Passed the age test Wheee!

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PatrioticStabilist

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I thought I was in trouble.  I was checking in at the KOA Campground near Alliance Service tonight.  The guy kept looking at my coach and I'm getting nervous thinking he is going to ask me how old it is.

He goes how old is that motorhome?  I said well its actually 20 years old.  And I'm braced to have to move along.  but he says, why its just beautiful to be 20 years old, I've been looking at it. 

Wheee!  I was scared to death as its raining again, and we were tired and ready to hang it up.

But you talk about a tight squeeze.  They actually roped off a row so people towing could get in it.  Also I had no reservations and she found me a spot, this campground is packed.  I never make reservations but we got lucky tonight.

I said well I've heard some won't let them in, he said we aren't supposed to.  I asked if he looked at condition too and he said one like yours is a lot different then many of them.  Sooo I guess this time I passed the age test.
 
What I have found so far in my travels is that for overnight guests or guest up to two weeks, the age really doesn't matter except in a few of the very high end parks. However if you want to stay monthly then they can start getting picky. If you choose to stay at the cheapest parks you can find age will almost never be an issue.
 
Seiler, being Sue Anne and I are traveling alone I try to stay at RV parks that I feel are safe so sometimes we have to bypass some I am sure would be less expensive.  But I know that places me where I could be refused because of age, we will see how it goes.

I was probably the oldest motorhome at the service center so I guess you don't see that many this old that are still decent.  If you look at the front of the coach it could use painting but the rest of it is in decent shape.  Nothing dented torn or messed up. 

I stayed in a nice one the other night near Ocala, Amys RV just off I 75, $25 for the night with full hookups.
 
One thing that you may want to avoid is using any duct tape and bailing wire on the exterior of your RV. That is a red flag to some RV parks. :p
 
SeilerBird said:
One thing that you may want to avoid is using any duct tape and bailing wire on the exterior of your RV. That is a red flag to some RV parks. :p

Well that just takes the fun out of everything, now doesn't it?  How are we supposed to fix stuff that breaks??  ;D
 
Actually, I just thought of a relevant question here....

My travel trailer is a 2012.  My tow vehicle is a 1989 F250.  Granted, it's a very nice old truck....but I'm wondering if I will ever encounter an age issue at a park.  NM and Texas don't seem to care as long as you pay the bill and don't bother anyone. 

We were at Oliver Lee State Park in NM last weekend.  A couple in an old diesel motorhome pulled in the second night....they were in their 20's, and may have been full timing.  The MH was obviously old....i would guess early 90's....and it showed its age, but only up close.  I thought it was pretty cool to see a young couple doing this....they were obviously not affluent, but they seemed to be having a good time and were very friendly.  I'd hate to think of a park turning them away.
 
Frizlefrak said:
My travel trailer is a 2012.  My tow vehicle is a 1989 F250.  Granted, it's a very nice old truck....but I'm wondering if I will ever encounter an age issue at a park.
No, it is the age of the RV they are worried about, not the age of the truck or the driver. ;D

The problem with older RVs is that the park owners assume that if you have an old RV you might not be able to pay your monthly bill when it becomes due. In states like California all the laws favor the tenant so therefore it might take them months to evict them if the tenant stops paying their rent. Meanwhile the tenant stays rent free.
 
SeilerBird said:
One thing that you may want to avoid is using any duct tape and bailing wire on the exterior of your RV. That is a red flag to some RV parks. :p
Unless you make a "designer" patch with duct tape...
 

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Our coach is now 10 years old this year.  We have decided that if I call to make a reservation and the campground asks how old our coach is, I'm gonna answer:  " and just how old is your campground"...... 8)

Marsha~
 
If this one was only 10 years old I would just fudge it by a year.

I wonder if I list all the things on it that are only a year or two old would that help?

Rear seal
All new hoses
New microwave
All new fluids and filters
New improved headlamps
Air dryer
Shocks
alignment
Radio
brake pads
some light fixtures
liquid rubber roof
vent covers
ac's
max airs

And I could go on

of course
w/d

so does all the new stuff counterbalance the age ;)
 
I'm human of course a nice new one would be great, but guess we are just to cheap to do it.

But also how long will I do this, and will Tom really want to go.  Maybe a newer one,  but brand new, just to rich for our blood.  I really don't envy those  that have them and hope they get to enjoy them. I am very happy for the folks that do, they are something else that's for sure.  We looked at a $90k 5th wheel while there, wow, fireplace and even a ceiling fan.

I was coming out the door and a fellow was walking to his, oh my gosh, it was just gorgeous.  I told him so, he said you wouldn't want it with all the engine issues,  then I think he caught himself and said but we are getting them fixed.

There were so many almost new ones in there getting all kinds of stuff fixed.  I would just be sick about that.  And those coaches were not lower end at all.

 
  Have worked in Yogi Bear Park Resorts and a few others with my 1988 Class C up until last Summer and was not turned away because of "MY OLD RV". I keep the exterior in decent condition, but the inside is showing its' wear. But It's paid for and that gives me the cash to pay for a campground space. However; When I travel I use Allstays.com and usually can locate a Bass Proshops, Menards, Lowes, Cracker Barrel and very seldom a Walmart, phone #'s are usually listed, and I call ahead for permission to stay for one night. I use COE's, State Parks and the like if planning to stay up to a week; if longer I find monthly rates to suit my budget.
  Have not been turned away yet; but I haven't looked at staying in an Luxury RV Resorts because I am a jeans and sweatshirt kind-a-guy and would not fit in their mold. The one's who turn us away only lose income, when we give it to some one else.
  In the 80's when I was married; the two daughters wanted to roam the campgrounds, stores, whatever without supervision, but the wife and i kept an eye on them from a distance; wouldn't do that today.
      If I had children I would stick to campgrounds only; the world has got too "creepy" to even leave them unattended for a second!!
 
