Help me decide on a new class b

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Brings this into perspective.....lots of hysteria here about California.

Those of us who live here are very grateful for the emissions standards...it has been a huge improvement in air quality......

Please remember that California has over 55 million people and is the most populated state. It is the 5th largest economy in the world.

Just plain facts....

I hear you. Lived in California on two separate military tours in the 70's and 80's and made work trips to California in the 90's. The smog in southern California was so bad you could NOT see the mountains near Ontario.

I have relatives that live there and get back every few years. I have always liked California, second only to Washington state where I lived for over 15 years. The west coast states are great, but now I've settled in Maryland and just travel west whenever I can.

[Camoman]

Rowbie, the #20 post isn't mine, so I'm a little confused about which "last line" u didn't like. Shoot me an actual email that I can respond to.

[rowiebowie]

Camoman,

We're good buddy. PM sent.

[Bryantch]

Thanks everyone for all the comments.

Ultimately decided on the 2010 Airstream Interstate. 23k, one owner, all service records, just over 60k with new tires and new batteries.

Just resealed the roof, installed Roku, ordered a Stowaway Max, a resonator for the genset, have a Pioneer AVH-1440NEX with Carplay on its way and sent the airstream off to the shop to have the faded mouldings painted to match the body paint.

Should be all set to hit the road by early next week!

FWIW, I would have replied earlier but it seems that I cant login and reply from my iphone? Tried Safari and Chrome to no avail...finally had time to break out the computer...

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Bryantch

Thanks everyone for all the comments.

Ultimately decided on the 2010 Airstream Interstate. 23k, one owner, all service records, just over 60k with new tires and new batteries.

Just resealed the roof, installed Roku, ordered a Stowaway Max, a resonator for the genset, have a Pioneer AVH-1440NEX with Carplay on its way and sent the airstream off to the shop to have the faded mouldings painted to match the body paint.

Should be all set to hit the road by early next week!

FWIW, I would have replied earlier but it seems that I cant login and reply from my iphone? Tried Safari and Chrome to no avail...finally had time to break out the computer...

Congratulations!

Take a short shake-down trip to familiarize yourself and test the systems before striking out on a long trip. We were glad we did.

Also. another good resource is airforums.com I post there too.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Congratulations!

Take a short shake-down trip to familiarize yourself and test the systems before striking out on a long trip. We were glad we did.

Also. another good resource is airforums.com I post there too.

How much did you pay for this "cream puff"....23,000 miles? You said $60,000

How many times has this changed hands? Are you the 2nd, 3rd or more owners??
Wondering what the provenance of this vehicle was..and why so few miles??

Interesting for a Class B..?

Reseal the roof??? What's with that....?

[Bryantch]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

How much did you pay for this "cream puff"....23,000 miles? You said $60,000

How many times has this changed hands? Are you the 2nd, 3rd or more owners??
Wondering what the provenance of this vehicle was..and why so few miles??

Interesting for a Class B..?

Reseal the roof??? What's with that....?

maybe my post was a bit overly "giddy" because I finally found exactly what I was looking for and was able to negotiate the price I was looking to pay. Sorry if it offended you.

2010 Airstream Interstate, Silver with Onyx Interior (an interesting Class B)
22800 miles
ONE OWNER
ALL SERVICE RECORDS
Perfect Carfax
Six new tires
Two new batteries
61k

As for the reseal the roof comment, the eight year old sealants used on the roof are likely at the end of their life. Eternabond is a far superior product that is intended to last many times longer than caulk. I resealed it as a matter of preventative maintenance.

Why so few miles? Guessing 'cause they didnt drive it much...but thats just a guess.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Bryantch

maybe my post was a bit overly "giddy" because I finally found exactly what I was looking for and was able to negotiate the price I was looking to pay. Sorry if it offended you.

2010 Airstream Interstate, Silver with Onyx Interior (an interesting Class B)
22800 miles
ONE OWNER
ALL SERVICE RECORDS
Perfect Carfax
Six new tires
Two new batteries
61k

As for the reseal the roof comment, the eight year old sealants used on the roof are likely at the end of their life. Eternabond is a far superior product that is intended to last many times longer than caulk. I resealed it as a matter of preventative maintenance.

OK.. I've rarely heard of a metal roof leaking even around the seals.. had cars that were 20 years old with sunroofs and seals... I have a 2012 and will wait on this.. Your vehicle is a little older than mine, but, I appreciate preventative maintenance....

Your post didn't offend me at all... why would you think that?

Why so few miles? Guessing 'cause they didnt drive it much...but thats just a guess.

Again, curiously most Class B's are driven more.. I totally believe what you said and kudos on the getting it from the original owners... that's awesome. Did they have all the records to give you as well?

They sure didn't get their money's worth....

