2000 American Cruiser RE2000X value/review

[AKTroy]

Hi folks:

So I've been looking for the past few months for a class B. This included the normal candidates from Pleasure Way, Roadtrek and Chinook. Due to price, I've been narrowing my range from model years from 1999 to 2003 or so.

I came across a company called American Cruiser, and they built their motorhomes on the Dodge 3500 chassis. I know that the 318 is a real workhorse. This one has the 360 or 5.9 liter, so hoping it's as robust, but don't know. Comments?

I really like the layout, and reminds me a lot of the Chinook. Beautiful solid oak Cabinetry also reminisce of the Chinook. Kitchen and bathroom are at the rear and then the bed and dinette are towards the front. One piece molded fiberglass top, and I believe the center area is about 6 ft 3.

I really love the one-piece fiberglass shower, which is not one of the aisle showers like the Roadtreks and Pleasure Ways. It's ready to go when you are. Another little feature is the air conditioner is mounted on the floor as opposed to the roof. It's one of the through-the-wall varieties, so very easy to replace. There is outside access to under the bed, which is kind of cool too--Keeps dirt outside, smart.

The "X" model has one more foot to the length, so this one is a 22 footer, and my understanding is it has upgraded suspension, some larger gray and freshwater tanks, more headroom in the bath, and then finally a slightly larger kitchen counter. This one has the 2.8 onan generator.

The company was asking 33k for it and we agreed on $29,500. What I don't know is the true value of these things. I have only seen a few YouTube videos from Koon RV, and then Big Bo's. This one has 13,800 Mi on the kilometer and is absolutely immaculate. Even the decals are glossy. Pretty much a garage kept vehicle. All of the mechanicals work, and very superficial minor stuff like some peeling plastic. Overall a real cream puff. About the only downside was the tires are from 2008, even though they are in pristine condition. And then lastly, it has a very short wheel base of 127.5 in. I guess this is great for maneuvering, but I'm not sure how it is on the highway?

I'd love to get some feedback from anybody who owns one of these. Being 23 years old I don't know about parts and service. I'm not super concerned about the mechanicals as I can fixed most of that stuff myself. I probably do away with the generator and put some lithium iron phosphate batteries in as well as some solar on the roof. And then other little goodies like a DC to DC converter, nice quality MPPT controller, and then update the old level gauges, maybe go for a compressor fridge.

I have 5 days or so to back out of the deal, so your honest feedback is appreciated. Once again, I really love this layout, and reminds me a whole lot of the Chinook, only at a much more reasonable cost.

I will go ahead and upload some photos here.

[N147JK]

Beautiful van. I'd buy that in a heartbeat. I like the older vans - many are really solid, have better layouts, and use much better materials than today's new vans. Ours also has a solid wood (oak) interior - no vinyl or particleboard anywhere in the van. It's great to be inside a camper van built like that, isn't it?

And if you are mechanically inclined, you have it made. These are simple machines and things are easy to fix yourself. You will do well and save a ton of money.

[RT-NY]

I would caution anyone buying a Dodge of that era to check the frame rails carefully for rust -- especially forward of the front wheels and in the hidden areas within the front-most cross-member (crawl under the van and use a flashlight; and check the cross-member itself). Might not be a problem at all, but these Dodges are notoriously susceptible.

Take a look at the following thread:

https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...mper-9697.html

[N147JK]

Garage-kept and only has 14000 miles, it's unlikely there is any rust issues. But yes, better safe than sorry.

One thing.. be sure to give it a good long test drive, preferably over different road types and speeds. I used to own a '94 Dodge camper similar to this one, though not an American Cruiser. It rode like an old logging truck and was very noisy inside. I was glad to get rid of it. Maybe it just needed shocks and tires - I never changed them out.

Last observation.. I never liked the small drivers and passenger's side windows on the Dodge vans. Those small side windows cut down on the visibility quite a lot. I was always craning my neck around trying to get a better view of the scenery. Of note.. the Ford E-vans have huge side windows and the view they provide is superior.

[AKTroy]

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely, was not aware of the rust issue, so good to know. Unfortunately, I will be purchasing from out of state so I cannot do as detailed an inspection as I would like. I did check the Classifieds here for completed sales, and it does appear this is overpriced. A similar vehicle with 32k on the odometer, sold for $21,500 earlier this year and it had new tires and solar. As mentioned in my original post, the tires on this one are from 2008, so while they look brand new I would not trust them for highway driving. I am also a bit concerned about that short wheelbase. That's why I was asking questions and I was hoping for someone who actually owns one of these to chime in. I have no problem walking away from this right now as I have very little invested in it. It does appear it may be about $5,000 overpriced though.

As to the comment about Ford's, I guess one of the older ones might be okay but I've heard some horror stories about the spark plugs blowing out, and then Ford not taking any responsibility. Yes, they can be fixed but I think it's something like $500 per plug. That could get really expensive on a Triton V10. I just don't think I would own a late-model Ford. I have a Chevy Express 3500 and I like that very much. Very little issue. I'm told that the Dodge 5.2 (31 was an absolute Workhorse and people seem to love them. Not so sure about the 360 (5.9) liter. Again, one of the reasons I'm asking questions here.

[booster]

Originally Posted by AKTroy

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely, was not aware of the rust issue, so good to know. Unfortunately, I will be purchasing from out of state so I cannot do as detailed an inspection as I would like. I did check the Classifieds here for completed sales, and it does appear this is overpriced. A similar vehicle with 32k on the odometer, sold for $21,500 earlier this year and it had new tires and solar. As mentioned in my original post, the tires on this one are from 2008, so while they look brand new I would not trust them for highway driving. I am also a bit concerned about that short wheelbase. That's why I was asking questions and I was hoping for someone who actually owns one of these to chime in. I have no problem walking away from this right now as I have very little invested in it. It does appear it may be about $5,000 overpriced though.

