What about Mr.Escalade? Not to worry, we're keeping him. If we were to trade in, we'd take a loss. Not like we want to trade him in either, no way. We figured it would make more sense to get a used Class A in excellent condition and keep the 5th wheel....it's cheaper than getting a new truck for the fiver when the lease runs out this June. That and we are itching for a Class A for more reasons than I care to list on here! I'm sure any one with an A would know about this!
And so, the search has been going on for months....the discussion, the debates, the frustration on what route to take, but it's falling into place. We're currently scouting out some land (not quite sure where yet however, ugh) to park the Escalade on....build a deck around it and use it as a home base. Then in the future we have the option to get a used truck or whatnot to pull it.
Back to the search, we've looked at every RV known to man. From new to used, to literally falling apart. Just trying to gage the differences, the prices of 'fixing them up' and things like that. Well today we found 'the one'. The only floor plan we truly loved. We had recently looked at one of these 'rare' floorplans in person, but the unit itself was pretty run down. Listed for $15,000, thought maybe it would be worth the fix up cost at $5000 less but the seller would never have gone for it. Glad we waited for a while, because today I ran across our guy online....in Michigan. For the first time BOTH Bryan and I went: THAT'S IT! Good sign!
Of course buying sight unseen is risky (we're still having someone take a look at it, with the slight possibility of Bryan flying up for a few hours to see it and back down again), but with the price it's worth it to us. We know we'll be spending quite a bit more fixing it up and taking care of the 'unforeseen problems'. It's listed in EXCELLENT condition, and super clean interior. Enough for me! The only problem is we don't want to put the full amount down....especially with todays, er, 'problems'. What if the dealership went bankrupt?! Very bad. Well we've worked out a plan to get us around it, and have some back ups....we'll see how it goes. Also, we'll have someone to check it out before the full amount is paid, so that's good enough for me!
Enough of the boring stuff, here it is. Putting a deposit down on it soon after we get some terms and conditions out of the way. My mother is freaking out about buying sight unseen, which is understandable. She also manged to get some people all riled up on the RV forum about how stupid a decision it is. But you know, we're kind of a different, er, 'type'. And young enough to bounce back....and pretty damn resourceful if I say so myself;-) Starting off on an RV at a young age was a risk itself, and one we never look back on. All those folks, they've lived and learned through their mistakes over the years. We've only just begun;-)
That being said, hopefully we can write a post in the future that doesn't warrant any 'I told ya so's! I have a feeling we're going to be A-OK.
Meet, Mr. Intruder! Muhahahaha! We may be meeting him in January!
5 comments:
Congratulations, guys! Glad you found your Class A. Hope you get the logistics figured out!
I bought a 2000 Dolphin from Atkins in 2006, and traveled from Oklahoma to pick it up. It was just what he said it would be. Have never had a problem with it. Very reptuable in my opinion.
What no slides!! Do not buy it. Check out Class A's with slides and better resale value. 1997 is way too old, try to find at least a 2003 or better.
Congrats guys! Heck I envied your rig already, even your current 5th wheel looks like it beats the hell out of my 26 foot 1997 travel-trailer (Oyster Can) even though its just me in it. The pics look nice. I have no problem with the whole purchasing of a bit older rig when there is a big money difference (I avoid debt like the plague, maybe too much sometimes), but I can fix tons of things and am great with RV repair, electrics and even a good handful of engine stuff. The mileage on the rig would really matter to me, as well as engine size/power and upkeep. With the class A you can tow a boat (that would really rock to me, and frankly it’s the only reason I’d want a class A), as a scooter is a great toad for me and they fit anywhere (even in the bed of my old truck or in the door of my Oyster Can). Anyway, best of luck with your purchase, and I hope your new rig rocks for ya.
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have fun,
Dale
I love the big windows, that is great and rare these days. I bet they make it feel a lot bigger inside. If you are like me, you would rather not have the slides. One more thing to maintain and go wrong. They often take up basement space, and cut down on your carry capacity. You are outside a lot of the time anyway, either sightseeing or visiting around a campfire. Happy Trails, Penny, TX
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