Florida Coalcracker Chronicles: We Bought Another Camper - This Time it is a 2011 Chevy Roadtrek

Thursday, February 13, 2025

We Bought Another Camper - This Time it is a 2011 Chevy Roadtrek

February 13, 2025

This is our new to us - 2011 Chevy Roadtrek

Four years ago we bought a Tesla car. We decided at that time to sell our camper because we thought we would just use the electric car and stay in hotels. But we missed our camper - and decided to do it one more time.

We were visiting our friend Joan near Saint Augustine in January. While at her house - I was searching Facebook for campers in the area. This very nice camper showed up right in town. Lulu and Joan were busy shopping so I drove out to see the camper. It was owned by a couple just a little order than us. They had it 7 years - and bought it from another older couple that lived in Celebration FL - you know the Disney town. They owned it 7 years too. I am hoping we have 7 years with it.

It is a 2011 Chevrolet Roadtrek. We have had 10 campers and 2 buses. We had Roadtreks two times before - both times we were very happy with the quality and price. This one has just 53,000 miles on it in 14 years. I purchased a CarFax report on the unit - and it showed that it was well taken care of - no wrecks - no troubles. The camper spent its whole life in Florida - and was kept under cover. There is no rust on it anywhere.

The camper has everything - an electric sofa that converts into a king size bed. It has a full size kitchen and bathroom. There are granite counters and real cherry cabinets. I will just list the features - TV - refrigerator - microwave - coffee maker - sink - gas stove - hot water - shower - toilet - AC - heat pump - furnace - closet - radio - GPS - rear view camera. It has a Chevy 293 V8 with 285 HP. It is a 6 speed automatic transmission. It has brand new tires and new batteries. It has plain brown curtains and upholstery. All windows are tinted.

They had it advertised for a nice price - $45000 - below NADA Book Value - $48000. We negotiated in good faith to an even better price. I took it for a drive and took pictures to show Lulu. We drove home to Tallahassee without the camper. A few days later - I got a rental car - and drove back to Saint Augustine to buy the camper. Tax - tag - title were $2500. Full insurance with low deductible is $912 a year.

We met at Wells Fargo Bank. The bank gave the seller a check for the full amount. I put my license plate on it and drove it home. For the last month I have been in the driveway primping my ride - not pimping my ride. I lost 11 pounds because I was so busy enjoying cleaning it up. I installed new headlights - new front bushings for the sway bar - I replaced the TV with a Smart TV we already had - I installed a new radio head unit and a new rear video camera.

The camper is supposed to get 18 miles per gallon. It is 20 feet long - 7 feet wide - 8.5 feet high. It seats 7 people in seating configuration. It sleeps 3 people on a king size bed. If you want to know what I paid - ask me privately. That is because if I want to sell it - no one wants to pay more than the seller paid.

Lulu trusted me on this one. She did not see the camper until I drove is up our driveway. She has driven it and approved this message. Now that this holds 7 people - maybe she will let me sell the Honda van.