We Did Good

We laid pretty low today. Paul braved the freeways to go to a doctor's appointment. I chose to stay in and decompress from our stressful re-entry to the Bay Area.

This evening, we took a stroll around the campground. As we wandered back toward the moose, a 40-footer Fleetwood backed in a couple of spaces away from us. We struck up a conversation with the captain and his guest, and we heard the story. This particular model was the one he'd always wanted. And, as soon as it arrived in California a couple of years ago he made his offer and bought it. Shortly after, his dealer declared bankruptcy and closed. Right behind, the manufacturer followed suit. In the blink of an eye, this gentleman's new dream machine was an unwarrantied orphan.

That would suck.

Turns out, he thinks he has a lemon. He said he has a list of more than 40 things that are wrong with this 40-footer. His levelers don't even work. His experience as the owner of this big rig has been a nightmare. He's tired with it all. And, it shows.

"I did wrong," he said. "Next time, I'll buy a Tiffin."

Man! That would really suck. You spend your hard-earned money on the RV of your dreams, and in a nano second you lose your dealer and your manufacturer. And, there's nobody there to service your lemon. While so many RVers have a love-hate relationship with their rolling homes, this guy has nothing but hate. He wishes he'd never bought the thing.

So, so very depressing!

After hearing our neighbors tale, we spent a moment giving thanks that we bought not just one, but two rolling homes from Winnebago. It's a company that has weathered the downturn well and is a fine position to gain market share in the future. Both dealers we purchased from are still in business. Our warranty has been honored across the country. Sure, our newest moose has a short list of things to be fixed. That's the way it is with a new rig. But, we don't have to worry that our dealer won't be around or our manufacturer is a thing of the past.

We feel great about our decision. We bought two motorhomes that suit us very well. This newest moose is the most comfortable rolling home we could possibly imagine.

Yep. We did good.