RT 170 as a daily driver?
Hi all--we have been considering a B van and would like to hear from this group concerning the use of a Roadtrek 170 as a daily driver. We have looked at many and feel that the 17' Roadtrek might fit...
Forum Discussion
OK, I admit it: I miss our Roadtrek!
We had a 190P and then a 210P for many years. Two years ago, we bought a Phoenix Cruiser 2350 Class C which we dearly love and find it best of all for the type of travel we now do most of the time. Where as in the past we toured and camped, now we tend to spend two weeks at a time in one place. We pull a toad or it just wouldn't work for us. We enjoy the extra room and the dry bath.
So, I contemplated buying a 170 for a daily driver. I don't drive that much now that I am retired, probably less than 8-10k a year on my driver. We put about 6-8 on the Phoenix Cruiser. The toad is my wife's daily driver, a Jeep Trailhawk.
Last fall, I started really thinking about finding a 170 for around town and just for the fun of it. After I looked online and at a couple of used ones, I concluded a 190 might work about as well. The only important exterior difference is twenty inches in length. That one foot, eight inches makes a lot of difference in a daily driver I concluded. It would mean parking way out in the lot and it would mean using more than the allocated space for one vehicle in lots of places. So, for me, a 170 just fits the bill more for short trips of 2-3 days to who knows where and around town. I would, of course, be able to use service lots only and that was about the only "give up" I could come up with compared to my current SUV. By the way, we have a nine foot tall garage door and therefore can park a 170 or 190 or 210 inside and thus never need to winterize. Not so the Phoenix Cruiser and that eliminates day trips or short winter trips in it.
Then, I thought (a lot!) about maintaining two rvs. I asked that question on the Class C forum: how many have more than one rig at the same time. The number of responses indicated a lot of folks have two rigs for various purposes. I do virtually all my rv maintenance myself and leave the chassis stuff to a great mechanic ten minutes down the road.
I am sure if I were not now retired I wouldn't even consider such a thing, but it really appeals to me. I don't know how many more years I will be able to handle a larger unit than a B and pull a toad....ten if I am lucky. What I do know is it is a lot more hassle to drive even a small C compared to a B and I suspect driving a 170 compared to our old 210P with the flared sides and length would be very, very similar to a SUV.
As to the added expense compared to a car or other "daily driver".....boys and their toys seems a reasonable explanation. By the way, my wife (years ago) drove a Chevy 20 conversion van for her daily driver. Seems to me that a 170 is simply that on steroids.
Paul
We had a 190P and then a 210P for many years. Two years ago, we bought a Phoenix Cruiser 2350 Class C which we dearly love and find it best of all for the type of travel we now do most of the time. Where as in the past we toured and camped, now we tend to spend two weeks at a time in one place. We pull a toad or it just wouldn't work for us. We enjoy the extra room and the dry bath.
So, I contemplated buying a 170 for a daily driver. I don't drive that much now that I am retired, probably less than 8-10k a year on my driver. We put about 6-8 on the Phoenix Cruiser. The toad is my wife's daily driver, a Jeep Trailhawk.
Last fall, I started really thinking about finding a 170 for around town and just for the fun of it. After I looked online and at a couple of used ones, I concluded a 190 might work about as well. The only important exterior difference is twenty inches in length. That one foot, eight inches makes a lot of difference in a daily driver I concluded. It would mean parking way out in the lot and it would mean using more than the allocated space for one vehicle in lots of places. So, for me, a 170 just fits the bill more for short trips of 2-3 days to who knows where and around town. I would, of course, be able to use service lots only and that was about the only "give up" I could come up with compared to my current SUV. By the way, we have a nine foot tall garage door and therefore can park a 170 or 190 or 210 inside and thus never need to winterize. Not so the Phoenix Cruiser and that eliminates day trips or short winter trips in it.
Then, I thought (a lot!) about maintaining two rvs. I asked that question on the Class C forum: how many have more than one rig at the same time. The number of responses indicated a lot of folks have two rigs for various purposes. I do virtually all my rv maintenance myself and leave the chassis stuff to a great mechanic ten minutes down the road.
I am sure if I were not now retired I wouldn't even consider such a thing, but it really appeals to me. I don't know how many more years I will be able to handle a larger unit than a B and pull a toad....ten if I am lucky. What I do know is it is a lot more hassle to drive even a small C compared to a B and I suspect driving a 170 compared to our old 210P with the flared sides and length would be very, very similar to a SUV.
As to the added expense compared to a car or other "daily driver".....boys and their toys seems a reasonable explanation. By the way, my wife (years ago) drove a Chevy 20 conversion van for her daily driver. Seems to me that a 170 is simply that on steroids.
Paul
