Planning on Dropping Out!

So, this evening George and I worked on our schedule to drop-out and plug into a new adventure.  We visited several RV dealerships (such a frustrating experience - see below), and worked on our time schedule using great new online based program called Tom's Planner.  Here are some observations from our current research:

1)  lots of RV dealers/salespersons are as bad as the stereotypical used car salesperson image, and they really try to screw you.  For example, we saw one rig we really liked today.  There was no price listed on the RV (typical bullshit) and so we went to talk to the office, and the guy that originally "helped" us.  We were told that the 1999 Winnebago Adventurer was $42,888.  Then the dealer got on the phone and "talked" to someone.  The price dropped, amazingly, down to our basic range of $30,000 (what we said we were willing to spend-but even that was a number picked out of thin air by me). The price dropped $10,000 and we were told that $32,988 was the rock bottom price period!!!!  No dealing!!!!  We left and looked on the web at their website, only to find a listing for that very RV at $29,899 - $3,000 less then what was the "no more deal" bullshit line that we were given.  This pissed me off and so you can guess who will NOT get our business!

2) I can see no advantage of purchasing a used RV at a dealer versus a person selling through Craig's List.  One would think that like buying a used car, you could get or purchase some type of warranty - or guarantee.  But this is not true!  You basically get nothing but a chance to pay the middle "person" or dealership.  So, I am back to Craig's List but there are problems there as well.

3) the last time I blogged about this, I think I talked about the "players" on Craig's List.  Here we would talk to one person but we would be shown the Rig by another, unrelated, person--who owned the rig - ah...good question!  Then there are those who do not want you to take the RV to get it checked out by a mechanic (WTF?), as if they (the seller) would really EVER buy a rig without having it check out themselves?!  Please.  Oh my.

So, we are now going back to Craig's List and hoping we find someone on the up and up.  But I have to say I am not a fan of the "pressure" techniques to buy before you check it out.  So far, everyone person we have talked to has done this and it is bad news, because I walk!

Now, we have a potential schedule!  Just click here and you can see it.  We hope to have an RV by the 1st of February and to move into it 2 months later.  This should give us enough time to learn how to live in the rv before we take off for the RSA conference in Minneapolis in May, where I am presenting a paper on the rhetorical damning of Mary Magdalene.  We will then hit Arizona or the Nevada area and we will be ready to pop over to Las Vegas where my cousin is getting married (we night renew our vows as well) in August.  Well that is were we are at for now!

R