Planning on buying a Roadtrek -- Advice?
Hello to all! I am new to this forum. I have been doing quite a bit of research on Roadtreks, and am almost certain I'm going to be buying a used one in the near future. (I'm interested in the 190...
Forum Discussion
I could write a lot on this, but need to be brief for the moment, since I have a dinner appt. Not only did I look for Class B RV's for a year, but I know vintage cars relatively well and have shopped for and bought those as well.
The older model year you go, the more you need to know if it was used or driven in the winter at all. Also, the State of origin is critical for an older model, an remember that truly garage kept is a gem. Also, a beach location can be a lot of salty air which is bad. Super hot weather for 15 years can cause other problems. Dry, moderate climate and garage kept are the best goals for vehicle history, but you can still find gems otherwise. Remember that multiple owner vehicles, or snow bird ownership, could mean multiple locations. Try to determine service records and care given, the older you go.
By the way, to get below $10,000, I got a 96 Coachmen on a CHevy, and am as pleased as I could be, but did have a few repairs. I got in the 59,000 mile range, which is great. Note that Youtube is full of RV repair and maintenance videos.
So those are the most important things about age.
I noted different plateaus in price ranges. $10K or less were all older, but some low mileage models could be found. Up to $20K you get get slightly newer, into the 2000s but mileage closer to 70 to 100K miles. There were some good buys around $25k to $30k, mileage that left a lot of life in the vehicle, and models only about 10 years old. Trying to get real low mileage and more recent model, you are getting to $45K and higher. Of course there are variations to all this, but that is about what I found. You might search long enough to find a gem in the $25k range that belongs a little more in a higher price range. It CAN be done. Decide how many miles you would put on to decide your mileage range, but my sweet spot was about 60K miles, NO MORE than 70K miles for me.
I watched ebay, RV trader, craigslist, and dealers, made a hobby out of it so I enjoyed the search, and learned, learned, learned. I watch sales videos, and ready some articles on quality and repairs. I already knew most of what I needed to know about vehicle quality and components. Good thing about these vans, they made a bazillion of them and many parts are good for many model years, so the Chevy, Ford, and Dodge vans will be easy to find parts for, although many do have their preferences for vehicle make.
About B's. You probably know this, but you can't have it all with a B. We found the tradeoffs were in # of beds, shower features, storage, something else that is escaping me. We got extra beds with the coachmen, but have no interior shower, and only a curtain around the toilet. Decide also on twin beds or double. Storage needs, etc. Then you know which models to key in on, but learn about all of them.
There is my brain dump. I hope you get lots of input.
oh yeah, the other variable trade off factors were extra seating for passengers, and table space and quality (for example, the Travato has an actual dinette, while our Coachmen has a tiny pedestal surface)
The older model year you go, the more you need to know if it was used or driven in the winter at all. Also, the State of origin is critical for an older model, an remember that truly garage kept is a gem. Also, a beach location can be a lot of salty air which is bad. Super hot weather for 15 years can cause other problems. Dry, moderate climate and garage kept are the best goals for vehicle history, but you can still find gems otherwise. Remember that multiple owner vehicles, or snow bird ownership, could mean multiple locations. Try to determine service records and care given, the older you go.
By the way, to get below $10,000, I got a 96 Coachmen on a CHevy, and am as pleased as I could be, but did have a few repairs. I got in the 59,000 mile range, which is great. Note that Youtube is full of RV repair and maintenance videos.
So those are the most important things about age.
I noted different plateaus in price ranges. $10K or less were all older, but some low mileage models could be found. Up to $20K you get get slightly newer, into the 2000s but mileage closer to 70 to 100K miles. There were some good buys around $25k to $30k, mileage that left a lot of life in the vehicle, and models only about 10 years old. Trying to get real low mileage and more recent model, you are getting to $45K and higher. Of course there are variations to all this, but that is about what I found. You might search long enough to find a gem in the $25k range that belongs a little more in a higher price range. It CAN be done. Decide how many miles you would put on to decide your mileage range, but my sweet spot was about 60K miles, NO MORE than 70K miles for me.
I watched ebay, RV trader, craigslist, and dealers, made a hobby out of it so I enjoyed the search, and learned, learned, learned. I watch sales videos, and ready some articles on quality and repairs. I already knew most of what I needed to know about vehicle quality and components. Good thing about these vans, they made a bazillion of them and many parts are good for many model years, so the Chevy, Ford, and Dodge vans will be easy to find parts for, although many do have their preferences for vehicle make.
About B's. You probably know this, but you can't have it all with a B. We found the tradeoffs were in # of beds, shower features, storage, something else that is escaping me. We got extra beds with the coachmen, but have no interior shower, and only a curtain around the toilet. Decide also on twin beds or double. Storage needs, etc. Then you know which models to key in on, but learn about all of them.
There is my brain dump. I hope you get lots of input.
oh yeah, the other variable trade off factors were extra seating for passengers, and table space and quality (for example, the Travato has an actual dinette, while our Coachmen has a tiny pedestal surface)
