Choose Your Rv
Choosing Your RV.
The best advice I can give to someone who wants to do fulltime Rving is to attend a large RV show. These are usually held in the winter season in many cities. Rosemont Illinois and Tampa Florida are just two that come to mind. Get a RV magazine like “Camping Life” or “Trailer Life” and find one close to your home. You will also see advertisements about close out sales at different dealerships in your area. Remember that there are hundreds of different types of RVs out there. A dealership can have only so many. That is why a show is so good. There are many different dealerships and manufacturers. When we bought our 2002 Avion Platinum 33′ fifth wheel we had gone to the show in Rosemont Illinois near O’Hare Field. We knew what we wanted in a RV: two recliners and a bedroom which was higher than 6’2″ because that is my height. Those were our demands. We also wanted large storage space because both of us are pack rats. One of the first RVs we walked into was this Avion by Fleetwood. I never heard of it but knew of Fleetwood’s reputation for trailer construction. I had been in the trucking business for twenty years and Fleetwood made our fleet. Since then we have gone through a learning curve. We are still in love with the Avion. Others hate them because of the many problems they have occurred with them.
We spent the rest of the day looking at and sitting in RVs. Some had slanted roofs and wasted a lot of interior space. Some had short bedroom ceilings where I had to stoop over to get into bed: unacceptable. Some had space between the cabinets and the ceiling: a waste in my opinion. We must have looked at over fifty fifthwheel trailers. We settled on the Avion and got a good price because of the RV show. We would have even gotten a better one if we had driven it off the lot. We were not ready to start traveling for another four months. Today many manufacturers have adopted a flat roof and a high ceiling in the bedroom. There are more options out there. One other thing is price and budget. What can you afford? Even some fifthwheels can cost as much as six figures: not in our range.
That is our story. How about you? Each person has different tastes and needs. In choosing a RV for yourself you have to address these issues. Do I want to fix a meal while driving down the highway? Where do I want to explore? Do I want a resort with all of the amenities: pool club house activities etc.? Do I want to find a secluded beach or mountain lake? O how about all of the above?
Let us look at the different options in buying a RV. There are pros and cons for each one you consider.
First the Motor Home: Class A. The motor home is a selfcontained unit looking like a bus. They come in all sizes and with every comfort of home. Their cost will be less than 100000 to 1000000. There are some resorts that will accept only the highend motor homes as residents. Motor Homes have all of the creature comforts: captain chairs lot of interior and exterior storage space and the comfort that you can fix a meal while driving down the highway not the driver but the passenger. There is a story about someone driving down one of the lonely straight roads out West and wanted to fix lunch. He put the Motor Home on Cruise control and went back to fix lunch. Miles ahead was a turn in the road. He was still fixing lunch and ran off the road. Another plus for a Motor Home is security. I a worse case scenario where there are pirates who want to attack you all you have to do is get into the drivers seat and pull away leaving them empty handed. This does not happen too often.
The cons about a Motor home are that you have to have a tow vehicle. I have seen them as small as a Scout and as large as a full size Hummer. I have seen his and hers motorcycles. I have seen trailers with Corvettes inside or other sports car. Each person has his and her own lifestyle. You do not have to give it up to be a fulltime Rver. Remember that for each vehicle you need a license and insurance and mechanical upkeep.
Second the Travel Trailer TT. I have seen travel trailers the size of an egg less than ten feet to ones over forty feet with numerous slide outs. I have seen some that the roof collapses and travels behind the car or truck. They are becoming more popular. Airstream is a wellknown manufacturer. These are the silver bullet ones. Many people swear by them and have Airstream Travel Clubs. Travel trailers come in many sizes with a variety of slide outs and other amenities. One advantage is that you can use a car to pull some of them i.e. the lighter ones. The cons are swaying in the wind while driving down the road. Sway bars are available to diminish some of this. They are not as steady as Motor Homes or fifth wheels.
