What seems like years ago (but in reality, was a few months ago), I received a call from a good friend of mine, telling me about a Toyota Coaster that sounded like it could sell cheap. Apparently in good condition, with the interior needing some TLC. There was no way that I could afford it, but I thought to myself maybe Mum will be interested.
A couple of chats to-and-fro, and Mum seemed to be changing her opinion. Initially there was very little interest, but now the idea had been planted in her mind, it seemed that she was warming to the idea.
This bargain never came about, but I did happen to stumble across another while I was on the internet researching the ins and outs of such a beast. A casual glance at a Toyota Coaster advertised in Charleville turned into me making some enquiries, and reporting on my findings back to Mum.
The Coaster looked great. A 1977 model, with reasonably recent Holden 202 motor transplant, a workable fitout, petrol and LPG and some recent upgrading to various parts of the interior. And even better, the owner was pretty keen to do a deal on the price. A few phone calls back and forth later (and as much as I deny, some gentle coaxing from me), and Mum was writing a cheque.
Of course, since this whole transaction was my idea, I got given the job of trekking out to Charleville from Brisbane. I somehow talked a mate of mine to come along, so off we went.
After a long day's travel, we got to meet this much anticipated Toyota, by now affectionately known as Felicia. A general check over was completed, with all things checking out to our satisfaction. There were a couple of small spots of rust that we discovered, but took this in our stride and decided that a day's work on her rusty bits would see her good as new. So the cheque was handed over, and in I climbed.
After getting lost in Charleville, we got onto the highway (with my friend in his trusty ford following in tow). Once on the open road, I put the foot right down and not much happened! The engine was running smoothly, but the bus just seemed incredibly... well... SLOW. Now I know that these machines aren't built as speed racers, but still, this didn't seem right.
We were only 5 minutes out of town, so we turned around back to town to fill the bus up with petrol (thinking that maybe this would give us more power than gas to get home). At the servo, an older man approached us wanting to have a look at the bus. It turned out that he had owned it before the people we had purchased her from! He gave us a bit more history on the old girl which was great to know, including his tales of regularly sitting on the highway at 110kmh with ease.
Off we went again, by this time it was approaching 5pm. Running on petrol instead of LPG didn't seem to be helping very much, but we decided that getting home slowly was better than not getting home at all, so we pushed on until it started to get dark.
The dark hit us a bit sooner than expected, and it was soon dark and no reasonable place to stop in sight. What a time for us to learn that the headlights weren't working!! With the threat of roos at the forefront of our minds, we drove in convoy the trusty Ford right in front of old Felicia to give us light. Thankfully, approximately 20km later we stumbled across an old country pub, complete with small caravan park off to the side!
The crew at the Mungalalla pub were a great help. They gave us a powered site for $11, and a reasonably priced pub meal. The drinks weren't as cheap as we would have liked, but we felt that we deserved one anyway!
We tinkered well into the night to try and get some more speed out of Felicia, and perhaps a little light as well, but to no avail we set off again in the morning with Brisbane in our sights.
Felicia was slow (and slow seems a whole lot SLOOOOOWER when there's no radio!) but didn't skip a beat. I started getting excited once Toowoomba was only 50km away, thinking we're on the home stretch!. Then it started to rain. I wasn't comfortable driving in heavy rain without headlights, but on we pushed. And then (I should have learnt to expect this by now) the windscreen wipers stopped!
But there was no way I was stopping now. I wanted to at least get to Toowoomba, and thankfully (for reasons I will never understand, but am forever thankful for) the visibility through the rain even without wipers was pretty good.
Once arriving in Toowoomba (after having a kind gentleman at an intersection in town politely point out that my side screen door was open and swinging in the breeze) I stopped for fuel, Andrew in his trusty Ford right behind. It was getting late, and I wasn't confident about reaching Brisbane before dark so I decided to stay a night here as well.
While in Toowoomba, I struck up conversation with a young man named Troy. Him and his partner seemed quite friendly, and they disclosed that they build 5th Wheelers for a living. Anytime you want any work done, or want to get some wholesale priced parts, give us a call! he said. Of course, I made a point of filing his phone number in a safe place.
