We found Rocinante Piccolo

[Rocinante]

Just a quick note to let folks know we've found Rocinante Piccolo, and we close the deal on Friday. One of the most pleasant surprises about this is that it turns out we're staying in the Airstream family.

So here's the funny thing about shopping for a Class B. As you've probably noticed, supplies are short. We have a list of what we want in our class B and have been shopping with that as a guide. What we've discovered is exactly what folks have said we would find: every single model is a compromise in one direction or another. Not one of them checks all the boxes. Each one is missing a different box or two or three. It's never the same boxes, each model comes up short in different ways. So, it's a question of priorities for the features we wanted.

Like other obsessive researchers looking for a ridiculously expensive class B camper, we've watched hours and hours of videos, and fretted every detail. We've considered ordering from the factory but have been holding out to at least see an example of each model we're considering before we cave in and place an order, knowing all the while that in many cases the wait is roughly six months. So, while doing that, we keep hoping a unit will just show up, be exactly what we want, and we'll just buy it that same day. Who knows, lightning could strike, right?

Well, late last week we spotted a 2016 Airstream Interstate 3500 Lounge EXT on RV Trader via a private seller, less than an hour from us, with only 37K miles on it. On Friday, we saw it and negotiated a deal, and we will pick it up this coming Friday. Bam!

When we went to see this rig, we didn't really expect to buy it, or even get particularly excited. It was just necessary homework, due diligence. As a Sprinter 170 EXT, it's longer than the van we wanted to buy. It doesn't have lithium batteries. It has a conventional microwave instead of convection. It has an old-school propane/electric 6-gallon water heater.

But then we saw it. It's in pristine condition, inside and out. He's stored it in a garage. It has new tires. The pair of AGM batteries are only a year old, so they'll hold us until we can upgrade to lithium. Sure, the galley is small, but we can make it work, and hey look at that flip-up at the end of the counter. The propane generator started right up. Everything works. It drives like a joy and rides beautifully. It's silver on the outside, with cream upholstery on the inside, so the colors are close to perfect (white on the outside would be the only possible improvement). He has the complete service records! The cabinets are gorgeous. The upholstery is clean and unblemished. The power shades and rear power screen are very cool, did not expect to like those. The awning windows on the sides are great. The sliding door is manual, which is perfect. Oh, my, look at all that storage behind and under the rear lounge, and at that huge cabinet above the lounge! Hey, no firefly screen...but we decided that's actually a good thing because we remembered that Airstream's first foray into firefly and touch screens was fraught with, shall we say, customer service challenges.

We negotiated a little on price, and we have a deal which we will close on Friday when we meet to transfer the funds, sign the paperwork, and visit the nearby tax office to get tags so we can drive it home.

One thing: it had only 24 hours on the propane generator, so we asked him to start it up for us. It fired up on the second try and then ran great.

That said, we'll immediately schedule service for the generator to get an oil change, an end-to-end checkout, and ask about adding a resonator to quiet it down a bit more. We'll take Rocinante Piccolo in to MB or an authorized Sprinter tech for an oil change, fresh filters, diesel fluid analysis, and a multi-point check to ensure belts, hoses, etc. are all happy. We expect a clean bill of health, but it never hurts to be sure.

Other things we'll do later because we can afford to based on buying gently used vs. new: we'll add in the lithium / solar upgrade we want. We might upgrade the existing Kenwood radio head in the dash, as many folks here have told tales of woe about that. Maybe we'll replace the existing water heater with a Truma AquaGo Comfort, which we loved in our last RV. Even after all that, we'll still have spent far less money than buying new, and then we'd have a unit that checks every single box except for a convection microwave. The cost equation remains true even when we consider that this unit is out of warranty except for a few months left on the engine.

While the whole experience was a big and very pleasant surprise, we were right about at least one thing: buying gently used, especially from a private party, was the way to go. We've saved lots of money in comparison to a brand new Airstream (or any other brand new class B camper), which still wouldn't have had everything we wanted.