Third: Fifth wheels. These look like travel trailers but have a gooseneck extending in front over the bed of the pickup truck. They come in sizes from lt;26 feet to gt;45 feet. The longer the trailer the less option you will have of finding a suitable parking place. Our overall length is fifty feet: thirtythree for the trailer and seventeen for the dually pick up truck. We have white knuckled into a parking space many a time. Turning corners is another challenge. You need extra room to do so. Look at Semi drivers who have to make a sharp turn. These are professional drivers. Fifthwheels are wonderful to travel down the road. I forget that it is behind me. I remember when I have to brake change lands or come to a viaduct with a low clearance. Remember the height of your trailer. The cons are dropping and hooking. At our website I have a couple of checklists for exterior and interior dropping and hooking. These need to be adhered to or else you might be going down the road with the television antenna raised. It will not be like that for long. I know from experience.
Fourth: Class C Motor Homes. These are on a truck chassis and can range from lt;twenty feet to gt;thirty feet. Like Motor Homes you need a tow vehicle so you can travel while in a campground. I have seen some very nice Class C Motor Homes. They are very suitable for the single traveler male or female.
Fifth: truck bed drop ins. These are units that fit on the rear of a pick up truck. Lancer manufactures a very nice model which hangs over the rear of the truck. One advantage is that you can drop the unit and drive away in the truck. One con is the about of weight you put on the rear of the truck. Be careful about destabilizing the load.
Sixth: Class B Motor Homes. I have not seen too many of these lived in by fulltime Rvers. They look like custom vans and come in various sizes. I would feel claustrophobic in one of them.
Finally: pop up trailers. Yes there are some fulltime Rvers who live in a pop up trailer. These are hearty souls who do not mind being in the elements. I have seen one that is no more than six feet long. The occupants put up a kitchen tent where they did their cooking and relaxing. The trailer was for sleeping.
As you can see there are many options from which you can choose to live the lifestyle of adventure as a full time Rver. I recommend googling on RV trailers on the Internet to see what is available. Se what the price ranges are for each one. But before you buy. Make sure you sit in one and check out all of the amenities. You have to answer one question; Can I live in this? If you have any qualms about your answer go somewhere else. This will be your home.
Remember to visit our web site for more updates about RV living: http://www.jmpelley.org.
About the writer: John and Maggie Pelley are Geriatric Gypsies. Both of us are retired from the rat race of working. We are fulltime RVers who ran away from home. We began our travels on the East Coast and like the migrating birds seek the warmth of the seasons. No more shoveling snow in Chicago. We have discovered volunteering with the National Park System. During our travels we have found that each town has a story to tell: some are more interesting than others. Both of us enjoy good listening music as we go. John has a CD he has recorded of Native American flure music. We have learned that RVing has a learning curve. We want to pass on some advice the help others avoid this trecherous curve. Life is an adventure. We are living it to the utmost.
The Manual Drive 541s Jensen British Classic Car
Values
A phenomenal amount of interest in classic cars a few years ago caused much to be published and prices to escalate beyond belief.
This was at a time when an Aston Martin Zagato racing car that never won a race sold for over a million and a half pounds. An ‘E’ type Jaguar commanded as much as 90000 for what was a mass produced car and so many were made in the 12 years of production. It is not so surprising that many enthusiasts were unable to afford an interesting classic.
Since those heady days the situation has changed dramatically the recession resulted in more sensible prices for most classic cars.
However even when prices were rather ridiculous there was a remarkable distinctive car of the early ’60s that was overlooked available at a very reasonable cost and still is undervalued.
Hand built with very few maintenance problems and best of all no body rust to worry about! It is one of very few classic cars that can actually be used as a daily form of transport I had been driving one for well over 25 years and now my son still uses it.
I am referring to Jensen cars of the early ’60s designed by Eric Neale and made at the time when Richard and Alan Jensen owned the company. Particularly the Jensen CV8 this is the model before the Interceptor with the huge 6 litre V8 engine and the 541S.
The CV8 was the fastest fourseater car of all in 1965 and I drove my special one off version commissioned by Hardy Amies every day until I emigrated from the UK a few years ago.
The other favourite is the classic British thoroughbred the 541. Especially the last model made prior to the CV8 with the 4 litre straight six Austin Princes engine particularly the manual drive version of the Jensen 541S.
