[VAC] Re: buying a'74 sovereign 31'

[Terry Tyler <tylerbears@xxxxxxx>]

Title: Re: [VAC] buying a'74 sovereign 31'

Hi Jeff, 

You've read what Charles and Kevin had to say about the trailer.  I'd pay close attention to what they have outlined. 

I'll chime in on the tow vehicle. It's been my experience that starting out with two unfamiliar vehicles simultaneously is a sure fire way to douse any enthusiasm my wife might acquire.  To my way of thinking, there's no sense intentionally stacking the deck against myself from the get go. 

Before you say, "Yeah but," I should tell you that my Airstreams and tow vehicles have been and still are maintained to the teeth by mechanics who have a 25 year history of working for me, who know my vehicles inside and out, who know what challenges each tow vehicle must endure and what I will be expecting from each while we're traveling. 

In spite of that, I'm the first to recognize that no piece of mechanical equipment is perfect and every one of them needs attention, sometimes at inconvenient places around the continent. 

Each Spring, I use one or two of our tow vehicles to haul one of our Airstreams and each Fall, I put both away in what I believe to be excellent condition. Yet, the next year, it takes one or two local trips to flush out the bugs in both the tow vehicle and the Airstream.  

This year, my wife and I left Upstate New York for Colorado without a shake down trip. Dumb move, but so far, we've been fortunate in that each of our two problems occurred within 10 minutes of a place where quality service was available. 

But, back to your example. For me to intentionally buy a tow vehicle and a trailer that I have no prior experience with - and then take it on a first family outing with all the hopes and dreams normally associated with such an event -  would be like asking for trouble with a capital T and then rolling the dice. 

In my opinion, an extended summer vacation of going to all the new movies released by Hollywood, going to different fancy restaurants twice a week and exploring all the famous sights to see within 100 miles of home would be far more satisfying to everyone involved and profoundly less expensive. My examples may not apply to your family, but I think you get the idea.

How's that for encouragement? 

Terry

mailto:tylerbears@mac.com