As to the comment about Ford's, I guess one of the older ones might be okay but I've heard some horror stories about the spark plugs blowing out, and then Ford not taking any responsibility. Yes, they can be fixed but I think it's something like $500 per plug. That could get really expensive on a Triton V10. I just don't think I would own a late-model Ford. I have a Chevy Express 3500 and I like that very much. Very little issue. I'm told that the Dodge 5.2 (31 was an absolute Workhorse and people seem to love them. Not so sure about the 360 (5.9) liter. Again, one of the reasons I'm asking questions here.

Since you have a Chevy Express, don't know what year though, it probably handles substantially better than the Dodge will, especially with that design, very large top added and an addition to the far rear.


The small block engines of that era were quite good in general, both in the 5.2 (318CID) and 5.9 (360CID) versions and I have had quite a few of them including a few I modified with turbos to 600hp. All lasted well, as many others have mentioned. Weakest point is commonly valve guide seals so watch for a puff of blue smoke at initial startup after sitting a while.

[AKTroy]

My Chevy is a 2006. Pic attached. It has a one-piece fiberglass shell on it made by Unicell. Being a one ton, the suspension is quite stiff, and it's geared really low to handle weight. I've been meaning to put some bilsteins on it, which I hope smooths it out. If the Dodge is worse, that's not good! Mine has the 139" wheelbase. Once again with the 127-in wheelbase on the Dodge and all that extra weight hanging off the back, I definitely am concerned about the ride.

I'm not too worried about the Dodge engine, but it doesn't hurt to ask about known issues.

Best,

Troy

[booster]

Originally Posted by AKTroy

My Chevy is a 2006. Pic attached. It has a one-piece fiberglass shell on it made by Unicell. Being a one ton, the suspension is quite stiff, and it's geared really low to handle weight. I've been meaning to put some bilsteins on it, which I hope smooths it out. If the Dodge is worse, that's not good! Mine has the 139" wheelbase. Once again with the 127-in wheelbase on the Dodge and all that extra weight hanging off the back, I definitely am concerned about the ride.

I'm not too worried about the Dodge engine, but it doesn't hurt to ask about known issues.

Best,

Troy

We have a Roadtrek Chevy 190 on the extended 159" full van body version. The 139" would be the box truck commercial van IIRC.


If it is single rear wheel in probably would be similar to our van but on the shorter wheelbase that would be closer to shorter Chevy Bs on 135" wheelbase.


The Chevies do feel like trucks and there isn't a lot you can do about it but can make it better. But they don't tend to get pushed around as much as people report in many of the Dodges from all that I have seen and read over the years.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Does it have a generator? Check the number of hours because it should have 2 hours per month times the number of years , 24 years times 24 ( 12 times 2)... would equal 576...

Why is this important? Generators need to be exercised... and, serviced....
They can last for 2,000 hours or more if they are properly taken care of. If not, they will fail and the replacement is very expensive...I know. I made the mistake of buying a RV with too few hours....

Also, check out the refrigerator... propane refrigerators , at least some, cannot go over certain elevations.... my old Dometic 8501 said in the owners manual that it wouldn't work over 3,250 feet...no kidding.

Otherwise, vehicles are sold on condition, not mileage....
Mileage is less important than years.

This looks like a nice vehicle,
the question is how does it drive and do you like it.
I've heard that older Dodge vans can have stability issues, but, only you can
figure that out behind the wheel.

Price is only one factor in a sale. It seems a little over priced to me.

https://www.jdpower.com/rvs/2000/ame...3001353/values

One more thing, if you do buy this, replace all the tires immediately.
RV tires should be replaced every FIVE years regardless of mileage.
This is a huge safety thing. RVs are not cars and a tire failure could result in your rolling the van. It's a huge vehicle. I always recommend a tire pressure monitoring system as well.

Make the dealership replace the tires with brand new Michelin Agiles tires. Does it have a spare, get that too..... also, might as well check to see if it needs shocks....all very important.

Good luck.

[jschurman]

Having owned several classBs over the years I would go with the 360 over the 318. The reason being that the 318 can struggle sometimes when you are fully loaded and in mountainous terrain. The gas mileage difference is not significant since the bigger motor doesn't need to work as hard. The 318 will deliver better mileage on flatter terrains, so depending on where you live and where you plan to go may make a difference.

[AKTroy]

Originally Posted by jschurman

Having owned several classBs over the years I would go with the 360 over the 318. The reason being that the 318 can struggle sometimes when you are fully loaded and in mountainous terrain. The gas mileage difference is not significant since the bigger motor doesn't need to work as hard. The 318 will deliver better mileage on flatter terrains, so depending on where you live and where you plan to go may make a difference.

It's not as though I have an option in this case, but good to know. I think all of the American Cruisers came with the 5.9. It's possible the Roadtrek came with the smaller 318, which I think is the 5.2. The not-so-great feature of the Dodge is the extremely short wheelbase. Great for maneuvering, but not so good for stability. I just spoke to a gentleman from Oregon yesterday and his transmission went out on his Roadtrek (2000 Dodge) 58,000 Mi, which was surprising. One other woman replaced her entire engine at 105,000. Both of those stories were very surprising to me for a V8. Chevy engines for example routinely get 200,000, but I guess if people don't maintain them anything is possible. Both people swear that did all the proper maintenance.

I decided to pass on this vehicle btw. With the extra 1 foot of extension of this "X" model combined with the weight of the water tank, spare tire carrier, motorized steps, and hitch it's all adding weight to the least desirable place.