advice or help

[ranchhand]

Howdy Folks
My name is Scott. I am a Ranch Hand in central Montana. My Wife and I are looking at the a 1995 Rialta Qd. It has 67,000 miles on it and very clean. The
generator is not available, tires are 30%. They are asking 25000. I would like to know what anyone would think of this and also any advice in shopping for a Rialta. There are others available in my area. My biggest problem is time to shop and distance from the ranch. I am by myself on the ranch most of the time.
Thank you so much for your time

[rjf7g]

Welcome to the forum. "Way overpriced" was my first reaction and then I looked it up at NADA Guides (just a "guide" mind you) - 1995 Winnebago Rialta Series M-221RD Prices and Used Values | NADAguides. I was right! I hope you can figure out how to carve out enough time to research and then enjoy your purchase!

[ranchhand]

Thank You for your reply. All prices to a Ranch Hand are high. But to widen the question or to ask for more help. would be to ask Your advice on Rialta... I have read the pros and cons. In my world everything has pros and cons.
Thanks again

[mkguitar]

the VW drivetrain and chassis can be more difficult and costly to find parts.

with a ford chev or dodge...you can get parts anywhere, cheap

how tall are you- if under 5'10' then it doesn't matter- some models are better than others for headroom.

I like the rialtas, there is a some good info on the web. some good videos.

poptop heaven in yucaipa CA. seems to have that market cornered.


for cost, B's have a high cost per square foot- our advantages are ease of driving, parking and mpg.

a C class RV can cost 1/2 and have twice as much space

what do you figure your use will be?



mike

[ranchhand]

Thanks Mike
Mostly to get from point A to point B. Visit Grand Kids. I have family all over the country and its time to start seeing some people. I am not getting any younger. To avoid those dirty hotels, motels. Mike, You have any idea what kind of life you can get out of one of these vw engines,trans. The thing I like is the gas mileage.

[mkguitar]

I don't but look around and you'll find owners posting esp on youtube.
there you will find the great features and maybe some of teh foibles and how to fix them.

the rialta has a genius bathroom/shower, flip down sink arrangement.

one of the models has a huge fridge

one can have quite a large bed in the rear.



I have a chev 3500 based pleasure-way...15 to 16 mpg, now I;m rated at 300hp and hold to hwy speeds fine through the rockies.
the VW won;t be as fast up a long steep grade, but they go pretty good on the flat for sure- I've been passed

one of the factors in making our decision was I can work on the chev

genny, we dont use ours- the fuel line has a petcock and we could..., but so far we tend to be in campgrounds with shore power.

really only the a/c and microwave require ac power.

if boondocking we can run a couple of days with battery power and fridge on propane


Mike

[ranchhand]

Good Morning and Thank you
Until you told me what unit you had I did not know that you could get that kind of mileage without being a newer diesel . I have done a morning search on Craigslist of Montana and the states around me, no luck today. I do not have a lot of money but you have given me something else to look for.
Thanks Mike

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

::

I have a chev 3500 based pleasure-way...15 to 16 mpg, now I;m rated at 300hp and hold to hwy speeds fine through the rockies.
::

Mike

What chassis year?
The year makes a big difference. The old chassis can get only 8~10 mpg.

Which engine do you have?

[mkguitar]

yes thanks, great point---- 2005 chassis which is the Vortec 6.0, 3 spd w/ OD

as BBQ points out just about any USA RV V8 pre about 1999 will get poorer MPG....they will also make less power than the 300~360 HP available in my 6.0
This is due to the older motor designs and the earlier throttle body type EFI.
( passenger cars got better motors about 5 years previous due to CAFE standards...commercial chassis pick ups suvs, vans turned the corner about 1999 for most)

most RV's are built on a chassis 1 model year earlier, so my 2006 PW is on a 2005 Chev


my personal experience with the ford V10 in rental pass vans gives poorer mpg, I don;t have a dodge ( had a bad one in 1980). but there are many many happy dodge and ford owners out there.


there are alot of options- in exploring features- youtube is your friend...many dealership videos do great job of showing the RV models- watch how the sales guy ( often big) moves around and sometimes has to jostle for space with a camera person- that'll give an idea of life in a B.

I find very generally that space made for a bed will result in a smaller head...and vice versa.


roadtrek has brochures on their website for old models- PW emailed me .pdf's for a model I was interested in ( which we bought)

figure out what your real budget is- money saved on a purchase, may be spent on repairs.
how handy are you?
can you work on a car, have you been around enough cars that you can lift the hood and judge the previous owner's care for it?
tire dates, DOT codes- a set of tires for my van would be $1000

a quick look at my local C/L as shows used units from $10k to $40k.

one scary thing with any RV is "tweaker mods"...which are not unknown here in the desert

mike

[SteveJ]

I'm a newby here but have put over 30k miles on a 2000/2000 Roadtrek 200 Versatile, a fiberglass back end. I bought it almost three years ago for 10,500. It needed everything for maintenance except the front suspension had already been re-newed. it has the 5.7 Chevy engine with 4 speed trans. Unless the wind is bad, I get also get 15-16 mpg, but keeping the speed under 65. If I want to go faster, I will pay for it in mpg. 70+ is about 13-14.

We really like it and two of my three brothers have since bout Roadtreks. One a '97 Dodge 190 Popular, the other a .93 Dodge 190, not sure of the model. Both get about 15mpg.

[ranchhand]

Thanks BBQ and Steve for the added advice. I had no idea you could get that kind of mileage with a V8. I drive a 2012 1 ton on the ranch and I am lucky to get 8-10mpg and normally I am driving less than 40mph. So I am looking at other models now but I still live in Montana and the selection on B's is very lite. Thanks Mike
Sorry it took so long to get back.....This five weeks of 0 degree temps can take it toll on an 61 year old