ok guys,ive been thinking of getting a class b r/v for traveling in.
do any of you have info on these?
or have had one?
what kind of ementities(sp) do they offer.
what engine options and mielage do they get.
i was also looking at a few of the vw vanagon type vans.
which is a better choice.
i would need to buy one used no more then 10,000.
thanks for any info or links anyone has.

 

Try rv.net. I know there are a lot of othere, try a search. Good luck with it.

 

I've looked into them. It's a tough market. You're $10k price may be a limiting factor. They go for a lot new and unlike most RV's, actually hold their value well.

Example, a friend's father (mechanic for 40 years) was looking for one for quite some time to camp at blues festivals and finally found a used mid 90's Dodge RoadTrek with high miles and needed work. He paid $17k for it. He said he was shocked at how much they went for.

Most are Dodge or GM. Ford Class B's are rare. I'm not sure why... something to do with the frame design, I think...

www.roadtrekcom

Mileage is on par for a loaded van (low to mid teens). Most have mid to large V8's. Diesels are rare for some reason.

Amentities are the same as any other RV, just more compact and have a smaller fluid capacities. And in some, require some set-up. In my friend's RoadTrek, the shower is inset into the main corridor and is creatd by pulling two curtains out. Works well enough, but blocks access from the front to the rear while in use.

The VW vans are nice, but they're VWs... and well... that brings with it their own set of "pluses and minuses." They tend to be expensive to buy and maintain, although reasonably reliable if maintained.

 

Almost all the newer Class Bs I've seen are E450s and almost of them have the V10. I've seen older models selling in the mid teens with mid-high mileage so it sounds like Ian is right about them holding their value well

 

I have a 94 and a friend has a 91 both on a 19' E250 chassis. His 57,000, mine 70,000mi. 351ci. Mine single 30 gal. fuel his twin 15 and 18 gal. I can haul 6 and sleep 4 adults in reasonable comfort, his haul 5, same for sleeping. Both have microwave, 2 burner stove, 3 way frig./freezer, roof air, hot water heater, propane furnace, commode, bath/ shower, grey water tank, sewage tank, potable water tank, and onboard gen. Best milage I ever got was just over 14MPG. Most times I average 10 to 11MPG. Best he ever got was 12.5MPG. If you decide to buy make sure its in decent shape. You can pour a lot of money in to one to make it dependable. Especially if it hasn't been used for a while. Under 100,000mi. are hard to find, since a lot of people use them all the time as second vehicles, but are out there, and tend to be close in price to the higher mi. ones. $6,000 to $15,000 is usually the range for ones in the 1990's. If I were looking for one now I would be looking for 1 with a gen. on board( as you can run the air anywhere). And my first choice of chassis would be GM(just because they made less changes to their van chassis and parts are easier to get if you're on the road). Followed by Ford, and then Dodge. Searchtempest is a good search engine for finding private owned ones, for sale. But if you find one at a decent price you'll have to move fast as most decent ones don't stay long. There should be some pics of mine on here somewhere.

 

Note that the question was asked 13 years ago.

 

i do see that now that you point it out. I wonder why it was in the active posts before I replied?

 

What you look for depends on how you intend to camp out.
Building your own van camper is an option, lots of guidance on the web about ways to do it.

If you travel alone, or with one other hardy person, building your own is a fairly good idea.

If I were to look for another Class B RV / camper van, I'd go with one of the Sportsmobiles ... www.sportsmobile.com
From what I've seen, they're pricey, but overall the best deal for the money.
And amenities galore.

My first choice would be a 1998 - 2002 Ford E350 extended van, ideally with the older 7.3 diesel.
If not that diesel, then 5.4 V8 or the V10.

I'd probably avoid th 4.6 V8 .. just not enough engine.
Your van camper will be heavy, and a too-small engine will use more fuel than a larger one
that doesn't have to work itself to death.

With the V10, look for 2003 or newer.
The V10 engine and the whole van got a major upgrade beginning model year 2003.

Always use E load range tires, avoiding tires that are designed even partially for off-road.
Off-road tires tend to squirm on the highway, feeling like the front end needs alignment.
Choose all-terrain tires, they're more highway-friendly than tires that have off-road capability.

Make sure it has a class 3 hitch, you'll probably tow something.

I've built 6 van/campers since the 70's, all of that was really educational, and a LOT of work.
My present one, an 04 E150 standard wheelbase van, is a "stealth" camper ..
it looks like any other passenger van ... makes for easy camping at McDonald's or Walmart.

I'm over 70 now, so I might not build another one.

I built 2 Chevy's and one Dodge, but durability-wise, and ease of maintenance,
today I'd go with a Ford.

The Chevy's were the most fun to drive and handled the best, and the Dodge was the winner for sheer engine power,
but the Fords always got me there, and got me back home every time, and are pretty easy to work on.
Not always true of the Chev and Dodge.

This is a simpllification, but having been there, it's my view of things.