Old tech? What the heck!

[mlts22-ClassB]

wern't you l looking at sportsmobiles once?

That is what I am going to get eventually. Mainly because the local SMB shop has offered to be flexible financially, and do some customizations. Plus, they are relatively close to me. I was considering other "B"s, but the dealers in my neck of the woods have left a bad taste in my mouth (one of them actually demanding I sign a NDA before they would show me actual drive-out prices), but SMB never has done any tomfoolery like that.

I will agree that Sportsmobile doesn't have the latest and greatest stuff. It may not have the radius curved doors like Winnebago, but what they do sell seems to stand the test of time, from what I've seen with other vans put out by them, and having a dual alternator system that can turn the van's engine on to charge batteries is just as good as Autostart/Voltstart, except without the brand name.

The ironic thing is that with the general price hikes of class "B"s across the board, Sportsmobile has become increasingly competitive.

 

[angelmroman]

I’m with you “Doneworking”. That’s why my first sentence was “I’m also in the KISS Group” ;-).

I stuck with tried and true AGMs. No Lithium. Added Solar for the times I don’t move around much (4/5 months a year in Key West). The Inverter is a bonus. I can SILENTLY power my Convection/Microwave, without having to fire-up the Generator. It’s all good! .

 

[mlts22-ClassB]

There is something to be said about firing up a microwave and doing cooking without the added noise of a generator, especially on a quiet summer day. Especially in the Florida Keys area.

Even though it isn't a "B", I am usually RV-ing about 30+ days a year. Not much compared to people doing long trips, but still a good amount. As time has gone on, there is something to be said about as few gizmos and gewgaws that can break as possible.

 

[InterBlog]

...

The ironic thing is that with the general price hikes of class "B"s across the board, Sportsmobile has become increasingly competitive.

You haven't considered buying used?

IMO, the new unit depreciation is too steep irrespective of manufacturer. My husband and I bought used because we didn't know our rear ends from a hole in the ground at the time, but I now consider myself lucky that we did. Either way, new or used, we would have torn it apart and customized it. Might as well start with a much cheaper unit if that's the plan.

 

[mlts22-ClassB]

You haven't considered buying used?

IMO, the new unit depreciation is too steep irrespective of manufacturer. My husband and I bought used because we didn't know our rear ends from a hole in the ground at the time, but I now consider myself lucky that we did. Either way, new or used, we would have torn it apart and customized it. Might as well start with a much cheaper unit if that's the plan.

The rigs I've seen used in my neck of the woods were priced so high that there was almost no difference in buying new, or they had some issue that was a deal breaker. I looked at T1N Sprinter priced for 40k, but noticed that it was almost completely rusted out. A VIN lookup later, found the rig lived most of its life in the Rust Belt, and was hauled to Texas for a quick sale.

Anything within ten model years runs $60-$70k, so if I go cheaper, I will have something that will need thousands of dollars in maintenance costs (replacing hoses, spark plugs, carbs, etc.), and I may run into issues with the ten year rule at most parks. If I pay a bit more, I can get a new Travato. A bit more from that, and I have a Sportsmobile.

I do watch PPL Motorhomes on occasion, and if something does come along, I might just do that, but caveat emptor applies. For example, any Winnebago Travato before 2015, I avoid because it doesn't have the Truma furnace.