Is this a "dual wheels" setup in the back like my RS Adventurous.

Finally, I looked up the price on NADA... think you did extremely well, see below.

https://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2010/...3053797/Values

Good luck with this.... I'm sure you'll have many great miles.

[Bryantch]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Again, curiously most Class B's are driven more.. I totally believe what you said and kudos on the getting it from the original owners... that's awesome. Did they have all the records to give you as well?

They sure didn't get their money's worth....

Is this a "dual wheels" setup in the back like my RS Adventurous.

Finally, I looked up the price on NADA... think you did extremely well, see below.

https://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2010/...3053797/Values

Good luck with this.... I'm sure you'll have many great miles.

Agreed, they certainly didnt get much use out of the coach. That being said, they paid 97k (according to the original paperwork) out the door in 2010 so the loss isnt as bad as it could have been.

It is the dual wheel 3500.

The body shop sent a pic with all of the body mouldings removed for paint...certainly changes the look

[Bryantch]

Much better with the moldings replaced

Just finished a 2300 mile shake down trip to Boston and Stowe Vermont without issue. 17mpg occasionally bumping up against the speed limiter seems pretty decent for a vehicle this large.

Upgrading the genset exhaust with a resonator and stainless tip and the engine exhaust with one too. Vent Visors and Pioneer AVH-1440 NEX should be enough fun for the week. Camping for the first time for one night mid month then off to Toronto again...so far loving it!

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Bryantch

Much better with the moldings replaced

Just finished a 2300 mile shake down trip to Boston and Stowe Vermont without issue. 17mpg occasionally bumping up against the speed limiter seems pretty decent for a vehicle this large.

Upgrading the genset exhaust with a resonator and stainless tip and the engine exhaust with one too. Vent Visors and Pioneer AVH-1440 NEX should be enough fun for the week. Camping for the first time for one night mid month then off to Toronto again...so far loving it!

Glad to hear it drives as nice as it looks.

I just had a muffler shop weld on an Onan resonator today. As others have reported, it only quiets the generator a little, but also smooths out the sound. Together, it makes for a worthy upgrade.
.

[Bryantch]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Glad to hear it drives as nice as it looks.

I just had a muffler shop weld on an Onan resonator today. As others have reported, it only quiets the generator a little, but also smooths out the sound. Together, it makes for a worthy upgrade.
.

Thank you and glad to hear the resonator is worth the effort!

[hamsterwheel]

Originally Posted by Bryantch

Thanks everyone for all the comments.

Ultimately decided on the 2010 Airstream Interstate. 23k, one owner, all service records, just over 60k with new tires and new batteries.

Just resealed the roof, installed Roku, ordered a Stowaway Max, a resonator for the genset, have a Pioneer AVH-1440NEX with Carplay on its way and sent the airstream off to the shop to have the faded mouldings painted to match the body paint.

Should be all set to hit the road by early next week!

FWIW, I would have replied earlier but it seems that I cant login and reply from my iphone? Tried Safari and Chrome to no avail...finally had time to break out the computer...

I've also been in the same market as you, Airsteam or Era and within the same price range. People are listing theirs here in southern California for $75K with 95K miles which is way above Nada Guides. What was the starting price that you haggled down from?

I have been a bit enchanted with the pre-DEF systems. I simply hate car engine trouble and feel like it will have less problems. The emissions posts on here had me pretty nervous to go this route but I think it would be ok in the end. Wondering if a SMOG test would show if the vehicle has recently passed vs. "barely passed."

The Era at 24' is just too long. I need the 4 captains chairs to be able to put carseats near me in the car.

• Travato's bed is too small in the back, and clipped on the side. Also, wish it had the power sofa for more seating in the back instead of a permanent bed.
• Adventurous RS bathroom is scary and finishes are too dated for me.
• Hymer AKTIV has that cassette toilet and an almost unusable leaky shower.
• Leisure Free Spirit TE seems amazing but I can't find it anywhere
• Midwest Automotive Designs has something called the Weekender but I can't buy them used anywhere around here.
• Anything on the Chevy Chassis had too low a roof and weird shower
• Most custom builds lack the ability to seat 4 upfront in forward facing safe Captain or bench seating. Also, lots don't have indoor showers or Blackwater tanks.

[rowiebowie]

It took me over a year to find the "perfect for me" van. And price had a lot to do with it as it's a seller's market and prices are high, even for used class "b's". Finally found an over-priced (just not as overpriced and all the others I was seeing) in Houston at the end of '2017. After not such a smooth start, we've enjoyed it on two big trips and one small trip. Going again, out West this time, in a few weeks.

Keep whittling down your list of must-haves and it will keep you on the right past. Be patient and offer less if you feel they will take it (they can only turn you down or counter). But remember, every class b is a compromise.
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