Planning on buying a Roadtrek -- Advice?

I bought my '95 Versatile 19 on the Dodge with a 318. There are people who don't like anything from Dodge. I have owned many vehicles over the years and bought this wit 86K on the odometer. I did buy from a neighbor whose wife was my house cleaner. He is 6'3" and the bed is only 5'11" He used it one weekend. There is no rust on this vehicle and I have driven it 7,000 mile in the year I have had it with no repairs except for oil change and brake fluid flush. MPG is 16-17.5 and I am very happy with that. My DW always said when I died she was going to get a Roadtrek so I didn't feel bad about doing that when she died first. I sold my '03 Mountain Aire that was 38' and found there is not anything near the same amount of storage in 19'. Last June I found the GMC on Craigslist and now own 2 MHs. Roadtrek makes a storage cabinet that can take the place of the 4th. seat as an option.

In a briefer answer to whether $25k is realistic, I think it is. I saw some nice choices with reasonable mileage and good condition between $18k and $28k when I was looking. My own situation was better off finding a little cheaper than that because I had some other obligations to take care of, but I think that range is very realistic.

One other key point: RVs, like boats and vintage cars, can be fairly difficult to sell, and especially at a full value price. These areas (and real estate, of course) are where the term, "motivated seller" really becomes important. Once you start studying prices very closely, you will get an eye for a seller just starting out, and dreaming big, and a seller who is closer to reality. You want to avoid getting too anxious. Notice how many sellers will say, "hard to find" or, "rare Class B". That may be true locally, but nation wide there are a lot of Class B's, and while they are in demand, you can still watch and wait for a good deal. Once you get a feel for prices, I think you will find eventually a good sound vehicle in the $25K transaction range, and just realize, that may have started out with an asking price of $35k when first offered.

Lots of good advice. I am one of those who always buys new, so can't really speak to the age/price/condition issues. As to the seat behind the passenger, I added the Roadtrek optional cabinet... and many have had their own smaller cabinet built there to meet their needs. I personally prefer the Chevy platform as many of the old Dodge units had handling problems.

I would add two bits of advice:

First, don't restrict yourself to just Roadtrek. Pleasureway, Leisure Travel and Great West Vans all have some great units floating around out there. I have had a GWV Class B and an LTV Class C. In the early 2000s, GWV had many interesting floor plans that are not common anymore. I loved their old side sofa model which was great for the single traveler. Another option is Sportsmobile. There are often used units for sale on their website from happy owners who have upgraded. They will be unique units and the company can often do tweaks for you. Haunt the recommended sales websites.

Second, if possible, you might try renting over a couple weekends to see what you do and don't like... or need.

that's a good point above- the smaller C may be a better value.

the B may cost more per cubic foot

we went B because my Better half can solo to California beaches when I am tied up at work and it's 115º here in AZ.

so easy for her to drive- way easy to park and low(er) clearance.
the B not only fits in our driveway but also in relatives driveways...we run a cord into teh garage and are all set

i think a smaller C would have scared her.

also we get a steady reliable 15 MPG which may not matter today, but did a couple of years ago. $$$

Mike

Plenty of people really like the class B's and I think mainly for the small size, drives like a van, safety features of a van. Some drawbacks to a B in my opinion is the lack of storage spaces, holding tank sizes, shower facilities. Take some time and try to determine where you will put the stuff you have to take with you to maintain your sanity. Golf clubs, model airplane stuff, fishing equipment, whatever it is you like to do.

You can find a lot of small used class c units that have better space, and many for less than your budget. Some are still small enough so you can use them to go to the market, or site seeing.

At the end of the day, you will be in it a great deal of time, so make sure the space and features fit your lifestyle. The Pleasureway units have a pretty good rep.

3rd seat on the Pop is in front of your side door which you will use all the time when parked....try to picture yourself in the space and what type of use you will want

for instance we don;t much dry camp...we get shore power and a place with showers 90% of the time...we don;t use the RV shower.

..if we are somewhere remote - I use the outdoor shower wand -many B's have this. super handy for cleaning fish or muddy boots

we don't use the table tops or mast and that is it my garage along with the shower pan and curtain...we use a couple of trays on the lap.

our B was 8 years old and 70,000 miles when we bought it- with all the records.

we started off shopping with a budget of $70K...we spent less than 1/2 our budget- we were just happier with the features and quality of out little bit older, little more miles unit.

mike

Thanks so much for this... really helpful. Like you I'm headed out the door for some Christmas dinner, so I had to read quickly, but later I will read it much more carefully... really appreciate your kindness in taking the time to write all this when you need to scoot.

Best,
Keith

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)

Thanks, Mike... this is helpful. Interesting thought about the two seats... The reason I like the Popular vs. the Versatile is I didn't want the 4th seat of the Versatile... would rather have more storage. Wonder how hard it would be to replace the 3rd seat in the Popular with another cabinet...

Keith

I have GM's so Chevy was a preferable to me...I know where most of the parts are and the van shares oil filters with my truck etc...so less stuff to keep in the garage.

My van is a Pleasureway- similar but..no dropped floor like an RT..this adds headroom, but also cost to a new unit...I kept tripping on the transitions up/down.

we are only 2 so only 2 seats ( which swivel) so more room in the back for moving around...we also have less cabinetry hanging over the bed

and lastly check the bed- are you tall where you can;t sleep sideways? that would rule out some models


kick tires as much as you can- some dealers have great videos on youtube demoing models where you can judge how the layout would work for you...watch how easily the salesguy moves around.

you need to separate the chassis from the coach build- a well taken care of chassis and the coach build was executed well- AND taken care of.
an inspection by a mechanic and an RV tech could save you a bundle if you are insure

Mike