A lot of new buyers go looking for a Roadtrek that is in their budget (of course) and are attracted by low prices regardless of the year of the Roadtrek. They see ads and they go out to look at the Roadtrek that is being sold - sometimes traveling a long distance away from where they live - only to get to see it and realize that they do not know how to determine if what they are seeing is good or not so good. Another article on this site goes into some of what potential owners should be aware of. This is a link to that article.
This article is going to go into more detail about what every potential buyer should be prepared to do when they find a Roadtrek that they have come to the decision that this is the one they will buy. This does not only apply to Roadtreks - the same applies to any pre-owned RV one is looking to buy.
What you must know before buying that "I want that Roadtrek" is what true condition is it in. Some sellers will be right up front and let you know what works and what does not work - and needs repair. But some will not say anything as they feel that if they do - then you will not buy it or expect them to pay for the repair or deduct that from the selling price. If you have never owned any RV or have no experience with a Roadtrek - how will you determine on your own is it really in good condition? More than likely you won't know. The thing to do is bring in professionals of your choosing (and paying for) to do this for you. There are independent vehicle mechanics and independent RV service technicians who offer their expertise to be hired by a potential RV/Roadtrek buyer to completely inspect the Roadtrek. They will come up on a Google search in which you specify the location of the Roadtrek. I had thought that there were none where I am and when looking for an RV service tech to come to fix something on my Roadtrek I discovered that there were several in this area.
What you want each of them to do is focusing on each pro's area of expertise to inspect the Roadtrek completely inside and outside and provide you with a detailed report of what works and what does not work. What can be repaired and what must be replaced. Are there parts available to repair what needs to be repaired and are there units to replace what needs to be replaced.
Do not assume that they exist. The Chevy chassis Roadtrek was discontinued with the 2019 models - and when the original Roadtrek went out of business and went bankrupt it was purchased by a European company that took the name and the took over the factory. The first thing that they did was discontinue all support for the Chevy chassis Roadtreks. Parts specific to the Chevy chassis Roadtreks were sold off at a bankruptcy auction in 2020 and these two companies bought what was left and the RV dealer who got the parts has limited inventory - as when they are gone - they are gone. Since - some Chevy dealer/service centers have stated that they will not service or have parts for any Chevy vehicle over 10 years old. That does not mean that there are not alternative parts but it is better to know upfront before you invest in a pre-owned Roadtrek than find out after it is yours.
Let's get back to our two experts inspecting the Roadtrek we want to buy. If the parts and units needed ARE available - then you would like an estimate from the pros of what the parts, units, and labor would cost. You want them to go over everything - for the Roadtrek side - the entire water system, the entire electrical system, all of the appliances and fixtures inside and outside - water pump, sink, inside and outside showers, toilet, inverter/converter/charger, refrigerator, fresh and waste tanks, macerator or gravity dump system, hot water heater, A/C, generator, TV, home entertainment center, plumbing under the the van and inside the van, TV antenna, outside storage cabinets, no leaks inside in the ceiling and/or the walls, and more. On the chassis side - rust under the chassis, heat shields in place and not bent, muffler, signs of rubber pipes rotting (gas tank fill to gas tank - as well as rubber vacuum tubes in the engine compartment, dash A/C, all dash works, radio works, speakers work, etc, etc. The report will be extensive but you will know before even a dollar changes hands with the seller that it is in good condition and you could drive away with it as soon as it is yours and all will work as expected!
Then it is essential that you test drive the Roadtrek. If you are a couple buying it both need to test drive it. Is it comfortable to drive? How comfortable is the ride? I recall one senior aged woman who bought a Roadtrek sight unseen. It was a distance away from her and she sent a relative local to where it was located to look it over and he said it looked OK. She told him OK buy it, He bought it and drove it the several states to her. She got into it to drive and was so uncomfortable driving it she contacted me to ask how does she sell it because after driving it she did not want it!
I have heard from so many new owners of a pre-owned Roadtrek who did not get pros to inspect the pre-owned Roadtrek that they bought - some also sight unseen or having seen it had no idea what they were looking at and were not shown where things are inside and how to work them. They found out once the keys were in their hand - a lot did not work and wound up putting thousands of dollars into it just be able to take even a nearby trip in it. I can always tell when a new pre-owned owner is asking on a forum or one of the two Chevy Roadtrek Facebook groups that the water pump is not pumping water or there is no hot water - even after following our article her about the hot water tank - that they did not get the Roadtrek inspected and did not even tell the seller that they wanted to see EVERYTHING working and shown how each works.
If one were spending a few hundred bucks - I guess it would be no big loss, but buying a pre-owned Roadtrek for multiple thousands of dollars is a big deal and a big loss (at least for most of us)!
I leave you with this one last for this article piece of advice ---
WHEN YOU TELL THE OWNER THAT YOU MUST GET THE ROADTREK INSPECTED BY INDEPENDENT PROS BEFORE YOU CAN BUY IT - AND THE OWNER SAYS "NO!" ---
RUN!!!
As always - if you have a question email us at the link in the right column of this page where it says
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Please be specific in your question - the more details the better my response!