After a stressful trip down the Toowoomba range (I'd never driven something so large, and was aware of the potential for an issue with brakes Felicia had done little to instil me with confidence by this point!) I FINALLY arrived in Brisbane! As I was approaching home, I was patting Felicia on the steering wheel and telling her what a good girl she was (I was quite delirious by this time, again NO RADIO!). As soon as I complimented her, one of her cupboard doors promptly fell off and crashed to the floor. An omen?
I finally felt the sweet relief of pulling into Mum's street. However, I did make one crucial mistake I trusted my dear old Mother to guide me into the carport. There was plenty of room or so she thought, until the deafening CRUNCH when the ventilation hatch on the roof met an untimely end upon meeting the carport. Another omen?
After a coffee and a rest, I realised that I had the phone number of Troy in Toowoomba, who may be able to assist with a reasonably priced replacement hatch. I made the call, and he agreed to come and visit and have a look at Felicia's new 'sunroof'. He arrived, and started making throwaway comments about how easy it would be to build this in that corner, and install one of those over there, and to construct one of those thingys in that other spare space. Far too much talk later, and we had agreed on a very reasonable deal to do a whole new fresh fitout!
So off I went with a large hammer and mallet, ripping out everything inside Felicia other than the kitchen (which was newly installed already). Troy and his other half came down and started work, installing 2 new single beds. Upon their leaving after that day's work, we realised that the beds were shorter than originally measured. An omen? Noooo, I said. It's easy fixed, anyone could make that mistake, right?
Slowly, the excitement of this amazing new fit-out seemed to fade, as the work (we'll have it knocked over in a weekend) fizzled to a stop. During this down time, Felicia had her rust repaired, a shiny new paint job, and new registration! I'd also discovered a teeny tiny issue with the throttle in the engine a two minute fix and she was able to be driven much faster than before! So, I decided to take Felicia to Toowoomba for the boys to finish their work in their own workshop, hoping to have the job finished faster this way.
Felicia powered up the range, and we spent a whole weekend on building overhead cupboards, fixing the length on the beds, and building a pantry and some seating. A lot of work was accomplished, but alas, Felicia was still not complete. Still no wiring, no cupboards on the doors, but it was time to go home the boys promised to visit soon with doors etc and to finally finish the job.
The trek home, however, was not as smooth as the drive to Toowoomba. Felicia was emitting an alarming amount of smoke out of the engine hatch inside the bus (not to mention the amount of smoke coming out the back!). She was using oil like nobody's business. By the time I finally nursed her home, she had used almost 2 bottles of oil, and I could barely see out of the windscreen for all the smoke inside. Obviously, some further investigation was going to be needed!
Alas, the rest of the fit-out was never to be. Several phone calls, text messages, emails but no response from these professionals. Finally, with Mum dying to finally USE this dear old bus that she'd paid for months and months ago, we both got sick of the waiting, told them not to bother wasting any more of our time, and set off on finding somebody else to finish the job. Thankfully, we were able to make contact with a retired cabinetmaker, who will soon start on finishing what was started.
After having some mechanics look over the engine, it was decided that the only thing for it was to replace the engine entirely! At great expense, of course. But, the bullet needed to be bitten and Felicia now sits in a workshop in Brisbane in some state of disassembly. We are patiently (I use the word loosely) waiting for her return.
So in short, this bargain with a great engine and a good fitout with next to nothing needing to be spent has turned into a gigantic, white money pit. In hindsight, we could have bought a much newer model with the money that has been spent. But on the same token, we wouldn't have learnt anywhere near as many lessons as we did and we now at least say that pretty much EVERYTHING has been done to this old girl, and will give Mum years of worry free motoring from here on in.
I will post updates from here on in but fingers crossed, Felicia will soon be joining the rest of you on the road!
If you want more good reading about toyota coasters search for "purple myrtle" and you are not the only one with this sort of problem
Ken
Dave83 said
05:21 PM Aug 29, 2011
Hi Ken, yeah I've read all about Myrtle. That's what prompted me to post this story :)
Vic said
05:28 PM Aug 29, 2011
Sad, sad story Dave, but gave me a good laugh too (but then I'm a sick man, lol). Hope it all goes well for Mum once it's on the road. If it's any consolation, my BIL who is a sparky by trade and jack of most other trades, traded his car which was in good body and mechanical condition for a Toyota Coaster, along with paying some cash difference.
