chaajoad
Well-known member
This may be a boring post so I'll try to keep it short ...
Our new-to-us Bounder is sitting in the driveway tonight. Sort of.
I refinanced the house to get cash to buy the MH. I was told after a three day wait, the $$ would be in my account and I could wire it to the seller in Portland - we live in Seattle. Soooo ... I took Weds. off (that was day #4) on the assumption (I know, I know) that the cash would be in my acct later that day. I drove my SUV to a Park & Ride. Took a bus to a ferry. From the ferry I walked to the Amtrak station and hopped a train to Portland. During the train trip, my wife informed me - no $$$ in the account. Great. The seller would be meeting me, expecting his cash and I was planning on driving the MH back.
I ended up spending the night in a motel. For some dumb stroke of luck, I'd thought to grab a change of clothes and a toothbrush, stuffing it in the bag I carry most everywhere. Still, it was weird - the whole thing was unexpected and just threw me off.
Thursday the cash showed up and it was wired to the seller. Here's where the fun starts.
When I first saw the Bounder I was struck by just how BIG it is. You MH vets are used to it but do you remember the first time you took a look at the big rig you would be driving? After a few basic points, I was on my own. Heading out of Portland around 3PM, the traffic is beastly. The MH was edging near empty and, moving a 5mph, I was getting nervous. What to do if I run out of fuel on I-5 with no real shoulder or anyplace to pull over? Seeing a "gas" sign, I pull off 5 and find myself in a narrow-street neighborhood and an Arco station with 11' canopies - no go. Lots of turns and squeezing down neighborhood streets, I'm back on 5. A few more exits up is a Shell with a 15' clearance - hallelujah!!! But as the kid is trying to pump the gas, we can't find the fuel input. A call to the seller saves me further embarrassment.
Once traffic opens up a bit, it was almost an out-of-body experience. Every few moments, what I was doing would hit me. The money, the effort, the shot nerves - but I was driving my motorhome back to Polusbo WA. I gotta say - this thing handles great. Real smooth. 60-65 no problem, not so much as a quiver. Double trailer semis would blow by me and I'd barely feel it. The unit is odor free and I literally can't find a mark on it anywhere. Everything works. I have no idea how old the tires are and after reading posts here, y'all have convinced me that age is more important than mileage - I'll check them. The brakes seem to "pulse" a bit so I'm thinking that might be an indication to at least ck. the pads. The dash AC blows cool but not cold - again, I'm thinking a quick AC service should help that.
One major problem - no manuals at all. So I guess I'll ck Fleetwood or an online source to get one. I literally am starting at scratch. The seller ran over a few things but you know how that is - you're head is spinning just from seeing the thing in person.
I'll try not to be a pest here but I'll have LOTS of questions. It's strange for a guy my age (55) to be so pumped, but ... this is pretty cool. Even though getting it down my dirt road and drive was a challenge and getting it out will take at least 10-15 minutes each time (the "sort of" remark earlier) I'm totally looking forward to our first trip. My wife and 8 yr old boy were sitting on the porch and seeing their eyes as I wheeled that beast down the drive was truly priceless. My wife sat in the front, quietly imagining Montana through that bog windshield. Adam was beside himself, already talking about adventures we'd have.
I've gone on a bit. I'm tired and the adrenilin has yet to wear off. But we are official MH owners now. For better or worse, we're embarking on a big adventure and I'm glad there's a forum like this where the vets and pros are so willing to share.
Our new-to-us Bounder is sitting in the driveway tonight. Sort of.
I refinanced the house to get cash to buy the MH. I was told after a three day wait, the $$ would be in my account and I could wire it to the seller in Portland - we live in Seattle. Soooo ... I took Weds. off (that was day #4) on the assumption (I know, I know) that the cash would be in my acct later that day. I drove my SUV to a Park & Ride. Took a bus to a ferry. From the ferry I walked to the Amtrak station and hopped a train to Portland. During the train trip, my wife informed me - no $$$ in the account. Great. The seller would be meeting me, expecting his cash and I was planning on driving the MH back.
I ended up spending the night in a motel. For some dumb stroke of luck, I'd thought to grab a change of clothes and a toothbrush, stuffing it in the bag I carry most everywhere. Still, it was weird - the whole thing was unexpected and just threw me off.
Thursday the cash showed up and it was wired to the seller. Here's where the fun starts.
When I first saw the Bounder I was struck by just how BIG it is. You MH vets are used to it but do you remember the first time you took a look at the big rig you would be driving? After a few basic points, I was on my own. Heading out of Portland around 3PM, the traffic is beastly. The MH was edging near empty and, moving a 5mph, I was getting nervous. What to do if I run out of fuel on I-5 with no real shoulder or anyplace to pull over? Seeing a "gas" sign, I pull off 5 and find myself in a narrow-street neighborhood and an Arco station with 11' canopies - no go. Lots of turns and squeezing down neighborhood streets, I'm back on 5. A few more exits up is a Shell with a 15' clearance - hallelujah!!! But as the kid is trying to pump the gas, we can't find the fuel input. A call to the seller saves me further embarrassment.
Once traffic opens up a bit, it was almost an out-of-body experience. Every few moments, what I was doing would hit me. The money, the effort, the shot nerves - but I was driving my motorhome back to Polusbo WA. I gotta say - this thing handles great. Real smooth. 60-65 no problem, not so much as a quiver. Double trailer semis would blow by me and I'd barely feel it. The unit is odor free and I literally can't find a mark on it anywhere. Everything works. I have no idea how old the tires are and after reading posts here, y'all have convinced me that age is more important than mileage - I'll check them. The brakes seem to "pulse" a bit so I'm thinking that might be an indication to at least ck. the pads. The dash AC blows cool but not cold - again, I'm thinking a quick AC service should help that.
One major problem - no manuals at all. So I guess I'll ck Fleetwood or an online source to get one. I literally am starting at scratch. The seller ran over a few things but you know how that is - you're head is spinning just from seeing the thing in person.
I'll try not to be a pest here but I'll have LOTS of questions. It's strange for a guy my age (55) to be so pumped, but ... this is pretty cool. Even though getting it down my dirt road and drive was a challenge and getting it out will take at least 10-15 minutes each time (the "sort of" remark earlier) I'm totally looking forward to our first trip. My wife and 8 yr old boy were sitting on the porch and seeing their eyes as I wheeled that beast down the drive was truly priceless. My wife sat in the front, quietly imagining Montana through that bog windshield. Adam was beside himself, already talking about adventures we'd have.
I've gone on a bit. I'm tired and the adrenilin has yet to wear off. But we are official MH owners now. For better or worse, we're embarking on a big adventure and I'm glad there's a forum like this where the vets and pros are so willing to share.