Got everybody beat, best thing that ever happened as an RVer was my motorhome burned to a crisp in my driveway the night before a trip to Hilton Head. Had a nice Alfa with the usual electric/lp refrigerator. Factory recall said there was a defect that could cause a fire. Really! And the only response from the refrig maker was to send a recall card. Well, I got the card the day before my trip, called my dealer and told him to order the parts for the recall and next service in a week or so after my trip I would let him do the recall service and that would be it. Wrong.
About 9:30 the night before our trip my daughter screamed, "the bus is on fire". Never had a chance to put it out and was more concerned that the fire would leap to our house, 20 feet from where the biggest fire in the neighborhood was happening. Once I realized my garden hose was not gonna help the RV I diverted my attention to saving my house. Very upsetting experience to be sure. As I had premium insurance with State Farm my only wish was I could get enough from them to pay the bank my loan balance. I owed roughly 50 and was hoping to get 50 and then start over. Well, my agent said you were lucky to be alive and the fire was a direct cause of the refrigerator and the idiots at the factory had no clue how serious the situation was and could be life threatening. He offered a settlement north of 110 and I almost fainted. Then he threw in an extra 20 for the contents that were lost and or damaged. He said his company would get every penny back and would I be interested in being a party to the lawsuit so I could recover my deductible. Of course I agreed. State Farm got it all back and sent me a check for the 2k deductible. Since then the premium has been paid the day I receive the statement.
That my friends in how I moved up to a Country Coach Magna, two years newer and in a much higher class RV. Five years later and an additional 50,000 miles I moved up once more to a Newell and as long as I can keep it between the lines RVing in the greatest part of my life. My suggestion to anyone that asks about owning an RV is get the nicest one you can afford and don't be afraid to own one that has been used and cared for.
The fire was 2008 and that was the beginning of the crash and it was a great buyer's market. It still is in my opinion. My Country Coach was barely hurt with 40k miles and listed originally for 650 and I got it for less than 20% of that four years later. Same with the Newell. Listed for 7 figures and I got for 30% of original value with 50k miles. There are some really nice coaches that folks can't use or need to move. Due diligence and a little patience will reward a savvy buyer.
College football and travel baseball keeps me moving from May to January. I can't imagine not having my own bed, refrigerator and warm potty. We sail by the fast food joints and the kids think a 7 hour trip is maybe 2 hours. RVing is so much fun and there are no strangers at camps and parking spots. Good quality living and seeing lots of places I would never otherwise get to visit. What was a nightmare actually turned into a great chance to move up and realize a better chance to experience another five plus years of RVing.
Luck, ... sure .... in a twisted way we were as lucky and you can get. Sure didn't seem like it at the time!