However when he started to remove the furniture he started uncovering rust like you wouldn't believe and leaking problems to boot, sorriest thing he had ever done. He has since got rid of it and bought a Nissan Civilian ex school bus and converted that himself......so what chance has the average non tradie got when buying these things.....as they say, "Caveat Emptor"......
Travel Bug said
05:59 PM Aug 29, 2011
G'day Dave83...and thanks for a good laugh.
Only that the name (Troy)...and location (Toowoomba) are different... I would swear that you managed to stumble upon the same people who I employed to do the fitout in my Commuter. To call them "Idiots" doesn't nearly cover it!!!
Thankfully, all is well now and I am looking forward to lots of happy travels.
Hope to catch up with your Mum and Felicia...and you too...sometime...
Cheers
-- Edited by Travel Bug on Monday 29th of August 2011 06:07:43 PM
Boroma577 said
06:05 PM Aug 29, 2011
OMGosh, what a tale Dave....hope it all works out in the long and I can't believe how patient your Mum has been!!
ChiChi1 said
06:14 PM Aug 29, 2011
What a great story Dave. These things seem to be par for the course. At least you know what is wrong and shouldn't have any more problems for a while. Even brand new vehicles break down. All the best and look forward to meeting you and your Mum on the road sometime.
Happywanderer said
06:53 PM Aug 29, 2011
What can I say Dave? As Myrtles mum, not a lot. But can I ask, is the speedo working? Did give me a good read and laugh, sorry!! Its been a tough day.
jules47 said
06:56 PM Aug 29, 2011
Are you ok Marj - hadn't heard from you - all ok?
Cruising Granny said
07:21 PM Aug 29, 2011
While you were obviously going insane without the necessity of working radio at the very least, the bus was falling apart, and the motor was pleading sick. I have a feeling the lack of radio is a minor concern now. To sell anything in that state of disrepair is an absolute disgrace, but then unfortunately, there's an idiot born every minute. While the seller is gloating with your cash, you're left with the problem bus. Without lights and wipers it was already unroadworthy. Getting it registered again would have been a bit of a problem, I'm anticipating. The working radio wouldn't have figured in any of it. I'm sorry to hear of your poor start to this lifestyle, but I'm sure your experience will make you and everyone around you much wiser, for uture reference. I hope you can work your way through the problems and overcome them. It sounds like you have a very helpful team.
shazartist said
09:36 PM Aug 29, 2011
Dave,
What a great story and yarn!
Don't feel bad... We payed cash for a house ( all our money, and no jobs) after giving the money to a real-estate agent with a black eye, we then left for six weeks holiday. We came back six weeks later the real-estate office was closing down and we had forgotten the address of the house!..we spend the weekend looking at the maps trying to work out if it was Taringa or Tarragindi...Monday morning, expecting the worst we were waiting at the lawyers office. But ...guess what, it worked out well..they had the address and the black eyed out of business real-estate man was honest!
Your story will live on for a long time..giving lots of people huge giggles and you will look back and think of it much more fondly than all the huge success you will I am sure have.
AND, My husband and I purchased a house without a toilet!...so don't feel bad....Just remember all the money you lost your mother, was your inheritance.
Ohh by the way...start writing for a living!
I would love to have a son like you, you are much funnier than my daughters! I can not wait for the next episode!
cheers Sharon
-- Edited by shazartist on Monday 29th of August 2011 09:39:11 PM
Dave83 said
10:00 PM Aug 29, 2011
Thanks Sharon. If I could find a way to make money by rambling on about my insignificant activities, I'd jump at it! Unfortunately, I think 1088765765898677 bloggers have already beaten me to it!
Travel Bug said
10:42 PM Aug 29, 2011
Dave,
You write very well, you are entertaining as well as articulate, and there are a lot of people making a very nice living from blogging! What one person sees as insignificant may have others in stitches.
Just think how much money Jerry Seinfeld made (pre blogging days) by doing a TV show about "nothing"!
It could be food for thought.
Cheers.
Travel Bug said
10:48 PM Aug 29, 2011
Sharon,
I love your story too!!
Not sure which bit was the funniest....forgetting where you bought the house... or buying a house without a toilet.... By the way...how did you overcome the no loo??
You just gotta' have a sense of humour in this life dontcha'!!
