2004 Roadtrek 190P Review

[markopolo]

2004 Roadtrek 190P purchased used in 2005 with 13,000k on the odometer.

Options included: Locking differential & external transmission cooler, Awning, Armoire, Continental Spare tire kit, Screen package, Aluminum wheels.

What I like:
The chassis - I really like the Chevy. It's powerful and handles well. For me it's a bit of a thrill to drive - love the V8 sound. I do not put on many miles per year so mpg is not a concern. I think I spent $600 on gas the first year. I’m lucky to have great destinations nearby.

The fit and finish of the maple cabinetry is better than average. I've traveled rough roads while fully loaded and nothing has broken. Everything works as expected. The fit and finish of the exterior fittings is for the most part also above average. I've looked at every nook and cranny in and under this van and consistently find the same level construction. Holes are caulked; wires are in conduit, etc. These may seem like small items but to me it is evidence that the assembly process is methodical and well thought out. All of the components are recognized brands.

I find we have plenty of storage space. No doubt, that is helped by having the armoire. The armoire has two bin type drawers in the bottom. We fill the bottom one with bottled water. You can have bottles of wine standing upright in the upper drawer. With today’s flat TV’s and small DVD player the entertainment cabinet is freed up for more storage. We keep two collapsible chairs in one of the cabinets over the bed. Two collapsible lounge chairs, toolbox, BBQ and portable 136ah battery bank pretty much fills the rear storage area. We keep a Coleman stove, hoses, extension cords and disposable propane canisters in the larger outside storage compartment.

What I dislike:
I find the bed foam to be too firm so I use a foam topper. Maybe as the foam gets older it will breakdown a bit. The firmness of the foam is perfect for seating.

The rear doors curtain - using it effectively shortens the bed length a few inches. I use homemade shades instead.

I wish the Continental Spare tire kit swung sideways instead of up and down.

The American Racing Aluminum wheels appear to be oxidizing under the clear coat. The American Racing warranty is only 1 year and only to the first purchaser.

The built in inverter installation does not allow end users to maximize the inverter’s output capacity. With the correct circuit breaker you can realize only 600 watts output from the inverter with the existing wiring. As installed, I can only get 360 watts. The inverter, if installed with higher gauge cabling and higher rated circuit breaker could output 900 watts for periods up to one hour. H&P probably only intended that it be used for TV, DVD etc. and it is fine for that.

I’ll give my ’04 190P a 4 star out of 5 rating. It is almost perfect but not quite.

[markopolo]

The armoire has two bin type drawers in the bottom. We fill the bottom one with bottled water. You can have bottles of wine standing upright in the upper drawer.

I've mentioned the armoire before. If you don't need the additional seat in a Roadtrek it is a nice option to have.

[Ondaroadagain]

We sure agree with your review and we love our used 2004 190P. You didn't mention the dumping system, though. It is terrible. My husband has spent a good deal of time trying to make this work. We will be taking it out on a long road trip soon and hopefully, he has conquered most of the problems:

It takes a LONG time to empty and very difficult to empty totally. When not emptied, it is hard to make the hose go back into the tube far enough to close the assembly. We don't have the money to buy and install a macerator, so have to deal with it as is. There is always slop ready to spill out of the end of the hose (before the valves are pulled), so he temporarily puts a two-way hose fitting (with on/off lever) on the end of the cap. He attaches a special hose to one of these, runs it to the dump pipe and opens the fitting to let most of the residue drain out before he opens the cap and puts the extension hose end on and gets ready to pull the valves. Then, of course, we have to milk the hose (using as short a hose as possible) to empty as much as we can. Our unit does not have anything to hold the tube up when trying to put it all back together, so he has made a "prop" with a hinged handle to push under it so he can use both hands to reassemble and lock in the end cap.

We, also, added memory foam to the twin beds and really like your idea of the rear window coverings. Will do that before we leave for sure. The wardrobe/cupboard would really add storage space for food (as it is now, we use a tub that sits on the 3rd passenger seat and just move it around) but we do like that 3rd seat for reading late at night after one of us has gone to bed.....or in the morning, if it's too cool or rainy to read outside. So don't know if we can give up that seat. We always just use camp water in our water jugs that fit on the bottom shelf of the cupboard below the "stove."

For this trip, we are leaving the back couch bolsters home as we find they are not necessary and just in the way when moving camp every night. We were able to fit our small gas grill in the back basement when we put the Linx levelers on the end of the beds with our rolled up sleeping bags. Still leaves plenty of room to sit on the couch/bed while eating lunch on a travel day. The levelers will be outside during the night.

We haven't figured out exactly where to put all the dirty clothes (we only wash once a week to 10 days.) Most will fit through the door under the long bed, but gets kind of crowded (we carry a small fan in there) by the time we need to wash. Guess the fan could be out on the bed at the last. Who knows if it's needed or not!

Thanks for the review. We can't wait to get on the road again with this little beauty. (It's so much fun to watch the big rigs go through all the setting up and taking down preparations in camp! We've had a 5th wheel and a mini-motorhome and wouldn't go back to those for anything in the world!)