A future Chinook owner excited to join now and learn

[adventureselsewhere]

Hello everyone,

I will not be ready to buy a Chinook for a year or so, but I already have learned so much just by reading some of these posts. And want to educate myself fully so that when I am able to purchase one, I'll know exactly what I want.

I am a single woman, but I am not new to long-term camping. When my kids were 11 and 14, I took them (as a single mother) on a 90-day trip across the country to visit national parks, driving a truck and hauling a camper. I've also done a lot of solo adventures in a tiny 1980 Toyota RV (which sadly died beyond repair) and tent camping.

But now it's almost time to upgrade to a more comfortable Chinook! I first fell in love with them when I saw one while camping in Acadia, and the owners took me on a full tour. From that moment on, I was determined to get one.

Like many others here, I want to be able to drive to mountains and water and fully live in my Chinook, since I am a both a skier and scuba diver.

I will appreciate any advice you can give me and thank you already for the great information on this forum.

Adventures Elsewhere

[Hea!]

Congratulations on what is probably the right choice in RV's.
Now brace yourself for the tedium of finding one!
I searched Ebay, Craigslist/searchtempest and RVTrader twice daily. For MONTHS!
Just when you think you have one, POOF!
Then, there's the ones that look like a good deal. But ask yourself why it's been on the market all summer...
https://spokane.craigslist.org/rvs/d/sp ... 44835.html
Then when you get one, expect to spend weeks ironing out all the details. (my current life)
Good luck and happy hunting!

This one popped up on Craigslist in the Bay Area on Wednesday and I drove it home on Thursday!

[adventureselsewhere]

That is a beauty! And I am sure it was worth the wait.

Yes, I fully expect to have to take my time and search hard and then pounce when I find THE right one. Fortunately, I can be flexible where I buy it, so I will look all over the US and then fly out to buy it and drive back, if I have to.

But all this is in the future. I'm on sabbatical right now on partial pay, so I can't afford anything for at least a year. But the search will be educational, I am sure. And I hope I can ping some of you to see what you think of prospects when I am getting closer to buying.

This forum seems very friendly and genuine in wanting to help others. So, thank you for your reply and please keep in touch! And I'd love to see pics of the inside of your beautiful new ride if you have time to post them.

[adventureselsewhere]

And also, yes, I am pretty good at staying away from scams. A few years ago, I had to apartment hunt in NYC (thankfully I don't have to live there full time anymore for my job), and there were ads for beautiful apartments at unbelievable prices, and then, when you call, they want some money upfront before they even show you the place. I (almost) fell for it once. So yeah, I'm pretty savvy now. But thanks for the warning. You all who have watched the ads continuously know the real prices and turn-over for the good ones, and I will truly benefit from that!