1998 Roadtrek 190 Dodge Chassis

[Jonathan_Clemen]

I am a newbie on this forum and a newbie in terms of RVing. My wife and I would like to to some traveling with our two small dogs and think that a Class B RV would be adequate for our needs and within our our budget. We are leaning toward getting a good used vehicle. A neighbor has a 1998 Roadtrek 190 on a Dodge Chassis that has about 30,000 miles. The seller says they bought it new and have stored it inside when not used. It's the asking price we are concerned about: $17,000. It is clean and well maintained. I looked the vehicle up on NADA and tried to get some idea of a fair price on this. NADA doesn't seem to take mileage into account. The closest I can come to an average retail price is $10,670. I'd appreciate any suggestions that forum members might have.

[loving_retireme]

harleybluecobra wrote:
you might want to check out the converter ,if it is a 30 amp you might want to boost it to a 45 amp converter

If you do replace your unit be sure you get a "smart" 3-stage unit. I replaced my old converter with a Progressive Dynamics PD9260 with the Charge Wizard. The PD9260 has a micro-processor control system along with a 60-amp 3-stage charging system to maintain batteries at their peak. With a smart charger, I don't unplug while at home and my batteries are in peak condition and five years old.

[harleybluecobra]

you might want to check out the converter ,if it is a 30 amp you might want to boost it to a 45 amp converter

[stan909]

Great!!!!

[Islandman]

You will be glad that you saved a bundle over a late model, Dodges are tough vans and with a little maintenance here and there you will have many years of trouble free enjoyment ahead. Plus you can smile when you drive past the bank, save your money for other things!

[PSW]

Great! You will have a lot of enjoyment from your RT. Any questions you have can probably be answered by someone on this forum because, over the years, I think I have seen about everything asked, answered and talked about that there is about a Roadtrek.

Enjoy!

[Jonathan_Clemen]

Thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions. We pulled the trigger on the RV after knocking $1000 off the asking price. The vehicle's state motor vehicle inspection had expired so we were not able to do much of a drive with it or get an inspection before hand. We have taken the RV to a reputable garage that services and repairs the drive trains of RVs of all sizes including Class A's. They are doing a 30,000 mile service and checking everything that may have deteriorated due the period of non-use. We plan to do the same with a local RV dealer for the camper itself. We know we may have to pay more than we had anticipated for getting this up to snuff for RVing. I'm reasonably handy and should be able to take care of some repairs if needed. We have all the manuals for the various components which will be useful. I am also seeing some good blogs on the internet with step by step instructions for various things and I know this forum will be helpful as well. Will keep you posted.

[jjrai]

B's in good shape go fast. Road Trek is a good brand. If the vehicle is fundamentally sound, you will be way ahead compared to paying much more for something newer. The good thing about a Dodge is you can get it fixed, and get parts, anywhere. The RV stuff is typically generic, and replacement will offer opportunities for upgrades.

[VE3ESN]

We have a 1996 190 Versatile which was bought used in 1999. As far as the "Dodge" part of the Roadtrek is concerned, we have:
(1) had to repair the cruise control due to a "vacuum leak"
(2) replaced all four tires with Michelins
(3) replaced the brakes
(4) replaced the shocks
(5) replaced the fuel pump (which happened in Wytheville, VA!)
We still see many of these domestic Dodge vans still doing daily work. The 318 cubic inch (5.2 L) engine was one of Chrysler's best. Parts are still abundant.

The "camping" part of the Roadtrek has given very little trouble. We've:
(1) had to blow out the burner assembly in the fridge several times since "critters" like to make a new home there
(2) replaced the water heater anode rod about every two years, but we do clean it several times each year
(3) replaced the propane detector as they have a lifespan that's similar to a household smoke detector
(4) replaced the smoke detector
(5) replaced the knobs on the stove
(6) replaced the house battery three times. (We use an inexpensive flooded-cell maintenance-free RV/marine deep-cycle battery from Costco that has a rating of 95 A-h.) These batteries have served us well.
....and a new project that is being performed now is to enable the installed inverter to power the fridge on 120 VAC when driving, as the 12 V heater in the fridge recently burned out. (We try to avoid driving while the fridge is running on propane.)