Used a campground in Denver with a 10 year limit back in 2003 when I had my 84 FC 35 Bluebird, and had no trouble, they just assigned me a real nice site in the front row by the check in area. I didn't know about the 10 year old rule for at least 3 days when another rig that was 12 years old was denied entrance due to age. They never asked me how old the rig was, so I didn't lie to anyone to get in. all I got was compliments on how beautiful the bus was.


Lee
 
  Marsha    I am going to remember that one,  our rig is a 93.  have'nt been asked yet??



                                                                                                                    Ken
 
We are in Kissimmee tonight.  I called a couple of KOA's they were booked solid.  She said she didn't know why that usually this time of year they aren't.  Yes, that was why I usually traveled now it was some slower.

So she referred me to Sherwood Forest on 192, but said oh its not as nice as ours.  Well looks better then the last KOA I was in!  They didn't ask me anything, didn't even look.  But there are beautiful rigs in here.  But its a mic of motorhomes and travel trailers.  All are clean and nice from what I see though.

Well, I had my first time ever of having to unhook.  They got rid of their escort here and I got confused from the map, its a BIG campground and the road she referred me to was not visible from the main road!  I should have unhooked the toad but no I was going to do a Uturn and didn't make it.  Of course I panicked.  I was starting to unhook the toad and couldn't find my durn hammer to knock out the pins.  A wantabe cop for a nicer complex at the entry was telling me, we are calling the police you are blocking traffic.  I said if you give me a few minutes I won't be.  He says you can't do this, I said I'm trying to not do it.  A nice guy out walking told him the same thing and started helping me, I was down to pulling the pins.  I always have to knock them back to the end of the hole and then twist them out. 

Another man was nice enough to direct me to back up because I was a nervous wreck by then.  The one guy was just a couple of rows away from me and I said if you don't mind would you drive my car to the site and I will be fine.  He said I sure will. So he showed me where it was.  There are almost a 1000 sites out here!  I told him I would not have found it and been all over the place.  I said most places this big have an escort, he said we did till a couple of weeks back and they got rid of them.  Well I bet I won't be the last to do that.  But I was so embarrassed and had bragged to hubby how I had never had to unhook to back up.  I just ate my words.  The old guy said don't feel bad, I've had to do it twice myself.  Thank goodness for nice people. 

That security guy was just being an ass.  Here we are working like fools to get it unhooked and out of the way and all he keeps doing is you can't do that and the people could get out of there, I was past their driveway.  I think they are a very luxurious private condo deal and likely resent sharing the main drive with all the rv's and motorhomes going in and out.

I will stay here again though.  We are close to Disney, I think 5 miles, Universal, Sea World, and I see they now have a Disney Cirque de Soleil.

I have picked up the headache and feeling bad that the people at the rv service all had.  Some were very very sick.  I sure feel bad tonight.  Told Sue Anne we will go out for dinner and to the flea market tomorrow.  Sunday I'm doing nothing and Monday if the weather is nice we will head to Disney.  Supposed to be in the 30's tomorrow night and Sunday night, hope that's it.  The rain is gone.

I did get pads for my levelors and I had sank in the mud at one place and then my indicator said a leverlor wasn't up and I had to move to asphalt redo it.  It's sand here so CamperWorld is close by and I got those plastic pads.  It leveled right up ok.  So guess I need those.  The front one I"m going to have to use an awning hook on and I let my hook go with the other motorhome, have to buy one for this one, keep forgetting.

We are all settled in.  On one side a nice 5th wheel on the other a very nice Discovery with full body paint.  And I see a pretty one out my living room window to.  But seems like they are all brown anymore.  I really like grey. 

They let the mobile people do repairs in here and I saw where they do a full wash and wax and detail for $450!!!!!!  Holey smokes!!!  I would like to have it washed, its $70, just for the salt, but sorry no $450 for me.  Some folks must be very wealthy.

I like the lights I'm seeing people lay on the ground around their motorhome, I assume its those encased in plastic. Very nice.

Well off to dinner.  Lots of good restaurants around here.  Sue Anne said mom we have almost ate the frig empty, yep we need to hit the store.

I drove down 441 today, I didn't want to go the freeway.  Took a long time with all the lights but I didn't care, wasn't in a hurry.  Then hit 192 and went west.  We just kind of ambled along today, a good day even with me having to unhitch.  More embarrassing then anything.
 
Don't be embarrassed about having to unhitch, Carolyn.  It's happened to all of us at one time or another ... usually when we least expected it to ... and often in front of God and everyone, or so it seemed at the time.

Margi
 
Carolyn, The crowding my have something to do with the Osceola County fair and the Silver Spurs Rodeo being in town. That's the only reason I can see.
 
If the security guy had left me alone it would have been unhooked even quicker.  Just took a few minutes to unhook it all except there was strain on the pins.  I tried driving forward a bit with the car but didn't loosen them and couldn't find my hammer.  And of course he was keeping at me.  I don't think he understood what we were doing.  I could have just driven up on the edge and ruined the landscaping and kept going.  After he did that it was tempting but I was afraid I might mess up my motorhome.  Anyway it didn't take 10 or 15 minutes at most.  He could have helped by just diverting traffic from the entrance till I was done, his folks were really very little inconvenienced. He just kept saying you can't let that sit there, you don't think duh?

And about that time my hypoglycemia was kicking in as it had been awhile since I ate so my blood sugar was low and that doesn't help.  He is lucky I didn't punch him out, dummy.
 

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