When I started this blog, I thought we would have quite a few posts about our RV search. But those plans went out the window when we found our new home on wheels last weekend, a 2003 Winnebago Adventurer 35U.
Our first time out looking at RVs, we went to a Camping World and another place that looked just like Camping World but was called something else. We saw a Fleetwood Flair that we liked but opted to hold off until we’d shopped around some more. At the second deal, they didn’t have anything we wanted in our price range, so we crawled in and out of many types of RVs just because we could.
We spent the week looking for more Fleetwood Flairs and other RVs like it. We had two options to consider that weekend, a Tiffen about an hour South of us and a Winnebago about 3 hours North. We opted to head North into North Carolina to see a 2003 Winnebago Adventurer 35U.
It was a lovely drive up there, so even the motorhome was a bust, it was a good way to spend a Saturday. Rolling foothills, cute mountain towns.
Check out this adorable vintage Winnebago
Before I get to the Adventurer, I just have to show you the other Winnebago the seller had.
It sold and was awaiting pickup. Which is a good thing because I might have squeed a bit. I mean, look at it! Don’t you want to hug it? I did and I did. I had to have a look inside.
It was so cute! If I were a single lady, I’d totally be all over it.
Our Winnebago Adventurer 35U
Okay, on to reality.
The Adventurer was a little longer than we were thinking, but once you’re inside it’s hard to say no to that space.
I’m always focused on the kitchen because cooking is my thing. So many RVs we’ve seen only have counter space on top of the sink or the stove. If you’re lucky, there will be a little fold down surface where you can work. This one has all of those plus some real counter space to the left and right of the sink.
It also has one of those tall skinny pull out pantries. Score! With the extra counter space comes more storage underneath. I’m still going to have some hard decisions to make on which appliance get to go with us, but the extra space helps.
All around there seems to be a good amount of storage inside. Although I’m sure that’s easy to say right now before we’ve tried to put our stuff in it. Check back in about a month for the post where I bitch about having no storage.
In the bedroom, there are two nightstands and plenty of drawers. There’s even a sliding door closet for hanging clothes. But we’re already thinking of pulling that out and putting a desk there instead.
The basement storage also looks good. There’s an outdoor sound system for annoying the neighbors.
This model has the AC underneath rather than on the roof which opens up valuable real estate for solar panels. And lately I’ve been watching videos about wind turbines, so I’m pretty sure we’re going to need one of those as well.
It has a bedroom slide and a living room slide which make it feel spacious. But even with them closed you have a decent sized hall through the RV. The seals around the slide looked in perfect condition, and there was no sign of water damage anywhere in the RV.
The decor isn’t the worst we’ve seen, but it’s still pretty dated. Like 15-20 years beyond its age. What’s up with that? It seems to be an industry-wide problem with RVs. The biggest eyesores in my opinion? The gold-tone fixtures, the floral valances, and the wood cabinets. I can live with the dinette and the couch. The carpet is neutral and not too bad. I’ve been watching loads of videos by people that have painted their cabinets, and it looks so much better! Especially when they paint them white. It opens up the space. I haven’t decided if I want to strip and paint or recover the valences yet.
The seller took us out for a test drive. He drove because we still need to learn how to drive it. It was a smooth ride and quieter than I was expecting even navigating some hills. At one point he made a u-turn and I thought for sure he was going to take out the guardrail, but it turns a lot better than I was expecting.
Next steps
Next order of business, we need to find a place to park our new home. It’s surprisingly hard to find a space at a mini storage lot that is open convenient hours. Once we find a space we can bring it down from North Carolina. Luckily the seller will keep it for us until then.
Meanwhile, we’ve got a contractor already working on the house so we can sell it. And I’m in a full-on EBay and Craigslist frenzy trying to get rid of stuff. We already had a yard sale in the Fall, and it wasn’t that fruitful. At least the house is small, so there can’t be that much stuff in it, right?