Just before a friend of mine retired and headed out in his new motorhome, I listened to his plans with a passing interest. When I saw him again six months later, I could see how retirement agreed with him. The stress was gone, he was clearly happier and he even looked younger. He credited life on the road for most of the change. This time I listened more closely as he answered my every concern about motorhoming. We had always camped in a tent (and not really very often) so jumping to a motorhome was quite a leap for us. At first, I was thinking about a small Class C or maybe even a Class B with the idea of using it for one or two week trips at a time. Joani didn't really like the small coaches and surprised me when she said "If we get a big enough one we could live in it". That really got me thinking. I started playing around with a budget and soon realized life would be a lot cheaper without a job. Think about how much you spend to work. You buy and maintain a house, have a second car, buy clothes, pay for things you could do yourself if you had the time, etc. Soon I had convinced myself we could actually retire early if we adopted the RV lifestyle.
I read everything I could find about fulltiming and we started going to RV shows. We had fallen in love with the Alfa See-Ya. It was a brand new 2007 model with the full wall slide. The floor plan was unique and it seemed to have it all. We went to RV shows and sat for long periods in that model. As I researched on-line I kept finding a lot of owners dissatisfied with their Alfa coaches. We found a ratings guide for RV's and it specifically cautioned against buying based on a floorplan or any other single feature. Before long the recession hit (did it officially get that label?) and it was enough to put Alfa out of business. The RV guide recommended setting a budget first and then buying an older model, higher end coach rather than a newer, lower end model. The thinking was, the older high end coach would have more and better equipment and ultimately provide a better experience for the owner. That got us looking at American Coach and after searching RVTrader.com for quite a while we found a potential coach in South Carolina.
We went to look at it - an American Dream. A 2000 model DDS with two slides. It immediately hit us how much smaller it was than the Alfa, but we kept open minds. We took a lot of pictures and studied them for a while and kept asking what more would we need to have? I had one picture in particular that Joani took of me and the coach that I made my computer home screen background to help me visualize it as ours.
We called James and Wanda (the owners) to look at it again on the 18th of September, 2008. It still looked good and it didn't have any "funny smells" (that can be very important). We went out for a test ride - James asked if I wanted to drive it, but I was too intimidated to try driving it myself. I think it was the first time we had ever ridden in a motorhome, so we didn't quite know what we were evaluating but nothing stood out that said "DANGER". The price was right (based on the NADA book value), so we closed the deal! James gave me a ten minute driving lesson at an abandoned parking lot and we were on our own - proud motorhome owners! We drove 15 miles down the road to a small RV Park called Ivy Acres to spend our first night in the motorhome.
The next day we headed home. It all went well except for my driving. I was a nervous wreck and I had to drive by the Mall of Georgia with all of its traffic on a Sunday! There may have been a few people with some choice words about my driving, but we got to our storage lot with no problems.
I was 55+ but the economy conspired against our early retirement. It was four more years before we could actually retire and it was probably for the best. We learned a lot in those years. We made a lot of improvements and upgrades. Joani replaced nearly all of the brass and removed most of the mirrors to give the coach a more modern feel. We joined the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) and the American Coach Chapter (ACC) of the FMCA. We started attending rallies where we were able to meet other American Coach owners and compare notes. It made learning a lot more enjoyable and effective. We later joined the American Coach Association (ACA) and joined a couple of chapters where we met even more American Coach friends.
