My Chevrolet Express van Class B- camper
I have been camping in my 1990 Chevrolet Silverado Blazer 2-door for the last 20 years. When I removed the back seat there was just enough room for a 3/4 sized (Hollywood, as some people called them) mattress to fit between the wheel wells and from the back of the console to the tailgate. After all those years with my wife and I getting older, she decided we needed a little more room so she found me a 2001 Chevrolet Express van with low mileage on the internet. After checking it out and taking it for a test drive we bought it on the spot. It was a nice passenger conversion LT model with all the bells and whistles available in 2001. I will chronicle the changes I made to transform it into my Class B- motorhome in the next few postings. I call it my Class B- (B minus) motorhome because it is just a regular van without the raised roof. Camping at Custer State Park, SD in February, 2015. Camping and visiting Scott's Bluff National Monument, NE in October, 2014.
Those of you with older Roadtreks...
I'm hoping to buy a used B in the next couple of years and am looking around to see what's available. There are lots of decent-looking Roadtreks out there, but I have concerns about the aisle shower & toilet position. If you have a Roadtrek with the aisle shower---do you use it? How awkward is it to set up? How much trouble do you have getting water in places it's not supposed to be? As best I can tell the aisle door has to be open to use the toilet, which blocks the view from the front but also blocks anyone from getting through. Is this a big pain? My whole point in getting a B is to have a shower and toilet--I won't be one of the owners who never uses the facilities!
Secondary Transportation Advice
In my old age I need to take my pit stop capabilities with me so I'm looking very hard at Class B's. Right now I'm focused on 2006 Sprinter's with the I5 engine as maybe having better longevity than the more modern V6. At a minimum I would like to take a scooter (less than 400#) on a receiver carrier along as a secondary form of transportation at my destinations. It would be nice, although not absolutely necessary, to tow my CJ7 to a nat'l park that's about 400 miles away, for something better to run the back roads. Your experiences - good or bad?
**BEWARE OF LA MESA RV IN DAVIE!!**
My experience with La Mesa RV in Davie as a single woman new to the RV Lifestyle has been nothing short of a nightmare and a complete disappointment, especially for the 2024 Mercedes Pleasant Way Plateau that I paid over $175,000 for! From the moment I purchased the RV in September 2024, the issues started piling up. On the drive home from taking delivery, the check engine light came on. When I called the next day, Blake, the salesman, minimized my concerns and brushed it off as “not a big deal,” suggesting I take it to Mercedes myself to get it fixed. What reputable dealership lets a customer drive off the lot with a check engine light on and then tells them to deal with it on their own? They also failed to give me all of the keys at the time of delivery. I was fortunate to figure this out prior to taking it out of town otherwise I would’ve been hundreds of miles away from home, unable to access certain areas of the RV. When I took it to Mercedes-Benz of Coconut Creek, I was told they were unaware of any pre-existing check engine light issues, and due to a shortage of lifts for Sprinter vans, it would take 5-7 days just to look at it. I was forced to reach back out to La Mesa RV, who had no problem inconveniencing me further by having me drop it off at their Davie location and Uber back home numerous times. They took the RV to Mercedes in Miami, where it stayed for several days. After getting it back, La Mesa assured me everything was taken care of, but within an hour of driving, the check engine light was on AGAIN!! I was already headed out of town for a camping trip. This time, Joseph Jaure from La Mesa had to pick up the RV from my home when I returned and bring it back to Mercedes of Miami, where it sat for another five days before being returned to me. Only now, within an hour of driving out of town for another camping trip, the air conditioning and internal appliances stopped working. I had to pull over on the side of the highway and call Pleasant Way, who informed me that I needed to reset the inverter by shutting down the entire unit, including the engine. It was an extremely hot day, and I had friends and my dog in the RV. That was the first of three times that day the inverter/charger failed. Later, Pleasant Way casually mentioned they were aware of this issue and that it required a software update only a technician could perform. They knew this could happen, yet did nothing to ensure the updates were applied before delivery. This left my friend and I stranded to figure out other accommodations on our camping trip. In the course of owning this brand new 2024 Mercedes Pleasant Way Plateau for just five weeks, it has been in the shop for three of them for various repairs and system updates. Meanwhile, I’m stuck paying monthly payments for a defective RV along with storage fees. It’s clear that La Mesa RV got their money and could care less about the consumer. They assured me they would fix the problems and communicate clearly, but they have failed miserably on both fronts. I’ve given them ample opportunity to rectify the situation, even requesting a replacement, but I’ve lost all confidence in La Mesa RV, Mercedes, and Pleasant Way. La Mesa’s customer service is beyond appalling. I’ve had to reach out to Channel 7’s "Help Me Howard" just to get attention on this issue. Beyond the initial $175,000 purchase price, the loss of usage is infuriating, and the company refuses to offer any meaningful compensation or solution. La Mesa RV is only interested in getting RV’s over the curb…. and getting their money, once they do they will leave you high and dry the moment issues arise. Do yourself a favor and avoid this dealership at all costs!!sprinter CARGO VAN converted to a camping van
I visited Yellowstone last week. Flew to Denver and rested a car and drove. Saw so many RVs... no, I don't own one...still dreaming. I noticed a couple of Sprinter cargo work vans that had been converted over to camping vans. These were the high roof models. Both had beds, one had a sink made up of a 5 gallon holding tank a 5 gallon waste tank. This is something I would consider if I found a decent Sprinter. Nothing fancy. Something to take to the mountains when the nights are cool. Park it at a campground and use their bathhouses. Anyone here a converted van?
