Thinking of buying a Winnebago Revel van. Talk me out of it?

[silentwinter]

Hey folks, finally thinking of picking up a van after many years of back and forth.

The one I'm landing on is the Winnebago Revel. I've been looking for something to live and work full time in, and being able to have a proper office space under the bed area and then converting the bedroom back to a bedroom without any hassle felt essential. Also nice is actually having a dedicated bathroom. Finally, I do want something I can take to trailheads and camp in more remote places. So, Revel checks all the boxes.

I do have some concerns though.

Security. Trailhead breakins happen. My car even got broken into outside of my climbing gym in Seattle. I'm guessing I'll want to get a safe for my computer etc that's securely attached inside the van. But, what else?

I hear dirt gets into this specific van very easily. As in, you drive on a rough road, and everything inside gets coated. That sounds terrible. This just doesn't happen with my car + roof tent setup that I have. I camp/hike a lot, but manage to keep my gear incredibly clean. I can likely be diagnosed with OCD. Is this fixable? The sealing, not my OCD. Even that aside, I don't want to spend extra time cleaning.

The potential of things breaking and me having to give the whole van over to a mechanic. I've strongly considered truck + airstream trailer instead for this reason. I hate the idea of someone working on the car, getting grease on their hands, and then driving it or poking around inside my home without washing their hands. It shocks me that people do this, but they do...Did I mention OCD+cleanliness?
I do like the idea of van more though. Can be a bit more stealthy. Can park anywhere or get anywhere a subaru outback can, pretty much.

Finally is the question of buying new vs used. As you might guess by now, I like cleanliness and hate hassle, so new would be nice. However, I see that new ones sell for 165-ish, whereas used with 2 years and 30k miles from private seller might be around 130. That's a big drop. Wonder if it's worth it to suck it up and buy used.

(I fear I'm going to get some heat for being OCD about cleanliness and van life being not for me as a result. It's trauma related though, and it's never stopped me from backpacking or overlanding. I just have to be more careful and methodical than most people.)

 

[iggi]

It's 20 feet long and 10 feet high. I don't think that qualifies as stealthy. Perhaps more convenient than a truck and trailer but based on driving my own similar sized rig around, the only thing stealthy is that it kinda blends in with the mass of other camper vans also pretending to be stealthy.

There's been lots of past discussion on dust sealing, pressurizing interiors and other stuff in efforts to try and keep the dust out. Therapy might be cheaper and easier. (kinda joking).

As for being OCD. Just do what you need to make you happy. It's not your critics that are footing the bill for your gear.

 

[jmmaxus]

Very nice rig but expensive. To save money you could buy a new van for around $75k and diy route upfitting it with upfitter packages. Another consideration is a truck and truck camper. You could buy a brand new HD truck for around $75k as well and buy a really nice camper my preference would be a molded fiberglass like a Bigfoot, northern lite, or hallmark popup for around $40k. A flat bed truck and camper would be really cool as well but would cost more but still be a lot less than a Revel. The truck would be more capable off-road but less stealthy, also since the truck and camper are separate maintenance on one or even selling one of them are not dependent or effect the other.


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[jkam]

When your RV is your home, not just for weekend use, you realize trying to take it places that can be hard on it, just isn't worth it.
I have a small class C, built on a Ford E350 chassis. I'm not willing to take it down bad road just to get another mile or so away from people. Someone will be along any time and ruin your serenity.
So I spend more time looking for places that aren't popular, but have good access for my RV.
What I'd like is more ground clearance to make some of the roads easier to navigate.
Nice thing about the class C RV's is they all have real bathrooms, and a lot more capacity and storage space than any of the Sprinter vans.
Are much cheaper to buy and maintain allowing me more money for Tequila.
I'm into my 15th. year full timing and boondocking, so I have it down pretty good now.

 

[Buddha.]

I’ve seen some of these class b’s where they mount the lithium batteries under the floor, open to the cold air(where they won’t charge). I’ve also seen some with no heating source.
Hopefully the Winnebago is made better.

 

[carleton]

The advantages of a diesel Sprinter are few: mostly better fuel economy.

However the cons are huge:
Expensive repairs at a Mercedes dealership (if it exists).
DEF
Harder to start at cold temps.

So, Revel or not, most (?) are based on the diesel platform...which had huge considerations.

 

[Photomike]

One thing for security in a van or any camper. When you are away close the drapes and cover the front window. Many times opportunity thefts are a quick drive up smash and grab. With campers and closed drapes nobody knows what or who is inside. A good locked cupboard would be a second security measure.

