Dang RV

Personally, I think this part is both exhilarating and mind-numbing. Buying the RV is not the end of the buying process. If this is your first unit, you will have to completely outfit it just like a new house. The good news is, your purse will be less heavy and it will be easier to sit on your wallet. Unfortunately, that is also the bad news. I’m sure it is much easier if you are trading up from another RV though there will still be some expense involved.

You can easily tell at places like Camping World who has purchased a new RV. Watch for the person who actually needs a cart to shop and has that cart filled. I was one of those people. It’s an awful lot of fun until you get to the cash register. Don’t forget about looking for some of the household goods at department stores and thrift shops. I found a pants hanger at a regular store that cost half as much as the same hanger at the RV store.

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If you have never believed in Murphy’s Law before, you will after picking up your first RV from the dealer! No matter how well you try to plan, ol’ Murphy and his band of gremlins will sneak in there. Before I go on, let me state that I did have my truck transmission serviced as a preventative measure and the water pump was replaced before picking up my trailer. I tried to keep Murphy at bay. The truck had also been used to tow a boat numerous times without issues.

The easiest part of picking up my new used trailer was signing away my life on the financing papers. I don’t like financing things and signing anything legal has never thrilled me. They made it as painless as possible.

On to the appliance inspections. They all worked as they should. I did notice the second battery I had negotiated for had not been added so I had to stick to my guns on that point which meant waiting for it to be installed.

Then came the equalizer hitch installation which meant more waiting. It really does make a huge difference in towing so it was worth waiting for.

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Yes, it is official. I have purchased my own RV, a 26 foot Kit Companion dual-axle trailer with a slideout in the living room for the over-stuffed couch-bed, queen bed in the back with an outside door back there and a wood pocket door, large bathroom to one side in the middle with a large vanity and a shower with a glass folding door, forced air and heat with thermostat, small medium oak kitchen but with house sized sinks, microwave oven, etc., two over-stuffed chairs with a fold up table with extra table leaves, pre-wired for cable TV and phone throughout, an outside door up front. Behind one of the chairs is a bookcase for my library. There are lots of windows with aluminum blinds and skylights in both the living room and shower. Yes, I said the shower. :giggle:

I chose a 26 foot trailer for several reasons. As a full-timer, I don’t want my entire home in the repair shop for the inevitable engine trouble, etc. that comes with motor vehicles such as trucks or motorhomes. A fifth wheeler would provide the maximum space and is certainly the next step but they all require a bigger truck than I currently have. I went for 26 feet because it gives me plenty of room for one person or two significant others (there goes that spooning thing again!) and this size will help me ease into towing and turning long vehicles.

I would love to say I bartered as well as my Grandma does every time she goes to Mexico and leaves them in tears while she comes home with bags and bags of great goodies. I would love to say I bought one of the models I had actually researched thoroughly. Ding ding. Nope. In the end, it came down to timing and stumbling on a trailer that just seemed to fit me like a glove.

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