Good luck with your new (hopefully) purchase. We LOVE our Roadtrek.

[Islandman]

I agree with PSW that the asking price seems pretty fair, you can bargain a little if the tires need replaceing (more than 5-6 years old) or if there are issues with the refrigerator, house battery, etc. Test drive it on the freeway if you can to see how it handles when being passed by semi trucks. Dodge vans are good outfits and there is no problem with parts for them should you need something in the future.

[PCarnathan]

In 2010 when I took possession of our 1999 Roadtrek 190P on the Dodge chassis it only had 19,000 miles on it. It had suffered slightly from lack of use. I had to replace the three-way refrigerator, air conditioner, generator carburetor and (of all things!) the fresh water fill hose. I did all the work myself - None of it was brain surgery - I also changed all the engine and transmission fluids, spark plugs and serviced the K&N air filter.

The van runs like a Swiss watch and has about 30,000 miles on it right now. It's about due for tires. The previous owner kept the tires covered when not in use, but sadly, I don't. When I buy the new tires I'll invest in a set of tire covers.

Pat in Menifee, CA
www.patcarnathan.com

[PSW]

Stan909 makes some great points. IF you are handy and like to tinker with things, you can do a lot yourself. I will tell you this for what it is worth: there are several things about our 96 RT 190P I still miss when I compare it to our 210P. Personally, I loved the Dodge. It is, of course, a matter of personal preference.

It also depends to a great extent on how you are going to use the Roadtrek. Think that through carefully. Will you use the shower? Will you sleep in it? What will you put in the refrig?

Personally, the price seems perfectly reasonable to me for a one owner, garaged, low mileage Roadtrek fifteen years old. You could find one for less, but not one that met those criteria. I wouldn't miss the deal thinking I was paying a couple of grand too much. I don't think you are paying too much, although an inspection as some have suggested might give you a bargaining position to say "look what I am going to have to spend on this to get it into good order".

Just my thoughts. Incidentally, if it is the little Dodge 5.2 aka a 318 that is what I had and I climbed the Rockies from New Mexico to Montana with it and had no problems. If it is the 360, so much the better.

[stan909]

I also suggest looking at the price of a new Roadtrek to gain more perspective. You would be getting a nice rig that you know a lot about for less money than a down payment on a new one.Best of luck.

[stan909]

If the fridge runs on PROPANE and the generator (don't worry about low hours) Runs everything and it drives well and the tires are'nt older that 5 years, buy it. I almost forgot about the water system. You must run the pump and make sure the plumbing does't leak. In your area you get freezing temperatures and that can affect it. I snoop a lot online and the price seems inline with vehicles with a lot higher miles. You should also do a trans service,replace serpentine belt and maybe hoses. Since they are your neighbors I assume you can attest to it being garaged. This looks like a great deal to me. You also must simmulate sleeping. This deal does you no good if you can't sleep in it.

[PSW]

drsolo gave you some good advice. I owned a 1996 Dodge Roadtrek and had a blast. I bought it new, kept it garaged and sold it several years ago to a friend in another state. They kept it for many years and never had any problems and sold it two years ago.

All that being said, look it over carefully. Generator? It should have at least one hour per month since new useage as a minimum or it will perhaps be troublesome...and expensive. That's a 180 hours more or less total, and it needs to have those hours put on every month or so.

Tires? If they are over six years old, replace them regardless of the appearance of the tread. Rubber breaks down and they will not be safe with the weight of the RT. Hoses? I wouldn't trust them and would assume they would have to be replaced.

Think of it this way: everything that would be inspected in a house or a truck will apply, and then some.

Hot water heater? If they did not replace the anode frequently over the years, the hot water heater is questionable.

And so on and so on. You really must have it looked over as to the RV parts and the Dodge parts by someone that knows what he or she is doing.

[mockturtle]

I would want to know if the low mileage is due to handling issues as was sometimes reported with the Dodge chassis.