Looking for a used B and have the idea its going to be a RoadTrek or Liesureway/pleasureway Trouble is my budget is $25000 and for that price my options are vans that are 10 to 20 years old so i was wondering what tends to deteriorate over the years on these types of vans? I'm thinking more about the RV aspect and not the basic mechanical s of the engine and drive train unless some major defect exists.
I'm also thinking is there much difference between Dodge,Chevy or Ford chassis/base platform.
* This post was
edited 11/06/09 11:23am by jambo101 *
"Second star to the right, and straight on till morning."
The following items will have reached their useful life after 20 years:
air conditioner
furnance
refrigerator
water heater
water pump.
Of course, many have lasted much longer, and many have failed much sooner. All can be replaced, and with about $3500 US a skilled service center could replace them all.
First, I'd strongly suggest reading the FAQ's here on buying used. Lots of good info there.
Chassis: Assuming roughly equal condition & miles, of the NA brands, the Chevy Express is probably the best driving one. The Chevy G-series has garnered a few driveability complaints, the Ford a few more, the Dodge Ram van considerably more. A test drive per the FAQ, in person, is pretty much imperative on any but maybe the Express. Fords lack footroom for the passenger, and get some complaints about cab heat from the engine.
Try to avoid any that have been used for heavy towing. The transmissions are usually the weakest link in the driveline, and towing can easily overstress them. Other than that, overall reliability is probably a toss-up, more depending on how the particular unit has been used and kept up at that age.
The most $$$-to-fix 'house' items are usually the generator & reefer, and they seem to be the most likely to have problems. Check both out carefully. I think the FAQ has a how-to on the generator; I don't recall much of one on the reefer. Neglect & disuse kill generators; running significantly out of level kills reefers.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison ('Loafer's Glory'); '07 Forester 2.5 ( the 'HANDBSKT'); '95 Toyota SR5 V-6 4x4 pickup, ARB locker, Bilsteins, Warn hubs & M8000, etc;
'94 968, M030 swaybars ('DOPPLER')
Sticking to the rv aspect, I think they are pretty durable.
My Dad used an old VW Westfalia up until he couldn't camp anymore and the vehicle was 23 years old. My neighbor has a Pleasure Way on a Ford chassis and there is really nothing on the rv side that should not be good for many years.
Things that 'could' go wrong but rarely do are the hot water heater, 12 volt water pump, converter/inverter, maybe some of the fresh/sewer tank fittings, furnace system and fridge (gas/electric). Esstentially all of the typical rv stuff is the same regardless if it's a Class B, C, A or a trailer and many issues that do pop up are a 'one of' thing.
My cousin has a 1988 GM chassis Class C and everything has always worked and still does.
I think you could do very well with $25k and get something that will be trouble free for years other than maintenance items such as batteries, suspension/chassis bits (tie-rods), brakes, and the like.
Eric
2009 Holiday Rambler Admiral 33SFS (34' 3")
2008 Jeep Liberty - North Edition
FQCC/Camping Quebec, KOA, Good Sam, Coach-Net My Photos
Hi
We have a 1973 Chevy that we got on e-bay 10 years ago, and 50,000 miles ago. I knew the water system was shot, not properly winterwized as well as the water heater. New water lines, all copper, and a new heater had it going. In the 10 years we have done a bit of work, some necessary, like tires, and some for comfort like a new air conditioner. We had the engine rebuilt 4 years ago and the transmission resealed 3 years ago. I am planning to replace the carb with fuel injection.
We went on a 4500 mile trip this summer to Calif. One of the U joints started vibrating. In retrospec I should have replaced them when I did the transmission. A muffler shop in Bakersville had us going again in about three hours.
Ours is unusual as the entire body was widended by 18 inches front to back by the conversion company, Superior Coach. Superior also made Class A as well as School Buses. They still make Streach Limo's. We have had no real problems due to age. I check for leaks, and reseal windows on a regular basis as well as routine maintenance that would be necessary even on a newer unit.
We are glad we got it, we have had fun in it, and it is paid for. Works great for the two of us.
Happy Camping
Jim & Jo Ann
1973 Wide Body Superior Class B on a Chevy 1 Ton Van. 350 4V
"Oldie but goodie"
I think you could do very well with $25k and get something that will be trouble free for years other than maintenance items such as batteries, suspension/chassis bits (tie-rods), brakes, and the like.
Not as easy as you may think as there are slim pickings in the local ad sources such as Le Pac,Kijiji.Craigslist and Auto hebdo,just for fun go shopping with $25000 in our area and see what comes up.
jambo101 wrote: ...Not as easy as you may think as there are slim pickings in the local ad sources such as Le Pac,Kijiji.Craigslist and Auto hebdo,just for fun go shopping with $25000 in our area and see what comes up.
Just did a search on RVTraderOnLine.COM for Class B's with a price range of $5,000 to $25,000. The search came up with 67 units. Here is the link to the Advanced Search.
I think you could do very well with $25k and get something that will be trouble free for years other than maintenance items such as batteries, suspension/chassis bits (tie-rods), brakes, and the like.
Not as easy as you may think as there are slim pickings in the local ad sources such as Le Pac,Kijiji.Craigslist and Auto hebdo,just for fun go shopping with $25000 in our area and see what comes up.
Do you want to stick to a Class B or would you still consider a Class C if a good one came up? I can keep an eye out around me on the south shore.
The problem is i live in an apartment on a crowded street and a B class is as big a vehicle as i want to deal with when it comes to trying to find parking space and parallel park in tight spots on a daily basis.
Following Gene's link I found some interesting conversions nearby. I did some investigating on the more unique ones and was reminded of the reason to avoid an "orphan" (manufacturer no longer in business) unless you are very capable of troubleshooting and repairing electrical problems.
My 03 Roadtrek is in good condition (after some front end work) but with more than 83,000 miles the trade in value would probably be less than $25,000. If I don't find something I like better in the next few years, it will probable serve me through 150,000 miles.
Salianron --Sally and Ron
2003 Roadtrek 200 Popular
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