1999 American Cruiser RE2000 class B

Wondering what it might cost to add a new roof a/c system?
If your not camping in really hot weather, is a/c really necessary?

Terrenski wrote:
Thank you true path!
I have been waiting for someone to really tell me truthfully that maintaining an rv is complex and expensive something I have assumed. I think my hope is I can get it for a lower price and put some money aside for the repairs that will come.
It scares me a bit to buy one and to not be a real mechanical person. I'm hoping to learn some things before I buy so I can feel comfortable that I can take care of the basic maintenance.

Thanks again!

You're welcome. If you have a little time, it is amazing how much of the maintenance you can do yourself. The people on this site will almost always get you going in the right direction on a project and take you through it step by step, if necessary. I'd suggest spending some time over on the "tech" forum on this site. The level of technical knowledge you will find there is impressive. I think many of the people are retired and they bring years of RV experience and sometimes work experience in related fields.

Terrenski wrote:
Great things for me to look for with the American Cruiser. Thanks so much!Can you take the ac out and is there a hole to the outside? I'm not a real handyman and wonder is a lot of the maintenance things easy to learn or do I really need to be pretty skilled?
I'm hoping to get it down to maybe $16,500. That's still a bit above average retail. What do you think?

Removing the a/c is not all that hard. There is no hole on the outside to worry about. The cover that had to be removed for use and replaced after use works nicely. A new roof a/c fits in to the center vent hole.

The average retail price means little. There is such a small market for these, it is worth whatever you are willing to pay for it. I have seen them go for 12k to 25k. The prices can be all over the place. 16,500 would be a fair price if all is well with the machine.

If you are not able to thoroughly check to the unit, pay to have an expert do so.

Thank you true path!
I have been waiting for someone to really tell me truthfully that maintaining an rv is complex and expensive something I have assumed. I think my hope is I can get it for a lower price and put some money aside for the repairs that will come.
It scares me a bit to buy one and to not be a real mechanical person. I'm hoping to learn some things before I buy so I can feel comfortable that I can take care of the basic maintenance.

Thanks again!

I have a 1999 Leisure Travel Van B built on a Dodge 3500 (5.9 liter engine). I can't say anything about the particular B you are looking at specifically, but I can give you my take on the Dodge van it is built on. I have had my RV for two years and have put on about 10,000 each year. I have found the vehicle to be very reliable and quiet to operate. It gets between 12.5 and 15.5 mpg, averaging usually around 13.5 mpg if speed is kept at 65 mph or less in moderate wind conditions. People are correct about challenging handling, but you get used to it, at least I have. I have driven vans for years and they all can be a handful in cross winds and around trucks. You just have to stay on top of the vehicle and drive within your ability and conditions. It could be that the wheel spacers make it better, but I have not felt the need to pursue that. As for mechanical issues, I did experience a problem with a leak in the intake manifold which allowed oil to be drawn in the intake. The problem became apparent to me fairly quickly due to engine pinging and excess oil consumption. The cost for repair was about $500.00. I understand this is a common problem with this engine. That has been the extent of mechanical issues I've experienced. I would look carefully at the tire condition and in particular the age of the tires. There is a code on the tire that tells you its age. I would not drive one of these big vans at highway speed if the tires are more than 8 or so years old. As RV's get older, you are going to face increasing maintenance issues so take that into account with the purchase price. These things are complex and expensive to fix given all of the systems they have (i.e. AC and DC electrical, fresh water, gray water, black water, propane systems, etc.) The price the dealer is quoting seems a little on the high side to me even given the relatively low mileage. If it were me, I'd feel much better about the deal in the 14 to 15 thousand range. Good luck with making your decision. I have not been disappointed with my purchase.

Great things for me to look for with the American Cruiser. Thanks so much!Can you take the ac out and is there a hole to the outside? I'm not a real handyman and wonder is a lot of the maintenance things easy to learn or do I really need to be pretty skilled?
I'm hoping to get it down to maybe $16,500. That's still a bit above average retail. What do you think?

We had a 99 A/C for 15000 great miles. Overall, a high quality, well built MH. As with any model, some things to look at. I added 2" wheel spacers to the rear wheels to make the track width the same for both ends. It helps the handling in wind especially.

Check the window style air conditioner. The condensation from it (normal) is supposed to drain out the bottom. The drain hose can plug up and it then drains inside. Not good. I took ours out and put on a roof a/c and made a cabinet out of the opening.

I took out the old style TV and VHS and made another cabinet. I then put a digital TV with DVD player that dropped down from the ceiling. It worked great.

Check the carpet area near the bathroom door. Water leakage from the city water valve can show up there. (don't ask me how I know this). Check the floor of the rear stairwell opening. That area has a wood base which can rot out because the door frame/outside step interface leaks. Remove the carpet, repaint the stairwell after removing all rust and use the best caulk you can find on the outside of the step/door frame interface. Especially check the corners of the outside vinyl trim where it meets up with the lower door frame. Use a lite at night to expose any leaks in the area not visible otherwise.

After doing a "rattle patrol" while the DW was driving and fixing all noted rattles, it became as quiet as our Honda car. Basically a really well built machine. We got 14-15 MPG with ours and loved it. We just decided to upgrade to a new ERA this year. Good luck and PM me if you have any other questions. As with any 15 year old RV check everything out, and if all checks out fine, the price sounds a bit high to me but not extremely so.

Moved from class C.

I assume it's on a Dodge Ram Van 3500 chassis. Go to the B forum (this is in the C forum) and read very carefully the part of the FAQ's about the importance of a personal test drive on a 4 lane with fast-passing trucks. Low miles has a lot or possible explanations, but one is 'scary handling'. BTDT with a Dodge Roadtrek.

Some AmC's have dual rear wheels; these were added by AmC on 3rd party adapters, they're not Dodge OEM.

One of the two AmC's that I know of was owned by a respected poster in the B forum who had had a lot of B experience. He sold it on pretty quickly due to a combination of not finding the floorplan useful for his family and suuirrely handling.

Good luck.

Jim, "What part of 'MEOW!' didn't you understand?"

How a private company can or be allowed to track your personal property is beyond me. Times we live in I guess.