Almost jumped ship

[clancythecamper]

Well, we were "almost outbackers" for about 3 weeks. After lots of looking and lots of thought and lots of talking we have decided to pass. We were leaning very strongly toward the 298RE which has so many wonderful features. The breaking point? well, there were a few - primarily the weight; considering our Chevy 1500 would be maxed out +/- very few pounds. Secondly, the price seemed a bit high. The quality was decent but the pricing was a bit high. Of course, there is a numbers game, we all know this, and we do have a unit that we've had for a very short time, so taking a hit on that doesn't help. Third, we were dealing with Camping World. I'm just not impressed with them. Some of the folks we worked with were good but there were a couple that left me feeling rather cold and unappreciated; like they couldn't have cared less. Our purchase didn't seem important to them ~ after all, just a travel trailer, not a diesel pusher. also, they didn't offer too many perks, purchasing a unit with a considerable price tag and they wouldn't even throw in a $250 hitch? and one year of Good Sam membership isn't worth too much to me. I would have been much more enticed by free camping nights and the like. So, maybe in a few years we'll join their ranks but, until then, we'll remain FROG's. I must admit, our Prime Time does seem to be better built ~ the primary reason we were looking was the many items that were not well thought out in our unit. Loved the 298RE floorplan and the tons of neat ideas and storage and space!!! Maybe PT will find a place in their future units to incorporate some of these neat features (cubbies with charging stations at bedside, for example; down focused nightlights..... lots more but what's the point in re-hashing it.)

[F and E Damp]

Bailing out was definitely a good choice. Hone your BS sensors a little sharper and maybe you'll find a good deal.

We scrabbled around for over 2 years after we got rid of out POS Class C. Our patience was rewarded when we found our current rig in our local newspaper. The original owners had run into the dreaded medical problems that required them to stay close to their doctors. They were only about 30 miles away from where we live.

I researched the specific MH on KBB and, armed with that data we went to take a look. The rig was in pristine condition, except for one issue we didn't find for a while. The main slide topper had rotted out and we didn't realize it until we got water in the dinette cabinets. I built replacements and everything is fine.

The asking price was about $8000 below blue book and was based on what they still owed on the home equity loan they'd used to buy it. It was such a sweetheart deal, we didn't even dicker.

We love the rig, but we're finding it more and more difficult to come up with the funds to use it. It has been a useful additional residence for family members visiting, but $450 a month on the loan is a lot to pay for that function. Gas prices are our major issue and if Washington State sticks another 11 cents a gallon on the already high tax, it will definitely end our RVing lifestyle.

When you're on a definitely constrained retiree income, luxuries like RV ownership and use are seriously at risk. It's a shame. but reality has a habit of intruding on what you'd like to do.

We'll see what the next few months hit us with. I suspect the rig will be in the classified ads before April.

[clancythecamper]

I hate to hear that, but I totally understand. We all know the worst thing you can do is to not use it; and it is a rather expensive inlaw suite. Wishing you the best ~~~