WANNA SELL ME A MOTORHOME?
LAST UPDATED ON 2005-December-15!
NEWS FLASH (Dateline: 2003-08-20)
We have recently had an opportunity to examine several Georgie Boy Cruise Master motorhomes and have been particularly impressed with the quality of workmanship and details of construction. We have also seen an illustration of the floorplan for model 3600 DS but not the real motorhome. We would be most interested in examining any 3600 DS from model years 2000 through 2003 in person. If anyone has one for sale or even knows where one may be found for inspection, please contact us at your earliest convenience. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
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PROLOGUE
Stan plans on retiring in August 2005. At that time our current plan is to divest ourselves of almost everything one way or another and move into a motorhome. Our next career will be as full time snowbirds!
There are several small problems with this, however, not the least being that we still don't have an acceptable motorhome to move into! Another is that, because Marguerite is a handicapper, we can't move into just any motorhome. It has to be one that she can live in quite safely and comfortably. So in the spirit of the day we're posting this page on our website in the hopes that someone with our dream-home-on-wheels will see it and contact us. It could be you!
Here are several preferences and requirements that we can itemize up front to avoid needless waste of your and our time.
SPECIFICATIONS
- CLASS
- Class A. Polling the market has demonstrated that Class Cs that are close to fulfilling our requirements were nearly as costly as comparable Class As. Travel trailers and fifth wheels are too difficult for Marguerite to navigate. We already have a Class B and it's far too small for full-timing.
- CHASSIS
- Chassis Brand (Chevy, Ford, other): No particular brand preference at this point. Each case will be judged on its own merits.
- Wheelbase (length): The longer wheelbases are preferred. For the most part, 228 inches is about the minimum.
- Wheelbase (width): Surprisingly, the width of the wheelbase can vary between motorhomes with the wider wheelbases reportedly being easier to handle on the highway (not so top heavy, smaller turning radius). You can see what we mean by comparing a Fleetwood Bounder to almost any other Class A on the lot. We're not interested in a Bounder, thank you!
- SIZE
- 29 to 37 feet. Smaller than that would be too cramped. We get along well together, but there are limits! Any larger than that would probably be far too difficult to handle for relative newbies.
- AGE
- No more than four years old. At the time of this writing that translates into 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003. This restriction may be eased somewhat if a slightly older motorhome-of-our-dreams had ridiculously low mileage/kilometrage.
- FUEL
- Either diesel or gas. There are pros and cons for each. Both are costly and their fuel consumption staggering!
- ORIGIN
- At first we were somewhat biassed in favour of Canadian made motorhomes, believing that they were insulated a bit better for cold. However, it soon became obvious that the vast majority of Class As sold in Canada were, indeed, of US manufacture. In truth, we're more interested in the basement storage and the black, gray and fresh water tanks being insulated and heated against freezing than we are interested in the "cross border shopping" debate.
- LOCATION
- At the moment it appears that our interest centres on western Canada or at least Canada at large because of the problems involved with importing such an expensive vehicle. Even so, we are also actively monitoring web based "for sale" listings from the States. So, if you live in the USA and you think you have what we want why not give us a try? What have you to lose? Ten minutes on the 'Net?
- NECESSARY DETAILS (New as of 2003-August-23!)
- Slides: Two slides are obligatory. This translates into one slide for the livingroom area and another for the bedroom.
- Passageway: The narrowest point along the passageway (when the slide is open for those models with slides) can be no less than 25 inches. Wider is preferred. This is to allow Marguerite room to move with a walker. The passageway should also be very nearly a straight shot, front to back. Neither of us would be very impressed with having to navigate an obstacle course. (It's surprising how many motorhomes are actually constructed like a Marine boot camp training course!)