I like to keep a list of the things we have done to the coach to make it uniquely ours (this will probably be boring to most of you, but I thought it was a good place to keep it):
- Replaced all brass cabinet hardware
- Painted all switches and puck lights
- Installed new dining light fixture w/ LEDs
- Installed central vacuum
- Replaced bath faucet
- Replaced televisions w/ LCD TVs
- Installed DVR in front TV lift
- Installed bedroom DVD player
- Built in computer into front TV lift
- Re-built bed headboard, removing mirrors
- Removed bedside sconces/mounted Jon's drawings
- Displayed Katie's gargoyle
- Re-covered bedroom window valance
- Installed Ship's Clock on bedroom wall
- Replaced dash radio (removed cassette radio & 10 disc changer & amplifier)
- Installed basement shelving
- Built charging center/accessory tray over front TV
- Built custom overhead tray boxes
- Installed additional 12V receptacles behind driver's seat
- Built lateral file cabinet/Sam's bed in closet slide
- Installed new light fixture in closet w/ LEDs
- Re-built overhead A/C baffling
- Installed power monitoring/protection system
- Installed new batteries
- Installed glass tile backsplash/wall
- Installed screen door handle
- Installed screen door magnetic catch
- Installed kitchen towel bar
- Installed Silverleaf monitoring system
- Installed Truck Systems Technologies TPMS
- Fixed passenger chair electric foot rest
- Organized cabinets
- Had the Heart Source Manager replaced with a Magnum inverter/charger
- Installed clock/weather station - front
- Installed weather station - bedroom
- Built shoe locker
- Made custom curtain pull-backs
- Replaced floor tile throughout coach
- Installed LEDs in all puck lights
- Installed LEDs in all fluorescent fixtures
- Added GFI outlets under dining table
- Replaced kitchen counter water dispenser
- Reworked the overhead cabinet to include the Magnum controls
- Lowered the arm of the J-couch to allow me to stretch out while watching TV \
- Lowered arms on couch to effectively make it longer
- Added wall mounted racks for laptop and miscellaneous stowage
- Created storage cubbie under J-couch, trimmed opening with oak accents
- Installed new porcelain commode
- Installed fold away drink holders (3 places)
Taking out the old TV left a lot of space for other toys - a DVR is now below the LCD TV.
A desk top computer now sits behind the TV with access on the right side.
The top of the cabinet now has a hidden bank of 12 volt sockets with room for essentials in the front.
The same flooring now continues throughout.
I just couldn't handle the excess of mirror.
I found the plaque at Amana Colonies. It spoke to me.
The beveled mirrors, not so much.
Our coach is made by American Coach and the model is called "American Dream". They discontinued the "Dream" in 2004. Is it an old coach, or is it a collectors item?
The beveled mirrors, not so much.
Our coach is made by American Coach and the model is called "American Dream". They discontinued the "Dream" in 2004. Is it an old coach, or is it a collectors item?
You can't see it in the picture, but there was a quarter inch difference in height between the tile and the hardwood. They tried to hide it with grout. It didn't work for me. Sam's toys now live under the J couch. David promises to make me an oak frame to dress it up.
The leaky riser is gone and David restored the commode to "like new" condition. I'm thrilled!
I switched to brushed nickel, all except for the shower. If anyone has an idea on how to do that without forking over $500, please, let me know.
Yet another mirrored wall is gone.
Mirrored headboard, gone, along with broken bedside sconces.
These hang on either side of our bed. Jon drew these for me for Christmas many years ago, an anime version of himself and Kate. Treasures.
Another treasure. Kate made this gargoyle for David for Fathers Day many years ago. He watches over us and, yes, he travels up there and hasn't fallen yet.
Changing this TV to LCD left room for a DVD player. It also left a huge empty space that can be accessed by swinging the TV out.
No, it's not all my shoes! (Some of them are David's.)
I love it when the designer utilizes every nook and cranny. We turned these funky little cabinets into shoe lockers by adding adjustable shelves.
Changing the closet from hanging storage (and mirrors) to cabinetry, we now have a place for two lateral file drawers and Sam has a place for his bed. We would love to add a window above the counter, but that will have to wait. David also added a 12 volt socket to plug a fan in while boondocking (can't sleep without it.)
I, also, like to utilize every nook and cranny. There are four buckets holding seasonal stuff hidden behind the files drawers. All of the little things that we all need (batteries, tape, office supplies, light bulbs, etc.) have a home hidden behind a panel under the counter top.
I, also, like to utilize every nook and cranny. There are four buckets holding seasonal stuff hidden behind the files drawers. All of the little things that we all need (batteries, tape, office supplies, light bulbs, etc.) have a home hidden behind a panel under the counter top.
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