Classic Car Show Awards
For so many years these Jensen cars have not been expensive by comparison with any other classics of the period. Very strange really when one considers that at most of the important classic car shows in the past Jensen won all the best awards.
Up against all the well known prestigious makes the Jensen Owners Club together with Dave Horton’s famous CV8 have won; ‘Car of the show’ or ‘Best of the master class’ and ‘Best club stand’ and so on. There can hardly be a worthwhile classic car award that has not been won by a Jensen!
Pioneers
These awards are not really so surprising as the Jensen brothers based at West Bromwich made extremely fine hand built cars. They were also pioneers; the first to provide disc brakes all round; first with four wheel drive on a CV8; one of the first to use the wind tunnel for body design.
They were also well known and respected for their advanced ideas on safety. The 541S was the first car with seat belts as standard they also provided very soft padded areas above and below the dashboard. Door handles and window winders were all in recessed panels out of harms way.
They won the silver medal for coach work at Earls Court and with the 541R in 1957 according to tests by ‘The Autocar’ they had produced the fastest four seater car of the day.
Over the years their glass fibre and polyester resin coach work has stood up to the test of time remarkably well.
Maintenance
Service and maintenance of these cars proves a lot easier than with many other classics and this statement applies to some of the more modern cars. There is a very enthusiastic owners club that provides valuable technical information. Most spare parts are also not too difficult to find through the Jensen Owners Club. The chassis is built like a tank and the glass fibre body cuts out all those rust problems.
High Power
The well proven straight six 4 litre engine is in a class of it’s own set with triple SU large carburettors and linked to the Jaguar Moss 4 speed synchromesh gearbox with overdrive add to this servo assisted Dunlop disc brakes all round. Provides one hell of a lot of motor car!
The CV8 is an even more powerful car still but not a British thoroughbred as it has a Chrysler V8 engine. There are certainly not many cars from the early ’60s that can still be used as a daily car some 35 years later.
Super Luxury
I have not yet mentioned the luxurious interiors but both of these models provide lavish leather arm chair comfort for four but also with plenty of head room and leg space even in the back. A lockable glove compartment a useful container under the central arm rest a deep pocket either side of the rear seats for rolled up newspapers as well as large pleated pockets in the back of the front seats. The 541S front passenger seat folds completely up to allow far easier access into the rear than most other two door cars even modern ones.
Both the 541S and the CV8 unlike many more modern fast cars sensibly provide a very large boot space for luggage. I do feel that a lot of the modern fast car designs fail to provide the head room and leg space for taller drivers and completely fail to provide useful luggage space. As a family man these are some of the reasons why I favour the CV8.
An overwhelming amount of standard equipment at a time when so many items were charged as optional extras such as: a Motorola radio lights up with the name Jensen; the heater; a fog and a spot light; a fire extinguisher; a first aid kit; a cigar lighter; a clock; rear window heater and all the instruments one could wish for. Plus a very generous tool kit in a fitted tray under the 541S dashboard consisting of apart from screwdrivers and spanners pliers an adjustable spanner even a tyre pressure gauge spare bulbs tyre valve and cap.
Out of all the Jensen cars of this period the 541S has been the least sought after and the most difficult to sell. There is a reason for this although it is an impressive car and beautiful it has a reputation for lacking acceleration as a sports car. It has a good top speed and is capable of travelling at over 100 mph all day long.
The Fabulous Manual 541S
But all the original road test reports were based on the automatic version this automatic gearbox although developed by Rolls Royce lost an awful lot of performance it is such a pity that the manual version was never tested!
Between 1960 and 1962 Jensen built 127 in total of 541S cars out of these only 22 were manual drive. The manual is a gem of a car! The most luxurious car of all the 541 range and what is not generally known these manual drive cars with the LacockdeNormanville overdrive are very fast cars indeed. They would have earned a much better reputation from a road test than the one they have from the automatic version.
Extra Design Features
The 541S has certain unusual design features adjustable front seat arm rests fitted to each door the Bevelift jack kept in the boot was designed for use through the floor of the car in front of each front seat. So it was possible to lift front and rear wheels together whilst protected from the rain.
