So we got back form our 12 day 4200 mile road trip back to Indiana. It was a lot of fun but we were constantly on the move. We had a great time with Brenda's family and got to meet her newest grandchild. We were also there to celebrate her grandson's 4th birthday.
I love road trips. I love driving. Especially when we have good weather and easy traffic. We had both of those for the most part. We did hit heavy rain and winds while driving through Oklahoma and Texas on our way home. Go figure!
The best part of this trip is knowing that this will be our last fast paced trip across country. In 9 months we will be on the road full time and can take our time getting there. We can also stay as long as we want. Knowing this made this trip better. Even though we didn't get to see everybody we wanted to, we know that we will be back at Christmastime and can take our time.
We both got colds during this trip. Brenda's hit her on the way home and I got mine last Sunday. Good news is we are just relaxing this week and enjoying doing nothing.
So now that we are back home and feeling better, we will start the RV search again.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Red Flags By Owner, Buyers Take Warning
After serious craziness from the buyers, we have walked away from the RV we were going to buy. These people were bat-sh*t crazy. The entire time we were going through this debacle the owners were putting us through the worst roller coaster ride of my life. Let me recap some of the madness.
They posted the ad last Wednesday night. I responded to it and the owner called me Thursday morning. When talking with her on the phone, she seemed very elderly as she rambled and lost her train of thought quite easily. (Disclaimer-I do NOT think all elderly people are like this but there was something in her voice that made it sound like she was older.) She said the deal would be done and she would call me over the weekend.
Sunday afternoon came around and we didn't hear anything so I caller her back. Turns out the deal fell through on the place they were buying. They didn't know what they were going to do.
Monday she calls me back and said they found another place and wanted us to come see the RV that afternoon. We set up a meeting place so she could take us to it for about an hour after we hung up the phone. We give car descriptions so we could find each other in the parking lot we selected. We were parked right where we were supposed to be. About 10 minutes later we see a car matching her description pull in farther away in the lot. We figured it was her and sure enough my phone rings, she can't find us. I told her I saw her and waved out my window. She was thirsty and wanted to stop to get a drink before we got to the RV so we said no problem we would follow her.
Following her scared the living daylights out of me. She was driving like a drunk driver. Weaving, not making good decisions, etc. We were so glad we weren't in her car. Turns out she had multiple medical problems and is heavily medicated. We found out later she never drives. So why on earth didn't she just have us come to the trailer park and guide us from there?
We spent the next 4 hours talking with them and looking over the RV. It wasn't quite as nice as the pictures looked (they never do.) In fact, it was really dirty. Like inch thick dust on all the light fixtures and everything was nicotine yellow inside. Most of that time was listening to her ramble in her slurred speech. It was hard to really see anything due to the clutter and dirt. She acted just like a drunk, trying to be our best friend and wanting us to go out to eat with them, etc. We finally got away telling them we could call in the morning to let them know our decision but were pretty sure we wanted it.
We figured even with lots of work we were still getting a great deal. Even if we spent as much money cleaning it and doing work on it as we were paying for it, we would still be ahead. So Tuesday morning I call her and tell her we want it. They were going to be moving into the new place on Wednesday so we made arrangements to come by today to pay for it and take it away. (They have to have it out of the park by tomorrow.) I asked if a cashier's check would be ok and she said yes.
Tuesday night, I get what amounts to a drunk call from her. She spent 35 minutes rambling on about friends who have been murdered and how we were all going to be great friends. She even decided that the four of us would all take a trip to San Francisco together. During the call, she informs me her husband wants cash for the RV not a cashier's check. I told her that might be kind of hard to do. Trying to get that much out of a bank would be tough. She said I could just go to several banks to get it. Then she is all upset thinking I was mad at her because I told her it might not happen but a cashier's check is just like cash. I told her I would try to get cash.
This morning she calls me to tell me about the move. She says they were still getting stuff moved. I asked her if they were still going to be able to meet at 1 today. She said that was fine. I told her we were heading to the bank and the storage facility and would see her in about 3 hours.
