rpsinc

Not looking forward to fueling the Volvo

I fueled in San Diego this morning at $4.89 for diesel and a station down the street was $5.09. $100 did not fill up my service truck, and I was just a tad under 1/2 tank. My new philosophy is, if there is room in the tanks, then I fuel, because it isnt likely to go down anytime soon. Oh, and ya, summer blend is here. Just another excuse to get into our pocket, way deeply. No way oil companies need to make such high profit margins. But it is the game they play and we're all sitting at the table.

Got slightly dry rotted cab air bags replaced and discovered the carrier bearing is also a bit rotted, so doing that before mounting by DROM on the bed and covering access to those parts. My '08 730 has less than 84K miles and so careful inspection is ongoing and preventative maintenance in happening. Also including an experienced mechanic to do a 90 day inspection on the truck for some perspective.

A little lube does wonders on most mechanical moving components. I sometimes forget about this and then when it comes back to me, it always amazes me the difference.

While I havent and dont have aspirations of getting into the trucking industry, my 730 is strictly for my pleasure as an RV hauler. I have spent the last 30+ years working on another other side of the trucking industry. I install loading dock equipment in warehouses. Been self-employed the entire time and yes, there are some of those people that are just hard to deal with and some that I have chosen NOT to deal with, but thankfully, at this point in my life I am trying to retire and get to the place where I dont HAVE to deal with them. While most of my work was about getting jobs done, which is all about the destination, I really want my future to be about the journey. I hope I get my wish!

Thats a good resource, Kirk.

NEVER TRUST the dealers info without validating it. Secondly, if their timeframe for starting the vehicle, usually due to the transmission pump needing to run and lube the internals, is every fuel stop, I would wonder what is the frequency of the fuel stops. I carry 300 gallons of fuel, so fuel stops will be different in my truck as compared to my service truck where I carry 48 gallons, or a motorhome where there might be 65-80 gallons. I recommend you check out the towing guides out there, and there are a few good ones and confirm their info with the recommendations from GM on flat towing your Blazer. We have a Rogue AWD and it is a model that cannot be flat towed, but a front or rear wheel drive has a different arrangement and can be towed flat in some cases and on a dolly in some others. Last thing you want to do is to destroy your transmission or CV shafts by doing it incorrectly. I have seen a report where someone destroyed their TOAD because they did that incorrectly.

Thanks for the perspective. Certainly all good comments to consider and yes, vehicle prices along with many other categories, have increased significantly. You get what you pay for in most cases.

Sometimes people have broached this subject and I understand the confusion on this. As a comparison, think about how many large investment companies that are headquartered in 1 state but own properties throughout the US without issues like this. The only thing that may come up is that IF you are making any profit on the property, you may be required to file a tax return in that state. Generally those states want tax money from those arrangements. You may also have to file even IF you dont make any profit that way you would have to declare that it makes no profit so a zero return should cover that. Check with a professional in that state just to be sure or you may get that info from the County Tax Collectors office there. Some are pretty good at giving info and some avoid it like the plague.

I have not driven ANY Smart and have only ridden in 1 twice. I am at the very beginning of this journey. We found a 2008 close to us and are planning on driving it. Then in an opposite direction is a 2016 on a car lot, which based on input here, I will also drive.

Points taken!

Thank you very much for that perspective!!

Thanks for the input. Struggling with spending that much $. The ones I'm looking at are in the $6K or less area, but stepping up to the 453s, would require getting my DW to support $12-18K expense and then use it as HER primary car. She tends to keep her cars for a long time and its tough to get her to change. She is even considering just driving HER car while I drive the 730 and trailer. Seems to me it defeats the intent of traveling together.

I am following this subject with great interest. We are in discussion about going full time but we do have a nagging voice that keeps saying that things in the RV world are changing and they will not be the way they used to be, even in the most recent past. That being said, we are only looking for a place for our 1 rig, and expect to be boondocking capable but still have to do a park here and there just because we will need a break. I have also seen lots of reports of public lands being closed due to many issues, some funding, some overuse and of course the unfortunate RVers that are not following or dont know to follow good etiquette and manners. The world is changing and I dont think we can truly gauge what the "new" normal will be, but as for us, I think our opportunity to experience what "old timers" did, has passed. (That being said I do appreciate being able to enjoy the experiences shared here by some of those) I have worked my entire adult life to get to this time so we can be able to see the wonders of this country and enjoy our "golden years" RVing, I am uncertain if we will realize that goal. We can, though experience things differently and I am hopeful that it will be good enough.

Input from seller on '05. They are an independent Smart service shop. It also helped that this was a Certified CA Car with a legal US Conversion that was done by G&K. This is not a Grey Market Vehicle, but one with a fully legal US Title.

What about this: I have located a 2005 European version with 70K miles and its turbo! 99"L Super clean. Seems to be a rare find.

Considering getting a Smart and looking at a couple options: We wont use as a primary car except when we travel, not fulltiming now. 1st option: 2013 123,5K miles in good condition, a bit over $5K 2nd option: 2008 53K miles in good condition, around $5.5K 3rd option: 2010 63K miles, new tires, plugs & coils, oil change, $6K No experience in knowing about +s or -s on those years, or watchouts, or issues, expected miles before needing to rebuild engine/trans etc. What say you???

Dave, Your good humor indicates to me that you are having a good time. Great to hear. Enjoy your time!!

Clearly you have gleaned much information that appears to be of great benefit to your decision making process. Cheap is not often the best approach. I can only think of 1 situation where a cheaper rig might be a better choice, and that is if you are able to handle the repairs on your own. Otherwise, having a nest egg account and doing the preventative items as they are, would make more sense and the nest egg account would be there for those unforeseen repairs. As to the refer issue, consider solar panels and batteries with a small refer and inverter(120V apartment refers are pretty inexpensive and work pretty good with an inverter) as opposed to a gas generator. Working at minimum wage jobs might not get you very far if your plan is to stay in RV parks, esp considering the increase in those fees, esp the daily rates. If you have the opportunity, you might consider Workkamping as a supplemental means of income or exchange for a site. Some places offer free or reduced site costs for working at the park.

Just a note of input Bob. Not sure why you increased the fuse size BUT with electrical devices, the fuse or breakers are sized to protect the load AND the wire size. People will at times change those to a higher amperage but that will cause potential issues as in the wire is only sized to carry a 20A load and then a 25A fuse is installed which will not trip at the correct load and CAN allow the wire to encounter resistance(read heat caused by that resistance) and a fire can ensue. On DC loads, that is less risky BUT on AC can become very problematic. Clearly you did the math required to be safe but even a 20A fuse has some safety margin. Not intending to cause you any distress but rather only to educate and encourage safety in your truck.

I saw on this morning's news that Turbo Tax has ended their free filing service with IRS.

Oh, how I look forward to that!

I like this idea as I have access to the product and have all the equipment to do it myself. There is a company that offers it in colors plus I have learned that with some automotive paint, you can get REAL close to a color match.

There ya go. Make it a simpler project. A tube frame with 2 cushions, one for seat and one for back, her boxes and done. Maybe no doors.