It's Tick Season

I am running a little late today blogging. The day was so busy that until about an hour ago I had no plans of blogging today but I thought, why not it's a nice 84° tonight so I grabbed the camera and put these together. Then while I was looking in my photo library for a certain photo, I got lost in the folder I call "My Pics" and looked at too many. It is hard to stay out of the past sometimes when photos are involved. I posted a few of them at the bottom of this post.

I Need Some Help From the Expert Readers

Thanks for all the comments, they were helpful and very very informative. This is the information I was looking for. Some of them confirmed my thoughts and others were new things to consider.

The skies cleared this afternoon and there was going to be some good weather before it starts raining again on Friday. So after checking the weather radar, I texted the seller asking if I could come back over and take a closer look at the rig since the skies were bright an sunny. I was there within an hour.

I was able to crawl under the rig with my small bright flashlight and check the transmission, back side of wheels, checked for any kind so leaks, etc. The seller showed up from his job about the same time I did. I was able to open both panels in front and spend more time looking at the front part of the engine, hoses, radiator and fluids.

I was also able to go back inside and take a closer look. I also asked him to explain to me where the tanks were, how to winterize if needed. I rechecked places I had checked before for any kind of signs of water stains.

I also asked some repeat questions and received different answers from Tuesday but a more clearer picture about the history of the rig.

What I need to know is, should it be a deal breaker that this rig has been parked and unused for 4 years, no trips, no short trips, not driven anywhere, not even to put gas in the tanks...or from new things I found in today's inspection??

What I found with my 2nd inspection that was more in depth due to the clear weather is as follows:

1.  He used the floor jack that was sitting in front of the rig to raise the rig and change the front tires himself. Both were new Bridgestones.

2.  He said he also changed the 6 rear tires with Michelins where the tread was ok but not new like the front tires. I noticed the side walls showed cracking as in old but couldn't find the 4 digits to tell me how old the tires were. There was enough sidewall cracking that I would install new tires before heading on a 8 month journey.

3.  I asked him like I did Tuesday if he had the rig serviced at the local RV dealer/service. Today he said he never did, that he did all the servicing himself, Tuesday he said they had done some. When I called them on Wednesday to check, they knew him by name but had never worked on his RV.

4. The bottom black color all the way around was stained or delaminated with white stains but had never been driven in the winter on salty roads. I opened every bay, one thing I could not do during the rain storms. EVERY bin door on the back side was rotten. He suggested ways of repairing it, like drilling out the rivets and inserting new 3/4" wood. Still literally every bin door was water damaged on the inside. Each bin had looked like it had not been used in a long time, evidenced by dirt and a lot mice droppings and nests.

5. The generator looked clean, oil level was good and had a new filter but had only a few hours over 100. He said "I think it runs or it should run once there is enough gas in the tank but I ever used it. I always hooked up to campground power when I used it" Later I can explained but he used it the first 6 years of owning it for 10.

6.  The large bin included the water hoses, power cord, a bag of something, a small grill. I would replace everything I saw with new units.

7.  The awning and rails looked fairly new but he said they were changed out before he bought it from his dad.

8.  After going inside he lifted one of the beds to show me the valves of the water system and how to winterize. That area and plumbing looked good as new. I checked again under all the windows to check for water stains, there were none.

9. Lifted the stove unit below the burners and found evidence of a lot of mice traffic.

Things I found today that I didn't see Tuesday did make me feel less confident in my previous decision. The interior was nice but wasn't as impressive as I has seen with the lights on. All the plumbing under the sinks look in good shape with no signs of water damage.

So I am asking the readers with experience, is what I found today enough to change my decision. Are there future problems lurking with the rig sitting for 4 years and never used. From the title he showed me, it is a 1987, he bought it in 2004 so he has owned it 10 years and used it the first 6 years of ownership.

The ground was too saturated today to back it out for a test drive. He also mentioned Sunday as a pickup day not Saturday as originally planned.

Thanks for your help. I will be by the computer most of the night to answer any questions by email or reply to comments.