If buying used get it inspected by someone that knows RV's. Can save a lot of issues.

 

[camodog]

Fwiw a 2020 just sold on BaT for $140k

I like the Revels. Maybe I’ll get one in the near future. Watching this thread to see if any ExPos have real life insight on owning one. I don’t have FB or IG so hopefully someone will chime in

 

[FordGuy1]

Spend the money and cry once. They are built really nice, nothing worse than a crappy built rig..

 

[REF]

Personally, I’d recommend you take a look at upfitters that build off the Ford Transit platform over a Sprinter. Nothing against diesels, or really Sprinters for that matter, I’m a long time owner of a 7.3L diesel E350 4X4 converted rig, I just rarely recommend diesel vehicles to someone that isn’t used to them or mechanically inclined, even new ones, they can be finicky and take a certain level of care and maintenance.
The Transit ecoboost engine provides great power and is gas, not diesel, has readily available parts, easier to find a mechanic or dealer and cheaper to work on.
I also recommend people check out local shops to work with, that way you’ll have the option to customize and if there’s any issues or things that you want changed down the road, it’s not too far away, plus you’re supporting the local economy and a local small business vs giving your hard earned $ to a corporate conglomerate.
I see in your profile that you’re in WA. There’s several van upfitter companies in WA, I’d go check them out and see if there’s one that fits your budget and needs. Oh, and go drive a Transit and a Sprinter to see how you like them. Both are available with factory 4X4 and both have a good amount of aftermarket options available.
Some options local to you. You’ll have to check if they build on both Sprinter and Transit platforms.

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-Rick


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[Christian P.]

The Sprinter is too small to live and most importantly work full time. The table is the size of baby high chair table.

Security issue you are going to have with any vehicle.

Check out the Winnebago Ekko, or the truck + Airstream (or any trailer) may be a better option.

 

[Montucky]

I had a Winnebago Revel for 3 years and 45k miles. I now have a Storyteller Overland that I've had for almost 3 years and 35K miles. I spent over 4 months just last year living and traveling in the Storyteller while mountain biking and flying. Personally I prefer the Storyteller for build quality (quiet) and the amazing USA made 12.4kWh 58V Volta battery system. I don't even think about power consumption and run my rear roof AC whenever I want it for hours on end.

The Revel rattled like crazy inside but I miss the bathroom and that sweet, sweet 5 gal euro cassette toilet. Poorly adjusted rear doors (even on a brand new van) can let dust in. Once adjusted properly they let in very little dust. I'm with you and a clean freak in my van just the same as I am at home. Check out Canyon Adventure Vans for a rear work and storage setup. I had one in my last van and have one in my current van.

Whatever you do make sure you have the suspension upgraded for the van and its weight at each axle. I have used Van Compass for both vans as I feel they're the best but many people like Agile Off-Road for suspension as well. Those are really your two options. Whatever you choose please upgrade that suspension for your van weight! These heavy 2500 vans with stock suspension are dangerous.

I've had everything from a pop-up Honda Element to truck campers to truck and trailers and I like the vans best. I buy new and then kit it out exactly how I like it (larger fuel tank, lighting, suspension, rear boxes, etc).

I say pull that trigger...life is short.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Some fantastic advice in this thread so far. I have a few suggestions for you, Silentwinter, put in-line below; I do not have direct experience with this model RV but I have been fulltime in an RV for 5 months now.

Security. Trailhead breakins happen. My car even got broken into outside of my climbing gym in Seattle. I'm guessing I'll want to get a safe for my computer etc that's securely attached inside the van. But, what else?

This will be a risk no matter what rig you buy, but some of the YouTube vanlife folks have security systems on their vans and more robust locks. Eamon & Bec were sponsored by a full "Brinks" style security system that works in mobile applications and provides window alarms, I think maybe active monitoring, and that kind of thing. I've seen other examples of heavy duty locks and such that might be worth looking at. However, as the old saying goes - 'locks keep honest people out'. A committed thief will be able to break in, so a safe is a good idea for any valuables; even a monitored system isn't much use if you are too far off the grid for any kind of response, but there is something to be said about "Target hardening" -- make your van look more secure than the next one so the thieves pick a different target.

I hear dirt gets into this specific van very easily. As in, you drive on a rough road, and everything inside gets coated. That sounds terrible. This just doesn't happen with my car + roof tent setup that I have. I camp/hike a lot, but manage to keep my gear incredibly clean. I can likely be diagnosed with OCD. Is this fixable? The sealing, not my OCD. Even that aside, I don't want to spend extra time cleaning.

