Phew, it’s finally mine! After my scheduled vacating of my house on June 30th, and the seller agreeing to keep the RV stored until I was moved out, I was able to officially take possession of the RV!
Peace of mind!
Before unpacking storage into the RV and doing much, I decided to make the first stop to Camping World in Statesville to complete a multipoint inspection. Buying a used RV, especially as old as this is, I figured safety was a big concern. And for a nominal fee, peace of mind meant getting an inspection completed. Now, technically the inspection isn’t scheduled for July 4th but I was able to drop it off early so they can take a look at it early if they could, or if not it would be there Tuesday morning since I would be traveling. They estimated about 3-4 hours and would call when they were ready.
I’m not expecting much from this other than to find all the things out that don’t work! When I dropped it off, I was given a checklist of the things they will review and let me know what is in working order and what needs to be focused on. This should give me a good starting point for when I hit the road in a few days full time.
The drive…
Ok so today is the day – my parents and I drove up to pick up the RV. We met the seller in the parking lot of Hobby Lobby, traded signatures on the paperwork, keys, and handshakes. I climbed into the drivers seat, my dad into the passenger seat, and my mom followed in the car. I looked at my dad and said “do you want to drive?!” He said nope. Good luck! Oh shit. It’s happening. Here I am, an owner of a 32′ RV and I have never driven such a large vehicle. I fidget with figuring out the seat belt, get the mirrors adjusted (which was comical watching my dad hang out the side of the unit, look around and crank her up. It’s go time. I’m doing this. I have the confidence (what else do I do – there’s no backing out now!)
Ok, I put it in gear and give it a bit of gas, test the brakes and then head forward, getting ready to make a u-turn from the parking lot to leave the shopping center. I make the first turn quite easily and feel much better. Now on to the stop light. I know I need to add some gas so I head to the gas station across the street. While I could technically make a right on the red light I play it safe waiting for my green light. I didn’t need to hit a car making the first turn lol. So I finally get a green light, looking back and seeing the line of cars behind me, and get into the far left lane, and prepare to turn into the gas station. As I turn in I think how much cleareance do I have but more importantly I said shit! Which side is the gas tank on. Of course it isn’t labeled in the dash, so I pull in to the side of the gas station and get out to search for it. And search for it. And search and open door after door after door. With the tiny keys! Oh, it finally dawns on me – check the rear of the bumper. Sure enough with the other tiny key – a gas tank!
$50 later, half an hour later, and not a dent into the gas gauge I have enough gas to feel comfortable making the trip up to Statesville to drop it off. But not before I take a trip up on the roof at the gas station to check out the seals, roof and the sights!
We finally load up into the RV, walk around and make sure the steps are in and everything is good to go, and we are on our way. Leaving the gas station had a pretty tight corner but patience and time I was able to smoothly pull out to the light and be on our way.
Time is closing in!
Camping World’s service section is closed on Sunday and when you drop off the vehicle you have to do a walk through and good amount of paperwork so it wasn’t a matter of just dropping the unit and keys in the night slot. I knew we would be getting there pretty close to when they were closing but I was hoping to make it in just enough time. It’s another 25 minute drive and they close in about 45 minutes. Now we have no room to rush but no time to waste. Driving on the highway starts to get comfortable and manageable without any worries or issue. However the alignment seems to need to be looked at. Slow and steady wins the race so I focus on keeping it on the road.
But all the sudden I realize there are a few light rain drops. Oops! I should probably start looking for the windshield wipers in case I need them. I think I find them but not sure. A few minutes later I really need them and sure enough that was the knob. But what did I learn of said knob? Yup – it’s broken! If I push in the hex nut it starts a single cycle so I reach down and keep doing this for the duration of the drive. Two exits away and the rain starts to lift a bit. Phew! We get pulled in just in time. I look at the dash and the knob to realize I’ve been hitting the wiper wash button. Lol! Ok I’ll plan on putting that on the fix list. For now, it’s inside to get checked in and drop off the RV.
In just a few days we’ll be celebrating Independence Day and for me it will be an extra special celebration – home free and on the road to freedom! Stay tuned and look out for my first trip – planned for Sunday July 8th in our home campground at Thousand Trails – a very hard site to book which my dad was able to get booked over the phone for just 8 days.
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