Hey Y'all-

[Starghoti]

Found this forum while looking for Used Class-B dealers.. Yay Me!

I am looking for a RoadTrek 190P or LeisureTravel or? -- specifically for the Non-roof mount AC. I have a small chunk of money saved, but will likely have to go through a "dealer" due to the need to finance the remainder. oh well.

I love to travel with my dogs, and have done so in an older self converted van and a newer self converted cargo trailer.. (shouldn't have sold the van.. )

I am looking to sell the cargo to a good home.. it is essentially like the tiny basic scamp with solar.

Anyway- I have come here to read/learn what all I can.. Thank you all for your contributions over the years.

[SteveJ]

Welcome.

My credit union is pretty flexible on loans and quite frugal. I wouldn't necessarily rule private party stuff out without checking. You know what they say about the word assume.

[rowiebowie]

Welcome to the forum Starghoti!

Now might be a great time for a bargain (although in my opinion new & used class b prices were getting ridiculously high before this pandemic). So it will help you if they come down a bit.

In my humble opinion, since you are going to have to finance at least part of your purchase, buy the newest class b you can find, afford, and you get the best deal on. The overall cost can be mittigated if it's your only vehicle (see next paragraph).

When considering your purchase, can you make the new rig your one & only vehicle? While it is not ideal, think of the savings of selling both your trailer and tow vehicle. Less maintenance, lower insurance, etc.

We're retired and keep an old '2005 Honda CR-V for our daily around-town car since it is cheap to keep. But if it cratered tomorrow, we'd first try only using '2012 class b since it is not a chore to drive and park around town.

Good luck.

[Starghoti]

SteveJ- I am already a CU member.. so no need for a sales pitch..

rowiebowie- Actually that is pretty much my plan. (that is another reason I am taking the $ hit for class b -- better in town maneuverability and cost of operation paired with features/comforts)

Some things are not deal breakers, as I am fairly handy and can fix a lot myself. (rebuilt that old dodge's carburetor among other things..) I have a specific hit list..

in no particular order: 2 cab seats- pref swivel, rear bed (HATE mid bed concept) kitchenette, window ac, onboard gen, screened windows, moderate ground clearance, 1ton chassis, not ford (sparkplug issue!), non flood/non roadsalt, and enough roof space for a few hundred watts of solar, solid suspension.

it would be nice if: the fridge worked well, don't really need furnace or water heater, decent/clean interior/upholstery preferable, non-smoker, up to date tires, vent cover, clean well kept exterior, etc..

Old van -gutted and updated, new Fantastic fan and hood, installed solar, vinyl flooring, mini kitchen, bed, etc..

[rowiebowie]

Sounds like you're capable of fixing things that need it, and they will, so you are ahead of the game.

I know with some cars, it's tough to get financing if they're older models. I bought myn "b" (5 yrs. old at the time) from PPL Motorhomes, a consignment lot with three locations in Texas, so one might be close to your location. It was a smooth experience, they followed up by shipping a promised part, and their financing option (US Bank) was at a cheaper rate than my credit union could do. They handled all paperwork on the lot. Have ordered parts from them also. Parts prices were good, inventory is broad , and shipping was fast. And no, despite sounding like a comercial, I do not work for them.

I purchased 2-1/2 years ago from their Houston location, so I can't guarantee you'll have the same experience. But they have a good inventory of all ages of class b's (well, as good as you can have because they are still vary rare).

https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-r...rtBy=price+asc

[Rdean925]

Originally Posted by Starghoti

Found this forum while looking for Used Class-B dealers.. Yay Me!

I am looking for a RoadTrek 190P or LeisureTravel or? -- specifically for the Non-roof mount AC. I have a small chunk of money saved, but will likely have to go through a "dealer" due to the need to finance the remainder. oh well.

I love to travel with my dogs, and have done so in an older self converted van and a newer self converted cargo trailer.. (shouldn't have sold the van.. )

I am looking to sell the cargo to a good home.. it is essentially like the tiny basic scamp with solar.

Anyway- I have come here to read/learn what all I can.. Thank you all for your contributions over the years.

Check out Sunshine State RV (reputable) a couple of Roadtrek
https://www.sunshinestatervs.com/inv...ville-FL-7697/

Roadtrek 210 is nice because it has 6’+ sleeping across
https://www.sunshinestatervs.com/inv...ville-FL-7745/

[Jon in AZ]

Personally I prefer the RT190 model because it preserves the original van exterior. The width isn’t a problem for sleeping since the beds are oriented longways. The wet bath is smaller, though.

By most accounts Leisure-Way has better coach build quality, but I prefer the Chevy chassis to Ford. That’s a toss-up. Not sure if there are any others with the recessed A/C mount.

Asking prices seem all over the map lately. Interest rates typically depend on the age of the unit, so sometimes the higher price of a newer unit is offset by savings in the financing. That would be a conversation to have with your banker now.

[Jon in AZ]

Just did some looking and realized Pleasure-Way did build its Lexor TS (non-wide body) on the Chevy 3500 chassis until a few years ago. That would be on my short list.