Thanks

Two Months of Changes and Ideas

It's another cold rainy day here in the tropics of Southern Indiana. It looks like another session of rain is about 2 hours west of me. So with nothing else to do, I've been looking through notes, old emails, forums, answering emails and making blog comment replies. Remember it's the rain that is holding up the test drive for the rig I left a deposit on. He has it parked on a concrete slab under a portable garage but needs to back it out onto a grassy wet area before we can turn right and take it down the driveway to the country roads. He offered to drive the 4 miles of curvy, narrow, hilly country road until we got to the highway and I will probably take his offer.

Anyway I was flipping through my notes and it was only 10 or 11 short days ago I was all set on full-timing in a truck camper. I had even contacted a couple of people, both were out west. After a discussion with a full-timer about all of the different options, he brought up some very valid points on different options that needed to be thought about if full-timing was ever in my plans. When I did that self analyzing I was able to sort between "want" and "needs". After that it was pretty obvious that the truck camper was not going to work.

I'll go through each option to explain why I did or did not choose that particular rig. Still as usual a two month period brings a lot of changes in my thought process.

Truck Camper
Those crazy boondocking pictures do it. They make you think you can do things that are not possible with a fairly large bloodhound and two short legged bassets, none of the three are great "problem solvers" but their intentions are good. I have the truck where I could slide on a camper and have all I would need if it were just me. A PahaQua 8x10 tent would also be used for a little added outdoor shelter. You could go anywhere and camp where few others could go ... that's the magnetic pull I felt. I realized not only I, but the hounds needed somewhere to stretch out, to be able to move around on those days where the rain is pouring or the wind is howling, even if an unexpected snowfall shows up.

So, even it if was very very tempting and the two campers I was looking at were fantastic I had to pass. Not enough room and when I thought about it, in the three years of reading blogs I had never heard of anyone full-timing in a truck camper.

Fiberglass Trailers
Almost bought a Casita locally last year, and also a Lil Snoozy last September but realized tanks sizes would never work for boondocking. While spending hours inside the Casita talking to the seller it seemed too small for two adults let alone 3 dogs. I would have gone insane eventually, I think. Plus at the time a follower that was living in a Casita with numerous dogs and cats sent me an email in capital letters shouting DON'T BUY A CASITA. That made the decision pretty easy. Another case of "want" verses "need".

Trailers 18'-24'
Just last week I was choosing between two trailers, the Nash 18L and the Starcraft Launch 17FB. Both had similar floorplans, both has similar options but the Starcraft fresh water, gray and black tanks were just too small to boondock for any length of time. The plumbing part of camping is rarely talked about on blogs but if it isn't going into the black tank ... where else is it going?

One thing said recently by someone with experience turned my thinking process in a different direction. What happens when you either pull over to rest or to set up camp, it's bad weather and your home is sitting outside your truck five to ten feet away from you? You are either staying in the truck until the bad weather dies down or you are sprinting (hopefully not in the dark) from the truck to the trailer. Well I know for a fact my 3 hounds are going to say 'no...but hell no'....not doing it. The bloodhound wouldn't care about the weather but the bassets get no further than under the house overhang in bad weather when they have to go out, then a quick sprint back inside the house.  So I could see myself in the trailer and the hounds in the backseat of the truck, pouring rain ... not a good option.

Also, the hitching and unhitching every time you want to head for a new camp. Would that get old? Probably doesn't take a lot of time once you get use to it. I've been told by trailer full-timers it does get old. I will see if that makes a difference towing a toad.

In the past I also asked a few close friends that are on the road "If money was no option, what would you buy". In every case it was a self-contained rig where everything from driving to living was all in one spot. That led me to a Class C last September.

Class C
The Class C Coachmen I bought last fall was in great shape, had a nice new TempurPedic Mattress, new Bilstein Shocks, new Fantastic fan and a new larger backup camera. I thought that was the perfect vehicle. It was 26' long, 22' from the back of the front seats to the back wall, both microwave/convection oven looked like they had never been used ... every thing was good. That is until I went to register it and found out it was not a 2004 as advertised but a 2003. What was a good deal sales price was turned into a I paid too much for a 2003. I did ask when I was inspecting and saw the 2003 label inside the cabinet, but the seller said that was the year of the frame. I knew from reading it was possible to have a frame a year older than the rig. So I believed him. I did match the VIN on the registration to the VIN by the front window but at the time didn't know the 10th digit would tell me the frame age.

