The 2003 Coachmen Freedom 258db Is The Rig I Need

This past week while thinking about future plans, there is always one plan that consistantly shows up the most.  That plan is leaving this spring 2014, with plans of traveling probably until the spring of 2015 at a minimum. In that plan I would keep my house as a base camp, I would sell my H3 Hummer and my Mini Cooper S to reduce the cost of insurance and licenses. I would keep my 1994 Chevy 2500 pickup for local travel during the short times I would be back in Indiana. A few years ago I only had the 1994 Chevy Pickup as my only vehicle and it worked out great.

I also thought of some of the emails I had received and comments posted, after I had blogged about putting the rig up for sale after a month of ownership. I also thought back to the reasons I bought the Coachmen and why it was the perfect rig for me to start traveling in.  Everything I needed was contained, without towing anything. It runs great, has all that I need and seems quite large when comparing to tent camping or towing a smaller trailer.

During that time I wondered "what would you buy if it did sell unexpectedly" ? I had been looking at rigs for almost two years at the time I bought this one. So how would I improve what I already had, and really how much improvement would there be if I were to buy a bigger rig? I had already gone through a million questions over the past two years, and had come close to buying three different trailers and a Class A just in the past eight months. So really I had to ask myself, why am I selling a rig that gives me everything I had looked for?

There is plenty of room for the hounds and I when the weather turns bad. We have spent enough time where it is parked to know there is enough room for all of us after the sun goes down. All three hounds have already picked out their sleeping spots, with plenty of room to walk around.

So, how much better could it get?

I'm trying to simplify things instead of continuing to buy and buy and buy.  It's hard but I am making progress toward that goal.

I can leave sooner than this spring if I sell my H3 Hummer and my Mini Cooper.

The confirmed model year difference, the oil line repair within two weeks after purchase, doesn't change my plans nor my opinion about the rig. There is no damage inside, every thing works and it runs great.

So, the rig that I bought is the one I am keeping.

Winston's Vet Visit

Winston came out of the vet visit in good shape and some prednisone, 20mg for his back. He had dropped a couple of pounds since last year's check up and shots. He was told he is in great shape for a 9yr old basset. His back problem is just a stage of getting older, maybe tweaked it and is inflamed. The prednisone will calm it down a little bit and then some buffered aspirin after that on a daily basis.

We are hitting record lows tonight in southern Indiana, high 20's. It's times like these I wish I were in warmer country and traveling. The thoughts of Arizona and Borrego Springs Ca always come to the surface when it gets cold.

What do traveler's do to prevent freezing damage while they are traveling and can't winterize their rigs? You could be headed south and hit below freezing temps for an over night stay, with full or partially full tanks. Asking that question shows you how much of a rookie I am in the RV game.

As it gets colder, I realize it's nice to have a home base with heat and long hot showers available. 

The Coachmen is Up For Sale

That title could be some shocking news for some. Looking at my calender on the bottom of my monitor, it was just a month ago today that I bought the Coachmen. So what has changed?

Nothing really.

I have it listed here:  Click Here

It's kind of one of those win win situations. If it sells then I can look for something else that I think I need (more room) and if it doesn't sell by next spring, then I have a good RV I can travel in. It's just like all of the other vehicles I have, I like them but I am always looking at different cars/trucks.

Currently we have borderline low temps forecast this week, that makes it a need to winterize.

Plus my old basset Winston (9.5yrs) is having some lower back problems since late Sunday afternoon. I didn't know for sure until tonight....probably some basset hound arthritis starting to creep in. The steps into to the house are not steep. There are only 2 steps and then into the house but he needs assistance getting up the house steps. The RV steps are out of the question for him.

Winston

So we'll be making a trip to the vet tomorrow for his annual shots and an exam on that lower back.

Winston is NOT why I put the rig up for sale. Yet, in the past two years, I have thought about him as he would age in the next couple of years and wonder about the potential problems he may have as a traveler. If/how that might affect the travel plans. I have had at least one basset hound since 1987 so I am pretty familiar how bassets age and some challenges they will have.

I have no complaints about the rig, just some the times I have spent inside it for any length of time with the hounds, I have felt the need for more room. I also may go to a bigger diesel engine so I can tow my H3 Hummer out west. I believe with the current rig towing the H3 may be cause more stress on the transmission than it is made for while traveling the mountains in the western states, based on what I have read.

So its a rig that has been used but in great shape. It has a little over 80,000 miles but the past 8 years it has been driven around 3,000 miles per year.  Let me know if you have any questions and pass the info out to your rv friends in case they are looking for a great Class C.