Roadtrek 170 as a daily driver

Mumkin, you make a very good point. I can get a 170 much more easily into my garage, that is the main reason. I have had a 190 in that garage in the past and it was pretty tight. Our 210 filled it lengthwise with six inches to spare.

Paul

PSW wrote:
I have owned a 190 and a 210 and am totally familiar with the answer concerning those models.

Why not the 190? It is only 1'8" longer. Is it that and the mileage difference?

Stan, gotta find one. Camping World has a very clean one they got in recently here in OKC. They are three miles from my home. They are nuts in what they want for it, totally unrealistic. So, I will monitor the Roadtrek owner's group forums, rvtrader.com, Craigs list etc. and I bet I can find one. Also, I am going to call PPL in Houston and tell them to call me when they get one in to sell. They sell over 200 units a month, all on consignment and they are not a dealer. They know what they are doing and my previous transactions with them have been great. So, Hi Ho, Hi Ho to look I go.

Paul

What are you waiting for. Go get one.

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like I am not completely off base.

Clayway......I hear you.

As far as mileage goes, try my Jeep around town: 14 mpg (if I lie a little). I don't buy vehicles for gas mileage, I buy them for how I want to use them.

If I did buy a 170 we would have my wife's 2014 Cherokee like I said in the original post. We would obviously keep our 2350 Phoenix Cruiser. The Jeep GC would go. And I wouldn't be buying a new 170. I do all my rv stuff repairs/maintenance myself so I am not naïve about potential problems. The Chevy 6.0 is a wonderful engine that gives great service for many, many miles if taken care of and maintained.

Paul

I live in a commuting suburb of NYC where the parking can be crowded and tight (generally 18') so the 170's short parking length and stealth appearance were critical to me. I have other vehicles so I wouldn't call my RT a daily driver, but I do use it frequently for purposes other than camping/road touring. For one, with 6 belted forward facing seats, it's the people and load hauler of my household. While gas mileage isn't great on a 4-ton vehicle, I have (had) unlicensed kids that I need to chauffeur, and having a "mobile home" allows me to comfortably wait (read, nap, TV, iPad surf, etc), rather than drive home and back out again (1 round-trip vs 2). We also have a dog, so it's the vehicle we take when we don't want to worry about rushing back for his bathroom relief, and it's the best vehicle with which we can control temperature. As an outdoor nut, I love having the RT as a base station - I have a folding bike and Pakraft stored under the back seat/bed and have happened upon many impromptu hiking, paddling, peddling opportunities, with a shower and extra clothes for afterwards of course.

As far as parking is concerned, the only thing that sometimes causes issues is the extra length of the spare tire carrier, and ceiling height for underground of course. Otherwise, as long as you are comfortable with backing in (we have a back-up camera), I really haven't found a regular sized parking spot I couldn't maneuver into. Lastly, the reasonably stealth appearance is huge plus for me - with tinted windows all around, I just need to put a sunshade in the windshield and nobody would know you're in there (at night, I use dim-able flashlights).

All that said, I couldn't use my RT as my ONLY daily driver for a few reason - gas mileage, winter road salt on RV components underneath, constant summer sun baking of the kitchen supplies, and security/theft reasons.

For the size, it is hard to beat the 170 since it is only about the size of an average pickup and shorter than a Surburban. I'd say it would make a decent daily driver.

However, if I were mainly doing commutes in a city, I'd probably go for a safe sedan or a pickup truck. Mainly because if someone smashes into a car, it can be repaired, or totaled and you get a new one. Someone drives into the 170, and it will never be the same, and insurance may not cover the RV part of it.

PSW wrote:

Any thoughts? 170 specific please!

Paul

I have a 2006 Roadtrek 170 and my plan was to use it as my daily driver. I live in a beachside town in Florida, and most of my driving is local.

The 170 was pretty nice as a daily driver and I used it that way for six months.

After that, I bought a used Prius and began using it as a daily driver. Compared to the Roadtrek, the Prius was a fun little sports car, letting me easily get in and out of places that were a little dicey in the Roadtrek.

Now I use the Prius for local trips and use the Roadtrek for any trip over 15 miles or when I expect to be gone for more than an hour or two.

FYI: The OBDC II Scangauge on my Roadtrek with the 6.0 Chevy shows I average 14mpg around town. 16+ on the highway.

My Prius shows 56.3 average mpg over the most recent 5,000 miles.

Bill

I myself would like a daily 170 to replace my 190 as it is just as livable but nimbler.

On rv trader there is a beautiful 2004 170 popular with armoire for 16900 $ a steal !!