Cheers.
Rip and Rosie said
11:09 PM Aug 29, 2011
I'm still laughing
Happywanderer said
11:59 PM Aug 29, 2011
Sharon bought a portaloo Pam.
Travel Bug said
12:01 AM Aug 30, 2011
Silly me...of course she did...
Dunno why I didn't think of that Marj...
sucastja said
08:44 AM Aug 30, 2011
Thank you Dave for a well needed laugh - I hope it all comes together soon for your mum and Felicia
shazartist said
09:09 AM Aug 30, 2011
Dave, I am with Travel Bug, I think you could do a Jerry Seinfeld but on paper.
Travel bug,
Glad you liked my story. My husband, and I are both fairly conservative but have managed to do some really funny things...Dave's story brought that to light. We have long forgotten and never mention our successors but have dinned out on the "dumb as" blunders for years....We have a few more up our sleeve too....
Dave's story is a great one, I hope he gets out there more often and helps others buy their RV Vehicles.....I loved the bit about his Poor old Mum's help....I lived that moment! Dave seems like a delight, his mum must adore him even after bringing Felicia home.
Happy Wanderer, It was a funny experience taking possession of the house then trying to find the toilet. My sweetie, had never ever heard of a back yard toilet.
Cheers Sharon
Cruising Granny said
07:35 PM Aug 30, 2011
If anyone stumbles upon the way to make money out of writing blogs I'd love to hear about it. I've written hundreds and not one cent has found it's way to me.
Dave83 said
09:19 AM Aug 31, 2011
Waiting on a phone call from the bus doctor - with any luck Felicia will be coming home today :)
Vic said
11:02 AM Aug 31, 2011
Hope she has a good recovery.....lol !
Regards your Mitsubishi Express, I did a home conversion on one of these too many years ago, it was a people mover, removed the seats, the sliding roof was a bonus, nice to sleep with it hope and look at the stars at night.
Dave83 said
11:14 AM Aug 31, 2011
Hi Vic, yes my first consideration with the Express is ventilation - the side windows do not open (being an ex tradie van).
I am tempted to install new sliding windows, but this will send the costs sky high. I have almost sold myself on a caravan style roof hatch with 12V exhaust fan built in - approximately $95
Vic said
02:42 PM Aug 31, 2011
Sounds good Dave. One of those whirlie vents may be good for when mobile etc, not sure how they work though, I believe you must make sure which side faces the front when fitted, otherwise rain will come in on the move.
I had a bed in the middle, with storage each side of the wheel arches. I had three boxes across the back, one with food, one with cooking utensils, plates cups etc, and the one in the middle had a gas bottle with a gas cooking ring on top. I could stand at the back of the vehicle under the lift up back out of the weather and do all my cooking there without having to remove anything out of the vehicle, it really worked well. Someone else I saw put a single bed over the wheel arch and fixed it to the floor, they put a ply base on the bed and had no springs underneath so they could use it for storage, just a mattress on the ply base. Having it flush up against the side of the vehicle (over the wheel arch) gave them more room for other things on the opposite side.
Mine was a bit crude, but it got me around Oz ok and I only had to clean out the fuel filter bowl along the way when I got some sediment from one of my fill ups, otherwise went like a clock.
Happywanderer said
06:05 PM Aug 31, 2011
Looking forward to some good news Dave.
Dave83 said
07:46 PM Aug 31, 2011
Hi Vic - not a whirlybird - something more like in this pic
Hi Vic, I'm not really concerned about ventilation while driving - I figure that the drivers/passengers windows open while driving (even in winter, I can't have the car all closed up) will be enough - then hatch open when parked.
Vic said
08:43 PM Aug 31, 2011
Fair enough, glad you got Felicia back for a little while until the next stage is done
What seems like years ago (but in reality, was a few months ago), I received a call from a good friend of mine, telling me about a Toyota Coaster that sounded like it could sell cheap. Apparently in good condition, with the interior needing some TLC. There was no way that I could afford it, but I thought to myself maybe Mum will be interested.
A couple of chats to-and-fro, and Mum seemed to be changing her opinion. Initially there was very little interest, but now the idea had been planted in her mind, it seemed that she was warming to the idea.
