If someone offered to give you up to 80K for a non-disel rig which one would you purc

[tracyc]

Hi I have a question for you guys.

If someone gave you up to 80K to purchase a non-diesel Class B van (with no money refunded if not spent) which Class B non-diesel would you purchase (new or used) Thanks, Tracy

[Doneworking]

Personally, I would buy a Roadtrek 210P. We owned one for many years and love the Chevy engine, the 5 cubic foot refrigerator, the large water tank and the adequate gray and black tanks.

I assume you mean a true Class B. Everyone will have their favorites. For 80 grand I could get a 210P only a few years old and there are several around. I would be willing to fly across the country to buy the one I wanted if I could not find it locally.

Paul

[tracyc]

Originally Posted by Doneworking

Personally, I would buy a Roadtrek 210P. We owned one for many years and love the Chevy engine, the 5 cubic foot refrigerator, the large water tank and the adequate gray and black tanks.

I assume you mean a true Class B. Everyone will have their favorites. For 80 grand I could get a 210P only a few years old and there are several around. I would be willing to fly across the country to buy the one I wanted if I could not find it locally.

Paul

Paul, Yes I meant a true Class B and not a conversation. I appreciate your feedback. So can I ask why you no longer own a Chevy RoadTrek 210 Popular? Did you have any problems with yours? I wish RoadTrek made the 210 Popular with a separate freezer door like they do in their diesel RT Adventourous vans. How did you deal with such a small freezer? I've watched several videos with the CEO of Pleasureway saying you could remove the freezer to have a larger fridge. I yell NO I need MORE of a freezer! It looks like RoadTrek is the only company still making vans with the Chevy chassis right?

I wish that Coach House made their Arriva V-24 on a Chevy Chassis. I like the dry bath in that one. I love the screen door on that one too!

[Doneworking]

Tracy, as far as I know RT is the only company still using the Chevy van chassis. The Chevy 6L engine is, essentially, bullet proof. What a great motor!

We sold our 210P after buying it new and owning it for seven years. We simply wanted to try a larger rig and bought a Phoenix Cruiser 2350 with slide. We went from touring more to camping in one spot longer a few years ago and the PC simply offered larger tanks, more room, etc. for our purposes. I suspect we will (in the next year or two) be back in B World and I have been looking at all that is available B wise. We love our PC 2350 but we do anticipate going back to touring more than we currently are experiencing.

The Roadtrek quality: ours never went back to the dealer for anything. Nothing. Now, I am meticulous in maintaining our toys and I enjoy working on stuff myself. Over the years we replaced a macerator hose or two, did a couple of small plumbing repairs. I tell people that these Roadtreks are Beechcraft quality. Folks that are familiar with private aviation immediately know what I am talking about. Pleasureways are about the same and both are made in Canada. Truthfully, I have looked at new Roadtreks in the last year and find the older ones to have been a little better built in my mind, which is prejudiced. RT was owned and operated by the same family for years, sold a few times in the last couple of years and is now owned by a large European RV manufacturer. So....we shall see.

As to the small freezer, of course you are right. We enjoy a two door refrig on our PC with a real freezer! That being said, there are a lot of grocery stores in North America!! Everything and I mean everything on any rv and particularly Bs is a compromise. Getting everything into a small box going down the highway at 70 mph requires compromise. And getting used to the small size. But, parking anywhere and lack of the hassle of a larger unit is important.

I can tell you this after building my own camper van decades ago, owning three Class Bs and two B+s as well as our original Class C 37 years ago, the larger the rig the more hassle you find.

Our Roadtrek 190P (which we had for ten years) was probably the most fun, easiest to handle, best adventure machine we ever owned! I would augment my original reply about us buying a 210P and say we would certainly think about a 190 P as well.

