I bought a Trail-Lite 213 B+

[markopolo]

These are photos from the sellers ad:

[renrut]

Nice looking rig Mark. It looks real nice inside. You'll enjoy the extra room.

[markopolo]

Thanks renrut. This RV was only used for 5 months but it was full-time use so it shows a fair bit of wear and tear. I'll eventually replace the carpet.

[markopolo]

We went to Weirs Beach RV Resort this weekend.



I have some photos of Weirs Beach RV Resort here:

http://classbforum.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=364

They were taken when we last visited in our Roadtrek.

[paulm]

Realllly nice rig Marko.

So basically the only thing it's missing is the bunk over the cab. Maybe they should call it a Class C-.

How's the milage compare to the Roadtrek. I know Renrut's class C is pretty bad, but it's older too.

[markopolo]

Thanks paulm.

B+ sounds a bit better than C-

It's approx 23' long, my van was almost 22', so we can still fit in the places we like.

Don't know the MPG. Maybe 10, maybe 12. Most of our trips will be short distance.

[Steve_Guelph]

I know this is an older post but I still wanted to say I really like the layout. In our B we leave the couch at the back setup as a bed always. If that couch was in a bed mode can you still walk by? My wife liked the fact that shower on its own like that would be nice. The trade off for making the bed everyday vs campground showers would be a tough one. I do like your setup but I am not the one making the bed .

Steve

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Steve_Guelph

............If that couch was in a bed mode can you still walk by? ..............

No.

The couch meets the dinette. You can make up one really large bed when they're combined. (probably close to 90" x 80")

Lately, we been sleeping on the opened sofa (approx 54" wide) and have left the dinette in place. Before that, I slept in the dinette made up as a bed and my wife slept on the unopened couch. That kept the aisle open.

[Steve_Guelph]

Actually looking at your layout there really is no need to walk through at night anyway. So in the morning flip the couch back up and your ready to go. Thanks for the response.

[Mike]

Wow, this thread is dated.
However, we drove by this place today and saw 2 B+ RVs on the lot.
It's a little hamlet about 20 miles west of us with about a dozen vehicles for sale.
I had no idea what the vans were as we drove by, but my best guess was a BT Cruiser
or something similar.
As it turns out they were
http://www.carpages.ca/used/2003/Chevro ... rio/474655
which I didn't really think would work for a boondocker like me, as it has no generator
and then I saw this old favorite of yours....
http://www.carpages.ca/used/2003/Chevro ... rio/402186

Having owned one yourself, what do you think of this unit? No rush as I doubt I can
convince the DW that we should have a closer look, but I thought if you had a minute,
I'd appreciate your thoughts or comments.

BTW, how're things in NB? Getting the hang of your precip coming down as a solid?
I recall you were looking for a dock for your land cruiser last time we chatted. Any luck?

TTYL,
Mike.

[markopolo]

We really haven't have a lot of snow this winter. Unusually mild winter they say. There's some on the ground this morning, maybe 5 inches. It does get cold here though. Minus 20 lows recently. You can get a full week of sunny days which is nice. I think we've found a place to buy and are waiting for conditions to come off. It is a fixer upper and you know I like projects.


Check out this post re: my B+:

http://www.classbforum.com/phpBB2/vi...9&hilit=#p2249

I don't really like the rear door on the model in your link although it would be handy for carting lumber home etc. I'd rather have the door under the awning and on the side so bringing stuff out to the picnic table is easier. The one in your link has a slideout and that would be welcome assuming it allows clear passage to the bathroom when the bed is set up. The bed in ours blocked the aisle so one person had to crawl over the other

DW wanted a permanent bed so ............

For us, a full C for big trips and a small B like a RT170 for weekend getaways would be ideal.

[Mike]

Glad to hear things are good out there. We've had almost no snow this year too, but they
say that will change in the next 48 hours, so we're ready. We plan to head east again to Gaspe
again this summer sometime, perhaps June/July, so we could be in the Miramichi neighbourhood,
if you're around.