When the boot lid is open the driver can still see without any restriction out of the rear window. Very sensibly the spare wheel valve is accessible through a fitting in the rear of the boot floor thus allowing the air pressure to be checked easily without having to remove the wheel.
Sexy
The look of these cars when viewed from the side could be said to be reminiscent of early Jaguar cars head on possibly Aston Martin and from the rear one thinks of Porsche. However Jensen developed with the 541S quite an original and distinctive aero dynamic design without any sacrifice to space or comfort.
I still consider it to be one of the most attractive four seater cars of that era that still attracts admiration today.
Readers will by now realise that I rather like these cars that is certainly true and we owned 5 out of the 22 made. It will not be easy to buy a good manual 541S as only 15 more at most exist.
They are identified by the chassis number prefix of 102 there were two prototypes made with the chassis number JM EXP 100 and JM EXP 102. The hunt would be worthwhile if one could be found as such a car would cost less than an ordinary ‘E’ type Jaguar in reasonable condition.
My bet is that this situation will change.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;John N. Cohen A past director of Jacey Cinemas Ltd. Later the proprietor of a design photographic studio now a director of Jacey Homes Ltd. a property development company. Interests and Hobbies: A top international award winning photographer who also became a well known Asian antiques collector and an enthusiast of Jensen British classic cars. Other interests are skiing and Salsa dancing.
To view the photographs that relate to this article please use the following link:
http://www.jncohen.net/Jensen/article.htm
For John’s other interests have a look at:
http://www.jncohen.net
How To Check A Used Car Before You Buy It
A used car always has faults that reduce the comfort of using the car or that must be repaired before using it comfortably and safely. This is all right as long the prize you pay is not too high when you also add the prize time and efforts for subsequent repair and adjustments. Here are some tips for checking a used car before any purchase.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSING A CAR BEFORE YOU BUY
The basic principles of assessing a used car before you buy it are:
Look at everything.
Test everything.
Check the car’s history.
Write down what you find.
Before you begin checking the car make sure you have ready something to note down your findings upon.
If you only remember these four depicted principles you will probably make a good assessment even without any more detailed plan. However in the following a plan for the assessment is presented. It is not always possible to do it exactly as described but try to follow the procedures as well as you can.
LOOK IT ALL OVER
Before starting the car you should watch the whole car externally and internally in a systematic manner:
Go around the car and watch every point. Look for broken windows unclear windows unclear or broken mirrors bumps rust or damaged painting.
Then look especially well at the channels on the sides. Look for any rust and injuries.
Try to open and close all doors. Look around the doors both at the doors themselves and the frames around the doors. Try the locks in every door.
Look at the wheels and the wheel suspensions.
Look under the car. Look especially for rust broken parts or unsymmetrical parts.
Look into the luggage room. Look under carpets and covers. Look especially for cracks rust or unsymmetrical parts. Such symptoms can indicate that the car has been subjected to an injury.
Look into the motor room. Check for loose parts. Does everything seems solid and in place? Is there much rust? Are there signs of oil leakage? Is it very dirty and what kind of dirt is present? Some dirt is normal but extreme and unusual dirt should give you something to think about. Do you see any cracks or any asymmetry? Are there any signs of repair work done? Such symptoms indicate that the car has been through an accident.
Try the suspension by bouncing each of the corners of the car. They should bounce only one or two times in every corner and without any cracking noise.
Look to see if the car has spare wheels standard tools for repair and wheel shift and both summer and winter wheels present.
Then turn the key so that the electric systems are activated.
Look at everything in the cabin. Look under the carpets. Sit down in all seats. Try all regulatory possibilities of the seats.
Try all electric windows electric mirrors and other commodities that are electrically operated.
Try out all lights including the signal lights and the serene. If some of them do not work set in a new bulb to see if this is the only problem.
Try the radio car computer music equipment and any GPS navigation unit.
START THE MOTOR AND TEST
After having seen the car all over it is time to start the motor. The motor should ideally be started when it is cold. A motor started easily when it is warm does not necessarily start easily when cold.