This bargain never came about, but I did happen to stumble across another while I was on the internet researching the ins and outs of such a beast. A casual glance at a Toyota Coaster advertised in Charleville turned into me making some enquiries, and reporting on my findings back to Mum.
The Coaster looked great. A 1977 model, with reasonably recent Holden 202 motor transplant, a workable fitout, petrol and LPG and some recent upgrading to various parts of the interior. And even better, the owner was pretty keen to do a deal on the price. A few phone calls back and forth later (and as much as I deny, some gentle coaxing from me), and Mum was writing a cheque.
Of course, since this whole transaction was my idea, I got given the job of trekking out to Charleville from Brisbane. I somehow talked a mate of mine to come along, so off we went.
After a long day's travel, we got to meet this much anticipated Toyota, by now affectionately known as Felicia. A general check over was completed, with all things checking out to our satisfaction. There were a couple of small spots of rust that we discovered, but took this in our stride and decided that a day's work on her rusty bits would see her good as new. So the cheque was handed over, and in I climbed.
After getting lost in Charleville, we got onto the highway (with my friend in his trusty ford following in tow). Once on the open road, I put the foot right down and not much happened! The engine was running smoothly, but the bus just seemed incredibly... well... SLOW. Now I know that these machines aren't built as speed racers, but still, this didn't seem right.
We were only 5 minutes out of town, so we turned around back to town to fill the bus up with petrol (thinking that maybe this would give us more power than gas to get home). At the servo, an older man approached us wanting to have a look at the bus. It turned out that he had owned it before the people we had purchased her from! He gave us a bit more history on the old girl which was great to know, including his tales of regularly sitting on the highway at 110kmh with ease.
Off we went again, by this time it was approaching 5pm. Running on petrol instead of LPG didn't seem to be helping very much, but we decided that getting home slowly was better than not getting home at all, so we pushed on until it started to get dark.
The dark hit us a bit sooner than expected, and it was soon dark and no reasonable place to stop in sight. What a time for us to learn that the headlights weren't working!! With the threat of roos at the forefront of our minds, we drove in convoy the trusty Ford right in front of old Felicia to give us light. Thankfully, approximately 20km later we stumbled across an old country pub, complete with small caravan park off to the side!
The crew at the Mungalalla pub were a great help. They gave us a powered site for $11, and a reasonably priced pub meal. The drinks weren't as cheap as we would have liked, but we felt that we deserved one anyway!
We tinkered well into the night to try and get some more speed out of Felicia, and perhaps a little light as well, but to no avail we set off again in the morning with Brisbane in our sights.
Felicia was slow (and slow seems a whole lot SLOOOOOWER when there's no radio!) but didn't skip a beat. I started getting excited once Toowoomba was only 50km away, thinking we're on the home stretch!. Then it started to rain. I wasn't comfortable driving in heavy rain without headlights, but on we pushed. And then (I should have learnt to expect this by now) the windscreen wipers stopped!
But there was no way I was stopping now. I wanted to at least get to Toowoomba, and thankfully (for reasons I will never understand, but am forever thankful for) the visibility through the rain even without wipers was pretty good.
Once arriving in Toowoomba (after having a kind gentleman at an intersection in town politely point out that my side screen door was open and swinging in the breeze) I stopped for fuel, Andrew in his trusty Ford right behind. It was getting late, and I wasn't confident about reaching Brisbane before dark so I decided to stay a night here as well.
While in Toowoomba, I struck up conversation with a young man named Troy. Him and his partner seemed quite friendly, and they disclosed that they build 5th Wheelers for a living. Anytime you want any work done, or want to get some wholesale priced parts, give us a call! he said. Of course, I made a point of filing his phone number in a safe place.
After a stressful trip down the Toowoomba range (I'd never driven something so large, and was aware of the potential for an issue with brakes Felicia had done little to instil me with confidence by this point!) I FINALLY arrived in Brisbane! As I was approaching home, I was patting Felicia on the steering wheel and telling her what a good girl she was (I was quite delirious by this time, again NO RADIO!). As soon as I complimented her, one of her cupboard doors promptly fell off and crashed to the floor. An omen?
I finally felt the sweet relief of pulling into Mum's street. However, I did make one crucial mistake I trusted my dear old Mother to guide me into the carport. There was plenty of room or so she thought, until the deafening CRUNCH when the ventilation hatch on the roof met an untimely end upon meeting the carport. Another omen?
