pop it off and shake the carbon chunks out..everything else was just regular maintenance.

as far as i could tell, stuff like the wheel bearings, tie rods, ball joints, drive axles, u joints, and everything else was factory issued..

i sold it 4 years ago to a co-worker for $300. he drove it for a few months and drove it to a junkyard and got $400 for it, but only because he was desperate for money. i told him i would have given him that for it, but it already was gone..

alex wrote:

failboat wrote: for $600 how could you possibly go wrong?

This line of thinking has got me into trouble more times that I can count.

Yeah, me too. I have a crusty Jeep and an Mx6 that subscribe to that.

In reply to alex:

alex its surprisingly easy. just do half front half of the bolts all under the hood. and the back half from the doghouse. on the plus the distributor is easier to deal with since your not dealing with the firewall. if your experienced with 4.3 lower intakes 2 hours. if not give yourself 4 to 6.