Looking at Travato 59G for a 1st RV. Thoughts, Tips, Suggestions?

[TravisWatson]

Hi fellow RVers!!

After I pay off my car & gather up about $10,000 for a down payment, I am looking at buying a used Travato 24/59G sometime in the next 6 - 8 months. DIESEL is a must.

My situation: Single, No Family, No Kids. Living in Nashville, TN & planning on exploring out west a bit. 2 months out on the road, 2 month back home. Probably will leave it out there in CA or so in long term storage while I'm back home.

That's it! Any thoughts, tips, suggestions regarding the Travato 59?

Cheers,

Travis Watson

 

[SeilerBird]

Those are wonderful RVs but really a poor idea to live in for any period of time. Way too small. I don't know why you think diesel is so important if you are not towing anything. I think a gasser class A would be a better idea. I also don't like the idea of financing your first RV. If you have never been RVing then you really have no clue what you want. After a year or so you will want to upgrade and you would probably be upside down making it very difficult to trade in or sell.

 

[John Canfield]

^^ I'm thinking along the same lines here ^^
I would rent a similar size and try it for a couple of weeks. If you don't tow a car, you have to unhook water, sewer, electric every time you want to go anywhere. People do this but I wouldn't want to. (But I do love diesels.)

 

[Back2PA]

Ditto. Plus, should you decide to sell a smaller Class A or C you would have a much wider market.

 

[Isaac-1]

I can understand the appeal of being small and maneuverable,  My issue would be with the very limited cargo and tankage capacity for extended trips, this Travato 59G only has about 20 gal of fresh water tanks and 6 gallons of propane, and 11 gallon black tank by comparison my 28 ft class A has 80 gallons of fresh water and 32 gallons of propane tank, and 40 gallon black tank.  What this means is you will frequently be looking for a  place to dump and refill the tanks, both water and propane, particularly if running the propane furnace on those cold western state mountain nights. 

 

[SeilerBird]

Issac is correct. There is also the problem of limited cargo carrying capacity (CCC). In a class B you are usually overweight before you put anything into it.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The Travato is a mighty slick rig for its type.  I mostly agree with the others re space, but a guy traveling alone can manage a Class B and no towed car pretty well, I think.  Especially if moving around a lot (more driving, less camping).

Most Travatos are on the Ram Promaster chassis and have a gas engine, but a diesel was an option in 2016.  Is your diesel preference for the fuel economy? Or you just like diesels?  The gas v6 in the Travato seems to perform well, delivering 14-17 mpg is actual use (not test runs).  I haven't found much info on the diesel, and apparently it wasn't a hot seller in the Travato.  A friend on mine had a Roadtrek with the MB diesel for a couple years and reported 16-20 mpg when cruising interstates.

Check out the article below by a couple who are avid fans of their Travato:

https://winnebagolife.com/2015/11/travato-long-term-test-drive
Another fuel report shows a 15.4 mpg average over 14,700 miles and three different vehicles. All Gas V6.http://www.fuelly.com/car/winnebago/travato