My bank is a credit union back in Indiana. I use share branches to do any banking I can't get done online. I went there and sure enough all I can withdraw is 500.00. I;m like there is no way I am going to go all over town hitting up every credit union 500.00 at a time to get the money. So I call her while at the bank and try to explain this to her. I finally get her to agree that a cashier's check will be fine.
Ten minutes later, I am driving down the road heading to the storage facility to sign the lease to park the RV. She calls. She tells me not to get the cashier's check. She has to talk with her husband about it. (He was not around when I called her about the check 10 minutes earlier.) I told her I already had it and was not at the bank anymore. She said she would call me right back. By now its 11:45 and we are to meet at 1.
We wait for an hour and she never called back. We finally said enough is enough. I went back to the bank and voided the check. We had had enough!!!!!
It is now 2 and she had not called back. We figured she found someone who was willing to pay cash.
The whole time we were dealing with them, they were really pushing us to move as fast on this as we could since they had a deadline to get the RV moved by Friday this week. We say goodbye and good riddance. There are plenty more RVs out there.
They posted the ad last Wednesday night. I responded to it and the owner called me Thursday morning. When talking with her on the phone, she seemed very elderly as she rambled and lost her train of thought quite easily. (Disclaimer-I do NOT think all elderly people are like this but there was something in her voice that made it sound like she was older.) She said the deal would be done and she would call me over the weekend.
Sunday afternoon came around and we didn't hear anything so I caller her back. Turns out the deal fell through on the place they were buying. They didn't know what they were going to do.
Monday she calls me back and said they found another place and wanted us to come see the RV that afternoon. We set up a meeting place so she could take us to it for about an hour after we hung up the phone. We give car descriptions so we could find each other in the parking lot we selected. We were parked right where we were supposed to be. About 10 minutes later we see a car matching her description pull in farther away in the lot. We figured it was her and sure enough my phone rings, she can't find us. I told her I saw her and waved out my window. She was thirsty and wanted to stop to get a drink before we got to the RV so we said no problem we would follow her.
Following her scared the living daylights out of me. She was driving like a drunk driver. Weaving, not making good decisions, etc. We were so glad we weren't in her car. Turns out she had multiple medical problems and is heavily medicated. We found out later she never drives. So why on earth didn't she just have us come to the trailer park and guide us from there?
We spent the next 4 hours talking with them and looking over the RV. It wasn't quite as nice as the pictures looked (they never do.) In fact, it was really dirty. Like inch thick dust on all the light fixtures and everything was nicotine yellow inside. Most of that time was listening to her ramble in her slurred speech. It was hard to really see anything due to the clutter and dirt. She acted just like a drunk, trying to be our best friend and wanting us to go out to eat with them, etc. We finally got away telling them we could call in the morning to let them know our decision but were pretty sure we wanted it.
We figured even with lots of work we were still getting a great deal. Even if we spent as much money cleaning it and doing work on it as we were paying for it, we would still be ahead. So Tuesday morning I call her and tell her we want it. They were going to be moving into the new place on Wednesday so we made arrangements to come by today to pay for it and take it away. (They have to have it out of the park by tomorrow.) I asked if a cashier's check would be ok and she said yes.
Tuesday night, I get what amounts to a drunk call from her. She spent 35 minutes rambling on about friends who have been murdered and how we were all going to be great friends. She even decided that the four of us would all take a trip to San Francisco together. During the call, she informs me her husband wants cash for the RV not a cashier's check. I told her that might be kind of hard to do. Trying to get that much out of a bank would be tough. She said I could just go to several banks to get it. Then she is all upset thinking I was mad at her because I told her it might not happen but a cashier's check is just like cash. I told her I would try to get cash.
This morning she calls me to tell me about the move. She says they were still getting stuff moved. I asked her if they were still going to be able to meet at 1 today. She said that was fine. I told her we were heading to the bank and the storage facility and would see her in about 3 hours.
My bank is a credit union back in Indiana. I use share branches to do any banking I can't get done online. I went there and sure enough all I can withdraw is 500.00. I;m like there is no way I am going to go all over town hitting up every credit union 500.00 at a time to get the money. So I call her while at the bank and try to explain this to her. I finally get her to agree that a cashier's check will be fine.
