Pleasure way Traverse

[larry12]

Hello,
We are interested in learning about the Pleasure Way - Traverse.
We have owned several Roadtreks, liked them very much, but would like to downsize, at least the roof profile, to a "Traverse"
Any owners out there that would like to share some experiences/information on that particular model.
Maybe somebody has on for sale? Is there a Traverse Group?
Thanks, Larry

[Jon in AZ]

The Tofino is the newer version, built on the 1500 Promaster low roof.

I like the Westfalia layout a lot. For it to work for me, the center folding seat has to be crash-rated with 3-point belts and head restraints. From what I can see, the Traverse and Tofino center seats are not. If they'll only be used in camp, then it's perfect.

[larry12]

I have looked at pictures of the Tofino and it seems like a nice vehicle and some good features, however in our community they have an ordinance against motorhomes parked in driveways in front of the home. Rear driveway is fine
The Traverse at 82 inches tall will fit under a 7 foot garage door.
Also the exterior of the Traverse does not scream "Motorhome" and I can park in the driveway.
Also I would like to stay under $50,000 and hope to find a Traverse in that range. There is just the 2 of us and the middle seat is not too important.
Roadtrek made a few of the N6 Active - built on a Nissan chassis - however none to be found. Active has a pop-up top and that is a priority.
We loved our Roadtrek 210 and our 190 but it is time for a low profile.

[Jon in AZ]

Got it. Sounds like it’s perfect for you, them. The N6 has a pretty rudimentary equipment list- microwave and portable 12V chest fridge, for example, no LP. Traverse is a more complete RV (minus the toilet/shower).

There are a couple of Traverses listed on RVTrader.com. I was also looking at a nice Chevy Sportsmobile pop-top on Craigslist a few days ago, but it looks like it has now sold.

[DRich]

Originally Posted by larry12

I have looked at pictures of the Tofino and it seems like a nice vehicle and some good features, however in our community they have an ordinance against motorhomes parked in driveways in front of the home. Rear driveway is fine
The Traverse at 82 inches tall will fit under a 7 foot garage door.
Also the exterior of the Traverse does not scream "Motorhome" and I can park in the driveway.
Also I would like to stay under $50,000 and hope to find a Traverse in that range. There is just the 2 of us and the middle seat is not too important.
Roadtrek made a few of the N6 Active - built on a Nissan chassis - however none to be found. Active has a pop-up top and that is a priority.
We loved our Roadtrek 210 and our 190 but it is time for a low profile.

Before I ended up buying my RT 170 I wanted a Traverse. I don't have any restrictions where I live but I also wanted to park in the garage. I was looking for one for over a year. They are very very hard to come by. And you'll have to travel. In that years time two came up for sale. I called as soon as I saw them but they had already been sold. There was another at a dealer in NV. It looked good but it was a 2002, had a lot of miles, and undercarriage rust.

I called a couple of dealers that had previous listings and asked them to scout one for me. Nothing came of that.

Also, be careful of the scammers. I saw the exact same listing advertised at the same time as a local sale from several different locations.

Be prepared to wait. I hope you have better luck than I did. I decided that parking in the garage wasn't as high a priority and that's why I bought the 170.

[larry12]

DRich, Thanks very much for your information. Our first RT was a 170, then a couple of 210's and we just sold our 2010 190 pop. Loved it, however I wanted to downsize to a garageable Traverse. Maybe I should have kept the 190?
Oh well, maybe I will have to research some other type of Pop-up roof - Class B.
Hope you are enjoying your RT 170. That is a great size, just watch the brakes on long downhill descents. Lots of chatter if they heat up.
Larry

[jonathan carey]

Hello please visit www.classicvans.com we have one 2013 posted and have a 2007 coming in.

Regards, Serio

[larry12]

Thanks, I will follow up from the website.

[jakegw2]

I owned a Traverse for 12 years and just sold it this spring. It was awesome. The only reason we sold is because it just wasn't that practical for camping with three children. It is the most versatile camper van you can buy. Perfect for family road trips through the winter, but great for summer camping too. Winterizing is really simple - no need for compressed air, just open the low-point drains and drain the under-sink water heater (if it has one). We used ours in all seasons since the porta-potty works fine in the winter if you put some RV antifreeze in it. Never would have sold it if we had not had a third child.

[larry12]

Thanks for all the good information, sounds exactly like what we are lookin for.
The only problem will be finding one in our budget and a reasonable driving distance. We would like to take a look inside one and figure out the packing arrangements for food, plates, plasticware, and clothes.

Probably a good picture for facebook will be one of us climbing up into the 2nd. story bedroom. Maybe that will be a skinny storage area.

If anybody has any thoughts on selling, please let us know.

[crtpnnb5rrdas5]

Originally Posted by larry12

Thanks for all the good information, sounds exactly like what we are lookin for.
The only problem will be finding one in our budget and a reasonable driving distance. We would like to take a look inside one and figure out the packing arrangements for food, plates, plasticware, and clothes.

Probably a good picture for facebook will be one of us climbing up into the 2nd. story bedroom. Maybe that will be a skinny storage area.

If anybody has any thoughts on selling, please let us know.

Thanks to everyone for the information.

[larry12]

Just a little up date, found a 2013 Traverse in upstate IL.
Dealer is asking $57,900, typical equipment, 67,000 miles and looks pretty clean. Probably over priced in a regular market, however with the Covid 19 conditions, people are bidding up the prices.

