“USA 🇺🇸 ~Arizona “There Goes Bella Coachella!”

• February 24, 2022
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

Bye Bye “Bella Coachella” 🥲

“Wella The Whale!”😁

Where do I even start?

“Trying to purchase a Motorhome” 

We got a phone call last week, from the dealership in Mesa, about “Bella.” While she was well cared for, inside the coach, her working parts; the real import parts, were terrible; and much worse than anybody ever thought! They got her up on the lift, and she was a rust bucket from beginning to end; all underneath. Apparently, she originated from Florida, and perhaps she was lived in at the beach/on the beach? Based on this, we were told by the dealership, we could not buy Bella. 

The realization, we just lost three weeks of time, investing in Bella, was a punch in the gut. We were super let down. Lesson learned for us, that Bella should not have been put up for sale, just before we came along at the RV show to see her. The dealership had not checked her out well enough. We all know that, now, and must move on. The dealership agreed to give us our inspection money back, from Bella. It was the right thing to do.

We drove back down to Mesa, to see what else was on their lot to buy; preferably another Tiffin, we thought. But, by the time we looked at our third Motorhome on that day; a Winnebago, apparently we are both quite fickle, as we had the same reaction. ❤️ Winnebago are also very good Motorhomes, and have stood the test of time for sure!

Other than the woodwork being too dark for our taste (a first world problem) she has everything we want, and more, including a much better floor layout! We were sold, then spent the next several hours finalizing the deal. I didn’t even know Motorhome came dishwashers, and central vacuum systems these days!

We promptly named our new coach “Wella The Whale.” We were told we could come back after the weekend to pick up Wella; after her inspection, detailed cleaning and four out of . six new tires (always a big deal with tires being critical for safety).

We did not pay for another inspection, since Wella is only a 2016, and she has low miles. Rust and leaks were not an issue.

What can I say, as we are now so anxious to pick up Wella and begin a new chapter of adventuring. From camping, to Glampimg!

The whole story, if you want to know… plus more.

This has been quite the process, trying to buy our home on wheels! We had no idea what we were in for, and we have learned a lot! We are in the business of saving money, and the RV dealership is in the business of making money. Finding middle ground has not been easy. The hardest part was getting a solid “YES” we are repairing, or “NO” we are not repairing issues on Bella; based on our independent inspection.

We have to consider that being full time RV-ers; if down the road we need to address issues, we end up in a hotel, while our “home” is in the shop.  Buying a brand new RV does not guarantee there will be zero issues, either, as I’ve read many a report on disappointed travelers buying new and fighting over repairs under warranty.

Today, since it’s the weekend, I didn’t get very far with the dealership, so I moved on to getting proof of insurance on our new coach. After that, the rest of my day was spent reserving RV sites for our 2.5 weeks, doing the best of Utah and her beautiful canyons; to include a piece of Northern Arizona, in that loop. This I will blog on for the month of June. Yep, you heard right. It’s only February, and believe it or not, some RV campgrounds are already booked for June!

We were told RVing is up 79% in 2021; most of that including the C19 era, lost jobs, lost homes, and people trying to eke out a living, mixed with us retired folk.
It is now much harder to find a spot, and for now, the drive into a park in hopes of finding a spot without reservations, is darn near impossible. This, in part, is also due to the fact, more people are buying larger rigs, and established  camping places have got to accommodate the trend, as the majority of spaces are 35 feet abd smaller. 

Back to Bella Coachella: 

This “hurry up and wait” time is not easy, either! I’m not as patient as I used to be! 😂… though I keep telling myself all good things take time.

Back when we were doing RV shopping, we had to move our Tiny from Phoenix, up North, to Camp Verde. It was a great plan four months ago when I made reservations with Tiny and Rusty, but not such a great plan when we randomly purchased a grand Motorhome, that is located in Mesa; 1.5 hours back south. But, life happens and it’s not always as smooth as we hope. Most RV places are booked solid, through April in Arizona; by November, so not a lot we can do about it.

On our way to Camp Verde, from Phoenix, we first drove further South, from Phoenix to Mesa, to see “Bella Coachella.” I wanted to take some measurements. Just as promised, La Mesa RV had our Bella all hooked up and awaiting our inspection date. (Next day)

We finally got our independent inspection done on Tuesday, and on the same day we got our comprehensive inspection report, electronically, delivered to us. We chose to use:

TRIFECTA RV INSPECTIONS & CONSULTING

Certified RV Inspection by Frank. We were very happy with his service!
I want to recommend anybody needing inspection service in Arizona, to not hesitate contacting Frank at: 330 727 5000, or http://Trifectarvinspections.comOur cost to Frank was $550, out of pocket. Ouch, I know, but in the long run, this is all like buying a second home, and we are treating it as such.
An independent inspection is not a requirement, when purchasing an RV, but a very good idea when considering a big purchase on a used RV at that. This way, we could send our report to our sales contact at La Mesa RV, and continue the negotiations, before driving off the lot; because after that, we are on our own and in our case, this choice of RV will never be cheap to run or repair.

La Mesa RV would have done their own inspection on our coach, but as a result of our private inspection, they are using that report to go off of. We agreed to this, as we had confidence in our inspector; Frank. He has always been available to us, with follow-up phone calls.

Currently, our contact in sales, at the dealership in Mesa, received a copy of our report, plus our list of concerns we want handled from that report, or at least an agreement on what our costs would be to repair.

