Islander Supreme Dodge Camper Van

[markopolo]

A new member, Marion, is interested in what anyone here had to say about an Islander Supreme Dodge Camper Van.

She says it has 160,000 clicks on the odometer. She's a senior who would be camping with her 14 year old grand daughter.

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Does anyone here have any advice for Marion?

[markopolo]

Marion - does it look like this one:

[marion Weir]

yes the 1990 is one i'm very interested in. at one time (and still in the family) i drove a 1982 dodge extended camper, bought new in Van. i found it a little top heavy on corners.gave it to my son and camped with 5th wheel and truck ,those days are over gave the 5th wheel to my gaughter and am now looking for something a little smaller and by far I do not want a new one. happy camping Marion

[markopolo]

I'd be worried about the high mileage.

Fluids, filters, belts, hoses, plugs etc. might all need changing.

Definitely have it checked out by a mechanic. If the tires are more than 5 years old they might need replacing. Have the brakes and suspension checked out. Check for rust as well. Transmission might need to be rebuilt.

Last thing you want is to get hit with a huge repair bill. If I were buying an older high mileage van I'd make sure to allow $2,000 or $3,000 in the budget for repairs.

A test drive is a must.

[g1g]

I'll double what Marco Polo says and add to have bearings and driveshaft (U joints) checked. Without knowing the service record also try to see if it is burning oil and have a mechanic check it too. I feel the chasie is the most important because that can get you home but also how is everything inside too like ref, AC etc.

[markopolo]

Update from Marion:

Hi Mark;

Just a note to let you know I'm still enjoying my 89 van. I spent a month on Tchesinkut lake with 2 grandsons, they are looking forward to next year.

I do have leak problems ,but carry a caulking gun with me , hopefully one day they will all be gone, only one showed up this year.

Happy camping.
Marion

I like Marion's attitude!

[lefty]

Hey Marion, the leaks I had were from the windows . I've replaced all the vents, resealed all running lights and had the windows removed and resealed, but that thing still leaked ! So out came the windows again, laid them flat on a bucket and poured water on them. Sure enough the 2 windows on the driver's side leaked about as fast as the water was poured, so we permanently siliconed the bottoms where the rubber meets the glass , and '' fixed'' the problem !

[dan wilson]

A test drive is a must and defo get the van checked out by a mechanic - Last thing you want is to get hit with a huge repair bill

[debenn]

I have a 1998 Islander van motorhome. it is 19" complete with bathroom / stove / microwave / fridge / roof air / rear bed that makes into table or king bed or table with bunks. it has 95,000 km or about 55,000 miles on the 318 on dodge 3500 frame with air shocks
I want to sell it, but have no idea what it is worth. if anyone has an idea, i would appreciate their input
debennn@hotmail.com

[lefty]

It's a good year , first year of the magnum engines.
Pictures would help, up in Canada that model can fetch 22 grand .
Receipts for continuous servicing , maintenance , paint condition may boost the price.
Good luck !

[markopolo]

This mint Supreme model went for $25,000 two years ago http://www.classbforum.com/phpBB2/vi...islander#p6124 Only 36,000kms! It was 12 years old.
Yours is a Twin Bed model and 14 years old with 95,000 kms. If it is great shape then you could maybe get $20,000.00 fairly quickly if you are in Canada. I think you'd get less for it in the U.S. as there is more competition there.

Here's a 1998 Supreme model with 124,000kms http://moncton.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ373575223 asking price is $29,900 in Canada. It seems high to me because for the same or a little more money you could probably find something quite a few years newer. Maybe 8 or 10 years old not 14.

I'm a frugal shopper though

Edit: I see lefty posted $22,000 as I was posting this - that sounds about right to me.

[RobTheGob]

I had never actually noticed the Islander vans before - but last weekend I was on a small used RV lot in Parksville, BC and they had two older (~1990) ones in stock. They were priced around $10K and I quite liked the layout of them - they were both the side dinette floorplan.

[lefty]

We liked ours ( 1989 ) but the layout forces you to make the bed to go to sleep , and both have to get up at the same time in the morning to turn the bed into the bench.
Otherwise there is simply no room to move around.
We bought a 2005 29' BT Cruiser B+ , single slide a few years ago and haven't been happier . Permanent queen walkaround is really nice !
Still, that little Dodge for 10 grand did serve us well too . It was just too small . I kinda miss it , it gets into ALL campsites , big and small .

[RobTheGob]

Originally Posted by lefty

We liked ours ( 1989 ) but the layout forces you to make the bed to go to sleep , and both have to get up at the same time in the morning to turn the bed into the bench.
Otherwise there is simply no room to move around.

Hey - a fellow Victorian!

I have to admit - one of the reasons why I searched for our Pleasure-Way was because we could leave the rear bed down and use the small forward dinette when we wanted to. I had looked at many layouts of B's and disliked that they needed to be "converted" from night to day.

That's when I saw a Roadtrek and realized that it would work well for us. Some of the overcab bunk models (like the Islanders I saw on the weekend) would allow the bed and dinette to be used simultaneously - but the bunk might be a little tight!

[Gary Robinson]

Do you still have the islander