Mornin' All,
As most of you know, I full-time in a 25 ft Class C, and I'm not looking to change that. Soon, anyway. My daily driver is an '03 Jeep Wrangler, and it now has 230k miles on it. It still seems to be worth around $6500, though. I've been pondering a replacement. I used to like taking the C to the campgrounds on the lake, but it's a bit of a pain to take down my antennas each time. Maybe kill two birds...
I ran across a '97 Ford E250 Sportsmobile. 150k miles, 5.4 V8, nice condition and color. Asking $9k. It's been on Craigslist before, back in the spring. Now with gas prices down, the owner wants to sell it again. I spoke to him on the phone, and he seems like a decent guy, but may be a curbstoner. That is OK with me, but I'll be a bit more careful.
(BTW, a curbstoner buys and sells cars, usually a few per year, and doesn't have a dealers license.)
I Groogled the rig, and found this exact unit for sale at PPL last year. It says SOLD, but doesn't give a price. If anyone saw the ad at PPL and remembers the price, please let me know.
The guy has painted the top, waxed it to a true shine, and done general cleanup. He replaced the radiator, did a tune-up, and put new tires/wheels on it. 150k on a 5.4 doesn't scare me, but I bet it needs ball joints and tie rods.
I am going to look at it next week, or weekend. Price seems a bit steep, but not outrageous. As a daily driver, I will put 1200 or more miles a month on it. I am thinking 14-15 mpg for most of the driving, and maybe 17-18 on the highway. About the same as the Jeep. Of course, I'll be about 10 mph slower in the Ford
Just putting it out there, and wondering if anyone thinks my plan is too much of a folly. I drove a Chevy 3/4 ton conversion for many years, and miss it. I know gas won't stay low forever, but I could remove the AC, water heater, and one bed, and keep the speed to 55, if I REALLY had to. This will make the trips to the claim a bit nicer, and may allow staying on the claim itself. Those darn cactus...
There is also a Dodge based Roadtrek 190 on the Houston Craigslist, 132k miles, asking $11k. I think it's a '94. It too is an option, but I'm thinking much heavier than the Sporty. Less useful as a daily driver.
Ya'll have a wonderful weekend. I'm taking the C to Beamont then to Austin tomorrow, spend some time with the kids. I'll keep pondering....
Bama
As most of you know, I full-time in a 25 ft Class C, and I'm not looking to change that. Soon, anyway. My daily driver is an '03 Jeep Wrangler, and it now has 230k miles on it. It still seems to be worth around $6500, though. I've been pondering a replacement. I used to like taking the C to the campgrounds on the lake, but it's a bit of a pain to take down my antennas each time. Maybe kill two birds...
I ran across a '97 Ford E250 Sportsmobile. 150k miles, 5.4 V8, nice condition and color. Asking $9k. It's been on Craigslist before, back in the spring. Now with gas prices down, the owner wants to sell it again. I spoke to him on the phone, and he seems like a decent guy, but may be a curbstoner. That is OK with me, but I'll be a bit more careful.
(BTW, a curbstoner buys and sells cars, usually a few per year, and doesn't have a dealers license.)
I Groogled the rig, and found this exact unit for sale at PPL last year. It says SOLD, but doesn't give a price. If anyone saw the ad at PPL and remembers the price, please let me know.
The guy has painted the top, waxed it to a true shine, and done general cleanup. He replaced the radiator, did a tune-up, and put new tires/wheels on it. 150k on a 5.4 doesn't scare me, but I bet it needs ball joints and tie rods.
I am going to look at it next week, or weekend. Price seems a bit steep, but not outrageous. As a daily driver, I will put 1200 or more miles a month on it. I am thinking 14-15 mpg for most of the driving, and maybe 17-18 on the highway. About the same as the Jeep. Of course, I'll be about 10 mph slower in the Ford
Just putting it out there, and wondering if anyone thinks my plan is too much of a folly. I drove a Chevy 3/4 ton conversion for many years, and miss it. I know gas won't stay low forever, but I could remove the AC, water heater, and one bed, and keep the speed to 55, if I REALLY had to. This will make the trips to the claim a bit nicer, and may allow staying on the claim itself. Those darn cactus...
There is also a Dodge based Roadtrek 190 on the Houston Craigslist, 132k miles, asking $11k. I think it's a '94. It too is an option, but I'm thinking much heavier than the Sporty. Less useful as a daily driver.
Ya'll have a wonderful weekend. I'm taking the C to Beamont then to Austin tomorrow, spend some time with the kids. I'll keep pondering....
Bama
