Roadtrek vs. E150 Conversion Van

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Guguluff

Guguluff

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Joined
Nov 15, 2015
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153
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Sunflower
We just entered the Rv world a few month ago and w/ RV forum's help (mainly) we got a truck and a TT. We loved to travel w/ the trailer, but the mileage is terrible ~ 8miles/ gallon. It's also hard to drive in big cities and on crowded hwys.
I was thinking about a camper van because I've seen so many on the road to Grand Canyon. I never seen one inside or traveled w/ a hi-top van.
We don't have the money yet, but you guys taught me to buy w/ cash so if I start saving I should find out what to look for.
I found this conversion van on CL: https://topeka.craigslist.org/cto/5593085356.html or some cheaper ones that need some work.
And also this Roadtrek, but the price is much higher. https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5610603798.html or this one: http://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/A-%26-S-RV-Center-Inc-2919242/listing/1996-Roadtrek-ROADTREK-170-117508604
I'm not so handy myself, but I would try to upgrade the E-150 in time and w/ money, as they come up. How much could I expect to "invest" in a conversion van, to make it as livable as possible (mainly in RV parks, not for dry camping)?
Any major differences between the two, regarding size and height?
 
Road treck camper have taller roofs and a lowered floor. So you can stand in them.    My conversion van is only 5ft tall.  Road treck has all the camping goodies kitchen bath electric ac and heat.  The conversion van has a bench seat that turns into a short bed.  I go with the road treke
 
Lots of stuff out there.  Many ideas.  The more you can do yourself the less expensive.  The more someone else has to do the more expensive. 

http://www.sportsmobile.com/
http://californiacampers.com/vw-camper/
etc.
 
I've seen some great stories online w/ van conversions. It would be smaller and easy to maneuver, I can find more vans to choose from on CL, I would add a mattress topper for the bed, get a port-a-potty and a propane stove, lots of boxes for storage. I thought that the AC/ heating would be enough from the van, being so small. I've seen some portable showers but I could use the ones in campgrounds. I would probably go alone w/ van so space is not such a big necessity. I'm looking for fuel efficiency and maneuverability.
Robertusa123, is your van a hi-top? I'm 5'4'' so 5' is almost fine.
I think I need to see one and another fist, to picture better my needs vs. wants.

I've seen this nice story about a conversion van: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xqk_G6k95M&feature=youtu.be
 
Definitely go look at several Class B RVs and see if you like them and see if you can rent one / borrow one for a weekend trip.  Figure out what features you really need/want.  If it's a lot of them I'd think about saving up for a Roadtrek.

I looked at conversion vans and Roadtreks last fall for a cross country trip.  I thought I could take the conversion van and modify it at a lower cost than the Roadtrek. I soon realized that conversion vans in my area were going for close to what Roadtreks were.  I also realized that I wouldn't be able to install all the features of the Roadtrek into the van as well as they do and for less money and time.  I consider myself pretty handy but knew that there would be too much trial and error if I did things. They've figured everything out already.  I ended up buying a Roadtrek 190 as it had everything I wanted (or thought I needed) and more. It was easy to drive and got around the back roads and in cities just fine. If it's just you I'd look at Roadtrek 170's too. They are the same length as the conversion van and have plenty of room for 2.

The conversion van you listed is 5 years older and has 141,00 more miles than the 2000 RT 190. That alone accounts for the price difference. If the RV is as nice as it sounds and everything works, its a pretty good deal especially if they are open to negotiations on the price.

 
I drove our long bed F-150 w/ the 27' TT and it was OK on the highway and on country roads. My husband did most of the driving but I'm trying to adjust to driving such a big rig. That's why I need something more user friendly.
Cushtech, you are right about the Roadtreks. I like the way they used the space to make most of it. I've seen a lot of them on the road to the Grand Canyon so I think they are a great choice. The price advantage w/ the van was that I would invest the money in a longer period of time, but I wouldn't be able to make great improvements to the van like wooden cabinets (DIY) or plumbing.
 
"I've seen this nice story about a conversion van: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xqk_G6k95M&feature=youtu.be"

Thanks, that is our van.  We really wanted to build it EXACTLY as we wanted.  Roadtreks look nice but are gold bricks $$$.  Used to see a lot of conversions at RV shows that wife and I would describe as traveling bordellos.  One thing nice about doing it yourself it is also easy to make major modifications as your needs and wants develop.  We have gotten tired of using an ice chest, so we added solar panels and a refrig last year.  This year we got rid of the table that is in the isle (and blocks access to the bathroom) and added a dinette that we can leave up all the time.

What ever you choose make it yours and have great trips.  Good Luck
 
Wow, what were the odds? I've watched dozens of videos and I posted that one.
The truth is that I loved the van, the layout and the fact that you did most of the work yourself. And... your wife sews on the road.  :) I love to sew and considered taking along my sewing machine.
Thanks!
 
Any opinion on this van conversion? http://www.zarzourmotors.net/1999_Ford_E350_Chesterland_OH_263894884.veh
It's a 13h drive and the dealers are not so well rated (3,6 on Google +), could I trust 32,455 Miles in 17 years?
You guys taught me to fear the sneaky dealers and I do, now. I've been to a dealer yesterday, in my town and I walked away in 10 minutes after seeing the sales person...
Could I take out the wheelchair lift easily? Or do I need to take it to a repair shop? I've seen more vans like that and just wondered.
 
Any opinion why the Roadtreks lose their value so much? I found one like this: http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/1992/Roadtrek/Versatile-Dodge/3026976/Values for $7500 and thought the price is OK, but Nada begs to difference.
Would a Pleasureway, Coachmen, Xplorer, etc. be a better choice?
 
Be aware that the online NADA RV guide is simple straight-line depreciation based on industry averages. It does not reflect actual market values (selling prices), and pretty much ignores the "floor" price that any working RV enjoys after a certain age. There are often typically fairly large price deltas for popular models and difference in regions or seasons. And in an old RV like this one, condition is far more important than brand or a few years one way or the other.

I would say $5000-$7500 is within range for a good working older motorhome. Whether that '92 is worth top dollar is something only you can decide, but it would probably have to excellent, I think. Look around and see what more recent ones are selling for. Checking RV trader, I see 1996's priced at well over $12k (but not clear if any actually sold at that price), so maybe $7500 is reasonable.

Also look at PPL Motorhomes "sold" listing, which shows actual private sale (consignment) prices for the past two years. The Roadtreks are shown as Class C's there (they don't have a separate class B listing). I see some older Roadtreks in the $7000-$9000 range.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/sold/class-c-motor-homes.htm
 
Thanks for the link. PPL lists are really handy as a guide line, although I'm not sure if they have dealer or consignment prices...
I wondered because older PlasureWay and Roadtrek have similar prices. I thought Roadtreks are more expensive.
 
PPL gets their commission from the seller, out of the proceeds, so the price you see is what the buyer actually paid. The buyer doesn't pay PPL for anything unless he contracts for additional services (repairs or whatever), and those are not part of the selling price.
 
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