Ten minutes later, I am driving down the road heading to the storage facility to sign the lease to park the RV. She calls. She tells me not to get the cashier's check. She has to talk with her husband about it. (He was not around when I called her about the check 10 minutes earlier.) I told her I already had it and was not at the bank anymore. She said she would call me right back. By now its 11:45 and we are to meet at 1.
We wait for an hour and she never called back. We finally said enough is enough. I went back to the bank and voided the check. We had had enough!!!!!
It is now 2 and she had not called back. We figured she found someone who was willing to pay cash.
The whole time we were dealing with them, they were really pushing us to move as fast on this as we could since they had a deadline to get the RV moved by Friday this week. We say goodbye and good riddance. There are plenty more RVs out there.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Update!
We got the RV!!!!! It would take pages to explain the roller coaster ride of getting the RV but the bottom line is we got it! I may have to devote a whole blog entry into the crazy mess and the characters involved. In fact, it would probably make a great book.
After several phone calls back and forth with the owners, I had pretty much figured it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, if at all. I had talked with the owners on Sunday and they said the deal on the park model they were buying here fell through and they didn't know what they were going to do. So yesterday, we were just focusing on our trip and would start the hunt again at a later date.
Yesterday afternoon I got a call from the owners and they had just signed the paperwork on another place so the were ready to sell the RV. We made arrangements and went over to look at the RV yesterday.
We spent many hours with the owners looking at the RV and getting to know them. (Like I said, interesting characters.) The rig is extremely dirty as in its probably been years since any good cleaning was done to it. In some areas there is probably dust an inch thick. I kid you not. Due to health problems, the owners are not able to keep up with the cleaning. However, all the major systems work and they have kept up with the maintenance. It has new tires and batteries. They installed new flooring and a new toilet recently. The RV has been in the same family since it was custom built and they have all the manuals that go with the rig.
Thursday will be the day we actually get the rig. We are planning on parking it at a friend's house and when we get back from our trip, there will be lots of cleaning in our future. We are also planning on taking driving courses at Lazydays to get educated and feel more confident.
The best thing about getting this unit is we will be spending about 1/3 of what we thought we would. And if for any reason we don't like it or don't want it, we can sell it and get our money back and then some. Its a no-lose situation.
The scariest part is that we just took a major step in making our dreams turn into reality. We are a bundle of nerves around here. We are excited, scared, nervous, anxious, happy and just about every other emotion you can think about. Like we keep saying, the future is here and it just slapped us in the face!
I will post pictures after we get it. I definitely want to keep a photographic record of before and after. Stay tuned.
Let the countdown begin.....9 months!
After several phone calls back and forth with the owners, I had pretty much figured it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, if at all. I had talked with the owners on Sunday and they said the deal on the park model they were buying here fell through and they didn't know what they were going to do. So yesterday, we were just focusing on our trip and would start the hunt again at a later date.
Yesterday afternoon I got a call from the owners and they had just signed the paperwork on another place so the were ready to sell the RV. We made arrangements and went over to look at the RV yesterday.
We spent many hours with the owners looking at the RV and getting to know them. (Like I said, interesting characters.) The rig is extremely dirty as in its probably been years since any good cleaning was done to it. In some areas there is probably dust an inch thick. I kid you not. Due to health problems, the owners are not able to keep up with the cleaning. However, all the major systems work and they have kept up with the maintenance. It has new tires and batteries. They installed new flooring and a new toilet recently. The RV has been in the same family since it was custom built and they have all the manuals that go with the rig.
Thursday will be the day we actually get the rig. We are planning on parking it at a friend's house and when we get back from our trip, there will be lots of cleaning in our future. We are also planning on taking driving courses at Lazydays to get educated and feel more confident.
The best thing about getting this unit is we will be spending about 1/3 of what we thought we would. And if for any reason we don't like it or don't want it, we can sell it and get our money back and then some. Its a no-lose situation.
The scariest part is that we just took a major step in making our dreams turn into reality. We are a bundle of nerves around here. We are excited, scared, nervous, anxious, happy and just about every other emotion you can think about. Like we keep saying, the future is here and it just slapped us in the face!
I will post pictures after we get it. I definitely want to keep a photographic record of before and after. Stay tuned.