Aside from some small issues, we expected; loose trim, a stuck drawer on freezer, and loose backsplash, the bigger ticket item is a radiator leak, which has been ongoing, long enough to rust crossmember support underneath the coach.

We are on day two, of a potential three day; at this blog writing, of “Bella” in the service shop at La Mesa RV. We have a target date of day four, for us to arrive back at the dealership, where they have agreed to have Bella plugged in to electrical and for us to pull along the side of her with Tiny, to pop her up and begin transferring our items into Bella. After that, we clean up Tiny, and we say good-bye to her. Due to the fact we have a long drive, back to Camp Verde, and we get an orientation walk-through to learn all the bells and whistles, which we will video for reference, we will spend one night at the dealership.
The inspection report is a PDF, and I’m not sure how to embed that in our blog, here, so I’ve got the written text I sent to over, to show:

Here is some communication:

Just some notes, to keep the communication open, since we are still interested in purchasing, though the inspection stated; and it does show….that while the inside was cared for pretty well, the regular, moving part maintenance, was not a priority.

…Rust on mirror, cracks on the front paint, slight damage to back left rear corner, we can live with.

*Since we noted at the RV Show the mirror cameras do not work. (The RT rear view doesn’t adjust). We were told they would get fixed. We were also told the tires were on the new side and not a concern. (2021) Unfortunately the tires are not on the new side at all.

*The tires are nowhere close to 2021. They are too old for RV ing for safety reasons

*Upgrade the smoke detector for safety

*Shade behind driver side needs to be reattached and motorized, again

*Air cleaner hose needs replacement

*Will you fix the coolant issue? I guess the cover has been removed completely (and is gone) …kind of strange. As a result of the long-term dripping from the coolant system, the cross-member support underneath have rusted out. Can these be grounded down and repainted, for longevity?

*Will you fix the awning issue?  It does not motor out. We have a need to finally have some shade options

*The doors on the outside storage need adjusting, so they open and close, properly.

*Will you change the oil, not just top it off?

* Top-off power steering fluid?

*Headlights fogged. Do you have a fix for this in your shop?

*The carpet strips on both sides are dirty in coach. Can you do a carpet cleaning?

*Freezer door is stuck, and won’t open all the way? Might be easy to fix?

*Windshield washers not spraying? Can you fix?

*Replace trim in 1/2 bath

*The slide out; end, by the the fridge has a seal exposed..seal that needs re-gluing.

*Slide seal from kitchen near sink is missing. Can you replace?

*The backsplash in the kitchen (at plug-ins) is loose. Can you fix?

…. Let us know your thoughts on the coach and her issues, moving forward. Since we are full-time RVers, we need a ready-to-go-home, before we part with the trailer we currently have to live in…since we don’t want to pay for a hotel, while coach is in a shop, somewhere; if we can avoid that, up front…btw, our Expedition Pop-Up has a brand new queen mattress, and mattress cover, brand new tires, including spare, and spare tire cover. Everything works. No issues.”

So, in the meantime, I’ve ordered sheets and a mattress cover, since we will be getting into a King sleeping set-up, from a Queen. We also now have room for a gas fire pit, so got that. We got a water filter for Daryl to install, and an electric fireplace for inside Bella, after we take possession. So far, the hosts at Verde River RV Resort are “tolerating” us and our deliveries. We’ve asked they keep the two bigger items, until after we return with Bella, since we are bursting at the seams, and don’t want to leave these new items outside at our camp spot, while we are gone for overnight in Mesa. It’s not easy, when deliveries arrive a week early, either! I had a good strategy, but it just didn’t go that way! Ha! I ordered two area rugs, also, which aren’t to be delivered till the end of the month, either. Now, I wonder if those will come early, too? I did not mention those items to our hosts…..hoping for the best. Here I ordered stuff based on wondering if much delay would happen, given the status of our upside down world right now with availability and deliveries.

Yup, it’s a balancing act, with a few plates spinning for us, for sure. I still have concerns about how to handle future reservations in Arizona. (Tucson, Tombstone and Williams) We have two places to stay in, that we need to cancel on, and one; Williams, to adjust our arrival date on in the spring.

We need to return to California, instead; first, to rifle through our storage unit to further outfit Bella; mostly kitchen items! Yay! I’ve (we’ve) got an actual Kitchen again. Then, we head back to North Carolina to register Bella at DMV, there. On that note, I’ve been in touch with our Farmers (Progressive) insurance friend, Wendell, in North Carolina who is getting our new to us, “home on wheels” insured for us, also in the meantime.

But, how long will Bella be in the shop? Are getting parts going to be an issue? Maybe the list is too long? Again, delivery concerns. Ugh.. this is by far the hardest part! We are suppose to go to our next RV place (Tucson), next month. Tiny does not do well for boon-docking, like Bella will, so I can’t really cancel future RV spots, till I know we get possession of Bella. If I wait too long, there are penalty fees, and/or availability issues to change arrival dates. Ugh, ugh!

Did I mention, I’m not a patient woman? I know. I know… first world problems.

Just got a phone call from La Mesa RV in Mesa. It is looking like we will (tentatively) be picking Bella up, next week on the 24th of February; spending the night on the lot Wednesday night, then getting our orientation the next day. Yay! This is one week from today, and though we were hoping for this Saturday, it’s not happening. We do have to wait on parts and finding new tires in stock.
I’ve got confidence in La Mesa RV. They have taken care of us so far!