11-8-08 Saturday (Wants - Money = Sad)

We just came back from Camping World. Jim had found they had the exact same RV as us for sale. Same year, same colors, same layout. This one had a little rougher looking wear and tear on it than ours. The exterior had a new paint job and looked good. We went there to test drive it and compare against our own. We told the salesman, Dale, most of the truth. We tweaked it a little stating that we were interested in the same coach we had with this better paint and hopefully a better interior. We figured we wouldn't be able to just walk in there without an intention to buy just to roadtest. After taking some time to appear like serious buyers, we asked for a roadtest. The battery was dead so we looked around while they were dealing with that.

We looked at a 98 diesel 40' Beaver (no jokes) coach. The interior was spectacular. The salesman figured the lowest he could take would be around $70,000. Of course we weren't there to buy anything but we were hooked. Jim and I thought of so many ways to try to come up with the money for it. Sell the Beamer? Use some of our savings? So many possibilities but they all left us broke. We finally had the smarts to walk away.

As we roadtested the twin to ours, I suggested maybe we trade the RV in on a 5th wheel. Trade the Cherokee on a 3500 pickup. We found that we'd get more bang for the buck with this method. We started looking at 5th wheels. I have to have one with a washer/dryer hookup or it's a deal breaker. We saw an immaculate 2004 5th wheel with all of our needs in it. This thing was spectacular and well cared for. The interior was modern, with silver accents, just stunning! If you want to see the slideshow of the RV, click here. The kitchen was HUGE. I love it. It has surround sound, high ceilings, ceiling fan, etc. A strange thing about a lot of 5th wheels is that the bathrooms are integrated with the bedrooms. The toilet is in a different room, but the rest is open. I guess it's not a big deal. There is a privacy accordion door to separate the 2 as needed.

The problem with this whole deal is the damn thing is $45,000. Sure they'd probably take less for it, with room to negotiate being it's used, but we'd have to buy a pickup truck to haul it for $15,000 or so. It's all depressing and I wish we hadn't looked......

Dinner out this evening was tasty. Dave mailed us 2 for 1 dinner coupons for TGI Fridays. Jim had French Onion soup and I had a very tasty Chicken Tortilla soup. My main entree was a pork chop while Jim enjoyed a Flat Iron Steak. All very good, and of course, thanks to Dave, the price was right. For desert, we were to stop at Smith's Supermarket and hit their bakery. As soon as we unlocked the hotel room door, Jim exclaimed with a rather whiny tone, "We forgot to stop at Smith's!" We didn't need the desert anyway. Sure, we could have went out again for it.

Prior to dinner we filled the Cherokee at Costco at $2.15 a gallon. I'm not sure what gas prices are where you live but this is the lowest thus far. After that, we went to a going-out-of-business sale at Mervyns. Mervyns is a Macy's type store. The store had 30-50% off. There's 2 things Jim can't resist, a sale and name brand clothing. Browsing lead to disappointment, naturally, everything was full suggested retail less 30%. The only 50% items were costume jewelry and the like. What a joke. We'll probably be stuck in Salt Lake long enough for 80% off..... let's hope not.

I had to go back and edit this entry. I forgot to tell you the outcome of the roadtest. The RV twin of ours did vibrate but not as bad. The steering was slightly loose compared to ours.

I'd like to get a little Sally Struther-ish with all of you. We need sponsors for our roadtrip. Did you know that for just the cost of a cup of coffee, you can help Jim and Garret explore our great country? Buy a cup, at only $1,000 a cup. It's good Folgers instant with FLAVOR CRYSTALS!