Paul

[Ron J. Moore]

I have the 210P, having previously owned a '05 190P. The Chevy is the only engine I was looking at, I have never, ever encountered any major work or gottcha's. The 210 is really a comfortable vehicle, and I personally use it for a second vehicle regularly. The enlarged refrigerator, mico/convection oven, full bath and huge storage is superb. Our '05 NEVER seen a RV Repair Center, nothing broke down in 8 years, and we handled generator oil changes, etc. I left under the hood to a every other year Chevy check-up. If I were buying today I would immediately go back to RT for the Chevy set-up; no matter where you travel, there is parts availability or service. Ron

[tracyc]

Originally Posted by Doneworking

Tracy, as far as I know RT is the only company still using the Chevy van chassis. The Chevy 6L engine is, essentially, bullet proof. What a great motor!

We sold our 210P after buying it new and owning it for seven years. We simply wanted to try a larger rig and bought a Phoenix Cruiser 2350 with slide. We went from touring more to camping in one spot longer a few years ago and the PC simply offered larger tanks, more room, etc. for our purposes. I suspect we will (in the next year or two) be back in B World and I have been looking at all that is available B wise. We love our PC 2350 but we do anticipate going back to touring more than we currently are experiencing.

The Roadtrek quality: ours never went back to the dealer for anything. Nothing. Now, I am meticulous in maintaining our toys and I enjoy working on stuff myself. Over the years we replaced a macerator hose or two, did a couple of small plumbing repairs. I tell people that these Roadtreks are Beechcraft quality. Folks that are familiar with private aviation immediately know what I am talking about. Pleasureways are about the same and both are made in Canada. Truthfully, I have looked at new Roadtreks in the last year and find the older ones to have been a little better built in my mind, which is prejudiced. RT was owned and operated by the same family for years, sold a few times in the last couple of years and is now owned by a large European RV manufacturer. So....we shall see.

As to the small freezer, of course you are right. We enjoy a two door refrig on our PC with a real freezer! That being said, there are a lot of grocery stores in North America!! Everything and I mean everything on any rv and particularly Bs is a compromise. Getting everything into a small box going down the highway at 70 mph requires compromise. And getting used to the small size. But, parking anywhere and lack of the hassle of a larger unit is important.

I can tell you this after building my own camper van decades ago, owning three Class Bs and two B+s as well as our original Class C 37 years ago, the larger the rig the more hassle you find.

Our Roadtrek 190P (which we had for ten years) was probably the most fun, easiest to handle, best adventure machine we ever owned! I would augment my original reply about us buying a 210P and say we would certainly think about a 190 P as well.

Paul

Paul, Wow thanks for ALL your info! I LOVE the Phoenix Cruisers! Right now I have a Class C Fun Mover Toy Hauler I purchased last year. I bought it to use for my business. I really like it and it has helped my business since I use it to pick up pallets from my supplier. BUT now I'm thinking I want to also go south for the winters. I just don't want to go south with a huge 31' toyhauler. So my thoughts were to purchase a RoadTrek 210 Popular and then also purchase a trailer. That way I take it from a one piece rig to a two piece rig when needed.
I was going to purchase a brand new RoadTrek 210 Popular but I just can't justify handing over 130K for a brand new loaded one. Also a new one with all the bells and whistles would be great but I'm not mechanically inclined at all. Being so all those tech items in the new ones scare me. I'm also 2 hours away from a RT dealership. I have found a 2015 RT for 80K and thinking about getting it because I would have 3 years left on the warranty. 80K is really the max I want to spend and I really didn't want to originally go even that high. I just think it would be nice to have something newer and a fresher start with the rig.

I did finally get into a RoadTrek to get a feel for it size wise. It was an older 1999 one. When I did I knew if I got a RoadTrek it needs to be the largest non-diesel one which is the 210 Popular.

I wish I was more mechanically inclined. Right now my 12v system in my toyhauler is down and I'm having a hard time finding anyone who can get it in until June.

