I'm sure that there are nicer looking Roadtreks out there, but we didn't want one that was too pretty. While we didn't want a target for someone to steal or break into it, we also didn't want to be kicked out of the park for looking trashy. We wanted one that was a happy medium and that's what we found in Lucille. Her paint is a little faded, but she has a good heart and strong legs.
I have written a couple of times on some of the work that was needed to make Lucille travel-worthy and what we wanted to make ourselves comfortable in our new home.
http://seemedgoodatthetime.blogspot.com/2015/08/getting-ready-is-part-of-trip-too.html
http://seemedgoodatthetime.blogspot.com/2016/04/get-out-bottle-of-champane.html
It didn't end where the blog posts summarized, but what was done was done to keep her and us safe.
Let's start with the engine and drive train. With a 190,000 miles on her, she is still strong with lots of miles yet to go. I take good care of Lucille's 454ci motor with 5W30 synthetic oil every 5,000 miles and she consistently gets about 11-12mpg. She just had a new exhaust manifold gasket and new doughnut gaskets installed to keep her purring quiet. The air conditioning system was completely replaced a couple of years ago and has never let us get over-heated since. I make sure that all the fluids are regularly changed, including tranny fluid and rear-end gear oil. The brakes and regularly checked and adjusted--always have the rear brakes adjusted not just checked. The tires have about 20,000 miles on them.
The suspension and steering have had major overhauls and upgrades. The whole steering assembly, including the steering box have been replaced when we had new tires put on a few years ago at the tail end of our long trip around the United States. We have had heavy-duty front and rear sway bars and heavy-duty shocks added to add driving comfort and safety in windy areas and curvy roads.
The interior upholstery was completely redone just before we purchased it, so the seats, bed, and carpets are still very nice. We don't smoke and I don't think that anyone who has owned it has smoked in vehicle. We haven't had animals travel with us in Lucille. This vehicle only has two seats in the front for road travel. The spaces for the two rear seats have been replaced with closets to make long-term travel more comfortable. The traditional Roadtrek drain in the floor has been covered over with a sturdier plywood/carpet floor. Showers are still possible with a small, portable tub that is placed on the floor.
We have set up Lucille to operate off of the grid and the 160W solar panel on her roof is sufficient to keep the house battery charged, while being able to work all day on the computer. To assist in our being able to work while on the road, we installed a wifi booster and a cellular booster. The electrical system was upgraded to include a new battery charger/DC distribution system and an AC power surge protection system.
We are finding that our idea of travel is changing and it's time to let someone else enjoy Lucille's company and companionship. We are asking $17,500.
