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Topic: Anectodal stories of RV encounters (Read 223 times) previous topic - next topic - Topic derived from Seatbelts
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Anectodal stories of RV encounters
Years ago while visiting Rainier NP a guy from Germany was admiring my by then twenty year old pickup and camper and was asking me what he thought he'd have to pay for a similar setup. His plan was to return the following summer and purchase something like what I had to tour America and sell it when he was done instead of laying  out the tremendous amount required to rent a motorhome for that period of time.
I advised him that it was a solid plan and assuming no major repair bills he shouldn't have any trouble recouping most if not all his original purchase price because once a rigs twenty years old it's for the most part declined in value as much as it's going to and an extra 10k on the odometer won't matter.
Same thing could be said for doing this with an older LD with again the qualifier of no major repair bills incurred. It's a gamble but worth taking IMO.
Worst that could happen is you'd end up losing half as much as renting a motorhome would cost
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.

Re: Anectodal stories of RV encounters
Reply #1
This thread got me thinking about the German an my old pickup camper combination that he was so impressed with. In retrospect I think he was hinting at wanting to buy it the following summer but I was to dense to realize that at the time. Even questions like what would something just like this cost me went right over my head. WOOOSH! LOL
He seemed fascinated by the big F-250 turbo diesel 4x4 and the fact that the camper wasn't part of it but just sat in the bed. Apparently Europe has no similar rigs and he thought it was cowboy hat and boots with spurs uniquely American stuff.
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.

 

Re: Anectodal stories of RV encounters
Reply #3
Sawyer, not sure about back then but truck campers seem to be in vogue now in Germany:

Germany Truck Camper Gathering Report - Truck Camper Magazine
Interesting. Maybe that's why he was so enamored of my vehicle. Seems to be a cult following of  trucks with campers in Germany. The German at Rainier seemed particularly fascinated by my 4x4. I wonder how common those are in Germany. American culture is contagious and this guy seemed particularly interested in having a rig that he could take on  back country dirt roads which I don't think are real common in Germany but then again I've never been farther from home than the next holler over. LOL
Not quite that bad. "I've never been to Europe but I've been to Oklahoma!" 😀
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.

Re: Anectodal stories of RV encounters
Reply #4
Split this off-topic discussion to Campfire

Re: Anectodal stories of RV encounters
Reply #5
"...back country dirt roads which I don't think are real common in Germany..."

Having lived, traveled and visited relatives in Germany over a span of four years, I can assure you that dirt roads open to public vehicular traffic are as common as hen's teeth! Yes, there are dirt walking paths in the forests which allow bicycles but not Fa Vee's!

Now on private farms perhaps but still the type of vehicle will be akin to a OHV or quad.   ::)
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!

Re: Anectodal stories of RV encounters
Reply #6
The German I talked to at Rainer seemed smitten with the idea of heading off into the wilds of Arizona or utah in a 4X4. Maybe it was from something he saw in a magazine or an idea sparked by conversations with Americans like myself. We talked quite a while that afternoon about where I'd traveled with our rig and he was obviously feeling the call of the wild and wanted to experience the wide open spaces of the West for himself,a feature which is in short supply across the pond and across the Mississippi for that matter.
He invited us over for a Schnapps that evening that he served with slices of apple which was new to me. One led to another then another and we paid the price on our hike up to the glacier the next day but it was worth it. Fun to talk to people from other countries and I quizzed him about life in Germany as much as he Quizzed me about life in America.
National parks are great in that regard. You meet people from all over and on our recent trip to Zion we must have heard every language in the world being spoken along the very crowded trails.
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.

Re: Anectodal stories of RV encounters
Reply #7
"Having lived, traveled and visited relatives in Germany over a span of four years, I can assure you that dirt roads open to public vehicular traffic are as common as hen's teeth! Yes, there are dirt walking paths in the forests which allow bicycles but not Fa Vee's!"

Cyndy and I explored the Alps in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy on a rented BMW motorcycle a few years ago.  We spent much of our time lost, making U-turns on narrow roads, and wondering if we would find our hotel for the night.  At one point, the only route I could find from one road to another was on a very thin line on a map. It turned out it was a dirt and mud hiking trail for about five or six miles.  I took it anyways on a fully loaded motorcycle with Cyndy on the back.  We rode at a respectful speed and got of quizzical looks from the hikers we encountered. We didn't tip the bike over, get a ticket, we did get to our next hotel, and I didn't mention it to the group I rented the bike from.

Harold
2014 27 MB
Towd: Either the Jeep Wrangler or trailer containing the BMW R1200GS and 2 E-bicycles
Happy wife=Happy life