Start the motor. Does the motor start easily or not? Listen for sound of uneven motor work sounds of vibrations or sounds of friction. Do you feel any vibrations outside the normal?
When starting the motor kick the brake pedal. It should easily go down and kick in the brakes when the motor is started. If not the brake servo can be broken.
Listen for unusual or high sounds from the exhaust system indicating breakage.
Look at the dashboard panel. Do all indicators work? Does any indicator signal any problem?
Try the steering by turning the steering wheels. How much do you have to rotate it before the wheels turn? It should not be more than around 2 cm or 0.8 inch.
Try the window washers and the window wipers and any light wiper and washers.
Kick in the clutch and try all the gears if it is manually geared.
Try out the cabin heater or air conditioning.
TEST DRIVE
Then there is the time for a test drive. When you are testdriving the car you should try out the following:
Set the gearbox in reverse and back out of the parking place. Does the gas and the clutch work smoothly when backing? Does the car get smoothly into motion?
Set the car in motion forewords. Does the gas and the clutch work smoothly in foreword motion? Does the car get smoothly into foreword motion?
Increase the speed and gear up to second gear if the car is manually geared. If it has automatic gearshift just speed up until the second gear sets in. Are there any problems to go up one gear? If the car has an automatic gearbox does the second gear kick in when expected?
Try the breaks from a low speed. Is there any problem with the brakes like poor action vibrations or unmoral noises? Does the car pull to one side when you use the brakes?
Park the car and note down all your findings so far. Then start again.
Try a wider range of speeds and the rest of the gears. If the car has an automatic gearbox do the other gears kick in when expected? Does the motor feel quick or is it lazy?
Listen to the car mechanics. Is there any rattling or whining sounds from anywhere? Be especially aware of singling sounds from the gearbox or unexpected motor sounds.
Watch out for any smell of gasoline diesel oil or anything burnt during drive?
Does the car go in a straight line and direction at higher speeds or does it wiggle or pull to one side. Is it still easy to steer it both to right and left? Is the steering accurate?
Try the breaks from a higher speed and notice any irregularities.
Look at the figures for motor temperature. Is it in the normal range?
Finish by testing the reverse once again when parking.
When finished the test drive look into the motor room. Do you see any oil leaks or water leaks or is there any unexpected high temperature? Is there any smell of burnt substance? Is there any smell of gasoline or diesel?
Note down all your findings.
CHECK THE PAPERS AND CAR HISTORY
Then before buying the car check all the papers.
Look at the service book. Has the car had all its services?
Look at all repair bills. All of these should ideally follow the car.
Look at the mileage indicator to see how long the car has been driven.
Take out a history report of the car from authorities insurance companies or other instances offering such reports. An example of such a report is a Carfax report that can be taken out online.
In some countries or areas dept issues or fines that an owner has generated follow the car to the new owner. Such issues are especially important to check out. How you can do so will vary from place to place.
Ask the seller about history issues for example accidents the car has gone through. If you have found some signs indicating some issue ask directly about them. Many sellers will be honest and tell any truth. In other cases you can guess from the way that the seller answers if he is lying or not.
DECIDING
At the end you must decide several things based on the findings.
First of all is this really the car type you need? If not decline the offer even though everything looks fine.
If you have decided that this is the car type for you then think further.
Is the car in such a technical condition that it is possible to bring it to the standard you want? If not decline the offer.
Then think about how much time and effort the repair of the car will cost you. Even though you let a workshop repair the car you must spend time by bringing the car to and from the workshop by explaining what to repair by waiting by checking after repair and so on.
What do you think the repair of the car will cost?
Now you can decide if the car is worth buying after all and the maximal prize worth paying.
As the last point discuss the prize with the seller even if it is within the right prize range.
Then at last after all checking and all thinking and discussing the prize you can decide to buy or not.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Knut Holt is an internet marketer and consultant focusing at technical health and scientific items. To find items like car equipment remote control models airsoft guns of all models chemistry sets electronic sets transmitters and electronic components professional microscopes and binoculars night vision instruments and other types of equipment please visit:
You will also find products for antiaging to increase fitness and help against common health problems.