Hello From Saskatoon

[repenner]

Hi there,

I am new to the class b forum or at least new to posting, i have been reading for quite some time.

My wife and I are getting to the stage of life where we are looking to sell our Westphalia Vanagon and move up to a domestic Class B.

After a couple of years of reading and hemming and hawing we have decided that the Roadtrek 190 Popular is more the right unit for us at least on paper that is. We have yet to see one.

If anyone on this forum has a 190 Popular and lives within a reasonable driving distance of Saskatoon an would be willing to let us have a look at their van we would be much obliged.

In the mean time hello and thanks for the the GREAT information the folks on the forum have been very helpful in their comments and details on the different vans.

Cheers,
Reagan

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by repenner

Hi there,

I am new to the class b forum or at least new to posting, i have been reading for quite some time.

My wife and I are getting to the stage of life where we are looking to sell our Westphalia Vanagon and move up to a domestic Class B.

After a couple of years of reading and hemming and hawing we have decided that the Roadtrek 190 Popular is more the right unit for us at least on paper that is. We have yet to see one.

If anyone on this forum has a 190 Popular and lives within a reasonable driving distance of Saskatoon an would be willing to let us have a look at their van we would be much obliged.

In the mean time hello and thanks for the the GREAT information the folks on the forum have been very helpful in their comments and details on the different vans.

Cheers,
Reagan

The 190 has been in production for some 25 years and at this point has every wrinkle ironed out. The Chevy full frame platform and beefy V8 is IMO the most bullet proof package you can get in a Class B. The 190 and the 210 seem to be the only models from Roadtrek that lets you order options individually rather than having to choose packages that include stuff you may neither want nor need.

If you see a 190 locally, determine whether it was built for the U.S. or Canadian market because there apparently are some differences between the two. Considering where you live, you need to look at a Canadian build.

Although it doesn't seem to show up in their brochures, if you opt for the additional batteries, you now can order a 190 with a compressor fridge rather than the propane unit which IMO is the way to go.

If you can find the time and have the transportation, a drive to Roadtrek in Ontario would give you the opportunity to see every model they make first hand and might even change your mind over which model would best serve you.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

The 190 has been in production for some 25 years and at this point has every wrinkle ironed out. The Chevy full frame platform and beefy V8 is IMO the most bullet proof package you can get in a Class B. The 190 and the 210 seem to be the only models from Roadtrek that lets you order options individually rather than having to choose packages that include stuff you may neither want nor need.

If you see a 190 locally, determine whether it was built for the U.S. or Canadian market because there apparently are some differences between the two. Considering where you live, you need to look at a Canadian build.

Although it doesn't seem to show up in their brochures, if you opt for the additional batteries, you now can order a 190 with a compressor fridge rather than the propane unit which IMO is the way to go.

If you can find the time and have the transportation, a drive to Roadtrek in Ontario would give you the opportunity to see every model they make first hand and might even change your mind over which model would best serve you.

Welcome to the forum repenner!

I agree with everything in cruising7388's post above. I own an Airstream Avenue on the same Chevy 3500 chassis as the 190. The engine/transmission combination is well regarded, reliable, and strong. I got 15 mpg overall on a 4000 mile trip traveling at or near posted speed limits, it handled the twisty mountain roads up to 9000 ft, and (like your Westfalia) we could go anywhere cars could go. We do driving trips, we're not so much campers. It drives like a heavy vehicle, but a good handling heavy vehicle.

We did fine dry camping for one night at a time on the standard two batteries and with a compressor fridge. With the two extra batteries, we could have gone 2 days without hook ups easy. However, if you don't mind the old-style fridge and boon dock for more than a couple of days at a time, then the compressor fridge has it's negatives.

You need to visit a dealer and go inside one, however. It will feel roomier that your current rig with the roof down, but may feel more cramped than when you have your roof up. I'm 6'2" and found the bed length adequate. I can stand inside without shoes or a hat on. With shoes & hat on, I can stand under the recess of the ceiling fan.

We prefer the small size but also like having all the functions of a home (just on a small scale). We also adhere to the saying "You don't live in a class b, you live out of a class b."

[brianm142@hotmail.com]

Originally Posted by repenner

Hi there,

I am new to the class b forum or at least new to posting, i have been reading for quite some time.

My wife and I are getting to the stage of life where we are looking to sell our Westphalia Vanagon and move up to a domestic Class B.

After a couple of years of reading and hemming and hawing we have decided that the Roadtrek 190 Popular is more the right unit for us at least on paper that is. We have yet to see one.

If anyone on this forum has a 190 Popular and lives within a reasonable driving distance of Saskatoon an would be willing to let us have a look at their van we would be much obliged.

In the mean time hello and thanks for the the GREAT information the folks on the forum have been very helpful in their comments and details on the different vans.

