We May Have A Winner - 2005 Newmar Northern Star.

We may have some news in the next few days. We found a consignment coach at "Motor Home Specialist" in Alvarado, Texas that we made an offer on.  It is a 2005 Newmar Northern Star.  She is a beauty. Now we wait for the owner to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down on our offer.

The coach has below normal wear for it's vintage and it has obviously been pretty well kept. The tires are all brand new, the batteries are three years old, the slides don't show signs of leaking and the roof needs minor sealing here and there.  All appliances, receptacles, heat, air, and other mechanical systems work. Engine was recently serviced.  All doors and cabinets open and shut as they should. No scratches or signs of abuse on the cabinetry.  Overall, it's the conditions we have been looking for. 

Living area

Kitchen

Bedroom with King Bed

Cockpit

This coach is a diesel pusher with a 350hp Cat engine, 6 speed Allison Transmission on a Freightliner chassis with 39,259 miles on it. The basement is heated, 100 gallon fuel tank (scary as hell), 105 gallon fresh water tank, 65 gallon grey water tank, 45 gallon sewage tank and a 45 gallon LP tank. 

We think this will make a great coach for us.   Now we wait and hold our breath while the owner is contacted.

Once Again We Didn't Find The Right Class A

Well we spent the better part of 8 hours hunting for the perfect Class A. No love again today. So, the search continues. I will post again once we are ready to restart the search.

"Once More, Into the Breach" - Heading Out To View More RV's

Today we are headed toward Springfield, Mo. to look at RV's.  We've found several we are interested in. The bonus is that we found a Tiffin Allegro Bay that is priced reasonably. We really like Tiffin but financially they've been out of reach.  While we are in Springfield we will also look at a Gulfstream Crescendo and a Damon Ultrasport.  Wish us luck and stay tuned.

2007 Tiffin Allegro Bay

We'll also be viewing a Gulfstream Crescendo and a Damon Ultrasport that both seem to fit what we are trying to find

2007 Gulfstream Crescendo

2000 Damon Ultrasport

Went RV Shopping Today - No Love

We went to three RV Dealers looking for "the one" today. Our hopes were to find a used 2009-2010 Forest River - Georgetown 373 in good condition. We did find one but it was in really bad shape. The faux leather seating on driver, passenger, euro recliner and couch were all in deteriorating condition. This was something we have found in two cases now. Fit and finish in these units is also not good. So, scratch these as a candidate for full timing at least for us.

The first dealer Coachlite RV Sales turned out to be a complete bust for us. We found the Georgetown which we quickly dissed as poorly built. The second RV was a Newmar Canyon Star toy hauler that I wanted to see but couldn't get in. I walked to the office and asked for sales to meet me at the RV I waited 20 minutes and nobody showed up. When leaving I saw a sales person and said out loud "excuse me" and he stopped, turned to look at me and then turned on his heels to talk to a friend in a car and never made an effort beyond looking at me. That's no way to treat a customer. We left.

The second dealer Colaw RV sold RV's on salvage titles, they buy them with repairable damage from insurance losses at auction and rebuild them. I decided that a salvage title might not be best as we will have to finance and I really don't want to jump through those hoops.

The third dealer Consignment RV Sales had several we were interested in but pricing wasn't where we wanted them and the owners weren't likely to come down in pricing.

During the day we once again eventually realized that we still were leaning toward a Gulfstream Sun Voyager 8389 and have decided to divert the search to finding this particular unit (for the moment).

We still have time. We are looking to purchase prior to the last week in November so that we can use our reservations at Ft. Pickens National Park in Pensacola during the first two weeks of Decemeber.  Wish us luck.

It's final - The car has been sold - Let the search begin

It finally happened. The Optima sold 35 days after starting our advertising blitz! Yay, us.   Now the fun/work begins in earnest. We have to locate the models we've settled on and view them to see what condition they are in. We still have the goal of having all of this done and the unit purchased prior to the end of November.

To add to the confusion we've now started considering certain Gas powered Class A's.  Martha has taken a liking to the Forest River Georgetown Model 373 which has a three zone plan. The front of the coach is living space with couches and or recliners, a proper TV location and on board fireplace/heater and mid entry, The second zone is the kitchen with table and chairs adjacent to the counter top/kitchen.  And lastly the bathroom and bedroom.

Today, we are heading to Carthage, Missouri to view the model depicted below. It is a consignment unit so I will have to be diligent with my inspection and if it meets my expectations I will be making an offer. We'll see how this goes. More later.

Georgetown 373

Almost ready to pull the trigger

Those of you that are following this blog know that I have been trying to accomplish a few things prior to purchasing our RV. The biggest thing for us is selling our nearly new Kia Optima. I am almost certain it's sold now. We've got earnest money with the potential buyer coming Monday comin on October 17th to verify the condition of the vehicle and hopefully drive away with it.

We are excited to say the least (well, me for sure).

Like the Three Stooges said in "Gents without Cents,"  "Slowly I turned. Step by step, inch by inch."

After quoting the Stooges, I had to search for the scene. Amazingly I found it on Youtube.  You will enjoy this if you like slapstick comedy).

If things fall into place tomorrow, maybe this weekend we will find an RV we can live with. Wish Us luck.

My Favorite RV Vlogers - Vlogers I Follow Daily

Snake River Canyon & Shoshone Falls

How To Eat Cactus & Not Get Stuck 

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Drivin' and Vibin'

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Less Junk, More Journey

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My Favorite RV Vlogers - Vlogers I Follow Daily

Nomadic Natives

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Drivin' and Vibin'

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Less Junk, More Journey

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Waiting Is Hard To Do - An update on our future purchase

We have patiently viewed RV after RV online and in person. This process was necessary to identify our needs and enabled us to figure out what class RV we needed.  We've decided on purchasing a Class A manufactured between 2003 and 2006. These seem to fit our proposed budget. With that out of the way we started looking at what amenities we wanted aboard our RV.

In no particular order, this is what we decided to look for.

Mechanical
Diesel pusher 300-400 hp
Allison transmission
Freightliner chassis (preferably)
5000 pound towing capacity
Preferably recent engine servicing (preferably)
Tires no older than three years
Batteries no old than three years (house and chassis)
Working leveling jack system

House Systems
10 Gallon hot water heater
Preferably whole house water filter
Working water pump
Working furnace
Working AC units
Working exhaust fans
Working Stove
Working Microwave/convection oven
LED light conversion (not a deal breaker if not)
Working Washer/dryer
Working Refrigerator
One slide in the basement
Large water and waste tank capacity

Amenities
Table and chairs (no dinette)
TV not mounted up front (not a deal breaker)
King bed (not a deal breaker)
Room kitchen counter
Four door fridge with ice maker
Leather couches and euro recliner
Leather swiveling driver and passenger seat
Mid entry
Dining room (similar to Gulfstream Sun Voyager 8389 see photo below)

Condition
Used but in above average condition
No water damage anywhere (this is a deal breaker)
No smells (this is a deal breaker)

We've still got some work to do before we purchase. I have a 2015 Kia Optima that is for sale at the present time. We will finally be able to purchase the RV once the car has been sold.