I test drove a 92 Dodge Roadtrek Popular 190 today - we'd like to purchase it. It recently had a new steering box put in, and front end alignment, oil changes and mechanicals inspected (by seller).
However... it wanted to wander left or right (though pulled to the left mostly) and steering was, well, it just didn't feel like it went left when I moved the steering wheel left, same for the right, and so on. Perhaps a better way to write it - the steering felt eerily disconnected with the direction it was headed in.
A week prior I had test driven an 89 Dodge XtraVan, which drove fine and while the steering wasn't tight like my daily driver (MINI Cooper) you felt like you were in control.
I did some research and it seems there are some upgrades and tire pressure settings that can alleviate some of these issues.
- 2" spacers for the wheels
- rear sway bar
- front steering damper (the brackets were present, but the shock was missing)
- higher rear tire pressure
- Hi pressure in the rear air bags (forgot to ask if these were installed)
- Additional rear springs
- Better shocks
It's a tough decision - while the camper is by no means perfect, it is all original inside with minor changes (new vinyl on the floor) - and while it may be overpriced (when compared to pre-covid pricing), post COVID it's around what they are selling for in my area ($16K).
Any thoughts? They are going to install a front steering damper but they were skeptical it would help. Should we move on? We'll be driving cross-country and will be looking at RV's in the areas we are in if this doesn't work out but are not hopeful - once you add taxes, and budget for repairs, that's about as much as we can afford, and finding a B at this price range right now is, well, difficult.
Thanks!
Wandering Dodge RoadTrek (1992)
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