So, those of you in the hunt for a "new" class B, keep looking for that perfect model, stay sharp, and when a potentially great option suddenly falls into your lap, be ready to re-evaluate your priorities to see whether it will work for you.

[Lily&Me]

Sounds like it was meant to be.

Congratulations, and welcome to the ClassB ownership club.

May you have many happy miles.

Maggie

[85MH325]

Congrats! Sounds like you scored!

[Rocinante]

Thanks.

We're pleased to be joining the ClassB Club! When is the next virtual meeting?

Yes, we feel like we scored. We believe we were fortunate to find this seller and his camper van. It required a little over a month of study and close attention to a lot of websites, but here we are.

[85MH325]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Thanks.

We're pleased to be joining the ClassB Club! When is the next virtual meeting?

Yes, we feel like we scored. We believe we were fortunate to find this seller and his camper van. It required a little over a month of study and close attention to a lot of websites, but here we are.

And that's how you find 'em. Persistence, patience, and timing is everything. I wasn't even looking when I found my AI... but it was such a great deal I couldn't pass it up... even though it required a trip from Iowa to south of Atlanta GA.

And the meeting JUST finished... sorry.

[pcskier]

Congrats and welcome back! Hey when did you sell your Airstream? I was at Mountain Valley RV Resort in Heber City, UT a couple months ago and my phone was picking up a wifi network called "Rocinante." Wondered if you were there, or maybe you sold it with wifi hardware that still had the name programed in?

[Rocinante]

Hey, thanks. We sold our Airstream about month and a half ago. In the process, we reset the router to default values so they could program it for their own use. It's possible they re-used that wifi name when they set up again, since they were enamored with the "Rocinante" moniker and we encouraged them to keep using it if they wanted to. We let them keep the custom door panel with the name as well, as we knew it wouldn't fit in whatever van we bought. It's not like we have a copyright on the name, right?

[nryn]

Congrats! Looking forward to pictures!

[coasttocoast]

The Kenwood isn’t that bad, but there is a learning curve. In 2016 when I bought my Interstate, I kept the Kenwood because it had Garmin GPS. But let’s talk about the speakers, particularly the door speakers. Saying they suck would be a compliment. So I found the adult car stereo shop in Atlanta, Cartunes, and let them go to work. Being an audio guy, I was familiar with Focal, a French speaker manufacturer who also makes nice mobile speakers. I had Cartunes do the following:

Front speakers: Focal K2 Power ES 165 KX2

Amplifier under the passenger seat: JL Audio HD 600/4

Rear speakers: Alpine SPR-50

I left the sub in place with no changes. The system cranks, and I run the source from Pandora and my iPhone.

The hot water heater works well enough. The 2 AGM batteries aren’t good for much more than running lights. I run the fridge/freezer with a GZ 3000. I have four 100 watt panels on the roof. The van will take you places. Happy trails. @coasttocoastphotoatl

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by coasttocoast

The Kenwood isn’t that bad, but there is a learning curve. In 2016 when I bought my Interstate, I kept the Kenwood because it had Garmin GPS. But let’s talk about the speakers, particularly the door speakers. Saying they suck would be a compliment. So I found the adult car stereo shop in Atlanta, Cartunes, and let them go to work. Being an audio guy, I was familiar with Focal, a French speaker manufacturer who also makes nice mobile speakers. I had Cartunes do the following:

Front speakers: Focal K2 Power ES 165 KX2

Amplifier under the passenger seat: JL Audio HD 600/4

Rear speakers: Alpine SPR-50

I left the sub in place with no changes. The system cranks, and I run the source from Pandora and my iPhone.

