New to RVs, and looking at a Road Trek Versatile 190 tomorrow need help!

[LPChristilaw]

Hello all,

As stated in my title, I’m COMPLETELY new to the RV game, but my wife and I have been looking and we seem to have found a good deal on a 1999 Road Trek 190 Versatile. Some questions: where do you guys go to fill the LP tank? Will electrical power the refrigerator? Will the AC run all night if the engine isn’t running? Are there electrical hookups on the van like you would find on a travel trailer so that I could plug in at parks? Any thoughts on the Dodge 5.2L V8? Anything specific I should look more into when viewing the vehicle tomorrow?

Thanks!

Lance

[Jon in AZ]

1. Fill LP at some campgrounds, travel center gas stations, and various other places like hardware stores, Tractor Supply, U-Haul... Should be easy to find almost anywhere using your smartphone.

2. Traditional RV fridges can be 2-way (propane and 110VAC) or 3-way. (adds 12VDC). DC operation will deplete your battery quickly if used very long without means of recharging (solar or engine alternator). I use DC when driving, LP when camping without hookups, and AC when plugged into campground power.

3. Air conditioning requires shore power or a good-sized generator. When that’s not available, a power roof vent provides surprisingly good cooling airflow at night from battery power alone in all but the most extreme heat and humidity.

4. Roadtreks, like most mass market Class B vans, have normal RV connections for water, power, and sewer. Some have a combined black/grey tank that uses a macerator and a small diameter drain hose rather than the conventional gravity dump via a 4” sewer hose.

5. No experience with older Dodge vans, so I’ll leave the last two questions for others.

[GallenH]

Add to Jon: Many people complain about steering on older Dodges. I have 1997 PleasureWay on Dodge 3500 chassis. You need to drive it and see how it feels to you. My year they were still doing "all time" power steering. On today's cars many have a gradated power steering, meaning that you get the most power assist when you're driving at low speeds. It progressively backs off the effect as you drive faster.....meaning at highway speeds it's not as active.

Bottom line: You need to drive the RV at both city and....importantly.....highway speeds. See how the feel is at those higher speeds. Mine has a "light" feel on the highway but still tracks well. Some people have experienced front end shuddering. Mine doesn't. I think this test drive is very important.

good luck

[Tim R.]

What Gallen said. Although there are fixes for most of the steering issues on the dodge. The Magnum V8 is a great motor in either the 318(5.2) or 360(5.9). Makes sure it shifts well. Older units that were not maintained properly can have tranny issues.

[mkguitar]

AFAIK the "versatile" models sleep side to side, how tall are you?


the "popular" models sleep fore and aft


go see as many rv's as you can to help determine the features whiich are important to you


for example 3rd or 4th seat models may determine that cabinetry overhand the sleeping area- a "claustro" feel


we are just 2 and dog and chose model which gave us largest bed and most "open" feel


we looked at models on lots, private party sales and lots of youtube videos- watch how easily ( or not) the sales person moves around inside as they explain the features



Cheers, Mike

[Nic7320]

Originally Posted by LPChristilaw

Hello all,

...where do you guys go to fill the LP tank? Will electrical power the refrigerator? Will the AC run all night if the engine isn’t running? Are there electrical hookups on the van like you would find on a travel trailer so that I could plug in at parks?

Lance

Dodges are known to wear out steering boxes, but there's a cheap fix that will either fix the wander or prevent it from wearing out. see dodgeramsteeringstabilizer.com

On my Dodge based 1997 170P, the smaller cousin to the 190, the LP fill port is cleverly hidden behind the driver's side step. A previous owner made an adapter to help the station attendants, who had problems getting their hose to reach in. There's a retractable sewer hose also under the step. Very clever engineering during those years.

AC power comes in through the side storage compartment behind the driver's door, although I added an extension to make it accessible from the driver's step without a key.

AC can only be run on shore power or a generator. It's very power hungry. Fridge also needs a lot of electrical power, so when off-grid you use propane.

Good luck!

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by LPChristilaw

Anything specific I should look more into when viewing the vehicle tomorrow?

Thanks!

Lance

Is good visibility while driving high on your list? I used to own a Dodge like that and didn't like the small windows up front. Now own a Ford E-series and the visibility (and the ride) is much better.

These vehicles were designed as delivery vans, not RV's, and at times that will show through.