Starting my search!

Looking to buy a B190 or related item? Post here!
Vermonter
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Starting my search!

Post by Vermonter »

Hello all!

I'm new here and looking for advice as well as any leads!

I'm hoping to buy a b190 to move into full time in late spring/summer. I wouldn't mind doing some work/updates to the interior, but I don't have any mechanical experience, so I'd want an engine in good shape, ideally with less than 100,000 miles I think. I live in Vermont, but I could travel for the right one.

I haven't bought a used vehicle before, so it would be helpful to know if there is anything (specific to the b190, or more general) that I should be checking for, or questions to ask the seller that I might not have thought of.

Thanks!
Lucy
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Choptop
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
WBCCI: 0
Location: Midwest

Re: Starting my search!

Post by Choptop »

Hello, bought mine a couple of months ago and hope to have some fun w/it this summer. If you have been lurking I am sure that you have looked at plenty of threads concerning the B. Of course any history of the maintenance of the B would be wonderful, I had records from the previous owner but beyond that nothing but here say. Leaks and the damage they cost is a big thing, not just from the elements but leaks in plumbing, not being properly winterized or from just being a small house going down the road. Tires sometimes look good but are old and not road worthy and trannies are a major expense. Keep reading and learning and you will do fine in hopefully finding your B.
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okaynagan
Weekend Camper
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Sep 05, 2017 6:56 pm
B190 Year: 1995
WBCCI: 0
Location: Arizona

Re: Starting my search!

Post by okaynagan »

Welcome Lucy.

It's frightening buying house on wheels, especially an antique one which airstream B190 are now. Being at the mercy of any mechanic who tells you the juju fell out of your beanstalk is a shaky feeling. If I tell you to check double check and triple check you'll still miss something. So I'll tell you expects some trouble and don't risk anything you cannot afford to lose.

We found our B190 a few months ago on Craigslist. It had all the issues we anticipated it would and then some. Overall we are still elated with our find.

Happy hunting! The game's afoot!
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Choptop
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
WBCCI: 0
Location: Midwest

Re: Starting my search!

Post by Choptop »

I am an impulsive buyer, bought the 1st one I looked at on Craigslist. Older couple, body was in good shape, told me everything worked, had receipts for recent alternator, tires and tranny. My gut feeling was that he was honest w/me. So far, so good, this summer will tell. I like older vehicles and although I always have done mu own auto work, that I felt comfortable doing, starting to get a little long in the tooth. lol At 28 years old, B, not me, anything can happen but will take care of that when it happens. It is paid for and that is a plus !!
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mountaindent
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 163
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:06 pm
B190 Year: 1992
WBCCI: 19000
Location: Black Mountain,NC

Re: Starting my search!

Post by mountaindent »

At this point, what I love(that is a strong word I know) about the B-190 is it is the most compact full living type camper I have researched with the most flexibility and versatility.
I am a get up and go when I feel like it type person and want to fit in small places both urban and natural settings. I enjoy the visibility this camper provides and forget that I am driving a camper(which is not always good). I think the separate "living room" area to the "bedroom living" area is essential to traveling with another person. Sometimes, one person wants to rest or sleep and another may want to stay up and read or watch tv(of installed). The maintenance of a common Ford Econoline engine is appealing since when I owned a Mercedes Sprinter at one time it was a pain in the ass to even get the oil changed unless you lived in a large city with the "certified technician" that owned the tool needed to do the oil change to keep the warranty in tact.

Look for no rust on the body or minimal, look at the interior and if it was maintained or in good shape(my original 25 year old curtains were in excellent shape and just had to wash them well), pull the Carfax and see the maintenance records and check for accurate mileage. Because the 5 digit odometer was on some trucks some people try to show you the "low mileage" and in fact it was 100,000 more than that! Good Luck!
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Choptop
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
WBCCI: 0
Location: Midwest

Re: Starting my search!

