Thank you once again to everyone! RedandSilver (I meant 3500 pounds, not feet.
Good eye!), OBX, cadee2c ( I totally agree with your comment too, btw. Was stuck in winter out on a muddy road some years back... a call to AAA, and some fiddling while I waited got me on the go again), UTTransplant, Larry N., rvannie23, HueyPilotVN, Isaac-1, Dance Chick, Ernie n Tara, JudyJB, Oldgator73, sadixon49, Compadre, MN Blu e Skies, Jeannine... wow! So many nice people to take the time to comment and share thoughts, feedback, etc. Thank you again to all!
My apologies for the extremely slow reply to all of your helps. I am young enough to be addicted to technology by all standards, but off-the-grid enough (at least mentally) that I am far behind most. I do not even have a smartphone... at least, I do not think the cheapie that does not even access the internet is one! Perhaps boon docking, as one person mentioned,
would be right for me! (No, still too chicken for that...)
Anyways, replies may be slow, but I am listening and grateful.
I hear everyone on the vehicle upgrade, and it does sound like such a good idea. The problem is that the vehicle is paid for, as was my last vehicle which I intended to keep at least ten years, but ended up trading in for the DEFINITIVE ten year vehicle.... something about saving money by keeping your vehicle for the long haul.
To do another trade in would be another massive hit, and would dip into the money that I have set aside for this probably a good deal. Also, to be a little bit on the human side, I have a weakness for this vehicle, as I like it so much, and have never had one that I feel "fits" me so well. I was happy to think that this would be it, and who knows...maybe we could roll together for many decades to come. <3 <3 <3 I really do want to keep my vehicle if at all possible....
That said, I understand that it seems to place me at a disadvantage that may not be do-able. If I did travel with a small RV, I would be in the south / southwest for awhile, but I know eventually I would want to head further up and out - Canada, Montana, etc. Or even if I did not, just knowing I had the option to do so would be important to me.
I agree with so many of you that RV dealers probably do their share of lying. I also found it odd that he had not heard of Cascita - even though I am new to this, I sort of had the impression that a number of people liked them, and felt he should be "up" on his "field" so to speak. He did not seem very friendly to me anyways....
@JudyJB, I hear you about having money aside for repairs, etc. I do have money to handle repairs, but not money to handle constant repairs, which is why I was looking for the most reliable RV. In other words, if a issue goes wrong here and there, and the bills are not massive, I can be ok. But if it is: one week something wrong, $200, three weeks later, another thing wrong, $100, a month later, anther problem, $800, two weeks later $75, and on and on, then that would be too much for me to handle. If I am shelling out thousands of dollars a year to maintain the thing, then there is no point (or possibility). What do you think?
I noted the concerns of some on the size for FT living.... yes, that would be small. My "projects" tend to keep me in place for long periods though, and I can sit in one spot for most of the day (save for reasonable exercise, etc. I don't want to turn into a couch potato!) I was hoping to use the outside a lot, as I love being outdoors to begin with...so, set up a small table and chairs outside, and go to work.
Honestly, the first time I slept in my SUV, it creeped me out worse than trying to sleep in my car. I had this luggage cover thing that was over half of my body, and just a matter of a foot or two from me. It was hot, end of summer, and I was so weirded out. I felt trapped, and wondered how I could sleep... but the next time I did it, I slept so good, and from then on out, I slept far better in that than in many beds... the coziness of it all I came to appreciate; like being in a small cocoon, nestled away. I guess my point is, it is amazing what we as humans can adjust to.
Thank you all again for all of your advice and thoughts! I suppose I may have to rethink if I should get an RV or not, given a number of things.