"I wouldn't take this RV over the mountains" words my mechanic spoke to me when I came to pay him another $450 for a new starter and carb base gasket only 1 day before I was to depart for Burning Man 2006.

After picking up the Turnip from Leale's RV. I was able to get it packed and ready for the trip.

I was the lead vehicle in a caravan of myself, Tom in my Chevy Silverado towing the 45KW generator, and our friend Nasti Andi in her VW camper bus.

I was able to maintain a constant speed of 60-70 mph even in the mountains. Tom noticed a lot of smoke when I would put the hammer down. This was not surprising to me since the motor is tired and has considerable "blow-by". Oil is getting past the worn piston rings and burning up in the cylinders.

The result is smoke and oil consumption. I added a quart at every gas stop and there was no other real issue with the Turnip.

We got to the Burning Man event site on Saturday afternoon and I could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the Turnip had made it and would not have to be moved for 10 days.

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All systems worked flawlessly while at the event. I forgot how posh it was to have your own toilet at Burning Man.

The trip home was uneventful.

It was time to decide what I was going to do about the motor. Simply put: the motor needs to be rebuilt. It's running strong but is having trouble keeping its fluids from leaking out. I estimate a $5000 price tag for this motor and once done, all of the other mechanical and cosmetic issues will remain. (ie. shocks, the vibrating dash has broken loose a lot of stuff, ceiling paint, etc.)

Since the Turnip has nearly 200k miles I don't think this would be money well spent.

Fast forward to last week. I find a 1978 Winnebago Brave 28 foot Class A motorhome with only 20,000 miles for $3500!

I went yesterday to check it out and it's every bit as clean as you would expect a rig with this few miles on it would be. There is not a drop of oil anywhere on the motor or transmission. A check of the crankscase breather indicated absolutely no blow-by.

The owner inherited it from a friend that passed away and has been fixing it up for months.

He pressure washed the exterior, fixed a VERY small leak and double sealed the roof, new faux hardwood floors and carpeting throughout, new apholstery on the cushions, new foam and apholstery on FlexSteel captains chairs, all new cabinet hardware, etc.

I will be bringing him a deposit tomorrow (he has already taken down the Craigslist ad and has called me a couple times giving me updates on work he continues to do even after I agreed to buy it as is).

While I'm there I will tell him where I want the FlexSteel seats located based on my height and preference. Once he finishes installing the chairs I'll be able to pick it up.

While I have no doubt that this RV will pass smog, Paul (the seller) said he guarantees it will pass smog or he'll buy it back. He offered to put this in writing.

Needless to say I'm very excited about picking up my new toy. There are more pics of it in the gallery.

skid