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.
I went over to an RV show in Eugene, OR. The Northwest seems to be a great place to catch RV shows several times a year, particularly the I5 corridor through Oregon and Washington. Lots of factories, RV dealers, and RV shows can be found throughout the corridor. Eugene, Salem, Portland, Tacoma, Puyallup, and Seattle are notable spots to look.
Did I buy a shiny new trailer at the RV show? No. I talked to several of the dealers at the show and got their lot addresses to go lot hopping after the show. The timeframe I had set for myself to get a trailer was growing shorter so I was doubling up my efforts. The minute I walked into this trailer I knew it was the one. It had almost everything on my list and some items not on my list. It was used but was still less than 10 years old and in near perfect shape as if it had never left the lot. Everything worked fine. It had extra detailing like gold filigree on glass cabinet doors, lovely solid wood color, brass trim all around, skylights, etc. Normally I would hate green in a trailer as I am a blue or red person but this green didn’t make me want to puke immediately. Closer inspection showed it is seafoam green carpeting and upholstery, the color of the ocean which I dearly love.
I probably paid a little bit too much for it but it is worth it to me and I still got it for less than half what I would have paid new, especially in such excellent condition. Financing was a breeze and payments very, very low. It can easily be paid off faster. I just wish the finance company would join the new century and allow online payment. Online payment systems make it much easier for RVers. They did at least provide a coupon book rather than trying to mail me wherever I am from month to month.
So there ya go. Dreams can come true…
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