The hot water heater works well enough. The 2 AGM batteries aren’t good for much more than running lights. I run the fridge/freezer with a GZ 3000. I have four 100 watt panels on the roof. The van will take you places. Happy trails. @coasttocoastphotoatl

Hey, thanks so much for the informative summary, much appreciated. Yeah, given our experience in our Airstream trailer, Rocinante, we knew the pair group 24 batteries would mostly be a bad joke. The built-in generator is the only saving grace, though that's one noisy beast.

I will definitely take your speaker / amplifier upgrade into consideration. During our test drive I couldn't really even hear it, though I have to admit I didn't try to crank it. I see that they put the amp under the passenger seat. I will take a look at that, though I'll want to be sure that placement doesn't interfere with seat rotation.

Thanks again. [emoji4]

[coasttocoast]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Hey, thanks so much for the informative summary, much appreciated. Yeah, given our experience in our Airstream trailer, Rocinante, we knew the pair group 24 batteries would mostly be a bad joke. The built-in generator is the only saving grace, though that's one noisy beast.

I will definitely take your speaker / amplifier upgrade into consideration. During our test drive I couldn't really even hear it, though I have to admit I didn't try to crank it. I see that they put the amp under the passenger seat. I will take a look at that, though I'll want to be sure that placement doesn't interfere with seat rotation.

Thanks again. [emoji4]

I don't have any seat rotation issues. See the attached pics for how they mounted the amp and crossover.

[Rocinante]

Very nice, thanks for the photos. Now I can show them a picture.

[PKI]

RP - congratulations on the find. Should make for a very nice coach. Any chance it is 23ft long? Checking all the boxes for a price that makes you happy is a wonderful compromise.

Hope to see you down the road someday, with smiles on your faces. Pat

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by PKI

RP - congratulations on the find. Should make for a very nice coach. Any chance it is 23ft long? Checking all the boxes for a price that makes you happy is a wonderful compromise.

Hope to see you down the road someday, with smiles on your faces. Pat

Thanks, Pat! She's a long one, at just over 24 feet. The 170 EXT chassis is the longest Sprinter. We were targeting something no longer than 23 feet, but here we are, haha.

We're going to experiment to see whether we can get bicycles inside the van, behind the rear lounge. If anyone has successfully done that, we'd love to know how they did it, because we would love to avoid adding a bike rack on the back. Did they remove front wheels and stack the bikes in there front to back? Did they go with folding bikes? Did they give up and add a rack on the back? Inquiring minds want to know.

[SpikePoet]

Ah! Congratulations for staying the course in your search. That's a great start for your new adventure. I especially appreciate the literary reference. Steinbeck should be required reading for all AS owners!


"I plan to live forever. So far, so good!"

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by SpikePoet

Ah! Congratulations for staying the course in your search. That's a great start for your new adventure. I especially appreciate the literary reference. Steinbeck should be required reading for all AS owners!


"I plan to live forever. So far, so good!"

Thanks! Hey, that reminds me of that story where the city guy asks the country guy, "Have you lived here your whole life?" The country guy says, "Not yet."

[SpikePoet]

Indeed! For my part, I must give attribution to comedian Steven Wright. I'm not that witty. Safe travels!

[TayaraTravel]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

...We're going to experiment to see whether we can get bicycles inside the van, behind the rear lounge. If anyone has successfully done that, we'd love to know how they did it, because we would love to avoid adding a bike rack on the back. ...

Here is our solution. Brompton folding bikes. Fit just behind drivers seat. 2017 EXT GT

[Rocinante]

Those bikes make impressively small packages!

[rowiebowie]

Congratulations on your find! The shopping and research paid off.

If you're thinking of going to lithium soon, I would suggest you postpone the solar until you see if it is needed. You'll get so much charging from your alternator driving or from the generator (lithiums charge quicker) that you may not feel the need for the investment in solar.

The resonator on the generator exhaust is a worthy addition. My perception is that it makes only a slight reduction in noise, but a nice change in the exhaust note to a lower and more pleasing note.

I know in time you will make it your own.