Decisions, Decisions

On the way to squeaky clean, decisions must be made..

The 1973 Argosy is now proudly on display in front of our house. Each time we've been outside and working on her so far, at least one or two people stopped to ask about her. "Is that an Airstream?" A man told me today with a wistful smile. It brings back memories for people passing by. What a fun and unexpected surprise. 

Today's Facebook Video (Click to watch) is all about choices. Now that the dust is settling (literally, we washed all the fabric today, just curtains left to clean) we are wondering whether we want two pullout sofa/beds. Vintage Dude Anthony is wanting to convert the front (three windows) to a permanent bed and install a mattress. We still have to measure the space, but it might get us close to a double bed. Then second change would be to take out side gaucho sofa/bed and install two seats with a small dinette that would fold down into a bed.

Other changes being mulled include how we are going to update all the cabinetry and the kitchen area. Do we paint? Wallpaper? Pull out the cabinets and replace? We will definitely change the kitchen counter tops, but figure we might as well work on the cabinetry, too. 

The bathroom shower is looking much better after a deep clean. However, the vanity/bathroom sink has got to go. Too much damage from use. So now to determine what we put in its place. Any ideas? 

In other news, both dogs approve of the travel trailer. 

The Meet & Greet

Meeting your trailer for the first time is kind of like a blind date. You are just hoping they look as good as the photos.

Like many intrepid seekers of vintage travel trailers, my partner and I had to look hundreds of miles from our hometown in West Texas to find the perfect match. After about a year of planning, calculating and buying a tow vehicle (BMW X5), we were finally ready to take the plunge. A 1973 20' Argosy stood out on an RVtrader.com search. The price was right at just under $10,000 (we ended up at $9,000) and we got a good vibe from the seller. So we hitched up and took off into the sunset -- well, at least we headed to the greener pastures of Kerrville, Texas. Thankfully Anthony's dad, Michael, was along for the ride. More on that later..

Here's what she looked like on the advertisement. The owner said the plumbing, electric and awning were all in good working order and relatively new. We drove down and picked her up to a torrential rainfall. Being good West Texans, none of us thought to bring rain coats. "Well," Anthony quipped, "At least we'll know if it leaks!" Indeed. It turns out our little white-and-copper Argosy was kept at the top of a steep mountainside. My palms were already sweating just making the curvy ascent to its home. With rain pattering on the windows, the owner opened up the gate for us to get our first glimpse. She looked almost as good as the photos! Cute as a button. As is with most things in her price range, there were some rough edges--things that need work. But this is a long-term investment in fun for us so we took her with glee.

This photo shows the scariest part of the scent. Surprisingly, going down was much easier. The transaction is when we started learning a few things we wished we had known. We assumed the previous seller would bring the title to the tax office. When we arrived, it quickly became apparent that the seller did not have the title in their possession. They rushed back home to grab it. I only mention this to make sure that when you buy from a private seller, be sure to ask prior if they have the title all ready to go. I just didn't know to ask about that. :) Meanwhile, we split up to fix another big, little problem. Our hitch ball was 2". The trailer would need a 2 and 5/16" ball. Easy fix, right? Well...Anthony's dad took the vehicle while we were at the tax office, come to find out it's pretty tough to change a ball from an existing rod. Oops! Thankfully the title made it back to the office before closing and Anthony's dad followed soon after, ball installed. We didn't ask how he made it happen. Uhaul didn't even have the right size we needed. An uneventful four hour tow back to Odessa (That's good news) and now begins the deep cleaning and discoveries. Here is what she looks like right now. We are not 100% sure what modifications we will make yet as we are still cleaning. We have found a few things that need immediate attention:

-Water heater out of service -No heat in trailer (not a huge deal in TX) -No indoor leaks from plumbing, but three leaks underneath trailer (one below toilet and two others) -Missing leveling jack (3 of 4 are there) -Missing steps (apparently they got knocked off by a prior owner)
The good: -All windows open
Well, what she lacks for in being new has charm in spades. Three people have already stopped on our corner lot to comment on the new trailer. "Is it an Airstream?" "It's an Argosy!" We will be posting videos on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/The-Vintage-Dudes-380062955734349/ More to come...