After a coffee and a rest, I realised that I had the phone number of Troy in Toowoomba, who may be able to assist with a reasonably priced replacement hatch. I made the call, and he agreed to come and visit and have a look at Felicia's new 'sunroof'. He arrived, and started making throwaway comments about how easy it would be to build this in that corner, and install one of those over there, and to construct one of those thingys in that other spare space. Far too much talk later, and we had agreed on a very reasonable deal to do a whole new fresh fitout!
So off I went with a large hammer and mallet, ripping out everything inside Felicia other than the kitchen (which was newly installed already). Troy and his other half came down and started work, installing 2 new single beds. Upon their leaving after that day's work, we realised that the beds were shorter than originally measured. An omen? Noooo, I said. It's easy fixed, anyone could make that mistake, right?
Slowly, the excitement of this amazing new fit-out seemed to fade, as the work (we'll have it knocked over in a weekend) fizzled to a stop. During this down time, Felicia had her rust repaired, a shiny new paint job, and new registration! I'd also discovered a teeny tiny issue with the throttle in the engine a two minute fix and she was able to be driven much faster than before! So, I decided to take Felicia to Toowoomba for the boys to finish their work in their own workshop, hoping to have the job finished faster this way.
Felicia powered up the range, and we spent a whole weekend on building overhead cupboards, fixing the length on the beds, and building a pantry and some seating. A lot of work was accomplished, but alas, Felicia was still not complete. Still no wiring, no cupboards on the doors, but it was time to go home the boys promised to visit soon with doors etc and to finally finish the job.
The trek home, however, was not as smooth as the drive to Toowoomba. Felicia was emitting an alarming amount of smoke out of the engine hatch inside the bus (not to mention the amount of smoke coming out the back!). She was using oil like nobody's business. By the time I finally nursed her home, she had used almost 2 bottles of oil, and I could barely see out of the windscreen for all the smoke inside. Obviously, some further investigation was going to be needed!
Alas, the rest of the fit-out was never to be. Several phone calls, text messages, emails but no response from these professionals. Finally, with Mum dying to finally USE this dear old bus that she'd paid for months and months ago, we both got sick of the waiting, told them not to bother wasting any more of our time, and set off on finding somebody else to finish the job. Thankfully, we were able to make contact with a retired cabinetmaker, who will soon start on finishing what was started.
After having some mechanics look over the engine, it was decided that the only thing for it was to replace the engine entirely! At great expense, of course. But, the bullet needed to be bitten and Felicia now sits in a workshop in Brisbane in some state of disassembly. We are patiently (I use the word loosely) waiting for her return.
So in short, this bargain with a great engine and a good fitout with next to nothing needing to be spent has turned into a gigantic, white money pit. In hindsight, we could have bought a much newer model with the money that has been spent. But on the same token, we wouldn't have learnt anywhere near as many lessons as we did and we now at least say that pretty much EVERYTHING has been done to this old girl, and will give Mum years of worry free motoring from here on in.
I will post updates from here on in but fingers crossed, Felicia will soon be joining the rest of you on the road!
If you want more good reading about toyota coasters search for "purple myrtle" and you are not the only one with this sort of problem
Ken
However when he started to remove the furniture he started uncovering rust like you wouldn't believe and leaking problems to boot, sorriest thing he had ever done. He has since got rid of it and bought a Nissan Civilian ex school bus and converted that himself......so what chance has the average non tradie got when buying these things.....as they say, "Caveat Emptor"......
G'day Dave83...and thanks for a good laugh.
Only that the name (Troy)...and location (Toowoomba) are different...
I would swear that you managed to stumble upon the same people who
I employed to do the fitout in my Commuter. To call them "Idiots" doesn't
nearly cover it!!!
Thankfully, all is well now and I am looking forward to lots of happy travels.
Hope to catch up with your Mum and Felicia...and you too...sometime...
Cheers
-- Edited by Travel Bug on Monday 29th of August 2011 06:07:43 PM
OMGosh, what a tale Dave....hope it all works out in the long and I can't believe how patient your Mum has been!!
Did give me a good read and laugh, sorry!! Its been a tough day.
