Which Class B?

[LERCA]

Before I tear apart my 2016 Honda CRV ( purchased January 2017 brand new with currently only 21,000
miles on it,) I’m thinking maybe I could sell it and help fund a used class B. 
I’m 5’3” not that strong and a good driver but I can’t handle anything big. I’d love something 17 feet. I want gas, not diesel and a good bathroom and shower are important.
I really like the Road Trek but I know next to nothing about RVs. I’ve watched tons of videos and read a lot but I still have no idea. I’ve driven a long time so I know the basics but I’m not mechanical and can’t do my own work.
Any suggestions? Thoughts, experiences etc greatly appreciated. 
And no I have nowhere to store anything I would tear out put my car like seats and the car is in beautiful condition.
TIA

 

[mpruet]

I have a Travato (based on a RAM Promaster 3500). I like it very much.  It has taken me twice to Alaska, including up to the Arctic Ocean.  I’ve also taken it twice to the RTR.  

That said, I would be really hard pressed to give up on a fairly new CRV as it could make a really nice rig. 

I’d be a bit hesitant on a Roadtrek given the financial issues that Hymer has run into.  I’m not sure if any new treks are going to be made and suspect that replacement parts might be difficult to get in the future. A lot of the RoadTrek youTubers are switching to other brands. 

You might could get a good used one, but I suspect that you might end up having to do your own maintenance.   Also I doubt that you’d be able to get a good rig in a low price range.  (Class-B RVs tend to be the highest price per square foot when new, and tend to hold their price very well.)

But if getting an interior bath/shower is important then I guess a class-B is the way to go.

 

[bullfrog]

A gym membership, a shower tent or regular tent, a bucket or separating toilet, a solar shower or 12 volt pump with hot water from a coleman stove are all sorts of options that allow you to keep the CRV. At 5'3" you can stand up in a tall teardrop or small lightweight box trailer which depending on the tow capacity of the CRV would work possibly better and be cheaper in the long run. Older motorized RVs will require maintenance which is expensive if you have to pay for labor. Learning how to use their systems efficiently for full timing takes some time and effort. A Class B sounds like a good fit for you but it will be expensive and require a large emergency fund in case of mistakes you might make while learning what you really need. I would try camping out of the car with a good tent then if that works but you want to live out of the car and more space is necessary, sell the seats and if it doesn't work buy new ones to replace them later if you need a different vehicle. Dependable motorhomes are not cheap whether Class A,B,B+ or C. You are for once very fortunate to be of small stature and may be able to eventually learn to use your car as your home in my opinion. Sueanne and several others have lived out of a Pris, you might hit one of the Caravans and look at some of their ideas as well as try a few things on your own before committing to one that will be hard to reverse. I would, if you can afford it, rent a Class B or C for a weekend and see how it fits you as well

 

[Spicoli]

How about something like this? You can probably find a partial conversion like that one in your price range.

Moderator edit: Link is for a 2016 Ford Transit 250 cargo van partly converted - for sale.
Please include a short description when posting links. Thanks

 

[maki2]

There are a lot of companies around the country that build out vans. Knowing where you are located in a generalized area, not specific, would let us help you located such a place.

 

[LERCA]

I’m in Southern Los Angeles County where labor (and supplies) costs are through the roof. That’s why I hesitate to get anything done here. Unless I’m wrong and other places are the same ( just for an idea my mother is getting a backyard wood fence built and got 4 estimates $7,200-7,800)
But this has to be my legal homebase for now (long story-Medicare 80% Medi-Cal 20% my doctors are here only 2.5 years out of ovarian cancer etc) and California has the strictest emission standards so not sure how to work around that. Have thought about a build but they cost the same as a used vehicle and I’ve heard horror stories of hiring mechanics to look over used vans and they miss half the issues. Kelly Doyle on YouTube is from the Bay Area and she posted about all this.

 

[user 423]

Knowing where you are located in a generalized area, not specific, would let us help you located such a place.

Also...what are your travel plans?  Will you be full-timing?

 

[Lowdesertpatrol]

They make real compact class c's for much less than a road trek. Everyone is intimidated to drive them but I PROMISE theyre not much different than a hightop van. Actually they're very comfortable and enjoyable with that big awning over you keeping the rain and stuff away from the side windows.

 

[Cajunwolf]

Yeah, I'm looking at a used class C myself, and I don't know about California, but here in Houston, Tx, it's a buyer's market. The economy is excellent, people have money to spend, there are as many camper-RV dealers here as there are car dealers with hundreds of acres of a lot with thousand's of shiny new RV's priced to move. Oh, did I mention the low-interest rates too? For this reason, you can pick up a really nice, clean, and well maintained low millage class C from between $10K to $20K depending on the year, size-length, slides, no slides you would like. My daughter and I are set back in a cheap dump of an apartment living economical and saving money, waiting for the just-right class C RV to pop out on to the market. By January or at lastest, March, I will have a hand full of cash, that's the best time to buy, cash money talks, and bovine excrement walks. As an adder, if someone was interested in a fantastic deal on a sweet class A, wow, they are harder to move than a used class C right now. I looked at a 2001 Fleetwood, Cummins diesel-powered 37 footer in mint condition, 73k miles, 7kw generator, also diesel, for $10,500! The man had just bought a new 50 something footer, needs it out of the way, been under the shed it's whole life, babied. I don't want a rig that big, but dang, it was nice!

 

[sub2rainEN]

What’s your budget? That’s a big factor in what you can get.