So the rig and I were kind of off to a bad start vibe wise. I wasn't happy about the mistake. I had paid more than what I should have. The following weekend when I decided to do a full in depth inspection crawling on my back looking at every inch of the rig underneath, is where I found oil lines dripping. You can read about the repair on the right side of this blog, as it is one of my blogs most popular posts. So that was strike two.

The longer I would sit in the rig with the hounds during the winter while it was winterized, the smaller the living area looked. Sadie the bloodhound claimed the couch the first day, Heidi the younger basset liked under the dining table next to my feet and Winston the older basset liked between the front seats or in the passenger seat. That Coachmen probably would have worked, it drove great, had 81,000 miles  but very few of those miles were the past 5 years. After the flat tire while sitting for the winter, I began to have my doubts that the rig was "meant for me" ... I kept thinking Murphy's Law had taken residence. I found out it was not the tire but the extended tire valve that was bad. Still, I lost confidence in the rig and had not even hit the road yet. So I sold it, bought a truck large enough to tow more than 4,500 lbs and decided I needed a trailer.

Class A
I looked at these a long time ago but they always seemed too big and too expensive. The repair cost scared me and in a way still does a little. One thing it had though was room, even without slide outs. A few people that travel with large dogs always suggested a Class A 30'-34' long, preferably a slide out. Still the times I sat in them, I didn't see me buying one. The used ones all smelled and showed wear and tear at the RV dealers I visited. The one I looked at locally and almost bought in March 2013 was a great 32' with a slide out but had spent most of it's life sitting with only 8,300 total miles if I remember right and a generator that didn't have 100 hours on it. I passed on it.

The ones I wanted were more than I wanted to pay. I felt the fastest  and best financial way to get on the road was a truck/trailer combo so that was what I was focused on most of the time. I never considered an 'old' Class A. Everyone said if you buy anything old be ready to be handy because there will always be something to fix. I remember that and stayed away from "vintage" anything. With my H3 Hummer I couldn't tow more than a small fiberglass trailer. Until I bought the Chevy truck that could tow 10,000 lbs, my trailer options were limited.

Yet, when I took my 586 mile round trip to Arkansas last September, a large majority motorhomes on the freeway were all towing a toad but were all "older" Class C's or A's. A few 5er's were on that freeway but I didn't see any of the older RVs on the side of the road with mechanical problems. The more forums I read or blogs from the left side list, I found that no matter what you lived in or drove ... there were repairs. New ones, old ones .. it is what it is. So basically what do you want to spend your money on when it comes time you need to fix something. Still I was looking only at trailers, then I started looking at used trailers that were nice, maybe even built a little better than the newer ones. So it even shocked me when I realized I liked that 1987 Holiday Rambler I saw on Craig's List just 50 miles away, this past week.

1987 Holiday Rambler
When I saw the photos, I knew it had just been washed because of the 5gal bucket in the photo and the shined wheel covers. The rig looked in great shape on the outside. I could tell it had been taken care of from comparing it to what I had seen at different RV lots I visited. I thought it was strange the ad would only have 5 exterior photos and no interior ... it must be trashed was my first thought. So I emailed the seller asking for interior photos. Within the next few hours of going back and looking at the exterior photos form the ad,I had the feeling described on this blog a few days ago. My interest was peaked enough that I told the seller to forget about taking the interior photos that I would be over on Tuesday to look at it. While looking at it I realized when they placed the ad they were in the process of cleaning it and de-winterizing it and wasn't expecting a visitor just a week after the ad was placed. It was clean inside as the pictures showed on my blog but they were in the clean up process.

It was storming with hard rain the night I looked at it, so I couldn't look as much as I wanted in the portable garage. Rain was blowing on us at times. With my bright small LED flashlight I could see enough and see quite well this rig had been taken care of. I slide my fingers between the tire tread, they felt like new. Glancing down the sides shows smooth surfaces with zero dents. The roof was in great shape with fresh caulking around the vents but was dirty from sitting inside. As soon as I stepped inside I knew this was the one or I hoped it was because it was better than I had expected, was the right color of furniture but it had not been test driven yet. The engine at idle sounded great, the oil on the dipstick was new, spark plug wires were new but it didn't have enough gas to fire off the generator. It was too wet to back out and take it for a drive, with a chance of getting it stuck in the saturated lawn.