[tracyc]

Originally Posted by Ron J. Moore

I have the 210P, having previously owned a '05 190P. The Chevy is the only engine I was looking at, I have never, ever encountered any major work or gottcha's. The 210 is really a comfortable vehicle, and I personally use it for a second vehicle regularly. The enlarged refrigerator, mico/convection oven, full bath and huge storage is superb. Our '05 NEVER seen a RV Repair Center, nothing broke down in 8 years, and we handled generator oil changes, etc. I left under the hood to a every other year Chevy check-up. If I were buying today I would immediately go back to RT for the Chevy set-up; no matter where you travel, there is parts availability or service. Ron

Ron, Thanks for the info! How often do you change the oil in the generator? I would like to use a RT as a traveling hotel for my business. I have a Prius for my personal vehicle and I love it. I've had great luck with it. It's a 2006 and all I've done with it besides regular oil changes is change the engine battery twice and the tires once. And then one small thing with my hatchback latch was fixed during my extended warranty. (I got the extended warranty only because I got it for $750 through a Prius club)

I'm just surprised more companies don't use the Chevy chassis. I wish they did because if I could get one with a separate freezer or a dry bath I would jump on one of those. It seems it's all going diesel now which I won't even consider with the type of travel plans I would do.

[tracyc]

Ron, Does the roofs on the RoadTreks need to be sealed like I do with my Class C toy hauler?

[mkguitar]

most B's use a 1 piece roof, with penetrations for vents, stacks and windows and maybe AC



for 80K I would look for a pleasure-way Lexor TD on a chev 3500 6Liter.

we have a 2006 now which we bought 2.5 years ago for less than 1/2 our budget which was less than yours

we started out hot on a B on a sprinter and it drove great- but the conversion was crap ( era)

so we looked and looked at a number of models and watched lots of videos.

determining the features we need and don;t

A gas Chev I can work on, we have other gms and I have manuals tools and a knowledge of the general layout- a chev can be fixed anywhere by anyone with parts from any chain auto parts store.

Try that with an MB, Fiat-Dodge or a Ford transit with roots in the UK

I prefer the layout of our B- the bed is about the largest I've seen.

PW used the Ford for their widebody excel model- I'm not big on the ford having rented many ford vans for work.

I would also consider a 210 model, but once it a while I do like having a narrower vehicle- my side gate for one

Mike

[tracyc]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

most B's use a 1 piece roof, with penetrations for vents, stacks and windows and maybe AC



for 80K I would look for a pleasure-way Lexor TD on a chev 3500 6Liter.

we have a 2006 now which we bought 2.5 years ago for less than 1/2 our budget which was less than yours

we started out hot on a B on a sprinter and it drove great- but the conversion was crap ( era)

so we looked and looked at a number of models and watched lots of videos.

determining the features we need and don;t

A gas Chev I can work on, we have other gms and I have manuals tools and a knowledge of the general layout- a chev can be fixed anywhere by anyone with parts from any chain auto parts store.

Try that with an MB, Fiat-Dodge or a Ford transit with roots in the UK

I prefer the layout of our B- the bed is about the largest I've seen.

PW used the Ford for their widebody excel model- I'm not big on the ford having rented many ford vans for work.

I would also consider a 210 model, but once it a while I do like having a narrower vehicle- my side gate for one

Mike

Mike, I looked at the Pleasureways and I need to have 2 things in a van I buy. At least 3 seats upfront and a king size bed. I don't think Pleasureway offers 3 seats upfront on a Chevy Chassis. I have my daughter and 2 grandsons that need to come with me sometimes. S I need at least one bed upfront with the seats and my hopefully my 3 year old grandson can fit in the King bed with us.

[fruch]

I really like the 210, especially the slightly larger(looking)wet bath in the 2017. I really haven't seen one in person though. I like the Chevrolet platform,but there doesn't seem to be too many around and the Dodge Promaster platform looks like it is being used more and more. I am wondering if RT has any plans of putting a 210 type body on a Dodge Promaster platform. Would that even be a possibility or would it not be possible on a front wheel drive chassis?

[tracyc]

Originally Posted by fruch

I really like the 210, especially the slightly larger(looking)wet bath in the 2017. I really haven't seen one in person though. I like the Chevrolet platform,but there doesn't seem to be too many around and the Dodge Promaster platform looks like it is being used more and more. I am wondering if RT has any plans of putting a 210 type body on a Dodge Promaster platform. Would that even be a possibility or would it not be possible on a front wheel drive chassis?

