Selling a 1997 Roadtrek 190: Is There Demand for Older Class Bs?

[TomF-ClassB]

I own a 1997 Roadtrek Popular 190. What I would call a vintage class B. As I get older, it becomes more difficult to maintain my old van and to make the long trips I have always enjoyed in the RT. So I am considering selling the old girl and am wondering what folks think about the market for the old class B's.
Personally, I think the market could be robust for these oldies. Back in 2018, I considered upgrading to a new Roadtrek and test drove the new RT on the Dodge Ram Van chassis. It was nice and very comfortable, but it had a couple of issues I didn't like. First, there was virtually no storage. No place to put my tools, spare parts, food, clothing, camping gear, etc. It had a closet and some drawers. No under floor space, no side compartments, nothing. At most, I would be comfortable spending a weekend in this van, where I typically spend one to three months traveling around the country. Secondly, it was all electric, no propane. Dry camping would not be practical with this unit. The fridge would be running on battery power and making coffee and cooking breakfast uses more battery power. I'm sure the engine would be starting at some point to charge the batteries, which would drive me nuts. So I opted to spend some money refurbishing parts of my old RT and my girlfriend and I had a very enjoyable 10,000 mile trip around the country.
Another issue with the new vans became apparent with my neighbors 2018 MidWest Custom class B on the Dodge Ram Van chassis. He bought it a few months ago and shortly after he got it home, the interior lights wouldn't work and the house battery kept dying. Turns out the lights, the charging systems and god knows what else are controlled by a cpu. So, a new $600 cpu solved the problem, after two months of troubleshooting and calling the manufacturer. These kind of systems don't make sense on a vehicle that will be traveling the backroads and byways. His van is for sale and he is in the market for an older RV. One with crank up windows, he said.
So I'm thinking the market could be strong for the old class B's. Any thoughts?

 

[RT-NY]

When you say "Dodge Ram Van chassis" for 2018 class B vans, do you mean Ram Promaster? I think the Dodge Ram vans, like in the vintage Roadtreks, went out of production around 2003.

Anyway, there is a market for the vintage Roadtreks, whether the Dodge or Chevy models. As long as it is in reasonably good shape and doesn't have a rust problem and isn't priced too high I think it would be easy to sell.

 

[Roadtreker357]

I own a 1997 Roadtrek Popular 190. What I would call a vintage class B. As I get older, it becomes more difficult to maintain my old van and to make the long trips I have always enjoyed in the RT. So I am considering selling the old girl and am wondering what folks think about the market for the old class B's.
Personally, I think the market could be robust for these oldies. Back in 2018, I considered upgrading to a new Roadtrek and test drove the new RT on the Dodge Ram Van chassis. It was nice and very comfortable, but it had a couple of issues I didn't like. First, there was virtually no storage. No place to put my tools, spare parts, food, clothing, camping gear, etc. It had a closet and some drawers. No under floor space, no side compartments, nothing. At most, I would be comfortable spending a weekend in this van, where I typically spend one to three months traveling around the country. Secondly, it was all electric, no propane. Dry camping would not be practical with this unit. The fridge would be running on battery power and making coffee and cooking breakfast uses more battery power. I'm sure the engine would be starting at some point to charge the batteries, which would drive me nuts. So I opted to spend some money refurbishing parts of my old RT and my girlfriend and I had a very enjoyable 10,000 mile trip around the country.
Another issue with the new vans became apparent with my neighbors 2018 MidWest Custom class B on the Dodge Ram Van chassis. He bought it a few months ago and shortly after he got it home, the interior lights wouldn't work and the house battery kept dying. Turns out the lights, the charging systems and god knows what else are controlled by a cpu. So, a new $600 cpu solved the problem, after two months of troubleshooting and calling the manufacturer. These kind of systems don't make sense on a vehicle that will be traveling the backroads and byways. His van is for sale and he is in the market for an older RV. One with crank up windows, he said.
So I'm thinking the market could be strong for the old class B's. Any thoughts?

Look here for Roadtreks for sale Road Trek International- Roadtrek International - Roadtreks for Sale

 

[nicaland]

There are currently over 20 Roadtrek Facebook groups out there, with a number of them specifically for the older V-8 chassis models from Chevy and Dodge., and you will be able to get a good idea of what your RV is worth by perusing them. You will find that there are a ton of folks out there that wouldn't change from these "classic" or whatever you want to call them to the modern chassis available today for a whole host of reasons, and if you are concerned with maintaining your van you will also find a ton of information regarding repair experiences as well locating many of what are becoming to be fairly rare parts.

I own a1998 B3500 Dodge Xplorer 230XLW with the convertible couch behind the driver interior layout that has been moderized/updated/maintained over the years and seriously doubt that I will ever sell it. I do follow new options regularily, and although there are certainly a lot of models out there that have increasingly functional design features, I have yet to find anything that meets my needs as well as my sweet old Bertha. Some are close for sure, but not close enough to consider paying 10 times more than what I have invested in her. I can boondock for two weeks with the AC running every night, (I do know how to keep a 2.8KW Onan running) traverse most Jeep trails, albeit slowly, due to this model's inherent high ground clearance plus a little lift overall and adjustable airbags, as well as it's dually setup with a posi rear end. I do not have to bother with turbos, Lithium batteries, complicated charging systems, premium fuel or diesel as well as high insurance costs and not only can I handle most all of maintenance and repair issuses, a good shadetree mechanic can take care of anything else. Yes, I burn more fuel than a modern rig, but considering the overall functionality and otherwise low cost of running this stovebolt reliable good ol' american V-8 it means nothing to me.

