Taking Delivery of a New-to-Me RV

I’m back, finally. My goal is to keep posts coming more regularly.

After a lot of Internet shopping and network building, I bought a 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher recreational vehicle (RV) in Great Bend, Kansas.  My home was about 115 miles from Great Bend.  Driving experiences in my past did not include a 40’ vehicle.  Driving experience did include a two-ton truck, and piloting experiences included Cessna 172 airplanes.  My complete experience in RVs included visiting a relative’s RV in the 1970s or 80s and being inside a small number (less than 10) while shopping.

I put a deposit down on the Mountain Aire as soon as I saw the coach.  It was pristine inside even though the dealer had not cleaned it yet. We worked out delivery on a Wednesday two weeks later.  The RV needed a new windshield (curtesy of the original owners) and new tires (my buy).  It had the original 2005 tires in 2020.  Only 32,000 miles but the tire sidewalls were visibly cracking.  I learned that replacing tires every five years or so is a good idea.  A blowout on a front tire can be catastrophic at worst or at least do a lot of body damage to the coach.  The dealer gave me two tire places in town and told me to work out a deal; then they would take the coach while they were waiting on the windshield to come in.

I also needed a tow package on my car so I could bring the car home with me.  I figured I needed it anyway, and I didn’t want to have to find someone to take me to Great Bend and drop me off.  Plus, I enjoyed having my car while hanging out in Great Bend.  The dealer could install the tow package on that Friday.  The dealership had six parking spots with full hookups and allocated one to me from Wednesday until Saturday morning.

When I arrived at the dealership, the coach was in their garage.  A very nice young man was tasked with giving me an overview of all the RV systems.  I told him that I had absolutely no RV experience, and he needed to tell me everything slowly and in detail.  I planned to take pictures and videos but got so caught up in what he was showing me and telling me that I wound up without any meaningful electronic information.  There were a lot of systems but most of them seemed straightforward.

When the tour was over, the young man asked if I wanted to drive the coach out of the garage and to the camping area.  I told him no; I would just watch.  Once he had the coach out of the garage, he asked again if I wanted to drive.  Again, I told him no.  He drove us to the camping spot, backed in, and went through the processes to connect all the hookups.  Again, I followed him around and watched everything.

After he left me alone, I moved out of my car and into the RV.  I brought sheets, towels, paper plates, paper towels, toilet paper, and some food.  The first night was comfortable, although the air conditioning fan running all night was aggravating.  On Thursday I figured out how to adjust the thermostat, so the fan didn’t run all the time.  Camping in the RV was nice.  Fortunately, my plan for what to bring was reasonably complete, and I had my car to go out to eat and to the grocery store.