The Jury Is Still Out

Do you find there are always honey-dos that need doing?  My list has grown in the last few weeks, so it was finally time to get to it.  This toilet handle has been a pain.  The chain keeps falling off and it hangs up all the time.  Next on the list, fix the dryer vent under the house.  That's one that's been hanging around for quite some time and finally, locate some hickory chips for smoking flavor extraordinaire!!  Ace Hardware became the morning destination.

With all my work related chatchkeys in hand, I might as well take a look at Lazy Days RV.  WOW!!!  What a destination THAT was!  I've only been to the service department, the easiest to navigate I've ever seen.  Their sales area is like a vacation to Acapulco!!  I think I'll take a lunch, sit on the huge indoor fountain and pretend I'm in Mexico.

I located a very nice easy going gentlemen to show me their current stock. We talked more about everything than we did RV's.  Yes he's married ... I checked!!  Like most RV places, they are sold out of just about everything.  Apparently there are fields full of RV's to be delivered, just no one to deliver them through the snow.  Maybe I can get a job hauling trailers!!

 I try hard not to be a bother taking pictures right and left, so I grabbed these from the internet.  Here is the Grand Design Reflection.  They are a relatively new company as RV's go, but it appears to me they have their act together.  Those lightweight aluminum steps lift up, fold inside and lock.  

Who better to talk to than Mr. Chance of course, who is an inside connection and driver for La Mesa RV, and my winter Arizona RV friends Patsy and Bill Richards.  Bill works for CanAm, an RV center in Canada and they sell Grand Design rigs.  It took a bit, but I was able to talk to Bill yesterday.  He may be sorry I now have his phone number for emergency calls when I'm trying to get something to turn on!!

Although there are always exceptions to the rule, this rig seems to have less problems overall.  Of course I expect fixes to be required, after all, it's a house going through an earthquake every time you move it.

Here's the floor plan of the one I looked at yesterday.

You can see pictures here.  These I swiped from the internet.  It's only a 24 footer,  27 total.  This picture makes it look narrower than it is.  The difference in quality is striking.  They actually have wood in the cabinetry.  Storage cabinets are everywhere, including a 30" wide floor to ceiling pantry behind the words "storage galore".  

There wasn't a single 1/8" thick particle board backing piece on the floor, nor any contact paper that I could tell.  

There's so much light inside that I couldn't even get a good picture of the kitchen.  That far counter top is the perfect place for Jonathan.  It has the latest and greatest Furrion stove top, along with a full sized microwave ... perfect for the Queen of Lean Cuisine.  It also has a 50 amp hookup.

If anyone wants to spend the night, they can bring a sleeping bag for the floor.  Of course the dinette makes into a bed, but a very uncomfortable looking one.  It also has heated tanks for cold weather.  The dinette is the only slide (less to contend with when they refuse to go in) and I do have access to the bathroom and bedroom when the slide is in.  

I'm not sure about access to the fridge, but it has a SECOND small fridge accessible from outside ... for all those beers I don't drink.  It will be a little adjustment ... the smaller space ... but there's just me and the puppies and I won't be spending 9 months a year in it like I used to.

The interesting part ... and that which makes this accountant's brain work harder ... is that there is so much MORE quality for $11,000 LESS than the other one I was looking at.  Yes it's two feet shorter, but they are also throwing in a second AC unit for those hot Quartzsite days.  It is also pre-wired for solar if I decided to have it installed.  I'm hoping for a few more add-ons like a rear view camera setup and keyless entry.  I can definitely say Camping World tries to rip people off.

At this point the jury is still out, but the evidence is overwhelming.  This may be the new home of two dogs, a parrot and me!!  In the meantime, I have one more place to look.