Let the countdown begin.....9 months!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Just Putting It Out There For The Universe
So last night I was perusing Craigslist looking at RVs when I spotted an ad for one that seemed like a typo. The ad stated the owners were moving here permanently and didn't want the RV anymore. The price was 1/3 of what is should be selling for. I was like-what? For real? So I thought what the heck I will email them back. I figured it was a typo or a scam but what did I have to lose by sending an email.
This morning I kind of laughed about it and figured it was over. Well lo and behold I got a phone call today from the lady selling the RV. No, it wasn't a typo. They just really want to get rid of it. We talked for a while and she explained that they have medical conditions and didn't need it anymore. They have lived in it for a few years and felt like it was home. They wanted someone who would appreciate it and enjoy it as much as they did. She said she could tell in my voice how excited I was about it so she told her husband to not call anyone else who responded to the add. We basically have first dibs on it.
Some positives about getting a rig now is that we would have time to set it up how we want it. They have taken out the couch and chair so we would have to put in new furniture. Not a problem for us because we had already decided we wouldn't want a couch we just want two rocker/recliners.
Another positive is that we would have it and could take small trips in it now. It would be a great way to learn about it and get familiar with it before we start out full time. We can acclimate the pets to it so it won't be so big and scary when we move into it permanently.
The biggest positive is the cost. It is priced so cheap that even if we end up not liking it or wanted to do something different we could get our money back and then some.
The only drawback is that we don't quite have all the money right now. We have almost half of it. So, I am going to have to bite the bullet and see if the parents will give me a loan. We were planning on selling Brenda's car to help pay for it but we can't sell the car right now. So, I will make the following proposition to my folks. Ask for a loan stating we will pay on it each month and at the end of the year when we sell Brenda's car we will pay off the loan.
Now we just have to wait for the seller to call me back so we can go see it. Hopefully it will be just as she said and we can buy it. Of course, I am a firm believer that everything happens as it is supposed to. So, if we don't get it, it wasn't met to be. And if nothing else, this opportunity got us kick started to get serious about saving for a rig.
Here are pictures of her:
We have no idea what the inside looks like but it supposedly has new tires and runs well. If it looks as good in person as in the pictures, we may have our new home.
So, Universe, if you are listening, we are open to receiving good things.
This morning I kind of laughed about it and figured it was over. Well lo and behold I got a phone call today from the lady selling the RV. No, it wasn't a typo. They just really want to get rid of it. We talked for a while and she explained that they have medical conditions and didn't need it anymore. They have lived in it for a few years and felt like it was home. They wanted someone who would appreciate it and enjoy it as much as they did. She said she could tell in my voice how excited I was about it so she told her husband to not call anyone else who responded to the add. We basically have first dibs on it.
Some positives about getting a rig now is that we would have time to set it up how we want it. They have taken out the couch and chair so we would have to put in new furniture. Not a problem for us because we had already decided we wouldn't want a couch we just want two rocker/recliners.
Another positive is that we would have it and could take small trips in it now. It would be a great way to learn about it and get familiar with it before we start out full time. We can acclimate the pets to it so it won't be so big and scary when we move into it permanently.
The biggest positive is the cost. It is priced so cheap that even if we end up not liking it or wanted to do something different we could get our money back and then some.
The only drawback is that we don't quite have all the money right now. We have almost half of it. So, I am going to have to bite the bullet and see if the parents will give me a loan. We were planning on selling Brenda's car to help pay for it but we can't sell the car right now. So, I will make the following proposition to my folks. Ask for a loan stating we will pay on it each month and at the end of the year when we sell Brenda's car we will pay off the loan.
Now we just have to wait for the seller to call me back so we can go see it. Hopefully it will be just as she said and we can buy it. Of course, I am a firm believer that everything happens as it is supposed to. So, if we don't get it, it wasn't met to be. And if nothing else, this opportunity got us kick started to get serious about saving for a rig.
Here are pictures of her:
We have no idea what the inside looks like but it supposedly has new tires and runs well. If it looks as good in person as in the pictures, we may have our new home.
So, Universe, if you are listening, we are open to receiving good things.
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