Popping the hood (bonnet, sorry)

Now. Now the whole thing is starting to feel real. It's no longer this wisp in the distance, an idea that might not make it off the ground. We've got the rig, we've told everyone we're going. We're in it now whether we like it or not. For the first time in my life, I had an idea and have followed through in a timely fashion. Up until now, I was good at pipe dreams. But, as the old saying goes, those in motion, stay in motion. And I've got to use this momentum as it might never roll quite this quickly and succinctly again. So, I hold on to my rolling rock for dear life and hope for the best. And on this rolling rock, sometimes I will be on top and sometimes I will be crushed by the sheer...no, no, no, far too dramatic. Sometimes you're ahead, and sometimes you're behind, and both produce interesting stories.

We have now had the engine looked at. Well, it is being looked at at the moment. We have been quoted anywhere from $500 - $1500 for potential repairs. It depends what they find over the next day or so. The transmission needs to be flushed, spark plugs and caps all changed, a new battery, a new transmission pan, and here's the clincher - potentially a new exhaust. With an RV, these things are custom made. They are very  long and very individual. If it turns out that this needs to be replaced, the whole rig will have to be sent off to a muffler shop where they will hand make and weld us a new one. This is the difference between it being in the hundreds or heading into the thousands. All extremities are crossed, and so should yours be!

Luckily I have come to terms with the fact that this is now a project, a fixer upper, a money vacuum. With the money we have saved and spent on it, we could have gone back down to South America for another few months. But this is the path we have chosen, and I still don't regret it. I'm looking forward to doing a bit of travelling in a country where I speak the language and am familiar with the customs. Being out of your comfort zone is a phenomenal experience, and this one will test it in very different ways. We essentially have a second home, and it can be wherever our whim takes us. It might not come with a gardener and pool boy, but I'm prepared to live without it. Plus, I think pool boy is just a euphemism for 'younger man I'm having an affair with.' I've already got myself a younger man, so I'm fine in that department too!

We have made lists of everything we need to buy, everything we need to do. The buy list looks like this so far:

To Buy

GPS - ?

Hand blender - craigslist or goodwill

distilled water

new battery

vent covers

Heavy Duty storage bags

plastic bottles

plastic cups & mugs - goodwill

plastic plates

pressure gauge

tool box & car tool box

LED touch lights - amazon

Oil (5W30)

compass

torch

atlas

folding chairs- walmart

funnel

vacuum - walmart

electric heater - amazon

bed sheets -goodwill

cover for sink

BBQ

air filters

oil filters

The stuff in red we have purchased. We made the dreaded trip to Walmart. We have been very... conservative (the term Dave and I use is not so culturally sensitive), with the money we spend. I trawl the internet looking for the best deals. Sadly, it comes down, a lot of the time, to amazon.com and walmart.com. I look forward to the day (if there ever is one) that we don't have to check and abide by what is $2 cheaper here or there. Although, I do get satisfaction out of paying less than I would have.

We had our first relaxing afternoon in it a couple weekends ago. We brought hot dogs to cook, sat and had a beer, vacuumed, made the place feel like ours. It was amazing. It was the first time I looked at the rig with affection. I can see us in it, and now I'm excited. Dave managed to get out during the week and on to the roof to do some repairs. It has rained every Saturday since we bought the bloody thing, making roof repairs impossible. But this weekend it is going to be in the 80's and sunny. Hoorah!

Now we just need to get the tires inspected. That is the last potentially expensive surprise. Could be another grand, or maybe we get lucky. I'm not hedging my bets either way. It will be what it will be.

Que sera, sera!

The good, the bad and the ugly

We have now had an RV specialist out to look at the RV. We tried to arrange one for last week, but received a call 2 hours before the scheduled appointment saying he couldn't make it. Nothing by way of apology or explanation, so we sent him on his merry way. I can tell maturity is setting in in some way as that kind of thing really irks me. If you're running a business, don't treat your customers as expendable. So we found a different person and booked it for the next weekend.

So the second guy we booked arrived promptly (my mature head swelled with happiness at this punctuality) and in a very professional looking van. He turned out to be a fairly nice guy. I could tell he thought we were idiots; stupid, young and eager enough to buy the rig sitting before him. But sadly, we were right. There is a fair bit of water damage to the front of the coach. But, it's so far gone that there's nothing to do with it but damage control. Sweet! I know this sounds weird, but luckily for us this was not a long term investment. For our purposes, the vehicle is fine. It will last as long as we need it. It's not going to collapse in on itself and it's safe.

We have a lot of work to do though. The guy said whoever sold it to us has a lot of bad karma waiting for him somewhere. The roof is in decent condition, bar all the slits and holes and cracks that we need to fill in. This basically means that it hasn't been sun and UV damaged too badly. But hell, this is Seattle, there was very little danger of that. He walked us around the roof, showing us how to take things off, scrub it down and reseal everything. Our main leak is coming from where the awning is attached and this is a common problem with these things. He also repaired our fridge, showed us how the generator works (which needs a new battery and wiring), he fixed and showed us how to use the awning. This was something that was beyond the talents of the guy selling us the vehicle! Maybe alarm bells should have gone off then... but hindsight is only valuable if you can travel faster than the speed of light.

The guy, Steve, had brought his dog and his wife with him, and both were small with abusive attitudes. He did say that his wife could chew her way out through a burning building, and we saw what he meant when we went to pay. Not fat, but definitely a feisty nature that chose to hone its skill on her husband. He seemed to take it like a man who has had to endure a lot worse. But, they were a good couple, and gave us numbers of people who would do good, honest work to the engine if we needed it. We were told we could call with any questions, and if we took it elsewhere, give him a call with the works that are proposed and he would tell us if we are being ripped off or not. Nice guy who obviously felt a bit sorry for the green couple stood in front of him. He knocked money off a part that he installed. But it didn't stop my stomach from nearly bottoming out when the final tally was announced: $446. Eek. But I felt fine, once my stomach had returned to its normal sitting position, as I now know what the issues are, and my peace of mind is worth a hell of a lot more than that. I remember being given a lift in El Salvador by a rather wealthy local man, and he said "If you go cheap, you just pay somewhere else down the line." Dave and I have tried to remember that little piece of advice as it has turned out to be true way more than once. Some things you have to pay for, and some things just shouldn't come cheap.

So now Dave and I have a little weekend project, lovingly repairing our RV so we can get the best out of it. If we take care of it and do the repairs he advised us on, he said it should last 3 - 5 years, maybe more if we keep up the maintenance. And hell, I don't plan to live in the RV for that long. But, you never know. These days you just never know.