All the solid oak cabinets were in mint condition and close straight and flush, no warping. No water stains anywhere, inside the open cabinets, under the sinks, below the windows, up along the ceiling ... the ceiling was in perfect shape. The carpets were in great shape even though they might come out later. I was impressed with the interior because it was in better shape than I had expected and what I had sat in at different RV dealers these past two years. There were no smells of any kind, nothing to hide smells, it just smelled clean.

I knew the CL ad was only 6 days old when I saw it. I also knew based on the condition of this rig it would not last long at the suggested price. It was below NADA and what comparable rigs were priced online. The seller claimed he did not know what it was worth, so I am not sure how the sales price was decided. My paranoid analytical brain gets in the way sometimes, so I let that low price pass. He was the 2nd owner and had bought it from his dad 8 years ago. The sellers family had rv'd every summer while growing up, making multiple cross country trips. It had not only been used on a regular basis but had been taken care of. One thing that did bother me, the tags showed 2010 so that means it has been sitting for 3-4 years. Yet, he had driven it recently to install new tires, the oil on the dipstick was new and had just de-winterized it. Everything worked as it needed to except the generator would not start even though it tried due to not having enough fuel in the gas tank.

As I looked around the two open garages I could tell the seller took good care of everything. His rebuilt 67 Camero was spotless as well as his Harley. The house garage was full of cars and clean. So I could tell the wheel covers on this rig were not just clean to sell it, they were clean and shiny because that was just the way the seller was.

You may not use all of them but a Class A gives you options that other trailers or Class C's that I was looking at don't. More storage, more room for the hounds and I to co-exist, enough room for a tv if needed and room for a desk to hold my iMac and 2nd monitor if I decide to go that way. Yes mpg is low, probably between 5-8mpg but a Class C towing a toad or a truck towing a trailer isn't going to do much better. I guess those would get 8-10 mpg, so a slight difference. In all my estimates I had always used $4/gal for gas and 5mpg for any rig. I don't plan on driving every two weeks, I plan to stay months at a time if I like the location and am able to stay that long. Racing from campground to campground will not be in my itinerary.

I can still boondock like Paul & Nina or Al & Kelly do with their Class A's. I will tow something, just not sure yet. Tom kind of liked the idea of a small covered cargo trailer with the Mini Cooper inside.

Since I knew the seller had a lot of calls about this rig and had people coming this weekend to look at it, I decided since it was in great shape, sounded good at idling speed and was priced right, that I would leave a deposit to prevent it being sold before I could make it back for the weekend.

I think we are close to finally hitting the road! The test drive this weekend will determine that.

That Is One Nice Rig - A Deposit Was Left

When I said I was going to look at this rig between forecasted severe thunderstorms, that proved to be more than I bargained for. When I left my house it was blue skies and sunny after raining for 3 straight hours. By the time I arrived 50 miles away the skies were black, not gray, and was raining so hard that cars were pulling off the road because we could not see. I thought to myself, what a great day to look at a RV.....at least if it leaks I will no. When not used though it is kept under a portable garage so that made a difference.

Well I had brought my bright small LED flashlight that can penetrate walls if it needs to, it's that bright. I brought my small camera thinking it would take better photos than my iPhone (wrong) and my checkbook which I never use just in case I needed to leave a deposit. I also brought all the knowledge I had read on everybody's blog the past few years, plus the new information on 'vintage' RVs from the forums last night, that I had added to the "notes" of my iPhone so I would not forget anything.