Cheers,
Reagan

Perhaps you have not hear that Hymer (the owner of Roadtrek who acquired Roadtrek in the past two years, has been sold to THOR. who you will find listed quite prominently in the complaints section of virtually every RV magazine due to the alleged poor quality of so many of the various names they manufacture under), so you might want to rethink your strategy and take a look at PleasureWay which is made virtually in your backyard and have a reputation for quality workmanship.
2013 Pleasureway EXCEL TS.
2012 Chevy SILVERADO CREW CAB

[Frannn]

Hello Saskatoon,
I'm not an expert on class B, but I did quite a bit of research when I was buying. Pleasure Way was my choice. I wanted used to avoid the steep depreciation. Well I found one in Rockford Illinois at a Roadtrek dealership. A 2017 Plateau TS with 8 k miles. After many hours conversing with the veteran mechanic at the Roadtrek dealership, he confirmed the that the pleasure way was hands down the better choice over a compatible Roadtrek. Just his confidential opinion

[svIntuition]

Since you are in Saskatoon, give Pleasure-Way a call and take a tour of their factory. At the least, you will learn about their models and construction methods. Unfortunately, they don't build on the Chevy any more, but they make nice models on the Promaster and Sprinter chassis so you would have a benchmark if you look at some of their older models and you would have the factory nearby if any problems arose.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by Frannn

Hello Saskatoon,
I'm not an expert on class B, but I did quite a bit of research when I was buying. Pleasure Way was my choice. I wanted used to avoid the steep depreciation. Well I found one in Rockford Illinois at a Roadtrek dealership. A 2017 Plateau TS with 8 k miles. After many hours conversing with the veteran mechanic at the Roadtrek dealership, he confirmed the that the pleasure way was hands down the better choice over a compatible Roadtrek. Just his confidential opinion

If warranty protection is important to the owner, the differences between the Roadtrek and Pleasureway warranties are significant:

The current Roadtrek warranty is for six years with unlimited mileage that includes coach appliances after the OEM appliance warranty expires. The entire warranty is transferable to subsequent owners.

The current Pleasureway warranty is for five years with a 60,000 mile maximum. It does not cover appliances after the OEM appliance warranty expires. The five year warranty is not transferable to subsequent owners.

[repenner]

Hello and thanks for all the feedback!

I forgot to mention an important fact in my original post. We will be purchasing a used unit simply because a new unit is not in our price range.

I have thought about a Pleasure Way (PW) seeing that they are located in my back yard it would make sense. The main problem I have with PW is that I do not like the large AC unit on top of the roof. My preference, which very well may be flawed, is the Roadtrek AC installation.

Also I do prefer the Chevy platform, although with Roadtrek if you go old enough you have to settle for a Dodge.

Thanks again for all the comments, I will be sure to post a new thread once I find / buy a unit.

Cheers,
Reagan

[rowiebowie]

I understand buying used. That's what we did (and still paid too much) because it is a seller's market right now due to demand. It took us a year to find a good used one with the features we wanted. It was $10,000 below what a lot of others were asking for that model & year, still, we paid about 60% of MSRP for a six-year-old unit.

I wouldn't worry about what type of A/C. The roof models are cheap, all fit a standard 14"x14" roof opening. A fairly easy do-it-yourself job. I just replaced mine with the same brand and it was a straight forward plug & play. I just needed help getting it up on the roof. With the CoolCat Roadtrek a/c, you'd probably pay just as much or a little more. They are a bit more stealthy, however.

.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by repenner

Hello and thanks for all the feedback!

I forgot to mention an important fact in my original post. We will be purchasing a used unit simply because a new unit is not in our price range.

I have thought about a Pleasure Way (PW) seeing that they are located in my back yard it would make sense. The main problem I have with PW is that I do not like the large AC unit on top of the roof. My preference, which very well may be flawed, is the Roadtrek AC installation.

Also I do prefer the Chevy platform, although with Roadtrek if you go old enough you have to settle for a Dodge.

Thanks again for all the comments, I will be sure to post a new thread once I find / buy a unit.

Cheers,
Reagan

The integrated AC unit on Roadtrek Chevys certainly is less visually intrusive, plus it lowers the coach height to less than nine feet. So your preference certainly isn't flawed. However, there is a trade off. The typical BTU rating for topside AC units is 13.5 - 15 kw. The BTU for the Chevy AC unit is 11.8 kw which for warm to hot weather works OK but in full squash tropical conditions, you'll likely need help from the dash air.

I think the 190 shifted from Dodge to Chevy somewhere around 2000. Sometime around 2007-2008 they delivered with the current 6.0 liter V8 and Allison tranny which arguably is still the most bullet proof engine in class B production today.