3 weeks later, van still at mechanics

Yup, basically it is a money pit, 3 weeks later, van still at mechanics…a 31 year old money pit. So far the transmission has been rebuilt, the dash air-conditioning has been rebuilt, the engine has had so many things replaced, I honestly have lost track. So far I have paid him $4400 and counting. Gulp…

So ya, it has, to date, been my worst purchase ever! I read all about what you should check for when buying a used RV…and did NONE of it!! I look back on when I bought it and it’s like I am looking at a completely different me. I wish I could go back and smack that me right upside the head and tell him to get in his truck and drive away from there…fast!

I guess the thing that bothers me the most is this RV inspector basically told me he could fix everything and recommended I buy it “or someone else will” where his exact words. So I felt pretty good buying it when the RV inspector recommends it. Duh!

Looking back on it he must have known the transmission was slipping, you had to stand on the gas to make it go anywhere. I would know that now after looking back on it and I’m not a mechanic, I will always be able to tell when a transmission is slipping for the rest of my life after going through this.

It’s really hard to not think that he saw dollars signs when he recommended me buying the van because he knew he would be the one who was going to get paid to do all the work needed to make the damn thing run!

But I’m a pretty positive person so I keep telling myself it is nothing to get stressed over, what’s done is done…blah blah blah.

Anyway, mechanically it’s supposed to be ready this weekend. So hopefully I can go get it and finally, three weeks after purchasing it, drive it home.

Then I have to get it painted…because the fiberglass hightop is a mess! I really don’t know what I was thinking when I bought this van. Here’s a look at the drivers side.

Yikes! I’m not sure what the previous owner was doing to get this awesome effect. It looks like it was sanded or something but then they didn’t paint it?

Anyway, I’ve been getting quotes on painting the fiberglass they range from $750 (my mechanic/RV inspector says he can do a good job painting it with a rattle can..) to $2500.

I might just try to flip it, I mean, 3 weeks later and van is still at mechanics, what a piece of shit, the van, and the inspector/scammer, but if I do I know I will take a pretty big loss. I paid $8500 for it and so far, with tax my total is up around $13,500 and I still have to paint it and do a ton of other things to it. I think the most I might get for it is 9 or 10K, if I’m lucky. So I might just need to keep it and pimp it out and try to be happy with it. I really don’t know what I’m going to do at this point.