Okay, now we're cooking! I have NEWS!

You're not going to believe this, but I bought my RV today!  I was mainly thinking I'd like a Winnebago because I know the name and know they are reliable.  I love those Minnie Winnies.  But so far, I haven't seen the right one for me.

Forest River isn't a manufacturer I know anything about, but the funny thing is, I have always dreamed of retiring in a small cabin in the forest by a river.  With enough room between the trees to get enough sun through.  And that's exactly what I bought!

It's a 2006 Forest River Sunseeker. 

It's 22 feet long, kitchen in the rear, nice bathroom, upper bunk bed, large couch, and dinette that seats four. No slides.  It's newer and cleaner than what I expected to buy, and has exactly the layout I've wanted from the beginning.

It has 8,000 miles on it, 8 hours on the Onan generator, 2 house batteries, two-door Dometic fridge. It's in perfect condition - I could have moved in today.   A little age related wear on the outside decals - just fading I think - but not too much. 

It has a TV, some sort of special antenna box attached to the TV - it's in an adjacent cupboard - so I won't need a "dish," Serius radio ready, tow package, and an after market tow system that's attached under the steering wheel.  It's for going downhill when you're towing something, which I probably won't, but you never know.  I might decide to get a toad someday.  The salesman said it's a $4,000 item - it's a "Premier"?  Nice if I ever need it. 

The RV also has a switch for "arctic" so that if it's cold, the tanks are kept warm.  Since I'd love to camp in the snow, I think, that would be good.

It has an outside electrical outlet, hot/cold outdoor shower, I forget everything now.  Almost NO outside storage, just three very small compartments. One will be for my tool box, I don't know what I'll put in the others.  But the storage on the inside is much more than I was expecting to have. I think I'll be okay there.  My bike and lawnchairs/table will have to be on the back of the rig. 

Honestly, it doesn't look like it's ever been used, which I know isn't necessarily a good thing.  8,000 miles isn't much in 5 years.  The tires look new, but I didn't check the numbers on them for age.  I'll check them when I go for my run-through with them and make sure they are good tires.

Other dealers I've visited have said nothing is warrantied, but La Mesa RV has a 30 day warranty, and guarantees everything works when you drive it away.  I'm going to see if I can drive up to visit  my daughter and her family to make sure everything is in working order.

I've never driven an RV, so we went for a test drive in the parking lot, and it was really easy to drive.  I backed up right into a parking space - aced it!  I was surprised how easy it was to drive.  In fact, I was surprised at how easy everything was in this rig.

I also purchased the 4 year warranty package covering the house, truck and tires/rims, and a GAP policy.

I don't get the extended warranty when I buy a car, but thought it would be a good idea since this is also going to be my house.  What is your opinion on that?  It's a 4-year warranty that covers pretty much everything, has a $200 deductible, or $50 if I take it to one of their shops.

I have to go over all the paperwork, I can change my mind about the warranties when I go back to pick it up and have my walk-through, but I'm thinking I'll keep them.

Camping world sent me a card for a free year's membership in Camping World's President's Club and I got some info last week. There were a couple of sales items, one was a back-up monitor, which might be a good idea, since I'll be driving and backing up alone.  It looked like a good price.

Now I've got lots to do.  I need to get insurance for the RV, find her a storage place for a couple of months, have my estate sale, rent my condo, and look around for an RV park where I can stay on a month-to-month basis until the end of the year when I retire. 

One giant step... and isn't she a beauty?

From Me and Katie, have a great weekend, everyone! :)