The Search Goes On

The search goes on. Thank goodness I didn't get embroiled in that money-pit in Memphis.

The next breakthrough - I discover Craig's List. No, wait a sec, let me back up. I had been looking for LDs in the on-line RV Trader sites (two of them) and in the for sale section of the Yahoo Lazy Daze group plus random and irregular Google searches of the web. It seemed, to me, that there was a vast black hole somewhere in the universe into which all 1992 26.5' Lazy Dazes were tumbling. I found everything but what I wanted and needed.

Then, someone posted on the Yahoo group that they had found the LD they wanted through massive searches of Craig's List. (By the way, it was a 1992 - major bummer and goodly amounts of envy - that should have been my LD). So I added this to my now daily search regimen. Oh my aching fingers.

As it turns out, all that Craig's List-ing was unnecessary. I found my LD on the RV Trader site. It was a terrible ad: not even a picture, no mention of what floorplan, colour or optional equipment. But it was the right year and length. It was a private ad posted by a lady in Virginia. Well! That sure beats California and even Tennessee for distance. For me, that's just through New York and Pennsylvania and presto! there's Virginia. Well, OK, there's Maryland too and maybe a bit of West Virginia but just tiny bits. Hardly worth mentioning, right?

By the way, why does West Virginia exist? Why isn't it all just Virginia? Or why isn't it West Virginia and East Virginia? Same goes for North and South Carolina, North and South Dakota. We Canadians don't chop provinces up into North and South Alberta or East and West Ontario. Oh well... Anyway, back to the saga.

I called the seller who turned out to be a delightful lady by the name of Wilma. She had bought a newer 30 foot LD and this, of course, necessitated selling the older one. The one she was selling sounded to be in very good shape, well maintained and with some nice extra goodies such as two, count 'em, two solar panels and six newish tires. On the down side it was my least favourite floorplan - the Rear Bath - and the colour was silver which comes out better only than brown but by a vanishingly small margin. She was happy to have someone come and look it over and even take it to an RV dealer for a professional going-over. We had a nice chat about Lazy Dazes and this 'n that. She was quite a chatter-box and totally charming. I liked her right from the start. I almost told her I would buy it then and there but I restrained myself.

Images of senior citizen con artists popped into my head just in time. I saw visions of banks of computer terminals manned by grey haired retirees in headsets sweet-talking us youngsters out of our hard-earned savings. Yeah, right... Anyway, a cooler head prevailed and I set out to find an evaluator samaritan or at least a local RV dealer, deep in the terra incognita hills, (they call them mountains), of Virginia.

I posted a request in the Yahoo "lifeinalazydazerv" group for someone, who I would compensate, who was near the RV's location, who could take a look and/or maybe deal with the local RV service operation on my behalf. Now, this wasn't such an unreasonable request: people made them all the time and usually someone responds positively. Not this time. Someone made the suggestion of just contacting a local RV shop. Well, hmmm, I guess...

I decided to post the same request in the Internet news group rec.outdoors.rv-travel (RORT). Now, moderated groups like the Yahoo LD group and kind of warm and fuzzy: friendly and supportive. Un-moderated newsgroups like RORT are more free-wheeling, edgy and sometimes downright mean. Kinda like the difference between Pleasantville and New York City. I had few hopes of finding my "white knight" and some fear of getting smacked around (electronically speaking). But nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I posted my story and request and waited......

My white knight, who shall hence forward be referred to as "Sir Frank", answered and volunteered to go for a looksee. I immediately called Wilma and asked if she would be alright with this, (older lady, strange man, could be a problem), but she was fine. (I later learned that not much fazes Wilma.) I gave her the details and passed on hers to Sir Frank. And immediately began fussing.



While we're waiting for the results I'll tell you a snippet about Wilma. To begin, this lady is past retirement age and a couple of decades older than me. I have no plans to climb up into the over-cab bed to sleep. Uh, uh, not me, no way. The reason she bought the bigger unit was to get a proper bed, on ground zero so to speak, on the insistence of her son who isn't OK with her climbing up into and out of the over-cab bed. She had no problem with it herself. And that sums up Wilma. Adventurous and fearless. Back to the story.

After a couple of days of world-class fussing I come home to voice mail from Sir Frank and e-mail with a link to a web page he had set up with pictures!!!! He was shown everything but the water heater - no water in the rig - and assured that the non-functioning dash air would be repaired. Everything worked as expected and was found as described. The rig was clean and in good shape and he recommended buying it. He also mentioned that while he was there, Wilma took a call from another interested party.

Even though it wasn't the desired floorplan and colour, I wasn't going to let it get away from me. I called Wima, made her an offer and she accepted! So, two years of study, wishing, hoping, dreaming, envy and of course, fussing, were finally coming to an end and I (almost) owned a Lazy Daze RV - my first motorhome.

Good grief, what have I done? Well, I've spent a largish sum of money on a complex machine in a foreign country owned by a stranger on the advice of a stranger which I must navigate across 650 miles and an international border - all by myself.



Are you curious to see her?




Pretty, isn't she?

Catch you later,
Ginger