Post by Choptop »

All great points, I can't wait for the 1st summer w/mine !!
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190-b-651
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Posts: 333
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 4:35 pm
B190 Year: 0
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Re: Starting my search!

Post by 190-b-651 »

Hi Lucy
As others have said remember your buying a used vehicle/house that most likely has sat most of its life be prepared for something when you make your purchase.
We've had ours two years last month. After six or seven months searching I find my 190 in Colorado springs im in California
Everything checked out including exhaust manifolds cracked. We take a week to get home and see the grand canyon im happy!
Until the said repairs totaled up to about $2900 after tune up and complete service.
Next was transmission $2800 last year.
Last month was the generator which totaled to $3100 because of a few hours shop time trying to get my old one going.

Im not trying to discourage you just be prepared and im getting mine ready for my wife to retire in two years so some things im replacing to not cause problems later on.

Good luck on your search.

Sent from my SM-J727T1 using Tapatalk
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okaynagan
Weekend Camper
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Sep 05, 2017 6:56 pm
B190 Year: 1995
WBCCI: 0
Location: Arizona

Re: Starting my search!

Post by okaynagan »

Choptop wrote:I am an impulsive buyer, bought the 1st one I looked at on Craigslist. Older couple, body was in good shape, told me everything worked, had receipts for recent alternator, tires and tranny. My gut feeling was that he was honest w/me. So far, so good, this summer will tell. I like older vehicles and although I always have done mu own auto work, that I felt comfortable doing, starting to get a little long in the tooth. lol At 28 years old, B, not me, anything can happen but will take care of that when it happens. It is paid for and that is a plus !!

There are impulsive buyers. Listed the Okanagan on in the morning Saturday and it was sold buy noon. It took longer to write to up the ad on Craigslist then it took buyers to decide they wanted it. Here we thought we were the only ones who could "love" a thirty year van. Had to take the ad down to keep people from calling on it.
The buyers just wants an RV they had not hear of a b190. They got a great van and they know it somehow. We were not that certain when we purchased that van. It did make us B190 fans. The early bird get the worm, eh.
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Choptop
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
WBCCI: 0
Location: Midwest

Re: Starting my search!

Post by Choptop »

okaynagan wrote:
Choptop wrote:I am an impulsive buyer, bought the 1st one I looked at on Craigslist. Older couple, body was in good shape, told me everything worked, had receipts for recent alternator, tires and tranny. My gut feeling was that he was honest w/me. So far, so good, this summer will tell. I like older vehicles and although I always have done mu own auto work, that I felt comfortable doing, starting to get a little long in the tooth. lol At 28 years old, B, not me, anything can happen but will take care of that when it happens. It is paid for and that is a plus !!

There are impulsive buyers. Listed the Okanagan on in the morning Saturday and it was sold buy noon. It took longer to write to up the ad on Craigslist then it took buyers to decide they wanted it. Here we thought we were the only ones who could "love" a thirty year van. Had to take the ad down to keep people from calling on it.
The buyers just wants an RV they had not hear of a b190. They got a great van and they know it somehow. We were not that certain when we purchased that van. It did make us B190 fans. The early bird get the worm, eh.
I wish I had found my B years ago !!
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usachris
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2017 5:31 pm
B190 Year: 1999
Location: Costa Mesa, California @ St. John, Indiana

Re: Starting my search!

Post by usachris »

We bought ours the same day we first discovered what a B190 was! And once we got it home, I had two different people stop their cars in the middle of the street and asked me if I wanted to sell it. LOL. People seem to know a good thing when they see it. :D
Christopher Salazar
1999 B190 #301352
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190-b-651
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 333
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 4:35 pm
B190 Year: 0
WBCCI: 0

Re: Starting my search!

