Oh dear, what have we gotten ourselves into

[H. Miller]

$2,100 for insurance on DP number two?? Note our signature - it is covered for liability & comp/collision @ $600 per YEAR. And I would think long and hard before spending a dollar on "extended warranty"'

[wajell]

If you are going to be making "week end trips"... Tires - Tires - Tires. Learn how to read DOT codes. Spend whatever is necessary for your safety. Have engine, brakes, suspension inspected.

We paid about that for our 1988 Holiday Rambler. Lived in it for 2 1/2 years and are now on the road. Sitting around the table last night we figured we had put an additional $12,000 into her (mostly mechanical) with more to go. But it's home.

When I read the stories about some of the quality problems the new ones are having, I'm glad we bought old. Yes, its wonderful that the new ones get fixed under warranty. But where does that leave you if you are on the road sitting in a hotel room waiting for warranty work to be completed?

Some people can just move on to the next one. But I got kinda attached to this old gal who has sheltered us from below freezing temperatures, snow, rain, freezing rain, 70 mph winds and blazing heat. You just never know...

[ChasA]

I like the name you gave Rhoda.

[noserider]

Glad to hear you got it for that price. Shop around for insurance as others mentioned. Should be under $700. I would also skip the extended warranty. I would roll the dice and use that money toward your next coach. You bought it cheap to get some practice and check out the lifestyle. Keep your investment low so when you transition to the next one you can minimize your loss. Safety first then a few cheap upgrades like TV's and bedding. Someone will always be willing to pay what you paid for it. Depreciation is pretty much nil at this point. The key is do the absolute min since your upgrading so soon. Happy Trails

[TQ60]

Make it safe.

Check tires and maintenance items.

Then tv and sound.

Many led tv now are native 12 volt so look for one of those so it will operate without inverter.

Same for bluray.

We added led tv and made 12 volt ats that operates tv on battery and switches to ac on shore power.

Clean up all woodwork.

Fix doors and storage systems.

Use it.

[Duoglide1]

I agree. Safety and maintenance items first and USE it. Then cosmetics as you determine their priority in your usage. We did that for a year on an old class C and enjoyed the heck out of it until we found an A that we couldn't live without. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun with that one.


2005 Country Coach Inspire, C9 CAT

[EddieM]

Okay, now that we have gotten our feet wet. It's time to go RVing. Can anybody suggest good RV campsites, in Florida? We would be looking for full hookups, at least. Water, of any kind would be great, but not necessarily mandatory.

[EddieM]

Diann and I are headed for Myakka River State Park, during the weekend of May 15th, on (no, really slightly near) the Myakka River....you were expecting somewhere else?

Excitement is in the air, but so is our nervousness. Just to give you an example of what a neophyte I am regarding camping.....I haven't been tent camping in forever and RV camping never.

We are sending Rhoda to "mechanics boot camp" to get her whipped up into shape. Lots of little and not-so-little repairs are needed for our maiden trek. Just to name a few...automatic levelers need repair, brakes need to be adjusted and bled, generator oil change, tire inspection, dashboard a/c needs Freon (hopefully nothing more than that), a new turn key to unlatch front compartment that houses the dashboard a/c, screens secured, and air shocks need fixing.

See why I said "mechanic boot camp"? And I'm sure that there will be more, that the mechanic will find.

Then there will be the ever-needed extension cords. garden hose and a host of other not-so-little basic items.

Any other suggestions from you are greatly appreciated, but what I really need from you is a list of basic necessities to make this first journey a memorable one.

Please remember that we have an older 30' MH, without slides and relatively limited under storage and not a whole lot of coach storage. Our under coach storage is mostly shallower holding areas with only one pass-through, which probably is about suit case high.

What are the basics for outdoor living/camping? We really want to spend as much time outside of the MH due to our nature and the limited living area of the coach.

Stay tuned for photos from Myakka River and our facial expressions of our first trip into the wilderness.

[wajell]

VERY, VERY GOOD decision (that many people don't make when they buy a used RV). Be prepared to start drinking heavily when the report comes back from boot camp. But I hope not. Be glad you have no slides. We don't and we are.

ENJOY!

[Dsallach]

Originally Posted by EddieM

Okay, now that we have gotten our feet wet. It's time to go RVing. Can anybody suggest good RV campsites, in Florida? We would be looking for full hookups, at least. Water, of any kind would be great, but not necessarily mandatory.

What part of Florida are you looking to visit and what type of activities do you like? All of the state parks are great. If you want to visit the Kennedy space center, Manatee Hammock is nice and close............

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by EddieM

Diann and I are headed for Myakka River State Park, during the weekend of May 15th, on (no, really slightly near) the Myakka River....you were expecting somewhere else?

Excitement is in the air, but so is our nervousness. Just to give you an example of what a neophyte I am regarding camping.....I haven't been tent camping in forever and RV camping never.

We are sending Rhoda to "mechanics boot camp" to get her whipped up into shape. Lots of little and not-so-little repairs are needed for our maiden trek. Just to name a few...automatic levelers need repair, brakes need to be adjusted and bled, generator oil change, tire inspection, dashboard a/c needs Freon (hopefully nothing more than that), a new turn key to unlatch front compartment that houses the dashboard a/c, screens secured, and air shocks need fixing.

See why I said "mechanic boot camp"? And I'm sure that there will be more, that the mechanic will find.

Then there will be the ever-needed extension cords. garden hose and a host of other not-so-little basic items.

Any other suggestions from you are greatly appreciated, but what I really need from you is a list of basic necessities to make this first journey a memorable one.

Please remember that we have an older 30' MH, without slides and relatively limited under storage and not a whole lot of coach storage. Our under coach storage is mostly shallower holding areas with only one pass-through, which probably is about suit case high.

What are the basics for outdoor living/camping? We really want to spend as much time outside of the MH due to our nature and the limited living area of the coach.

Stay tuned for photos from Myakka River and our facial expressions of our first trip into the wilderness.

Basic stuff you will need: Sewer hose(S) and appropriate end fittings, 2-25' water hoses/1-50' water hose(you never know how far away the CG water is), wheel chocks for those sloping parking sites-large chunks of firewood will do in a pinch. Others have more to suggest.

A tip for locating your RV in the site; immediately after parking, make sure your electrical cord will reach-you may need to move several feet to reach the power outlet. It's better to discover this now instead of after you have your jacks down, lawn chairs and awing out, etc.

[ChasA]

I'll suggest that you spend 4 or 5 days in your camper parked in your driveway. That way you'll have easy access to your kitchen things. As you raid the house, write down everything you take into the camper. Then you'll have a packing list for your first trip.
We like to be ready to go at the drop of a hat. So we stocked our motor home with everything except food and clothes.