To sell anything in that state of disrepair is an absolute disgrace, but then unfortunately, there's an idiot born every minute. While the seller is gloating with your cash, you're left with the problem bus.
Without lights and wipers it was already unroadworthy. Getting it registered again would have been a bit of a problem, I'm anticipating. The working radio wouldn't have figured in any of it.
I'm sorry to hear of your poor start to this lifestyle, but I'm sure your experience will make you and everyone around you much wiser, for uture reference.
I hope you can work your way through the problems and overcome them. It sounds like you have a very helpful team.
Dave,
What a great story and yarn!
Don't feel bad...
We payed cash for a house ( all our money, and no jobs) after giving the money to a real-estate agent with a black eye, we then left for six weeks holiday. We came back six weeks later the real-estate office was closing down and we had forgotten the address of the house!..we spend the weekend looking at the maps trying to work out if it was Taringa or Tarragindi...Monday morning, expecting the worst we were waiting at the lawyers office. But ...guess what, it worked out well..they had the address and the black eyed out of business real-estate man was honest!
Your story will live on for a long time..giving lots of people huge giggles and you will look back and think of it much more fondly than all the huge success you will I am sure have.
AND, My husband and I purchased a house without a toilet!...so don't feel bad....Just remember all the money you lost your mother, was your inheritance.
Ohh by the way...start writing for a living!
I would love to have a son like you, you are much funnier than my daughters! I can not wait for the next episode!
cheers Sharon
-- Edited by shazartist on Monday 29th of August 2011 09:39:11 PM
Dave,
You write very well, you are entertaining as well as articulate, and there are a lot of people making a very nice living from blogging! What one person sees as insignificant may have others in stitches.
Just think how much money Jerry Seinfeld made (pre blogging days) by doing a TV show about "nothing"!
It could be food for thought.
Cheers.
Sharon,
I love your story too!!
Not sure which bit was the funniest....forgetting where you bought the house...
or buying a house without a toilet....
By the way...how did you overcome the no loo??
You just gotta' have a sense of humour in this life dontcha'!!
Cheers.
Silly me...of course she did...
Dunno why I didn't think of that Marj...
Dave, I am with Travel Bug, I think you could do a Jerry Seinfeld but on paper.
Travel bug,
Glad you liked my story. My husband, and I are both fairly conservative but have managed to do some really funny things...Dave's story brought that to light. We have long forgotten and never mention our successors but have dinned out on the "dumb as" blunders for years....We have a few more up our sleeve too....
Dave's story is a great one, I hope he gets out there more often and helps others buy their RV Vehicles.....I loved the bit about his Poor old Mum's help....I lived that moment! Dave seems like a delight, his mum must adore him even after bringing Felicia home.
Happy Wanderer, It was a funny experience taking possession of the house then trying to find the toilet. My sweetie, had never ever heard of a back yard toilet.
Cheers Sharon
Regards your Mitsubishi Express, I did a home conversion on one of these too many years ago, it was a people mover, removed the seats, the sliding roof was a bonus, nice to sleep with it hope and look at the stars at night.
I am tempted to install new sliding windows, but this will send the costs sky high. I have almost sold myself on a caravan style roof hatch with 12V exhaust fan built in - approximately $95
I had a bed in the middle, with storage each side of the wheel arches. I had three boxes across the back, one with food, one with cooking utensils, plates cups etc, and the one in the middle had a gas bottle with a gas cooking ring on top. I could stand at the back of the vehicle under the lift up back out of the weather and do all my cooking there without having to remove anything out of the vehicle, it really worked well. Someone else I saw put a single bed over the wheel arch and fixed it to the floor, they put a ply base on the bed and had no springs underneath so they could use it for storage, just a mattress on the ply base. Having it flush up against the side of the vehicle (over the wheel arch) gave them more room for other things on the opposite side.
Mine was a bit crude, but it got me around Oz ok and I only had to clean out the fuel filter bowl along the way when I got some sediment from one of my fill ups, otherwise went like a clock.
Hi Vic - not a whirlybird - something more like in this pic
No worries Dave, but can that give you some ventilation during travel? That is why I mentioned the whirly one.
Have a look at these ones;
http://caravansplus.com.au/catalog/index.php?cPath=986_446
Fair enough, glad you got Felicia back for a little while until the next stage is done