RV Repair vs. Trade-in Debate

Even before I got to Austin I was considering whether or not to get a newer motorhome or just fix the one I have. Inspiration is now 9 years old and it was certainly now having its “issues.”

When the refrigerator went out, that was something I could not ignore. I had been living without a microwave/convection oven for months now by using a toaster oven while I was trying to decide what to do, but nothing can substitute for a refrigerator except another refrigerator. Once I found out that to replace my current refrigerator would cost in the thousands (and to add insult to injury, my windshield would have to be removed in order to get the refrigerator in and out), it was suggested that I should just get a regular household refrigerator. But I didn’t like that idea at all. I feel that if I’m going to fulltime RV, I want the ability to switch the power from electric to propane to run the refrigerator. The ability to boondock is essential in my book.

So the greatest stroke of good luck that I’d had in a very long time was that it turned out that the problem with the refrigerator was covered by a Norcold recall notice. What a blessing – this big problem was going to be fixed at no expense to me.

But the next problem that came to scare me the most was with the slide. It had slowly become reluctant to come out and was obviously out of alignment. At one point, when trying to retract it, it completely freaked out, went all crooked on me and made terrible noises while one side went down and the other one stayed put. It took a mobile repair service and $200 just to get it in and in good enough shape to drive it to the Winnebago dealer for the big fix.

While I was there, it was great to see Rob was still at Crestview RV. He was the salesman who turned me on to the people from whom I bought Inspiration way back in 2001. I wrote about that case of “kismet” on my website Inspiration’s Journey in The Long Answer about how I started fulltime RVing.

He showed me a new motorhome that was listed in the $90,000 range and we talked about the terms I could expect in our current totally screwed up market. Even though this may be a good time to buy a new RV because of the diminished demand and tighter credit, I found out that also means my older motorhome is now not worth as much as I owe on it, at least for sure not on a trade-in basis. I was not happy to find out I was upside down on my loan for the first time in the years since I bought it.

I was so careful to do all the right things to avoid that happening – not only had I gotten a fabulously good deal from the private seller, I put 10% down and amortized the loan over 15 years even though I could have gotten lower payments over a longer term.

All this is bad news not only for me, but it also made me sad that this market is so bad Rob is seriously considering having to get out of the business after 9 years – such a shame because he loves what he does and he’s really good at it – knowledgeable and experienced, yet empathetic toward the customer – the best combination in a salesman.

Besides that, the new motorhome I saw that day did not turn me on in the least. Not only would my payments be considerably more than they are now, I would be deeper in longer lasting debt for something that was not nearly as comfortable with all the bells and whistles I had become used to in my fulltime home. I knew I wouldn’t like having to downgrade amenities to that extent for even more money.

I finally decided that if I could pay out about $2,000 total to get Inspiration really road worthy again, that I would be better off doing that. My tires were great and only a year old and now I had a newly repaired refrigerator, two of the biggest ticket items there are. Mileage was still under 50,000 miles and I’d made sure to keep the engine well maintained and serviced.

Turned out that by the time I got Crestview to fix the slide, service the generator, check and reseal the roof where necessary, and some other more minor repairs, then got the microwave/convection replaced with a new one, and replaced the engine battery I am about at that threshold.

But I’m happy with my decision at this point. I honestly don’t know how much longer I’ll be willing or able to fulltime RV. But all this having to seriously consider NOT doing it (even though for some seemingly very good, practical reasons) has convinced me that I’m still not immune to the travel bug.

So I’ve got a few more months to get ready for the next leg of the adventure when I leave for Michigan in mid May. Not only am I looking forward to meeting a couple of my virtual attorney clients up in the Bloomfield Hills area, but I’ve always wanted to see the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. One of my all time favorite sappy movies is “Somewhere in Time” which was filmed there, so it’s been on my “must see” list for quite a while.

If any Michigan area RVers are reading this and have any tips about campgrounds or anything else, I’d sure appreciate hearing them!