I can tell you that looking for an RV is a pain in the ass. The problem is that they are spread all over the country and you could spend a small fortune looking at each potential candidate. There are lots of things that come in to play, and people don’t always represent what they have accurately, sometimes, they don’t even know what they have.
Well, after lots of searching, we found an RV in Iowa. It is a 2002 Newmar Dutchstar 3852. It has a 350HP Cummins with a 6 speed Allison transmission, air brakes, jake brake, good tires, and two slide outs, or as Terri calls them, “bump outs”. It met my needs in that it is made by Newmar, which is what we wanted, is a diesel pusher, has air brakes, a jake brake and is fairly low mileage, about 85K.
There were a couple of things that Terri really wanted. One was a washer and dryer. The other things were a dining area table that would work as a workstation/desk and also, a dresser in the bedroom that could also work as a desk. This unit had all three of those things.
So, that was the good news. I took some pictures of it and she liked what she saw in the pictures. Now the bad news, when we actually got the RV she wasn’t quite as happy. The decals on the sides were cracked from being in the sun because one of the previous owners wintered in Arizona. While that meant little to me, I came to understand, it was significant to Terri, and rightly so, as she explained to me, “This is my house, I want it to look nice!” Stay tuned for the solution..
Hi George, I just stumbled across your blog! Excellent tales and photos, hope you’re having a fantastic time!
– Josh Lenius
Thanks Josh, we are having a super time with enough challenges to keep life interesting. I hope you and Kate are doing well too!
Do you live fun time in your r.very. and if so do you miss your ho,e.
That did, come out right . Do you live full time in your r.very. and do you miss your home. Your motor home.
Yes we do live full time in it and we don’t miss our home. We do miss our grand kids, but we are back in Wisconsin for a month or two and then we’ll head out again! We are staying in the RV year round and really like the small space.
We live in belgrade Mt
We have sold our home,and now have a 35ft Georgie Boy
At this time we are trying to down size. after 25 yrs thats a lot of stuff to get rid of.
We want to make Mt our home base. we have not set up our mail forwording or registred
the motor home. We are both in our70nd’s.
Any advice would be helpfull.
Wow, congratulations! I know how much crap we had accumulated in 8 years of apartment living, so I’m sure you’ve been working hard downsizing. South Dakota seems popular for a domicile since there isn’t an income tax and you are both eligible for Medicare so the lack of health insurance options there shouldn’t be an issue. You can get mail forwarding there too. I love Montana, what a great state! Hope you have a great time!
We are looking to buy a new r.v would like to by a bus. What do you think is one of the best to buy. Thank you for your time.
I think lots of people like buying and converting buses for their needs. It’s usually less expensive to do that, but that comes with the price of lots of labor and time. I like the Bluebird busses, but any of them will do. It all comes down to the type of racing you will be doing and the budget you have in mind. I think understanding your type of roving is critical. If you like RV parks, then buses aren’t a great option. If you prefer boondocking, then they are!
So, I would define what type of river you’re going to be, then go from there! Best wishes on your travels!
Been following your journeys on you tube and enjoying the stories. Was wondering how much the engine rebuild cost and did it come with a warranty? Thanks
Hi Dale,
It ran about 15K for the rebuild. I had them do some other stuff too like I stacking the radiators, etc. It comes with s warranty, I think 200,000 miles if I recall. No issues since, and I knew buying used would put one st risk for issues like this, but all in all, I can’t complain too much.