(This is a recap of what has happened as I was too busy in the moment to blog.)
The idea of RVing has been in my head for quite a few years and as such I had done quite a bit of research on the whole matter, including visiting several RV shows, showrooms, campgrounds and getting information from the internet. While on my recent trip to Portugal I stepped up the effort as I was pretty certain I would be doing some serious soul searching (this isn't the sort of thing many women do on their own) and shopping upon my return.
I decided before settling down to another "brick and mortar" home I would like to travel around and see more of North America, while playing as many different golf courses as possible. To make the adventure easier and more practical, I decided to purchase a "Recreational Vehicle." In my case the RV of choice would be a 5th wheel trailer and the truck needed to tow it. I was hoping to be ready to roll by June 15th.
If I was to go ahead, I was hoping to purchase a gently used truck and 5th wheel (possibly from the same seller) that would meet my requirements, which had been determined through all my research.
It wasn't far into the shopping around stage that I realized it wasn't very likely that I was going to be able to find the right combination for sale together. I then learned that it would be hard to find a used truck for sale, as most of the used vehicles, of any description, were being sent south, to the United States, where the vendors would be getting U.S. dollars for their goods, which at the time were at about a 27% premium. It is this large disparity in the exchange rate that made this move good for their businesses, and not so good for me.
The next problem was finding a new truck as the final orders for the model year need to be in around the end of April and the new years trucks aren't on the market until September.
Once I had pretty much narrowed down the size and weight of the trailer I wanted, I was able to look for both simultaneously.
I scoured the internet looking for used 5th wheels for sale, close to me. Getting one from far away, and possibly a different country seemed to arduous. I was looking at both private and dealer sales. I made inquiries and traveled in various directions to look at a few units, some new and some used.
I looked at both Dodge and Ford trucks and decided Ford would be better for me. I dealt with a dealership in Orangeville that could have gotten me "the right truck" from Burlington, but then I found a better truck through a dealer in Thornhill, at a better price. They were willing to give me a few days to firm up the deal, which I needed, to ensure I would actually have a trailer to pull with it, before giving up my car. This was May 7th.
Over the weekend I looked at a few more trailers. On May 9th, while waiting to tee off in the Ada Mckenzie Matches, at Cedar Brae, I decided to go ahead and purchase a new Ford truck and a very gently used (almost brand new) 2015, 29' 5th wheel from a dealer near Hamilton. They offered me an extended warranty of 1 to 4 years, so I felt they had confidence in the quality of the unit.
The plan was to pick the truck up on May 25th, have the hitch installed on May 26th and then pick up the trailer on May 27th and start camping! This schedule worked out with no problem.