OK, I know I'm rambling here and obviously proud of my old girl, but there are many, many others out there that realze the same advantages of owning a realistically priced totally usable older Roadtrek or for that matter one of the other "vintage" class B's out there, and frankly my suggestion is to strongly consider keep that old rig, and if you decide to sell it, you won't need to give it away, I recon.

 

[TomF-ClassB]

When you say "Dodge Ram Van chassis" for 2018 class B vans, do you mean Ram Promaster? I think the Dodge Ram vans, like in the vintage Roadtreks, went out of production around 2003.

Anyway, there is a market for the vintage Roadtreks, whether the Dodge or Chevy models. As long as it is in reasonably good shape and doesn't have a rust problem and isn't priced too high I think it would be easy to sell.

Yes, it is indeed the Promaster I saw. It had the ram on the hood and was a van, so I went with that, lol.

 

[TomF-ClassB]

Look here for Roadtreks for sale Road Trek International- Roadtrek International - Roadtreks for Sale

Thanks. Very helpful!

 

[Doneworking]

I go to the RV shows and I look at the new 'uns.
I go home, out to the garage and pat my 2007 RT on the hood.
We bought it new and it still is like new.
If something needs fixing, I generally can take care of it myself.
Why on earth would I want more than that for just my wife and myself?
Good sized tanks, 5 cf three way refrig, nice wet shower and easy to drive.

A lot of us feel the same way and that is the reason you see the clean older units snapped up pronto
when they are offered for sale.

 

[booster]

Both the Dodges and Chevies have quite good resale and demand to this day, even though many of them are well over 20 years old. There are plusses and minuses to both, but also a market for both.

The biggest downside of the older units is the old school RV parts like DC power systems and waste water handling for instance. Some buyers like the simple but less capable than the new units and others don't realize there is as much difference as there is until the start using the old van. None of it has dampened the market for them though, as I routinely see pre 2003 Dodges selling for $15-25K on various sites.

Like Doneworking, we like our 07 Chevy 190P and haven't seen anything new we would want instead, but we have tried to keep it up to more modern but still simple conveniences like a big battery bank, second alternator, compressor frig, macerator, etc.

Without knowing more about 1997 Dodge the OP has to possibly sell, it is hard to determine market desirability or value, but between $10K and 25K is most likely so still a good return for all the years of use and nearly 30 years old.

 

[Calais]

In this market $5,000-7500

 

[ChristyCappello]

I go to the RV shows and I look at the new 'uns.
I go home, out to the garage and pat my 2007 RT on the hood.
We bought it new and it still is like new.
If something needs fixing, I generally can take care of it myself.
Why on earth would I want more than that for just my wife and myself?
Good sized tanks, 5 cf three way refrig, nice wet shower and easy to drive.

A lot of us feel the same way and that is the reason you see the clean older units snapped up pronto
when they are offered for sale.

Even Dolly Pardon had a classic Roadtrek she use to travel in with her husband. There was a picture of it on her property after she passed.

 

[Calais]

THe reason not to keep an older RV is the safety features upgrades that were added or developed over the years are missing over the last 10 years.

• Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking (AE: Detects potential frontal collisions with vehicles or pedestrians and automatically applies the brakes if the driver does not react.

• Lane-Keeping System: Alerts the driver or provides steering assistance if the van drifts out of its intended lane.

• Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross-Traffic Alert: Warns drivers of vehicles in adjacent blind spots and alerts to oncoming traffic when reversing out of a parking space.

• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): Maintains a set distance from the vehicle ahead, featuring stop-and-go capability in heavy traffic conditions.

• 360-Degree Camera & Split-View Reverse Cameras: Provides a comprehensive overhead or wide-angle view around the large van to assist with tight parking and low-speed maneuvering.

• Reverse Brake Assist: Automatically applies the brakes if an obstacle or rear pedestrian is detected while backing up.

• Side-Wind Stabilization / Curve Control: Helps keep the tall cargo or passenger van stable during heavy wind gusts or when cornering too fast.

• Auto High-Beam Headlamps: Automatically toggles between high and low beams depending on surrounding traffic.

 

[dingo-ClassB]

Great responses guys (am I allowed to say guys?), Been driving a '99 Coachmen Starflyte 21' V12 dually on Ford E350 chassis. Have been around the country several times and Canada/Alaska. Hardly a week goes by that someone doesn't offer to buy it, paid $24K 12 years ago for it and wouldn't sell it for less than that today, but will probably never sell it. Cheap to own, maintain, upgrade,and insure. Sure, only gets 10 to 12 mpg, but will go anywhere.
As far as last post about all the safety features, some are annoying and wouldn't use them anyway. I think most of us know how to drive our rigs safely and don't need all that collision avoidance stuff, although rear view and side cameras are a great addition.
Keep that old rig for maybe shorter trips and pass it along to a family member or friend when you are done with it, but don't sell it to someone who wouldn't even appreciate it or who is just going to flip it to make a buck!
Happy Travels!