Decisions, Decisions

Thursday of last week and again yesterday I went out looking at RV’s for the first time. On Thursday I saw the 1999 Rialta and a 2002 Vista, both had a VW 6 cylinder engine and promises to get 18 to 20 mpg. The price range for these are 25 to 40k. They are about 22 ft long and standing height is about 5’10. On Saturday, I looked at 2010 Winnebago Navion IQ DL, which is 24 ft long on a Dodge sprinter chassis and has a Mercedes diesel engine in it and it gets about 18 mpg. I love the DL, driving it is like driving a Van, the turning ratio is amazing and very easy to handle with great pick up. It is also the replacement for the Vista but it is decades ahead as far as interior design and options. For numerous reasons I am deciding against the Rialta. I find that it really is too small if I’m going to live in it. I also worry about the transmission because there have been reported problems. Getting it serviced at a VW dealer is not always feasible due to its size. I had wanted to stay in that price range of about 40k but that may not be possible.
Now that I have seen and driven the DL it was a research time. I wanted to see what their resale value was so I hit all the sites to see who had them and whether they were new or used etc. It appears that the DL with the rear slide is the top of the line, so when dealers order it, it comes with all the options. I have not found any used, although I have found a 2009 in Georgia and have already gotten a price of 88k. The same dealer has a 2008 CL which doesn’t have a slide and but does have some features I could live with. The fact that it doesn’t have the rear slide means I can mount the Vespa and only need to take it off when I wish to use it. With the DL the scooter would have to come off in order to extend the slide. Having a back with issues, makes having a real bed is a big plus. The DL can sleep 4 and the dining table is part of the front bed. The problem with that is I would prefer not to have the big table there and more floor space and just use the little flip up table. Unfortunately, there is no place to store the table when not in use. The decision is whether to store the table and lose the ability to have guests or live with the table and lose the floor space, either way once I leave I don’t intend to be back for awhile so once decided its one that I will have to live with.

Another issue is the price tag. The 2010 DL I can have out the door with taxes and tags for about 98k. The 2009 for 88k. I haven’t really negotiated completely with the Georgia dealership yet, so I still think there is room to get the price lower. The 2008 while new is on the clock for its warranty, but it is a cheaper model and will probably have the deepest reduction in price.

Now that I have bored you with all the technical stuff, another question is do I buy it now before the house is on the market or do I wait and possibly lose out on finding another DL that isn’t more expensive. There are 2 09 DL’s in the country for sale and the other one doesn’t have all the options I want. The 2011’s will be out in 6 months and because it will be the Mercedes sprinter it will be more expensive and can only be serviced at Mercedes, whereas now I have a choice between a Dodge dealer or a Mercedes dealer.

So I must decide on timing because I may have difficulty getting any of the models down my narrow driveway which would then add the issue of storing it till I needed it or do I wait and hope that a 2010 will be available or even the 2009? Fortunately for me a friend lives about 30 minutes from the dealership in Georgia and has offered assistance with this part of the adventure.