- Queen Bed: The bed must be a "real" queen, at least 60 inches wide and 78 inches long, not one of those short-sheeting cheaters that most motorhome manufacturers try to foist onto the public. (You expect me to pay 2 years salary for this thing and get short-sheeted in the bargain? Were you born stupid or did you study?) It should be noted, however, that if it is possible to shoehorn in a larger mattress and still allow ample room for a handicapper to squeeze around the end of the bed, we'll consider it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
- Corner Shower: Marguerite's disability makes navigating bathtubs very difficult, and the rectangular showers with sliding glass doors used in most motorhomes are largely inaccessible to her.
- Closet space: At least six linear feet of closet/wardrobe space is required. We'll be full-timing in this rig and will need room for something more than two weeks clothes.
- Other Storage: Basement storage is obligatory. Roof pods are a definite advantage.
HIGHLY DESIRED (New as of 2003-August-23!)
- Particle Board, MDF, etc.: No particle board, chip board or Medium Density Fibreboard should be used anywhere in the motorhome's construction. This stuff is beastly heavy and possesses very low dimensional stability and physical strength. Basically, it's a sure sign of shoddy construction in the rest of the motorhome.
- Dinette/Eating Area: A booth is preferred over a free standing table and chairs. Not only does a booth avoid the instability of chairs for Marguerite, but it supplies more storage! Besides, every time we want to pack up and move (which is the whole point of living in a motorhome), securing the table and chairs is one more detail to have to tend to.
- Non-blue Interior: Some people like blue interior decorating. We think it's drab and cold. Warm, earth tones are preferred, thank you very much. This is, after all, meant to be our home and we need to feel comfortable in it.
- Hitch: The presence of a Reese hitch is a definite selling point.
- Tires: We've heard that 22 inch tires ride better than 19.5 inch. Going on the presumption that this authority knew what he was talking about, the larger tires would be a good selling point.
HOW THIS THING IS SUPPOSED TO WORK
First, you should know that, except for the size of the bed and the few things that are mandated by Marguerite's handicap, just about everything is negotiable providing the motorhome you're offering is otherwise so close to ideal that we can't refuse. How would you know? Select here to get hold of us and ask.
You'll also notice that we haven't specified any particular price range. Rest assured that we won't even consider anything costing six figures or more. But below that limit, we'll consider any reasonable offer. Neither you nor we will know what we can negotiate until we try.
This business of deciding on a motorhome is an ongoing thing. As our lives change, as we gain more experience or as we talk to more seasoned snowbirds we're likely to delete or change some of the restrictions or preferences itemized above, or add others. The only way you'll know about it is to check this page from time to time. May we suggest that you bookmark it for future reference? You can always delete it later.
We'll leave this page on our website until we make a purchase. Then we'll quietly replace it with a brief notice to that effect. (No, we aren't going to send special notes to everybody!) So, if you want to know if we're still in the market, the quickest way is to log on here for a quick check.
Be forewarned that some of the first things we're going to ask for are
- The motorhome's make, model and year.
- Number of kilometres or miles on the motorhome.
- Manufacturer's floorplan.
- Manufacturer's list of specifications.
- Manufacturer's photograph(s) or your photograph(s) of the motorhome.
But don't hesitate because you don't have these right at hand. There are ways of getting a lot of the information we want from other sources and we don't want to bugger a potential good deal for both of us over such a small detail.
If you have a motorhome that you think fits our requirements, or you think you know where we can get one that does, you can contact us by selecting here. We'll research as much additional information as we can find on it. If it looks good we'll arrange a trip to look at it in person. (Don't worry. We'll schedule it with you first.)
By the way, if you're experienced snowbirds, especially with a handicapper on board, we'd appreciate any tips you have to offer or comments on our inexperienced perceptions and expectations. Select here to strike up a dialogue.
COMMUNICATIONS
Communicating with the authors is easy. Just select here.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright © 2003, Stanley A. Schultz and Marguerite J. Schultz. Select here for additional copyright information.
This page was initially created on 2003-July-30.
The last revision occurred on 2005-December-15.
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