How old to go?

[Y IZ IT]

Hi everyone, we are in the process of looking for a Class B Roadtrek to do some traveling, visit family, and tulle around town. We want to keep the price down (under 40k) so an older version is our only option. The question is.....just how old to go? DH is concerned about going to old and having engine problems along our many miles traveling. Not so worried about the camper end of it. Which engine would you recommend for an "older" RT and what is considered having "too many" miles before worrying about driving long distance? Finding one with low miles is doable from what we have been finding, but some of these are 7+ years old. Then there are the 4-6 year olds with higher mileage. What to do, what to do? Please help. We are big believers in keeping our vehicles well maintained, but we are not mechanics and worry about breakdowns with an "older" engine with low miles. Our plan is see as much of the good ole USA as possible in the next few years.

[g1g]

I ran into the same scenerio when I was looking. There is no one answer and a lot can depend on how it was maintained. You can see if they have maintenance records on it. I searched for over a year before I found a deal that I couldn't pass up. I would think for 40k you should be able to find something in good shape. Good Luck

[Y IZ IT]

Thanks for your response and suggestion. We have already walked away from a 2005 with average miles in less then average condition, and the only maintenance done to it was oil changes. Their philosophy was if it isn't broke don't fix it. Like I said, we are not mechanics and don't know much about engines, and are concerned about the age of an engine for long trips. We realize any age engine can break down, but does the age add to the risk and are certain brand engines more susceptible to break downs? Is there less concern for an older engine if it has been well maintained?

[Mike]

Hi,
It's pretty much the same question for anyone buying any vehicle, unless you're
buying new. Even then, we tend to avoid cutting edge technology in favour of tried and
true, at least that's what I tried to do. We bought our 2002 190P in 2008. It had 58,000 kms on a
Chev 350 CID V8 engine with the 4 speed automatic/overdrive transmission. I figured an average of
10,000 kms per year was pretty decent, considering it had 2 previous owners. It was certified and
was owned by a couple who used it to get (they said) to their 5th wheel in Florida.
No history on the first owner, but was able to get in touch with the originating dealer, and it was
well maintained by the previous owners, according to them.
So, leap of faith, and another 60,000 kms, and I'm currently having problems with some of the optional
equipment (battery isolator and the generator), but knock on wood, no major problems with engine or
transmission/drivetrain. I did the brakes at around 112,000 kms on the advice of the Chev dealership
I frequent. I change the oil, and any other fluids as required, religiously.
I think the Chev V8 engines are all pretty reliable, if maintained, and in my case, the 350 CID (5.7L) V8 has
been a GM mainstay for 50 years or more.
I'd also trust the Chrysler 318 CID V8 as another mainstay, it's been around forever too, it seems.
g1g said if you can get maintenance records it helps. He's right.

When we looked and finally bought, we decided to trust the sellers, for the most part, as that's how we are.
I think your choices are probably a) trust the seller, b) take it to a trusted shop for a pre-purchase checkup,
c) look for a combo of low mileage, higher price, newer van, hopefully that won't start draining your bank
accounts for a while, OR high mileage, lower price, and older van, expect to spend some of the savings on
doing some fixing after you buy it. Ideally, all three would be best.
Just my 2 cents, for what it's worth ($0.02?)

[g1g]

There is less problems with a well maintained engine as there is also less problems with a engine that has not been abused like overheat etc. While age could be a factor causing seals to deteriate or possibly rings to freeze up you mentioned a 2005. That for all practical purpose is fairly new. Just a couple years ago I bought a 1994 and I have no problem with taking it accross the country. The popular engines that are put in the vans are chevy 350, ford 351 and dodge 318 (older not sprinter) All of these are some of the best the car makers make. Personally I like fords and have had excellent experiance with 351s. One may have had close to half a million miles on it as I put 200,000 on it before I sold it and I know it ran for over 10 years before it was sold again and still on the road. While that may be exceptional many people agree that each of these engines are good for well over 200,000 miles if taken care of.
One other thought If the price is right you can have it rebuilt and still be head of the game.

[visionquest]

If you are spending that kind of money and not mechanically minded, take anything you are considering to a third party shop preferably with an RVIA tech in addition to only considering rigs where the owners can give you some maintenance history. I have been surprised to see some fairly new rigs that have been horribly kept up. I think upkeep is probably even more important than age. There are some very well cared for, rock solid rigs out there that are older. Good luck in your search and let us know what you get

-Mike & Heidi
97 Roadtrek 170P "Taj Ma Trek"
http://vantramps.blogspot.com

[Y IZ IT]

We did it!!! We looked at both the 04 and 05. The 05 looked "tired" and the guy never did anything to it other than oil changes, and he advertised it as having 35k miles and it really had 45k. His attitude was...if it's not broken don't fix it. We are big believers in having our vehicles on a regular maintenance schedule other than just oil changes. So we walked away. Looked at the 04 with 45k miles and it was very well maintained (with the proper paper work) and in better shape then the 05. We did our home work for price, talked to a local dealer what he thought, and made then an offer. We take delivery on Friday. We are very excited and look forward to seeing other trekkers out on the road.

[born2camp]

Congrats on your new addition!