Post by 190-b-651 »

usachris wrote:We bought ours the same day we first discovered what a B190 was! And once we got it home, I had two different people stop their cars in the middle of the street and asked me if I wanted to sell it. LOL. People seem to know a good thing when they see it. :D
Impulse buy winner..ImageImage

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mountaindent
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 163
Joined: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:06 pm
B190 Year: 1992
WBCCI: 19000
Location: Black Mountain,NC

Re: Starting my search!

Post by mountaindent »

190-b-651 wrote:Hi Lucy
As others have said remember your buying a used vehicle/house that most likely has sat most of its life be prepared for something when you make your purchase.
We've had ours two years last month. After six or seven months searching I find my 190 in Colorado springs im in California
Everything checked out including exhaust manifolds cracked. We take a week to get home and see the grand canyon im happy!
Until the said repairs totaled up to about $2900 after tune up and complete service.
Next was transmission $2800 last year.
Last month was the generator which totaled to $3100 because of a few hours shop time trying to get my old one going.

Im not trying to discourage you just be prepared and im getting mine ready for my wife to retire in two years so some things im replacing to not cause problems later on.

Good luck on your search.

Sent from my SM-J727T1 using Tapatalk
This is a good and honest post....there are times one can be impulsive and it "work out" however, I knew that the B190 I bought might have some issues and it did. And, then there were all the other issues that needed to be fixed or repaired once that first page of repairs and improvements were done. I think anyone buying a B190 needs to go in with time to spend fixing it themselves or have the money and resources to find the right place to nurture the B190 back to a functional, comfortable version of itself. And, oh did I mention have a passion for resuscitation or after life experiences.
Vermonter
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B190 Year: 0
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Re: Starting my search!

Post by Vermonter »

Thanks everyone!

I did decide to be impulsive, and I'm going for the one in Utah that was posted on here a few weeks ago by QuinnC (and Choptop reposted)! It's a little more of a project than I was planning on, but I'm excited to jump right in!! :) I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time on here, as I figure things out!

New question:
I'd like to have it inspected out there before the final purchase, but I'm not sure how to find someone to inspect it. Should I look for an RV specific place or will any mechanic on Yelp do it? What about those pre purchase inspection services (car saints or lemon squad)?
I'm expecting there to be plenty of things to fix, I mostly want to know that there isn't too much rust or other major issues that would not be worth putting time and money into, and want to avoid too many expensive surprises if I can. I'm less concerned about the interior than the engine and body, but I'd like an independent person to at least check everything out.

Thanks!
Lucy
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Choptop
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2017 8:28 pm
B190 Year: 1990
WBCCI: 0
Location: Midwest

Re: Starting my search!

Post by Choptop »

Congratulations Lucy !! I see the sold sign on the Ebay listing. It will be a project, looks like the passenger side has the most damage, hard to see anything from the pic of the drivers side. Probably has some damage from water leakage, the upper front window will set you back a minimum of 600.00 but the upside is the tranny, tires, starter, heater and maybe something else is relatively new. I would like to think that if the previous owner took care of those things he probably had the suspension checked out,... You got it at a good price now the question is how much will it cost you to get it were you want it to be, both mechanically and cosmetically ? You will get plenty of help w/your questions, might just want to order up some extra checks. lol

Mine is a '90 and I am having soooo much fun spending money on making it mine and I've only scratched the surface !
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usachris
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2017 5:31 pm
B190 Year: 1999
Location: Costa Mesa, California @ St. John, Indiana

Re: Starting my search!

Post by usachris »

Hi Vermonter!

I’ve found you almost need two people to inspect a B190. A competent Ford Mechanic and an RV systems service person. As said in an earlier posting, you really are dealing with a used vehicle and a used house. You might get lucky and find a single person that can cover both components, but I would plan on having two sets of eyes go over your prospective purchase. I was lucky enough to find a top Ford mechanic right off the bat. But I had difficulty finding someone to handle the house side of things. While eventually I did find a trustworthy person, I found this website and it’s valuable members and resources helped me more times than I can count.
Christopher Salazar
1999 B190 #301352
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