I’ve just made an agreement to purchase my New-to-Me 1998 Roadtrek Versatile. Since I’ve decided to buy one before I am able to fully retire, I have found several that I thought would be right for me. The first one had a new paint job and looked like a brand new vehicle. A friend suggested that a new paint job on an old van can often signal either an accident or severe rust. I called the dealership. The Carfax was clean. No accidents. I asked about rust. Crickets. He broke the silence by saying that “Well, it has been in Ohio for 18 years, so I’m sure there is SOME rust.” He offered to take some photos of the underneath, and when I saw them, I just about cried. It was so corroded it looked like it was about to fall apart .
I kept looking. The next one had more mileage, but looked to be in better shape. The photos and description looked wonderful, but I was having trouble getting information from the seller. We chatted by phone one night and he said he was extremely busy at work. I got some general information but not enough, so I sent an e-mail with about 10 questions. He answered one. I asked more questions and again, he answered one or two of them. I chalked it up to him being so busy. He suggested I join two Roadtrek groups on FaceBook and said they were groups of people who owned old Roadtreks, and they were extremely friendly and full of great information. I joined.
I decided to buy it, borrowed from my IRA and got a cashier’s check cut for him. In the meantime, he said there had been issues with the holding tanks and he had it in the shop being fixed so it would be in tip-top condition when I came to get it. When he called a few days later to tell me it was done and I could come get it, I was ecstatic! My happy dance was interrupted by a message from one of the people on the Roadtrek group he had suggested I join. I had posted a photo of the van I was going to purchase and someone messaged me to point out that she had been interested in that van, had done some homework and found it had been rented out over the summer to various campers. The reviews of those who spent time in it were not good. She sent the link. They (the renters) not only gave bad reviews, but each had a long list of things that were wrong with the van, starting with “covered in dog hair” (I have always had dogs, so dog hair isn’t an issue for me), and continuing on to “check engine” light comes on every time you go up a hill.” Leaky windows, window that won’t open, broken hoses, fridge that won’t work unless plugged into shore power. The list went on and on and my heart sank. I am aware that issues will probably arise when I’m on the road, and that is a big down side of living in a van for any length of time. I will have to learn to deal with that. But I don’t want to start out my trip in a van that already has serious issues.
I contacted the owner, and again, he said he had fixed one of the issues (had some engine work done.) Nothing more except to say the renter who complained was just disgruntled, and then suggested that perhaps if I was living on a fixed income, perhaps van life wasn’t the right choice for me. I decided that HIS van was not the right choice for me.
I was heart-broken. All the vans in my price range were fairly old (15 to 25 years old!) and all were hundreds if not THOUSANDS of miles from my home. I realized I had no idea how to negotiate a deal on a used vehicle, let alone one so far away. It’s not like I could just drive to Costa Mesa, CA for a quick test drive.
Unwilling to accept defeat, I decided that I can do this. I just have to look in my area. There are not many vans listed close by, but I decided that I need to learn patience. A friend suggested that this should be a fun process, not a horrible chore. It is all part of the journey, not some dues to be paid in order to begin the journey. I got in bed that night and repeated over and over: “I can do this. The right van will come along at the perfect time and it will be so easy and fun and right that I’ll know in an instant that this one is meant for me.”
The next day, I got up and started poring through listings of Class B RV’s nearby. One was in Maryland, about 2 hours drive from me. I wrote to the seller. He wrote back within minutes. He said “We are in Assateague, MD today and heading to Philadelphia tomorrow. I think we will pass close to you. We can bring the van by for you to see if that is convenient.” It turns out they were passing within one block of me! They came by on their last trip in it. They were a delightful couple with a small dog. (They get bonus points for having a dog.) The van was beautiful. The set up was perfect. The owner patiently went through all systems, showing me the gauges, light switches, generator operation, AC, heater, water pump, etc. I liked it. He spent over an hour showing me everything in the coach and how it worked, and I was quite relieved to see that everything did work. He told me what repairs he had made. He and his wife are from Germany. They had used it to travel the US for the past year and were about to return home. We went for a drive in it and I really liked it. The look, the feel, all felt right.
I offered to buy it.
We made some arrangements, and I’m scheduled to pick it up in Maryland on the Vernal Equinox. I’m excited. I’m hoping third time’s a charm!