The Golden RV

NOTE: This article is from an old blog Golden wrote on from 2017 to 2019. It was called Mama Wants an RV. The blog has since expired but the memories remain. Thanks for reading!

Original Post from January 20, 2018

It was a warm summer day in the middle of August. Perfect weather for a ballgame! In fact, we were sitting at a professional baseball game right before our encounter with El Dorado.

My desire to have an RV was nagging me that summer in 2017. We would talk about it, then decide it wasn’t the right time, talk about it, and then drop it again. We viewed Craigslist and RV Trader often. We fantasied about driving cross country to buy what looked like the perfect RV.

We finally went on our first test drive. We decided a Class C motorhome would meet our interests best at the moment. It would be a step up from our pop-up and would not require an added vehicle to haul it.

We wanted to get our feet wet in the RV lifestyle, without the major commitment yet.

I became intrigued by vintage RVs. The colors, the unique styles, and the potential to create something I loved, drove me further in my search. Enter El Dorado.

I found a vintage motorhome on Craigslist. The pictures showed it off well enough to pique my interest, but still left some unanswered questions. Questions like, where would we all sleep? How usable was the bathroom? Simple but necessary details.

We left the ballgame early as we were super excited to view this classic Dodge motorhome. As we drove through farmland, we wondered if this was the real deal. The asking price was $3850, much more doable at this stage in our life.

We arrived at a small ranch and were greeted by barking dogs. There in the driveway sat a 1977 Dodge El Dorado. We received the full tour. One of my biggest hopes was that it wouldn’t smell like smoke. It didn’t. In fact, it felt homey, even with the John Deere theme. I had no intention of keeping the interior in its current condition, but I saw lots of potential.

My husband, on the other hand, was all about the mechanics. I guess that is kind of important too!

We took El Dorado, which literally means “The Golden” out for a test drive on the local dirt roads. It drove fine as far as I was concerned, although I wasn’t a huge fan of the intense heat shooting from the console onto my feet. My husband pulled over and fixed the panel, so the warmth stopped seeping in so heavily. It was manageable.

After a thorough examination of the exterior and rooftop, my man could not give me a good reason not to buy the unit for the low asking price. We decided to offer $3500. Accepted.

Now it happened to be a Sunday, and we did not have the cash, so the gentleman graciously took our word. We came back Monday night to make the exchange. Our daughter beamed from the front seat of “The Golden” all the way home.

Upon arrival at home, we took pictures and relished our successful trip. Dreams were fresh in our minds and we looked forward to updating the unit and taking it out for a spin.

My daughter and I worked on cleaning the motorhome, as it was filled with dishes, bedding, and electronics from years of use. Most things went to the trash, but a few items were roadworthy. Some were sold at our next garage sale.

Meanwhile, my husband continued a very thorough investigation of every working part. Granted, the unit was old, and it was expected that it would need a bit of work here and there. Nothing my husband couldn’t handle as a certified mechanic. However, when he came to disassemble the air conditioning unit to see what it looked like inside, he became alarmed. He found significant mildew built up and was concerned about me breathing any air forced through it. (I’m super sensitive to molds in the air.)

After this encounter, I feel he became skeptical of other parts of the unit, as did I. The dream began to fade, and the serious amount of work this unit would require was coming to the surface. The final straw was when we tried to fit above the cab on the full-size bed. It didn't go well.

“The Golden” was not so golden anymore. My husband cleaned up the air conditioner and prepared the unit for sale.

To our surprise another Class C motorhome drove straight into our lives, and this time it was super clean, newer, better functioning, and an even better deal for the money. The offer was simply unbelievable. It was like God had sent the perfect RV into our possession in His perfect timing, despite our mistake buying the El Dorado. So, we graciously accepted the gift!

Now we had three RVs in our driveway. A pop-up, El Dorado, and a 1994 Dodge Scotty. Of course, it had to be another Dodge. Somehow, they just seem to find us despite my husband’s lack of interest in them.

It took a month to get the front of our house from looking like an RV dealership! By the time we were down to the Scotty, we actually made money. The only accommodation we had to make was trimming a tree so we could nestle the unit into its resting place. Home sweet home!

Check out future posts to hear about our first trips in this cozy unit, including a spectacular white Christmas in 2017!

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