Decisions, Decisions

Greetings,

Still looking out there (which is part of the fun of all this) for a good B conversion van. I have considered one of three options.

First still like the Roadtreks. I have moved from the thought of an Agile to an Adventurous because the bathroom is more roomy and you have 3 feet more room in the extended van. It would still be very maneuverable. Negative part is you are buying a used RV with milage and wear and tear on interior. Also you could be buying someone's problem if you don't check things out carefully.

I have also looked at the Sportsmobiles conversions in a sprinter van. You might be able to buy a good used sprinter van (there are plenty of them out there) drive it for a while to make sure things are right and even take to a mechanic before purchase. Then you could do a standard plan which costs about $28,000. I figured a probable cost of $48,000 to $55,000 depending on how much you spend on the Sprinter Van and options at Sportsmobile. This is an ideal plan and I live only 35 miles from the Indiana plant. The advantage here is you get new items in the conversion with a reduced cost of a used Sprinter Van. Of course you could buy a new Sprinter Van from them and they get discounts on these. Prices for these are $78,000 starting out with a standard plan and go up as you add things.

Also looked at a Trail Manor pop up. I like these for several reasons. Low profile, easy to pull and you don't need a heavy duty tow vehicle. What I like about these are, you can drop off your trailer at a campground and drive tow vehicle to get supplies or tour. I figured I would pay as much for trailer and tow vehicle as a good used low milage Roadtrek adventurous or Sportmobile conversions with a used Sprinter Van. Negatives are I don't like the chemical toilets. Wonder if you could add a toilet with a black tank system.? Also you are towing and if you even stop for a bit (for lunch or bathroom break you have to open it up or find facilities to use. Sort of takes the fun out of being on the road if  you can't have ready access to it.

So far I am leaning the used Roadtrek or Sportsmobile route over pulling a pop up. I am going to talk to the Sportsmobile people and will report what I think after that. Will try to take some photos. If you want me to take a shot of something you would like to see let me know.

Have fun

Hi Len, Jo and all,

I've taken my time looking and all though I am sold on a smaller B size RV, I do enjoy looking. Sometimes hard to get dealers to take you seriously when you are asking questions and wanting to know some things up front. There is a dealer with in 2 1/2 hours of me who emailed me (well someone from the company did) but never did get to talk to the salesman. My thinking is if they don't want to answer a perspective buying, then they won't get back to a service issue or problems you might have. I am making notes on such dealers. Might be just better to buy from an individual and run the unit into a qualified service center before buying.

Generating your own RV from Sportsmobile might be the best way to go but need to take a look at base price and figure what all I need after the basic conversion. I can see where things could get expensive as you add items that might be included on a used unit. There are trades offs which ever way you go and you just have to weigh things then go with that plan.

BTW, thanks for recommending the Sportsmobile idea to me!! Best!

Greetings to everyone,

My Wife and I did a little RV hunting/shoping, mainly to see various RV's while we were on vacation. We were shown some so called B+ and C vans which were a sprinter cab with a larger/spacier rv attacted. I Liked the dealership and was treated very nice even though we let them know we were just looking mode. One thing that bothered me was the CCC the saleswomen mentioned. Only 1000 lbs in these modified B+ and C vans. While I liked the space (and my wife did too, perhaps a bit too much) seems like you would be limited by the total weight you could put in the RV. 1000 lbs isn't much but might be worth the extra room. After adding the occupants, fuel, LP, water and other things, I see a weight problem. Also these will camp 6 people further adding to a weight problem with people bringing things.

I was told these would park in an ordinary parking space but I see a problem with the width of the van. A sprinter van is about 21 feet long and in what I have looked for, has a CCC of about 1450 lbs. I guess the trade off would be room for less cargo capcity. The B+ and C's were about 23 -24 foot long.

We did see a number of Roadtreks, Pleasureways, and other sprinter vans. Seem like the Roadtreks have more room but all are narrow due the the less wide body. Best!

Hi Al,
It is a tough decision to make but one not to take too lightly. I personally had a smaller rv for a number of years. They have their good qualities and some bads. Last year however we decided as my daughters grow bigger it was time to let the little 23 ft unit go and I picked up a very nice travel trailer and a newer ford pickup to pull it with. The trailer and Award 23 footer is light to pull and the pickup hardly notices it.  So having both units I can tell you with out a doubt if looking for small and easy the small travel trailer was the way to go for us. We like to get into a spot and stay for 4-5 days and the last thing you want to do is have to pack all the supplies up to drive into town for a quart of milk. Being able to  drop the trailer and hop in the truck has changed my overall outlook on the camping thing.  I would never go back to the all in one unit. That is until I retire where I will wind up with a diesel pusher which will be towing a small car.
Once the camp is set its nice not having to pull up stakes to take a drive....

Just my 2 cents

Hi Mike,

Good advise and one that I have weighed carefully. Since I am at retirement age, we're looking for a smaller unit. While I really like the idea of leaving a trailer in camp so no one steals your spot (unless it is assigned to you and should be yours), I also like the idea of being able to drive off if out alone. A trailer requires you to leave it and get into your tow vechicle. Pulling a car seems like a good idea but the reason I have liked the idea of a B Van and just taking off with minium set up.

I'll certainly be thinking for a while longer and taking my sweet time so I will hopefully get it right the first time around. Best and thank you for your comments!

Greetings,

This is becoming my log as I look for the perfect camper. Do chime in if you have comments.

Went to a dealer yesterday to look at a Roadtrek Adventurous. Dealer is 3 hours away. They had a fairly nice unit with low mileage (if that matters in a diesel engine). After looking at the unit was not sure if I should buy.

There was a mouse nest in the engine compartment. I even flicked a eaten nut shell out of front with my finger in front of the salesman. Next I noticed the paint in the back seem a bit too fresh. My question to the salesman was if the unit had ever been in an accident. I was told no and they would provide a car fax (with the fox) on the unit. I just wondered why the paint look fresh and darker compared to the rest of the paint job. I also noticed the bed mattress seemed bleached out in some places on them compared to other sides.

The unit was started and ran good. Even let us sit in there and talk about the unit while running as he went back to the office. Just asked us not to drive it without him, which we didn't. The unit looked good and items seem to work on it. It was winterize so hard to check some items. Price was about 10 K over the low blue book NADA price. Price was lowered 3.5 K for me but still a lot of money for a used unit.

We did look at the Winnebago Views again. Lots more room. Also looked at a couple of pulling trailers which also seem to be a fantastic route to go with all the room and one new unit was 26 K new. Would only have to find a suitable tow vehicle for more $$.

I hate to say this but as I go along and gain knowledge, it seems like the less I know!! It also makes me feel like I need to go to more shows and see a variety of units and then start over again on the whole process. I have plenty of time in that regard. Best to everyone!

The longer you take to reach a decision and find a unit that pleases you, the happier you will be with that choice. Don't rush. Like you said, the more you shop around, the more you keep learning. Also remember that RV's (new or used) have probably one of the highest mark-ups of any product sold. It does take but a second to find a new unit online with a list price of $300K now being offered for $200K only because it's been on the lot for a year and newer models are due to arrive... and they're still making a profit on it!!

There are a lot of RVs for sale. No need to take one with warning signs like those you mentioned.