Epic Trip, for a Horrible Purpose! Planned New RV turns Remorseful…

[Pullstart 69,109]

I installed a new clip on the water heater access door, and put the doors back in to the water system access in the rear cargo hold.

 

As much a pile of crap the interior and exterior are, this has really good bones.  I like it more than I should admit!

[Pullstart 69,109]

We have really been on a rollercoaster lately, with some blessings and gifts mixed in!

My MIL’s cousin lives in Denver and her husband is dying of stage 4 prostate cancer.  It’s an unfortunate situation, that they are actively planing for him to not be around.  They have a 1998 diesel pusher RV with the 3126 CAT and 6 speed Allison.  One slide out, and her mother purchased it new.  It’s been meticulously maintained, and they have been trying to sell it.  She wants to downsize to a travel trailer, something she can still camp in once he is gone.  Though it needs nothing, has less than 100,000 miles, has new batteries and tires, and all the amenities of ‘98, their local dealers offered them $1,500 trade in on the coach.  Bottom line, they’d rather give it to us than take that trade in cash. 
 

It’s winterized now, and will be waiting for us come spring.  Whenever that is in the Rockies that is!  They asked if we sell our current coach, to just give them that amount and it would be fair.  I believe come spring, we might take it to the local auction house and let it roll.

 

 

Edited November 17, 2025 by Pullstart

[Handy Don 16,048]

Prostate cancer is a terrible journey. If anything good can come to someone from the pain and suffering, that is joyous. 

 

Any work you’ve done on the coach you have to make it safer and add longevity will add to its auction value but one caution: more than a few campgrounds are banning RVs more than 10 years old and that has dropped the bottom out of the market for older units. 

[Pullstart 69,109]

36 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Prostate cancer is a terrible journey. If anything good can come to someone from the pain and suffering, that is joyous. 

 

Any work you’ve done on the coach you have to make it safer and add longevity will add to its auction value but one caution: more than a few campgrounds are banning RVs more than 10 years old and that has dropped the bottom out of the market for older units. 

I am sad for their situation indeed, and can only imagine the pain of planning the end, with little control of the present.

 

We don’t travel to any campgrounds with those rules.  I have to believe we would not fit in, the same as our RV 

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,429]

Cancer is the worst so prayers for you family Kevin!

 

That RV looks a little better than your current one though!

[lynnmor 8,666]

1 hour ago, Pullstart said:

 

We don’t travel to any campgrounds with those rules.  I have to believe we would not fit in, the same as our RV 

 

Same here, I have no desire to play that game.

[Handy Don 16,048]

2 hours ago, Pullstart said:

We don’t travel to any campgrounds with those rules.

Only mentioning because of their effect on market size/value for older RVs

[squonk 45,725]

Just curious, What is the reasoning banning older RV's? The new ones go up in flames just like the old ones! 

[R Scheer 510]

Too many cases where the old rv gets abandoned in the park.  I don't agree with using a 10 year arbitrary limit, but I can see their point

 

[Pullstart 69,109]

48 minutes ago, squonk said:

Just curious, What is the reasoning banning older RV's? The new ones go up in flames just like the old ones! 

Gotta find a way to be better than the Joneses!  

[Brockport Bill 2,243]

just read through your thread from September - - including the title and registration and VIN issues for your rig! Early in my career, I had oversight managing 5 DMV offices - the soap opera stories we were told of people buying and selling vehicles would fill a book -- although its after the fact for you, I would caution everyone about private sales - enormous fraud -- its amazing how dishonest some people can be. The best lesson is from when our parents taught us -- BUYER BEWARE !!

[formariz 12,358]

I have been reading and watching this post since its start. I have not commented before. It is easy to give advice on what to or not to do in things like this specially after the fact and even to make a little fun of it since the recipient is such a good sport. I am not going to do that. What I am going to do is to say how sad and unscrupulous human beings can be for the sake of profit. But let’s not worry about them because they will get their due sooner or later in their miserable existence. A few things I gather from reading this. It’s a few lessons for the rest of us. Through the disappointment and feeling really violated ,Kevin still made the best of the trip and of the situation. He wasn’t secretive about it but shared the whole thing unlike what many would do. He proceeded to fix the problems specially the safety related ones and makes the best of a bad situation. And finally, although sadly due to someone’s dire situation an opportunity to make everything work out surfaces. The lesson here is that good things always happen to those who deserve it and mean well in life. And Kevin, as far as your comment that neither you or your RV wouldn’t “fit in” in those places, don’t ever think like that. You and your family fit anywhere you want to be and it would be those that don’t think you fit in that do not in fact fit in and deserve the privilege to know you and your family. 

[Pullstart 69,109]

Shortly after this spring fling plowed day in 3 weeks from today (I’m not ready!), we’ll be flying to meet our family in Colorado, and our new RV.  April 14 is the cut off for the local Auction House, and April 21 is the sale date of the coach.  We will get a check in 2 weeks from sale date, to forward on to Julie and David in Colorado.  Before we see the Turd off, Colleen is getting Alcoas and brand new Toyos!  Since the condition of wheels and tires does not seem to change sale value, we are swapping tires betwix the bus and the RV.  Colleen will be rolling pretty!

 

Once the ground thaws enough to move the bus around front, that is… 

 

It was 32 degrees morning with frost on the ground, but it’s still not hard enough to crawl away from the garden.

[Pullstart 69,109]

One of my buddies came over last night, and we used my Duramax “Ruby Wilbur” to give Colleen a bit of an assist.  We’re free!

 

 

[Pullstart 69,109]

Tires and wheels are swapped.  They are heavy, but doable.  I need to torque them before they move, but it’s getting dark.

[8ntruck 8,649]

A bit of 'bling' for Colleen!  Cool.

[Pullstart 69,109]

3 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

A bit of 'bling' for Colleen!  Cool.

That is a benefit to the swap, but the main focus was tires.  It seems like the resale value of the RV has little difference on age of tires.  Since there was a $4200 price tag on that rubber and we are sending her to a no reserve auction, it makes sense to keep what is valuable to us.