We have seriously been looking at purchasing an RV since 2010. It is harder than you think. We didn't want a motorhome, no fifth wheels, nothing over 21 feet and have had a strict budget. We increased the budget slightly over the years, but still nothing! We have had a lot of CraigsList stalking, emailing, phone calls and conversations with each other like, "Are you up to driving to Yakima/Vancouver/Sequim/etc. tomorrow?" Most RV lots charge too much and the CraigsList stuff is super frustrating! Most sellers only let you email and they get so inundated, they never respond and when there is a phone number, we almost never hear back. Just a couple days ago, Bill and Fred even drove to Puyallup only to find a trailer with damage, no keys to anything and no title = no good.
Patience and persistence paid off today! I just happened to be on-line when an email response came in on a CraigsList ad. The woman and I corresponded a bit. She was pretty overwhelmed with emails, but said it seemed we were serious if we were willing to drive an hour away! She was expecting someone to come take a look, but it fell through and she asked if we could come right away. Within ten minutes, we woke up Baby Girl and were out the door and on our way to Kent!
We got a fourteen year old Mallard RV that is on its second owner (these owners knew the first family). Get this - it has only been used a maximum of ten times! They were a super nice family. It is amazingly clean, great condition, no odor, and they threw in a ton of supplies! They have a daughter and even gave us some toys (woohoo, Elyse got a Barbie jet)! The whole thing just felt meant to be! We even paid under our budget!
I can't wait for the adventures we will have. From weekend camping in the dirt to travels around the state and not having to stay in a hotel - I just can't wait.
I've already started a camping checklist on the iPad. Nerd alert!
1 comment:
happy you guys found a trailer, I think you will have a lot of fun with it. We really like Camping World and have joined the club Good Sam. They give you discounts at certain campsites and you get a fuel discount at Pilot and Flying J's. It seemed to take us a while to figure out what exactly what we needed for our little RV. I think you guys will have fun exploring - particularly when weather is bad here, just go to the eastside and find sunshine! (usually)
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