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Thursday, February 13, 2025

We Bought Another Camper - This Time it is a 2011 Chevy Roadtrek

 February 13, 2025

This is our new to us - 2011 Chevy Roadtrek

Four years ago we bought a Tesla car. We decided at that time to sell our camper because we thought we would just use the electric car and stay in hotels. But we missed our camper - and decided to do it one more time. 

We were visiting our friend Joan near Saint Augustine in January. While at her house - I was searching Facebook for campers in the area. This very nice camper showed up right in town. Lulu and Joan were busy shopping so I drove out to see the camper. It was owned by a couple just a little order than us. They had it 7 years - and bought it from another older couple that lived in Celebration FL - you know the Disney town. They owned it 7 years too. I am hoping we have 7 years with it. 

It is a 2011 Chevrolet Roadtrek. We have had 10 campers and 2 buses. We had Roadtreks two times before - both times we were very happy with the quality and price. This one has just 53,000 miles on it in 14 years. I purchased a CarFax report on the unit - and it showed that it was well taken care of - no wrecks - no troubles. The camper spent its whole life in Florida - and was kept under cover. There is no rust on it anywhere. 

The camper has everything - an electric sofa that converts into a king size bed. It has a full size kitchen and bathroom. There are granite counters and real cherry cabinets. I will just list the features - TV - refrigerator - microwave - coffee maker - sink - gas stove - hot water - shower - toilet - AC - heat pump - furnace - closet - radio - GPS - rear view camera. It has a Chevy 293 V8 with 285 HP. It is a 6 speed automatic transmission. It has brand new tires and new batteries. It has plain brown curtains and upholstery. All windows are tinted. 

They had it advertised for a nice price - $45000 -  below NADA Book Value - $48000. We negotiated in good faith to an even better price. I took it for a drive and took pictures to show Lulu. We drove home to Tallahassee without the camper. A few days later - I got a rental car - and drove back to Saint Augustine to buy the camper. Tax - tag - title were $2500. Full insurance with low deductible is $912 a year. 

We met at Wells Fargo Bank. The bank gave the seller a check for the full amount. I put my license plate on it and drove it home. For the last month I have been in the driveway primping my ride - not pimping my ride. I lost 11 pounds because I was so busy enjoying cleaning it up. I installed new headlights - new front bushings for the sway bar - I replaced the TV with a Smart TV we already had - I installed a new radio head unit and a new rear video camera. 

The camper is supposed to get 18 miles per gallon. It is 20 feet long - 7 feet wide - 8.5 feet high. It seats 7 people in seating configuration. It sleeps 3 people on a king size bed. If you want to know what I paid - ask me privately. That is because if I want to sell it - no one wants to pay more than the seller paid. 

Lulu trusted me on this one. She did not see the camper until I drove is up our driveway. She has driven it and approved this message. Now that this holds 7 people - maybe she will let me sell the Honda van. 


The camper has an awning and a TV Antenna

It does not fit in the garage - it is 18 inches too tall

The three roof windows is a Roadtrek trademark

Rear spare tire holder and cover

Regular gas - 31 gallons - 558 range

New rear HD video camera

Nice clear HD color screen

Electric king bed - press button to fold up

Room under bed for storage or spare tire

Full private bath - shower - toilet - sink

Closet

Granite counters - sink - gas stove 

AC/Heat overhead

Bed turns into sofa and dinner table

Smart TV - watch TV while moving

Microwave

Coffee Maker works on the move

Refrigerator runs on electric or gas

New Radio head with GPS and rear camera

Hands Free Phone - Apple Car Play

I reupholstered seats and did new flooring

Side entrance

Storage underneath

I installed front sway bar bushings

I installed new headlights - old ones were foggy

Playing music from iPhone to Radiohead

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Royal Air Force Museum in Colindale England

 

This was the tower and main building on the base



We are enjoying our two week stay in England. We started out with 4 days in Bologna visiting some friends doing a Fulbright visit there. Next we spent 4 days in Cambridge University where Lulu did a presentation about teaching in China. After that we took a fan bus trip to see a soccer game - in Wrexham Wales - where Lulu's team plays. It was a 4 hours bus ride there - then 4 hours back. We had great game seats right by the goal. Now we have a week in London just paling around.

Today we were at the Royal Air Force Museum about 6 miles north of our hotel. Hendon Field during the war housed fighter planes that defended London against the Nazis. The city has grown up around it - and it now is a museum with a wonderful collection of planes. It is free. Most of the buildings are still intact. 

Normally it is an easy subway ride - but the Northern line is closed until Friday. So we took a bus - which had 33 stops and took forever. We had the museum to ourselves. On the way home we booked an uber electric cab. It was very quiet and nice - and only 20 pounds. We got back much quicker too. The driver has 21,000 rides and a 4.97 rating. 

There are 8 different buildings displaying different aircraft from different eras. 

During the war - when the Nazis first attacked England - they were on their own. It looked bleak as they were bombed for 70 days. But they held up. Later after the USA was attacked by Japan - we did join the war and help France and England. Prime Minister Churchill said - this was their finest hour. 

England does pay homage to the Americans and their wonderful planes that helped win the war. 







This hangar is the first thing you see from the road

This Hurricane fighter is also out front

These hangars are filled with planes

Torpedoes on a Sunderland bomber

You could buy authentic flyer jackets

This Model T Ford started planes by twisting the prop

This was part of a gondola that hung from a dirigible

Campaign cars

Hurricane Fighter

A Taylor spotting plane

American P-40 Flying Tiger



German Messerschmidt that attacked London

German Herman Goering said this

The Lancaster Bomber

Churchill was the cheerleader


Ambulance Truck

Ford Jeep

American B-17 Bomber

Under the cover - the first German jet

The American P-51 with Merlin Rolls Royce engine



German Komet - the first rocket plane.
It was fast but only had 7 minutes of fuel


The Standard - a campaign car

Monument to American 8th Air Force

Japanese Baka Bomb - suicide plane with 
2000 pounds of TnT in it

World War I trainer

WWI Sopwith fighter

Quonset hut - men lived there

New Zealand plane




Old airplane hangar



Administration

Modern Harrier Jet could take off vertical