Upon purchase, we were quite pleased with the condition of our new-to-us 2004 Tiffin Phaeton. But there were a few things I couldn’t see myself living with. Most glaring among them: the dinette cushions. [Read more…]
Repairs and RV Service So Far
Taking care of Meriwether at Camping World
Buying a used RV is definitely a bit scary. Extended warranties can be purchased, but they’re pricy and you have to decide whether you’re going to take the plunge. Rather than pay for a warranty, we decided we’d be better off setting aside a certain sum every month for emergencies. (We have a separate line item in our budget for routine maintenance.)
Determined to be risk takers, we also opted against a pre-purchase inspection. I can’t say I recommend this. We had always planned to get a pre-purchase inspection, but our purchase ended up falling right around Christmas and New Years Day, and we were having an impossible time finding a reputable inspector who wasn’t on vacation and could fit us in.
We did get a couple of inspectors on the phone. Once they found out we were buying a Tiffin with new tires and new batteries, and a diesel no less, they ended up convincing us that we didn’t need an inspection. When respected inspectors who inspect for a living talk you out of getting an inspection, things get a little bit confusing.
But what were we to do? We really felt like we had found the RV of our dreams. We knew the most-expensive-to-repair components were solid, and we were getting a good enough deal on the coach that we felt like we could pay for any other unforeseen repairs.
Not wanting Meriwether to be snatched out from under us, we turned down the crazy road through No Inspection Land. [Read more…]
3 Cold Weather Tips for a Diesel RV
It was sunny when we bought the Diesel RV…then the cold front came
I’m shivering like a mobster in a tax collector’s office.
It’s 21 degrees in Austin and dropping to 16 degrees tonight! Ok, ok, I get it. All you South Dakota folks and Canadians out there are just snickering at us. But hey, anytime you have to open the refrigerator to heat the house (or the RV), it’s too darn cold!
So here’s the story. Brittany and I bought our brand “new to us” RV on January 2nd. On the 3rd, we took it to an outdoor storage facility and parked it. Our intentions were to clean and prep it for full-timing by February 22nd when our lease expires.
It was a good plan. A solid plan. One that worked with our timeline. What could go wrong?
Then came the cold weather report. Immediately I started getting texts and messages from quite a few people with cold weather tips for a diesel RV. [Read more…]