Oh I didn't know that the 2017 210 has a larger wet bath. I just didn't really want to go with a 2017 due to the cost of them. I was quoted at least 120K for a 2017 with all the bells and whistle (minus the lithium batteries) And on top of that the build time would take many months. I just can't justify putting out 120K for any Class B van. Or any other rig for that matter. 80K is the max I can justify and I was originally trying to stick to 50K but would prefer something a bit newer.

[tracyc]

The only way I would go older is if I found an Dodge Explorer wide body in excellent condition.

[gerrym51]

Tracyc-ithink you are going about this wrong. If somebody's giving you 80,000 dollars toward a van=build a sportmobile. You;ll get the number of seats you want and the beds you want.

They build on Transits,Promasters ,and Chevy's

[tracyc]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

Tracyc-ithink you are going about this wrong. If somebody's giving you 80,000 dollars toward a van=build a sportmobile. You;ll get the number of seats you want and the beds you want.

They build on Transits,Promasters ,and Chevy's

I don't think Sportsmobile builds on Chevy chassis. At least not when I checked on it. But even so I think a Chevy 210 Popular would give me enough room. I will have the one bed upfront for my 9 year old grandson and then my 3 year old grandson should be able to fit in the king bed in the back with me and my daughter. I not I could get a collapsible cot and he can sleep in the isle.

Even if I could have someone build me a custom van on a Chevy chassis would it be a wide body like the 210 Popular? And I think the cost would be close to the same wouldn't it? Then I would also have to wait how long for the build to happen? I've heard people are waiting quite a long time for custom builds.

I originally wanted to buy a 210 Versatile with the 4 seats upfront but then I would have a smaller back bed, a microwave instead of a convention oven, and a smaller fridge. Also RT stopped making them in 2011 so I would have to buy older and I've looked for a few months and only came across one 2011 and I felt it was to high priced.

[fruch]

Hi Tracyc, I am not really sure about the wet bath being larger in the 2017, I have not seen a 210 in person, I am only going by pictures I see on dealer sites and RV Trader, I could be wrong. Good luck with your search.

[tracyc]

PS Oh and nobody is giving me 80K for a van. (I wish LOL) I just put the scenario out there because I know everyone wouldn't have 80K for a van so I wanted to keep the money part out of the equation. I will be paying for a van myself if/when I get one.

[Ron J. Moore]

The only thing I have ever done to my roof is wash and wax. BTW, I have never had a leak from the roof.

As for changing generator oil, I do it once a year....it is simple to do. I use a Flex Nozzle that screws onto the oil bottle, pull the nozzle to make it hook into the oil fill hole, support it and your done in minutes. Ron

[tracyc]

Originally Posted by Ron J. Moore

The only thing I have ever done to my roof is wash and wax. BTW, I have never had a leak from the roof.

As for changing generator oil, I do it once a year....it is simple to do. I use a Flex Nozzle that screws onto the oil bottle, pull the nozzle to make it hook into the oil fill hole, support it and your done in minutes. Ron

Oh that's great! I have to pay to get my roof sealed on my toyhauler. That will be one less thing I have to worry about.

[mkguitar]

...some put guests or kids in a tent.

You will have to make the seating a priority- we chose the PW because it only has the 2 seats up front ( and our sideways rear seats are not "legal" ).
Having only 2 seats up front allows the coach to be more open-the RT designs with 3 or 4 seats make up storage by cabinetry floor to ceiling.

rear sofa/bed conversion- we tried and i did not find comfortable.

the electric models have less or no storage underneath- and you need power to move it- I recall you can move a jammed sofa by removing a few bolts.

in normal use many of us leave the rear made up as a bed

I am wondering if you wouldn;t do best with a class C- you will get more square ft per $, more seating and sleeping options, bigger fridge.


a 2004-ish chinook glacier xl might be a match for you- ford E450 chassis- great build quality.
we came close to buying one of these, but in the end ease of parking and driving won out ( this allows my Spouse to do solo trips)

mike