This is a surprise; Winnebago has been making RVs for a long time and you'd think they'd have the dustproofness looked after. You may want to investigate that more to see if it's really a problem, or or like @Montucky suggested if it's perhaps a flaw with the van itself being out of adjustment from the OEM because if that's the case, it won't just be a Winnebago issue; it's also possible these complaints are user-error. For example, in my trailer there's a range hood over the stove venting through the wall which is covered by a plastic flap. We NEVER remember to close the plastic flap before leaving (We haven't actually moved the trailer much, so its easy to forget) so that's a way for dust and water to get in, but when it's closed over, this isn't a problem.

If it's not a user-error problem then there are only two solutions to dust ingress: Seal the vehicle, or use a positive pressure system. Sealing on a brand new vehicle should be good enough and it will be practically impossible for you to find all the nooks and crannies you need to find in order to put the dab of silicone or other sealant on there unless it's an easy adjustment like weather stripping. That leaves you with positive pressure -- you need to have the air pressure inside the vehicle to be slightly higher than the air pressure outside the vehicle when in motion. It may be that the Winnebego already has a system like this in place, so check with a dealer on that, but this is not the kind of system you should have to DIY on a brand new RV ever.

The potential of things breaking and me having to give the whole van over to a mechanic. I've strongly considered truck + airstream trailer instead for this reason. I hate the idea of someone working on the car, getting grease on their hands, and then driving it or poking around inside my home without washing their hands. It shocks me that people do this, but they do...Did I mention OCD+cleanliness?

If I picked up my vehicle from a dealership/mechanic and the interior was dirty from that mechanic, I'd be asking the shop to cover the costs of cleaning. You are right, people do this, but it's either an accident the shop will gladly make right, or it's something they'll be known for -- "dirty work" -- and you can hopefully avoid them by vetting them online, through google reviews, etc. The problem you describe won't be eliminated by going to a truck and trailer (if your trailer needs maintenance, it might come back dirty just like a van), so I'd suggest go with the platform that best matches your needs day to day, and not the one that will marginally reduce a risk of dirt once or twice a year when others need to be in the rig. Towing a trailer is a very different experience than driving a van, and you'll be driving it more than you'll be fixing it ideally, so I'd suggest to frame this decision based on what works best for you.

I do like the idea of van more though. Can be a bit more stealthy. Can park anywhere or get anywhere a subaru outback can, pretty much.

Finally is the question of buying new vs used. As you might guess by now, I like cleanliness and hate hassle, so new would be nice. However, I see that new ones sell for 165-ish, whereas used with 2 years and 30k miles from private seller might be around 130. That's a big drop. Wonder if it's worth it to suck it up and buy used.

A gently used RV is probably a good idea - you can always get it detailed to make it "as new", and it will cost a lot less than the $30k price drop you described. Heck, for that kind of money you could almost gut the interior of the van, steam clean it to bare metal, and rebuild it -- and probably still have a few bucks left over if you did it yourself! And you are right - the van is a bit more stealthy than the truck and trailer, but for ultimate stealth you might want to consider a branded Transit or Sprinter that you self-convert and throw some logos of a fake flower shop on the side. In that you can park in any city or town in North America for a night or three and odds are you won't get a funny look. This depends on your priority -- if your priority is stealth, I would say "go for a self conversion". If your priority is something like warranty coverage, then new might be worthwhile (though my personal experience is that warranty coverage for RVs when something goes wrong is harder than pulling teeth from a chicken; because of that I will never buy a new RV again without incredibly good financial incentives). If your priority is a low total cost of ownership, a gently used vehicle is a good bet as you'll be starting with a much lower investment up front. You can fix a LOT for $30k.

(I fear I'm going to get some heat for being OCD about cleanliness and van life being not for me as a result. It's trauma related though, and it's never stopped me from backpacking or overlanding. I just have to be more careful and methodical than most people.)

I honestly don't think you will. OCD is often an invisible and crippling disability, and I admire your strength for acknowledging it but not letting it stop you from doing the things you love. The beauty of Overlanding is two fold -- the travel to remote places and seeing the world is of course part of it, but it's also about building the vehicles to meet our needs while they do that, whatever those needs are - including OCD needs! -- and both parts are a fun and rewarding part of the hobby. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't have an absolute blast on both aspects of this hobby, regardless of you vehicle choice, disability status, or other factors.

Hope the above was helpful for you in making your decision.

 

[Todd780]

Don't buy a Winnebago Revel.

 

[camodog]

What is the best price anyone has found on the 2023 Revel?
I saw an ad in Bozeman MT for $162k

is that the lowest dealers are going?