If I buy it for a total of $60,000 out the door, use it for 2 years, averaging 6 trips a year, sell it after 2 years for $48,000 after the covid19 over pricing has gone away, the 12 trips cost me $12,000 or $1,000.00 per 4 day trip.
That would not seem to make good financial sense, however, how do you put a price tag on good experiences?
Any thoughts by anybody on the price or resale value in 2 years??

[avanti]

Originally Posted by larry12

That would not seem to make good financial sense,

If you are looking for "good financial sense", you have come to the wrong place.

[jrobe]

None of these Rv’s make financial sense compared to a hotel room or tent camping. The same can be said for owning a cabin with taxes, etc.. i look it as recreational play money with easily disposable income only. If you have an accident with an RV and total it, there is no resale at all.

[Jon in AZ]

If you already have your Roadtrek, I’d use it until the COVID bubble subsides. This is simply not the time to be a buyer if you can help it.

If you’re currently between RVs, then you’ll have to weigh the loss of use over the next couple of years versus the COVID premium you’re paying right now. For some people, hotels are completely off the table, so the alternative is no travel or... what?... a tent?

I’m not entirely sure the current premium will ever completely go away, at least not for Class B’s and other limited production RV types.

No advice, just random thoughts...

[jakegw2]

I owned mine for 12 years and sold it for about 40% MORE than I paid for it after putting more than 70k new miles on it. I was the second owner and it was already 5 years old with a 40k miles. Probably could have done even better as I posted it locally and it sold in a few days to the second of several people who made appointments to come see it.

If you just hold it for two years it will be tough, but if you hold onto it for 5 or more than you will probably still be able to get 48k for it but all the extra usage will be "free."

One other thought about the vehicle - all the tanks (except propane) are inside, so you don't need to be careful the way you would with any other camper on the road. Road salt, gravel, etc - not any worse for it than a normal van.

[larry12]

Thanks for all the interesting replies. We are between vans and I still have a tent in the basement but probably not a good option.

We have had many good experiences over the years and you could never put a price tag on all the fun and the interesting people we have met.

The only reason I picked 2 years as a time period to own and travel with the Traverse is because we are both 78 and age 80 may be the time I cannot push the roof up on the camper. With all that in mind, I will bite the bullet, pay a little more and have a couple more years of fun and travel. Even when it is parked in the driveway, I like to go out and take an afternoon nap in it especially when the sun is shining in the window.

As an ending note, we have never seen a Traverse up close and would love to see one in person. If anyone living within 100 miles of Pittsburgh would let us look in the window of your traverse I would be happy to take you out to lunch on us and hear about your comments on a Traverse.

[Jon in AZ]

My mother was traveling in her RV until the age of 91, so who knows... Staying active is a benefit of travel that contributes to long life!

And I believe I saw pressurized gas struts on the pop-top.

[larry12]

Jon, Thank you for the posting on Craig's list. Looks like it would be a good possibility if it wasn't 2500 miles away. i appreciate your help.

Maybe you or somebody could comment on my concern regarding the 7.2 amp draw with the Norcold compressor refrigerator. As I understand the duty cycle is pretty short. The refrigerator runs for 2-3 minutes and then is off for 1-2 minutes and then runs again.
This traverse I was watching on Trader RV has 2 - !2 volt Marine/deep cycle batteries however my concern is: Can you boondock for 2 nights without electricity and expect the batteries to handle that much discharge? We are normally on the move each day but sometimes spend a few days with a group camping and no electricity.
Thanks for any comments regarding the Norcold draw 2 batteries.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by larry12

Jon, Thank you for the posting on Craig's list. Looks like it would be a good possibility if it wasn't 2500 miles away. i appreciate your help.

Maybe you or somebody could comment on my concern regarding the 7.2 amp draw with the Norcold compressor refrigerator. As I understand the duty cycle is pretty short. The refrigerator runs for 2-3 minutes and then is off for 1-2 minutes and then runs again.
This traverse I was watching on Trader RV has 2 - !2 volt Marine/deep cycle batteries however my concern is: Can you boondock for 2 nights without electricity and expect the batteries to handle that much discharge? We are normally on the move each day but sometimes spend a few days with a group camping and no electricity.
Thanks for any comments regarding the Norcold draw 2 batteries.

I can only give you my experience with the 3.1cf Novacool (Danfoss compressor) in my Airstream. I have tested it and my fridge draws only 3.154 amps. But based on my anecdotal observations, it runs a lot more than 2/3rds of the time. It is quiet, but since it is mounted along-side the wet bath, that is where you can hear it run. And run it does, even in cool weather it rarely cycles off. Probably the main reason I notice when it cycles off is because it is so rare. It works great and I added the proper ventilation below and above that Airstream omitted.

As to run time, it used to be after one overnight boondock and our old lead-acid batteries were down to 60-65%. Like you, we drive nearly everyday so the generally get recharged to full but I didn't want to be limited to one overnight.

However, after my 2 X 100Ah Lithium battery upgrade, we can go two nights and maybe three if we carefully conserve (although we've never actually tried a third night).

I must add that everything in our van runs on 12 volts. So the only time the inverter is on is when running the microwave briefly. Since the Inverter draws 2.5 amps at idle (no fan) and the same 3.154 amps as the fridge when its' fan cycles on, the longer the inverter is on eats into that 2-3 day estimate.