[Starghoti]

at a nice mid year Pleasure Way with lowish miles. Apparently pretty- in pics.. we shall see.. will be a day-long adventure as it is "a bit down the road from me.."
lol

I'll let y'all know what happens

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by Starghoti

at a nice mid year Pleasure Way with lowish miles. Apparently pretty- in pics.. we shall see.. will be a day-long adventure as it is "a bit down the road from me.."
lol

I'll let y'all know what happens

Happy hunting. Link?

[Starghoti]

pics after.. This is a hard to find, in my area, unit.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Starghoti

at a nice mid year Pleasure Way with lowish miles. Apparently pretty- in pics.. we shall see.. will be a day-long adventure as it is "a bit down the road from me.."
lol

I'll let y'all know what happens

Please keep us informed.

Also remember, you're buying both a vehicle and house on wheels. Insist that you be given time to drive and inspect both the chassis and the motor home appliances (have them demonstrated and test for proper operation). I'm not saying a few issues are a deal killer as expect there to be some issues.

I mention this because when buying mine out of town a few years ago, I got in a hurry to hit the road back home. I had a long checklist and everything was ticking off fine so I stopped five items short on my inspection. Well, three of those five items had issues.

Not serious, but I would have asked they be fixed or negotiated a discount since the van was respresented as everything working.

[Starghoti]

Mech:
Check quality of engine oil and trans fluid (and stick for signs)
Underside for leaks/build-up and Rust
Exhaust on start-up (blue, white, black?)
Tire dot code and wear
Pull dog house and eyeball engine
Check AC/Heat
Look for signs of neglect
Test drive using all senses.

House:
Water sign. Window, roof, plumbing- leaks. Flood?
Window and door seals
Run all appliances and fixtures
Fire generator
Look for signs of neglect.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Starghoti

Mech:
Check quality of engine oil and trans fluid also coolant fluid (and stick for signs)
Underside for leaks/build-up and Rust
Exhaust on start-up (blue, white, black?) also generator
Tire dot code and wear
Pull dog house and eyeball engine (shouldn't be necessary to pull dog house as most engine items can be inspected under the hood these days)
Check AC/Heat
Look for signs of neglect
Test drive using all senses.

House:
Water sign. Window, roof, plumbing- leaks. Flood?
Window and door seals
Run all appliances and fixtures
Fire generator (see if it powers the roof ac & microwave - just not at the same time)
Look for signs of neglect.

If, in your above list, you include bold items and you also consider below:

- Water pump, faucets, toilets, dump valves (maybe hard to demonstrate, but dump valves got me).

- Batteries (also hard to demonstrate they hold a good charge, but this also got me; even though batteries were fairly new).

- They had our rv plugged in prior to us getting there so water heater was hot on 110 volts, so I failed to fire it up on propane. Later, I found out it wouldn't light (my third gotcha) due to a potato-sized mud dauber nest inside the combustion chamber.

Again, nothing too hard or expensive to fix, just bit me on my backside when I concluded testing with five items on my list to go.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Starghoti]

nope
--
Let's start with there being only a dupe key for doors/ignition. (It has remote locks and an alarm. I can tell)
No keys for compartments
Mileage off by about 17,000 of what was stated
Front end- steering mechanism modification (ok, fine) springs on driver's side (ok) Missing springs on passenger side (!) Said parts held in place with tiny bungee cords (!!!)
Fresh fluid changes (I can tell)
Yet- oil is already going brown and smelling lightly of gas, and coolant overflow is brown and smells fishy
Not to mention the "dealer's" website is a Blatant copy/paste from another site I know from back home (may let them know...)
Everything was just all sad and scuffed and grungy
ABS light on, power steering whined Loudly when I revved motor
House battery dead as disco
Guy was "really helpful" really wanted to sell the rig. Yeah,No
Many other issues
Cracked windshield, broken cabinet stuff. Things roughly removed and stowed or just missing...
Hard pass
Especially the signs of Engine Neglect
And Suspension abuse
--------------------------------
And good other points to look for, rowiebowie
Coolant fluid (and overflow for 'history')
Pulling the dog house gives you eyeballs on dirt level and sparkplug wires and general engine leakage around valve covers, etc.. and it usually is not difficult.
Generator- GOOD Point! will add to my list.. never had a rig with a genny before.

[rowiebowie]

I know you're disappointed it didn't work out, but you made the right decision to pass.

Good catch on the fluids. Many vehicles are advertised with "fresh fluids". This can mean you save on first maintenance costs, or, it means they're hiding previous poor maintenance. You were smart to notice the coolant overflow condition.

I don't quite understand the springs, but then, maybe I don't want to know. Isn't it always that things look better in pictures than in person.

Be patient. It took us a little over a year to find the right class b for us. That period included an EBay scam that luckily I did not fall for.

[Starghoti]

Guess who put in a bid on a 2004 RT-190P ?

<-- This Gal

Price came in well below full resale.. so I have a bit of wiggle room for repairs.
1 owner - decent.. needs some tinkering, but hell, who doesn't?

I am looking forward to poking around through this rig fully. But it passed all my tests.

I get to go get it next weekend. woooooooooo! (and stupid work schedule keeping me from getting it NOW... but they have some of my money and contract to sell, so I can wait impatiently.)

Pics and more info later- I will start a proper thread..