By the time I pulled into the drive, the rain had decrease to a nice solid downpour but I could see. I did a walk around, opened the engine bay outside, looked and felt the tires, moved my fingers over the aluminum siding ... it was as nice as the photos. Maybe even nicer. The rig barely fit in the garage so there was no chance of lowering the patio awning but the rails looked new. I put my finger up on the tire thread ... they felt new. I asked, he told me he just put on a set of tires. He then said I like to keep all of my vehicles up to date with maintenance and I did that with his RV. I glanced around and saw his pick up truck, 3 cars for kids and wife, then in "his" garage a mint 67 Camero along with his new weekend toy, the Harley. Everything around his house was immaculate.

So we have new tires, he said he had replaced all the belts but if it were him he would have everything checked out before a trip west. I agreed. By this time it was back to raining to hard for me to climb the back ladder to look at the roof. We moved inside to get out of the pouring rain. As soon as I stepped inside, I felt this was the one. I was immediately thrilled that the seats, furniture was a tan based color and not the 80's pink, purple or raspberry colors that seemed to be popular back then. All the oak cabinets were flush when closed, solid oak and looked brand new. ALL the furniture was nice, stain free, comfortable including the drivers seat.

Already I noticed it had a lot more interior room than my Coachmen Class C I had sitting here over the winter. This has no slides but it still looked roomy. The dining table had TWO legs holding it up, with 2 brackets in the floor. The dining table, kitchen counter and bedroom night stand look purple in the photos but they were more of a brown color with maybe a tint towards that color. All the carpets were between a tan/white but on the photo it shows the carpet over the engine bay being a little orange??? Not so...it was all tan color and in great shape for carpet. He had laid a darker runner over the isle that looked very clean when I looked closer. He had just de-winterized it so the ice machine was punching out pink ice cubes. Tons of drawers and closet space, more than I need or will use.

I was very impressed. I took my LED flashlight and looked inside every overhead storage, along the ceiling ... it did not sag and everything inside the cabinets and headliner looked brand spanking new. I'm serious ... I was shocked to say the least. This model has two single beds in back. That could work both ways...one for me and one for the hounds, although the bloodhound prefers the floor and no blankets of any kind. Or I might take out one bed and install a desk from Ikea to put my iMac and 2nd 27" monitor along with the printer/scanner.

The blinds were in good shape, the curtains will come out because they are not my style. The carpets are nice enough to keep or I can rip them out and install some kind of wood flooring or vinyl.

I turned the key and the engine fired right up and purred like a kitten. The seller lifted off the section between the seats to expose the engine and it sounded great. He said I would love the way it drove. He also said he would not take a final payment until I test drove it and we both knew the weather this week will play a factor on when I can pick it up. It has to be backed out into his yard you saw on the photos yesterday for him to turn onto the long driveway to a country road.

Some history of the rig. As he grew up his family always traveled by motorhome all over the country. His dad bought this 1987 Holiday Rambler brand new. Then 8 years ago the seller bought it from his dad and used it during the summers taking his young daughters and her friends camping. They would tow their pontoon boat and usually camp in state parks, even at 33' long. With his daughters now in college, the seller and his wife turned from RVing on weekends to riding their new motorcycle...thus the reason for selling. It was no longer being used.

I thought he told me the tags were current and it was used but I may have confused him with a different rig because tonight he told me it had been sitting for 3 years with very little use. It has 67,616 miles and no history of any repair work done. The only work performed was routine maintenance inside and out. It is wired for satellite tv, he had a tripod and dish that would come with it if I wanted it.

Some of the features - double sink, full size fridge, ice maker, great water pressure, great condition inside and enough storage outside even with smaller storage bays. More than I had on the Class C. I did not see any signs of leaks anywhere, under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, under the beds, the ceiling and inside the cabinets. Both A/Cs worked, heater etc.

I knew the answer before I asked but I assumed he had a lot of calls on it. He said he was getting calls 15 minutes after he listed it on Craig's List but with his work schedule and their work schedule, most people could not stop by to see it until the weekend. I told him I had no doubt that I wanted this rig and I would leave him a deposit. We both agreed that the weather would dictate when I could pick up the rig, I didn't want to tear his yard up and with the amount of rain we have been getting plus a forecast of 3 more days of rain, I didn't want this rig stuck in his backyard.

