My New RV

My new RV, parked at my house

I've been looking for 3 years, so my new RV is a dream come true, a 1999 Four Winds 5000, 28A, with 55,000 miles on her, new tires, and looking almost brand new.  Found her in Florida when I went to spend a week with Mom at my Dad's bedside, taking off one night to visit Cousin Lois in Bradenton and celebrate her 75th birthday.  We went back to Dream RV to see if the 32' Jayco I fell in love with last January had been sold.  It had, but they showed me this one and I loved it even more!  They wanted $21,900 for it.  I said I'd think about it, then went to McDonalds (where they have wi-fi) and cruized the internet looking for more info about it.  I found the identical unit "for sale by owner" in Mobile, AL, with twice the miles, for $15,500.  I emailed the link to the salesman at Dream RV and asked if he could match that price, he agreed, and I bought her.   With the reduced fee, I was able to afford the 4 year/30,000 mile warranty that covers all the major items (engine, transmission, heat, air, oven, fridge, road service, etc.), which will be transferrable to any new owner should I decide to sell within a few years.  1999 is the cutoff year for this warranty.

Without slideouts, power windows or power mirrors, there is less to break. I like that.

Instead of flying home, I drove her home in 2 days.  It took a bit of getting used to and there is a blind spot to be wary of, but she had absolutely no problems, drives like a dream (for a bouncy motor home), and I am thrilled.  Comfortable speed 70 mph.  John and friends lined the driveway, banging pots and pans with wooden spoons to welcome her home, and John cooked at lovely sesame/ginger stir fry for us all.

I've been packing her and making minor improvements every day since I got her home (more on that later). I also took her to the Tanya's agility seminar just after I brought her home, and several friends got to climb in and take a look.  I was proud to show her off. 

Of course, the gas mileage sucks - about 8-9 mpg.  OUCH!  But I've heard that if I hold my speed down to 60 mph, it will improve my gas mileage by 30-40%. In any case, I had already made up my mind that this RV isn't about saving money on lodging at agility trials or on trips.  It's all about convenience, comfort and enjoyment.  This is my sailboat.   My sports car.  My airplane.  It's my luxury item.

I drove 6.5 hours the first day, pulled into the LaQuinta Inn Tallahassee where we usually stay and asked the manager if I could just park there overnight.  He said sure, truckers do it all the time.  So, for free, I found a safe spot right in their parking lot and hit the bed!  Saved about $60 on hotel fees, which put another 15 gallons of gas in my tank, which got me another 125 miles down the road.
I got my dream RV, appropriately, from Dream RV in Bradenton, FL.  They could not have been nicer about getting the unit ready for me, fixing the few cosmetic problems it had.  No razzle dazzle salesmen.  I feel like I've made some good friends there, and recommend them to everyone.  But I would only visit in person.  The prices on the website are far jacked up from what you can get in person.

I'll show more photos and give more details as time permits.

Upwards and onward,