Well, as of 11am 3/22/06, I am the owner of a Class “A” Motor Coach!

I was doing one of my regular searches on CraigsList.org when there it was. A cool looking; Class A Motor Home for a steal of a price! It had just been put up there an hour before. I called right a way and waited…2 Days, calling like a stalker between 9am and 10pm every chance I got.

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It was tough to get a hold of the guy and by the time I got to him he'd had a lot of flakes on his hands over the past few days. I am a Craigslist junkie and have bought and sold many items that way so I know how frustrating it can be. For those of you who are not familiar with craigslist.org, it is a free online community and it a place where you can find almost anything in your area. Bottom line, after, id say 30 calls, persistence pays off! Anyway...He drunk dialed me at about 10pm on day 2, just when I’d about givin' up. He calls, I knew I likely had one shot at this so I better do it right. We made an appointment for the next morning. Then I had to explaining to my wife Jessica. She had no idea I was even looking at RV’s. She is totally the “wife o’ the year!” and 15 minutes later, I was at the ATM getting some cash deposit $$.

I knew nothing about Revcon when I spotted this RV; I just have a search for Motorhomes that I do everyday. I'm a fifth wheeler and lost my tow vehicle to a nasty accident last fall. (Rear axel on my F-350 came off while towing my trailer in I-80 outside of Sacramento, CA. Trailer breaks saved my bacon!) . I’ve owned a class C in the past but never a true “Motor Coach”.

$1500 seemed way too little for any coach that's running, let alone one of this obvious quality. Thanks to the Internet and specifically the Revcon sites, I was able to see how special this coach could be. I brought my good friend Kevin (Dig, The founder of Chillaxnet) with me to help see any major problems. He’s owned older coaches before and has suffered some loses in the past. Thanks buddy, there are few people I can count on in a pinch and owe you 2 big ones now! (He also rescued me when the accident happened last year.

Well…It was love at first site! (OK, infatuation anyway!). Outside looks good, no major dings or dents, a few blems and one repair job that is half way done. The windshield is going to be a challenge. It appears to have been leaking and the repair job was botched. I’m going to need some help/advise there. It has 3 (YES 3) AC units on top! How cold do I need to be? It also has a 5’ x 3’ storage container on top. Roof is clean and seems watertight. No signs of water damage inside or out (Yeah!) I’m a big guy (250+), is the roof strong enough for me? I think it’s a 31 foot not 34’. (Bumper to Bumper? or what’s in between?)

Drive train: It has cranking problems, but fires up right away when it cranks 3 times in a row. (Starter?) It acts like it has a dying battery however; it acted the same way when I jumped it. (Starter? I ask again) Engine is STRONG! New Transmission is tight and the ride down I-880 was smooth. Tons of power and my chase car reported no smoke or smells coming from the tailpipe. Gas gauge, speedometer, odometer and wipers are dead. Tac works and I set the movable guide to approx 60 MPH on flat land. Breaks seem good. Steering is ok; I need to have a look at the pump.

The inside is rough, (new carpeting and upholstery are called for) However the inside skin and paneling are in nice shape. The rear bedroom was used as an office so the closet was removed and I will need to replace it. (Ideas anyone?). Currently a double bed is back there. I am going to expand the bed platform to allow me to use my Queen Pillow-top Mattress. It is my feeling that your vacation bed should be at least as comfy as your home bed. Fridge, Microwave and Genny have all been removed so I’m on the lookout. I will make-due with a dorm size fridge till I find the right deal. Microwave won’t be tough to find and I’ll wait on the genny. I have a portable in a pinch and I almost never dry camp.

This weekend is testing systems and making priority lists. I took my first trip to Camping World where I could have easily dropped 6k! Got out of there for 92 bucks, Serenity Now!

It is going to take a bunch of elbow grease and at least a few thousand dollars (I hope just a few) to make it a very nice coach!

All the best to you, signing off…Tom “The Playa Monkey”