We both agreed that a final payment would not be made until I took it for a test drive. He lives 4 miles out in the country on the edge of a State Park and a US highway...so once I get it down the narrow country roads to the highway, it should be a good test drive. He did offer to deliver it to me and do the test drive at my house but the problem is ... I have to find somewhere besides my house to park it. The Class C barely made it up here around my house while keeping it on the top of the bank. It is not possible this rig will make it anywhere near my house.

So remember when viewing this bad photos ... the purple tables and counter tops are more of a brown color. ALL of the carpet around the engine bay is tan, not orange. The furniture color in the photos are accurate.

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Something Local Has Hit Me Up the Side of My Head

I was looking through the local Craig's Lists Monday afternoon, for any trailers by the name of Jayco, Arctic Fox, Bigfoot, or anything else that interested me. Something unexpected showed up not 40 miles away from me ... one of those moments where you feel a bolt of excitement ... I guess possibly that feeling that people talk about when they say you will know when it's the right one. The problem was, this "thing" was way off course, nothing that I was focusing on or planning to buy. No, I haven't bought anything!! I know that Tom over at Tom and Kathy Retired will enjoy this story today. He is a real professional roller coaster rider and my blog is similar to those rides he does!

Anyway I kept looking at the only photos available on Craig's List. I emailed the seller asking for interior photos because the exterior photos showed it looking pristine, but it's old, now what would I do? The more I looked the more interested I got and it wasn't just about it being near me. I was feeling an excitement I had not felt in a long time no matter what trailer or rig I had looked at or bought. That led me to the forums to read about older Class A's, to read more about the reputable name of Holiday Rambler.....yet I also felt those past fears about buying not only a Class A but an older motorhome. What's it going to cost me to fix this thing when something breaks and something will break eventually.

From those forums I read into the wee hours of the morning last night, I was led to a few new blogs where people had bought these older motorhomes and traveled with much success. Owning that 2003 Coachmen Class C over the winter taught me a lot. It was in great shape, still it had some repairs just sitting here winterized. I did my own repair replacing the two oil lines from the filter to the radiator for cooling the oil. I was able to learn how to winterize it, how all the systems worked, and what was wrong when they didn't work. I also discovered that rig did not have a enough storage even for a solo traveler that plans on traveling light. It also kept look smaller and smaller inside the longer the hounds and I would stay in it.

Even though there have been plenty of times where I said I needed to get way off the grid and I wanted to boondock as much as possible, I would be just as happy staying in places like Paul and Nina stay at times in their big 40' RV or where Al and Kelly have stayed in their previous Class A Damon. I would end up towing a trailer, possibly a small cargo trailer with my Mini Cooper inside or trade that out for a manual Jeep that I could tow wheels down...no matter what I would be towing a toad with this rig.

This rig is 33' and would be 13' shorter than my Chevy truck / trailer combination plus would give me 11' more living space than what I had in the Coachmen Class C. More storage is a plus, room for solar panels on top. It would be within the 32'-34' range I was looking at in March of 2013. It has the Chevy 454 engine, so should be able to get a mechanic when repairs are needed plus being on a Chevy frame. Parts should not be a problem. I have googled images for this rig to get some idea what the floor plan looks like. It is possible, that I might be able to take out one of the beds in the bedroom and installing a nice long desk that would include my iMac and 2nd 27" monitor, plus the printer/scanner. A lot of possibilities with this rig, including getting on the road possibly sooner than planned.

So I will know more about all of this tomorrow. We just had our first of many forecasted severe thunderstorms for today and my visit to look and take pictures inside of this rig will be when the seller gets home later tonight before sunset  and will be in between those storms.

For those that believe in and follow astrology, all of this is not a surprise. There is a full moon tomorrow on May 14, which also happens to be my birthday. Full moons are a dangerous time for me. So those that have read any astrology about this period of time will understand clearly what all of this means. Plans, fears, simplicity, life changes, etc ... it's all there. Should be exciting to see how all of this plays out.

Here is a teaser photo of the potential rig. That includes a new 15' canopy, solid oak cabinets, everything works. From the two decals on the back, this was probably used to travel to and stay in on weekends at NASCAR races and the Indy 500. I know that is 10 tires to change sometime ... but like I said, this monster has slapped me up the side my head!  LOL