I also learned, with relief, that the Rialta was not stolen. There were several affordable small RVs for sale in that area which we wanted to check out. It was Saturday afternoon and all the banks had just closed. He had changed the locks after his encounter with the guy who bought the vehicle. They are somewhat rare and so I couldn't wait to see one in person.
Turn on the air conditioner, run the generator, try the microwave (if applicable), flush the toilet, run the sinks, fold out all benches and tables, test the stove, turn on the refrigerator, run the exhaust fan, etc. The ordeal was finally over! The next day, I called the Washington State Department of Licensing. Used motorhomes for sale near me craigslist florida. But there was more to the story. As we drove off with the Rialta, I began to worry that we'd made a big mistake. And that, my dear friends, is the of how we went about purchasing a motorhome on Craigslist. So, we decided to proceed and hoped for the best.
The vehicle was in excellent condition, which we confirmed at a local VW servicing center. We bought the RV from a guy off Craigslist who seemed a little shady. So, we pulled up a nearby truck and tried to jumpstart the Rialta. Thanks to the detailed maintenance records, we had all of his contact information onhand. A few days later, a letter arrived with all the necessary documents. But this is not how the story begins. Used motorhomes for sale near me craigslist.org. The next morning, Daniel and I drove to the Portland suburb of Clackamas to view the Rialta. He was happy to work with us and provided a detailed history of the Rialta's vehicle maintenance.
These are popular vehicles and we worried that they'd get snapped up if we didn't act fast. 6 feet long, the Rialta is super easy to drive. We were lucky in that our Rialta came with a comprehensive binder full of maintenance records (thanks Walt! He didn't seem like the kind of person who would be into recreational vehicles, but then what did I know? Walt and his wife had co-owned the vehicle and then released their interest in it. Used diesel motorhomes for sale near me craigslist. We found a binder with a detailed maintenance history and all the original vehicle manuals. We were motivated to beat the crowds that were undoubtedly coming.
Rewind the clock back to the afternoon of Friday, May 15, 2020…in which Daniel and I found ourselves on a spontaneous road trip. Lucky for us, everything turned out ok in the end but it was really touch and go there for awhile. Part 6: Walt to the Rescue. Beware the Craigslist Scammer. Additional Rialta Shopping Resources. Despite the red flags, Daniel and I decided to proceed with the sale. Tips for Purchasing a Motorhome on Craigslist. Walt was happy to assist and promised to send them right away. What kind of place was this anyway? Looking back at the situation now, it occurs to me that we were incredibly lucky – things could have been so much worse. Daniel and I decided to contact the original owner, Walt, for assistance.
Daniel and I both brought masks and were prepared to view the vehicles in a socially-distanced manner. New Rialta Vehicle Checklist. The Rialta was, indeed, everything that we had hoped for. Daniel and I looked at eachother with growing concern.
But they are so cute and easy to drive! To make matters worse, there are no branches of our bank in the Portland/Vancouver area. It can be challenging to find a mechanic that will work on Rialtas when things go wrong (and trust me, they *will* go wrong). Volkswagen Rialtas are compact 21 foot-long motorhomes that are built on a Volkswagen Eurovan chassis. Chain link fencing surrounded the property which was filled with motorhomes and other vehicles in various states of repair. At this point, we began to worry that the Rialta was stolen. It was a five-hour drive to Vancouver, so we headed down the very same day and spent the night.
Walt also regaled me with stories about his stint as a little league umpire and his wedding at the Rock of Gibraltar. What is a Volkswagen Rialta? He had poured a lot of love into the Rialta and it showed. We also noticed that the oil cap was missing. Walt inquired about his electric skillet and coffee pot and other possessions.
Our host apologized and confided that another employee had a habit of leaving the keys in the ignition. The vehicle ran great and everything appeared to be in working order. We came down to Vancouver in such a hurry that we hadn't thought to bring any money with us. This is by no means a complete list; be sure to check the Resources Section below for additional resources. We were on the hunt for the perfect motorhome.