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.