I have to agree about the placement of the door. Not quite as bad as one with no access to the cab
from the coach, but it still bothers me for some reason. We looked at an Augusta (small C?)2 years
ago and I had the same awkward feel about it then. To get a larger shower area in the vehicle, we
could learn to live with it, though. My only other requirement is the generator. I really like having one
in our RT. We now have a reason to have one, for coffee making. Funny, we'd consider a $5K option
so important to make a $1 cup of coffee, but so be it. We love our caffeine.
Our biggest problem with the RT has always been the aisle shower. We just think it was a very clever,
but totally unworkable solution to road trip hygiene. So anything with a semi-full water tight shower
area would be a big bonus to us. We don't mind using parks and truck stops, but it would be nice to be
completely self-contained. It mostly comes down to the DW not wishing to have a steam filled van, and
possibly water all over the aisle.

Anyway, we missed the shuttle launch and might try for Florida in a few weeks for some baseball in Dunedin.
Thanks for your comments on the Trail Lite. (Actually, just thought of another one, what are they like for leaks
around the roof and windows and seams? We looked at one that looked like it was carrying extra DIY caulking
around the outside of the coach. Any thoughts on that?)

Take care, good luck with the new digs,
Mike.

[markopolo]

I think Trail-Lites are put together quickly. Mine had lots of caulking on the roof and you could see it on the sides. No leaks in mine. I actually re-caulked a lot on the roof as a preventative measure. The roof is plywood covered by a rubber sheet.

The bathroom and 8 cu ft fridge etc. were awesome but you might be disappointed with a Trail-Lite after owning a Roadtrek.

I think it comes down to how long you plan to keep it and what price you pay. Trail-Lite B+ can be a good value at the right price.

[Mike]

Like I said, I don't know if we'll even consider a switch to a B+, but I may go have a
look at it tomorrow anyway, just to see if the bathroom and large fridge are worth the hassle
of switching. They might take a trade, but I doubt they'd be willing to give me much for the RT.
It's got 125,000 kms on it now. Everything works, but it needs the isolator replaced and a
new set of tires. I may browse NADA later to see what they'd price both vehicles at.

What other things surprised you, when you went to the larger B+ from your Roadtrek?
What might I be disappointed by with the TL, versus the RT? Just curious.
I doubt we'd ever need a "C" but you never know. Id' like to try full time for a year, but I
don't think I can convince the co-pilot to try it.
Would you think $34,999+tax is a bit high for a 2003 Trail Lite with 23,000 miles on it?
I thought it might be a good price considering the mileage. Are they (B+) about the same to
insure as a "B", or do you recall? Insurance is a deciding factor for me, if it's a lot more costly.
That always influences any big financial decisions for me.

[markopolo]

What other things surprised you, when you went to the larger B+ from your Roadtrek?

I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy to drive. It's wider but it wasn't a big problem. Also the CCC (cargo carrying capacity). I think I could take on like 2,000lbs of cargo! (from memory)

What might I be disappointed by with the TL, versus the RT? Just curious.

Fit, finish, quality. Roadtrek cabinet walls are probably 3/8" thick. My Trail-Lite had paneling for cabinet walls probably 1/8* thick. Rubber roof on the Trail-Lite versus fiberglass roof on the Roadtrek. Also storage for stuff - It didn't have much more storage space than my RT 190P.

Would you think $34,999+tax is a bit high for a 2003 Trail Lite with 23,000 miles on it?

I might be out-of-touch on pricing now. I haven't been looking. At $30,000 you wouldn't take a big hit if you wanted to sell it later. Really, I don't know.

Are they (B+) about the same to insure as a "B", or do you recall?

For me it was.

[Mike]

Hi and thanks for the input. All makes sense to me.
I may head out today before the snowstorm and take a look at it anyway.
I'm just too darn curious, sometimes.

[Mike]

I had a look at it, and I sort of think it might be a better buy at the price you suggested.
I don't think it's worth the $34999+ they want for it, although the mileage would make it
an attractive unit for a newbie, perhaps.
I guess I'll just have to endure the shower mod Ive applied to our RT (no showers in the aisle).