after wrestling with the 35' endura max vs 39' fun mover debate we decided to go with the fun mover. so friday headed down to El Mirage CA to buy it after our Wells Fargo banker said we should be good to go. unfortunately were weren't good to go, and as a consequence of that i just had probably one of the worst weekends of my life that didn't involve being sick or physically injured.
in the end it boiled down to wells fargo not telling us -all- the info we needed to send in. had we been properly informed as to what we needed to send in, this RV would be mine right now, and that really pisses me off.
sadly, we had to get back home since we were leaving town and i was falling behind at work and the seller understandably was getting impatient. especially since another buyer was waiting with cash. the RV was a great buy, i got him down to 58k it had 22k miles on it. the only real issue with it was a missing key for the cargo doors and it could use some front tires.
so it looks like the 35 might be our pick, although we also have our eyes on a 36 endura max with a slide out. at least i felt a little better after finding some scathing reviews of the earlier cat c7 motor. still though...that beast was pretty sweet.
That was a horrible experience. Something I keep repeating, not only in ths forum but to anyone who will listen to me, is this: nothing about RV'ing is done in a hurry. Hopefully, now in retrospect you can see that you are better off without it. What kind of warranty were you going to get? Who would you call if there was a problem with the coach?
Another piece of advice I keep repeating is, select your RV like you were buying your first home. Do not get emotionally attached to any vehicle. If something about the deal doesn't feel right, walk away. If you have to push this hard to get the deal done, something is not right.
Since you say you are planning to live full time in the RV, you have many more factors to consider. Buying an RV as a full time residence is far more complex than one for recreation. For starters, not all RV's are rated as a full time residence. Living in such an RV will void your warranty. You really should get in touch with other full timers before you make your decision.
Don't give up on RV'ing. This is a great time to buy, if you haven't noticed already. Expect that it will take up to a year to make your purchase. When it happens, it will be a pleasant experience.
thanks for the advice. if that story shows anything, it's that i'm not one to easily give up.
that RV had some coverage. i'm not too keen on buying new for the sake of warranty. it's nice and all, but paying 40-50k more to cover what could be 10k worth of issues aint worth it. the new old stock gulf stream we're considering has the warranty and all that, but i wasn't impressed with how much coverage it looked like it had, but i do find it to be a bonus.
that's funny living in one could void a warranty, but i'm not really concerned about that. we need a specific type of rv to fit our needs, i am willing to take void warranty risk, but not willing to compromise on the type of rv we need and can afford. i'd hate to get stuck with something dumb and expensive, but i'm a fairly capable mechanic and capable of water and electrical system debugging and repair so i don't feel that concerned about the risk.
that said, i appreciate the advice and will do the research. i would be more pissed to pay for something and think i was covered. than i would be buy something with no coverage and have to pay to fix something.
Thanks very much for sharing your story. We can relate to your determination to get it done and as well the disappointment when the master plan doesn't work out. We have a shorter version well in the past that, as we look back on what eventually happened, proves that sometimes when something doesn't go as planned, it is just as well.
I really enjoyed reading your adventure and wish you well in your continued search for the perfect coach for you and the family. I, like you, am frequently not a very patient person. Well, I have learned to be more patient since my venture into the RV world. It seems everything in this universe runs a little slower than the normal world. Learn to slow down and don't let things bother you or RVing may not be for you. Wife and I really enjoy our coach but slow parts, wrong diagnosis of problems, slow and incompetent RV park (and bank) employees, persistent little things could make my life not too pleasant if I had not learned to not sweat the small stuff. My first coach gave me a great experience of things to come so I have been more patient with the second coach and, surprisingly, we enjoy this one much more.
Again, good luck and I hope you get the coach that is right for you.
vwlovr wrote: thanks for the advice. if that story shows anything, it's that i'm not one to easily give up.
........as for waiting a year, i'm not that patient.
don't i hear that! i doubt we spent 2 mos looking, but seems we ended up with the right one for us and we haven't been disappointed. this one was obviously not the right one. when it is--all things will come together!
wee3-gin, clyde & the bichon frise 2003 Minnie Winnie 30V - "The Frosty Hauler"
May the Angels guide your wheels and ride on your shoulder.
I had a 2005 39D. It rode like a uhaul truck with the leaf springs and no air-bags like the 2006 models. The price sounds very good, but the unit was not built that well, bathroom was very small. F750 was good and the C-7 with the 3000 allison was good. You would have no worries about towing or anything you put in it. No engine brake with that size unit was also a big miss. Losing this unit may have been a blessing.
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