I went with a Class B and found a good price. Hard to find one out here below $10k, even though mine is a 1990. The gas mileage kills me, though. If I had the money and ability to build, a ProMaster would be a great option. Good mileage and people seem happy with them.

At your height, a simple build in a mini or cargo van could work. Ultimately, only you know what you are willing to sacrifice. I’ve lived in NYC, so a small space is doable. I have mobility issues and have gained a lot of weight, so I saw potential disaster using a bucket toilet.

You can make anything work, if it works for your absolute must haves. I’m a newb and have only gone on a few short trips, so I can’t give you more advanced advice. But I would suggest trying to camp in your car as and where you might when you’re mobile. For example, one of my motivations was to urban boondock where I have access to a pool to get my strength and mobility back. Other people boondock in the desert. I live in the desert and am allergic, I’m trying to get back to a wetter climate.

I camped a few times in my Kia Soul, so anything is possible! You’d be amazed at how comfy a car can be with 3 inches of memory foam. Also, I found my van in San Diego for $6500. Hard to find a van in SoCal for under $10k, but they do come up. If you’re going to sell your car to pay for it, how will you get around in the days/weeks/months in-between? Have you considered a T@b, teardrop, or other trailer?

I was worried about being able to stand in a mini-van. In hindsight, especially because of poor mileage on my van and how hard it is for me to drive, it would have been ok to slap some furniture and plastic drawers in a minivan. I was shocked at how big my van felt. It looked so small in photos. I’d suggest looking at a few similar vans to get an idea.

Good luck!


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[LERCA]

Met a couple with a brand new Road Trek today. They’ve owned two other RVs.
They said it was Mercedes parts on the Road Trek and the inside was all things you can buy from standard RV suppliers. Only problem was the warranty and he solved that by buying a six year one from Mike Thompson. I grew up hearing the name but I don’t know if they are an honest dealer. Anyone from SoCal?
I read Road Trek has already been bought out but they are practically giving them away right now. Super cheap a fraction of the old prices for 2019’s and low miles.Sounds ok to me but I know nothing.

 

[B and C]

The build quality on Roadtreks are great (at least the older ones). All RV's use pretty much the same water heater, furnaces, cooktops/ovens, water pumps, fridges, etc. How the rest is made is the difference. For cheap a lot use MDF (particle board and cheap/heavy), OSB (oriented strand boards, cheap) or real multi layered plywood (marine plywood, best). Fit and finish also comes into play.

Mercedes is a van manufacturer and some say finding a place to have them worked on can be hard.

I love my 2000 Roadtrek on a Chevy chassis. We van camped a lot when younger and new exactly what I wanted/needed when I started shopping. I went through all the years manuals of Roadtreks to see what was offered each year and narrowed it down that way. There were several years where a lot was pretty much the same and then in about 2004 they started dropping features to help control costs. They are expensive new for a reason. The fit a lot in a small package. I looked at Pleasure Way too but didn't find what would fit us as well.

There are used RV dealers out there, go look.

 

[Cajunwolf]

@B and C

yeah, I have to admit the Roadtreks are well-made conversions, but the main thing is you can't go wrong with a chevy or Ford chassis and engines. You can get parts and service, cheap, anywhere.

 

[rokguy]

B class is the way to go.
Probably something few think about when buying a C is the wind resistance. The previous truck/motorhome I built was based on a C class cabover bed but found it used a lot more fuel trying to overcome the wind, due to the air being trapped in that pocket below the overhang especially when driving into headwinds on highways.
I swore the next build would be based on a B class and sure enough this one slips through the air much better.

 

[Lowdesertpatrol]

The thing is if youre planning to stay around az all year and sit as much as possible as oppossed to travel all over, the bigger rigs allow for way more storage meaning way less driving. As well can tow a toad.

 

[B and C]

I get about 12 with my B+ and 11 1/2 when we toad the Geo. 7.4L, 454ci.

 

[user 423]

The thing is if youre planning to stay around az all year and sit as much as possible as oppossed to travel all over, the bigger rigs allow for way more storage meaning way less driving. As well can tow a toad.

Very true. Travel plans make all the difference in the world.

 

[rokguy]

In Australia,
I built mine to drive between job sites working up and down the Aussie Eastcoast. My diesel gets close to 30mpg.

My philosophy is the bigger it is the less it moves.

 

[Spicoli]

Just stumbled across this 19-ft Class B [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]on RV Trader[/font]: 1989 Champion Transvan 6192F  

"1989 Champion Transvan, 7.5L V8 460 engine, 61,000 original miles, fully self contained, Kohler 2500 watt generator, only 16 hours on the generator, stove, microwave, shower, toilet, sink, runs xlnt, clean inside, current registration till 2020, clean title, new tires, hitch, very hard to find a class b like this with such low mileage in California, unit is similar to the Chinook concourse, no leaks, very fun and cozy unit, sleeps 4, this rv has always been in California since new, $9500 obo"

 

[sub2rainEN]

Nice! My Airstream B190 was $6500 in San Diego county. For some reason, RVs were always cheaper there when I was looking.

In my case, the guy had bought a large property from a woman’s estate. He eventually worked out a deal with lawyers to buy the vehicles left behind as well. Ultimately, his wife made him get rid of the van because he had too many projects. There was already a 5th wheel there, probably more practical since they had 3 kids.

If you can get to know the market and have cash on hand, you can find a good deal, even in expensive CA.


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