We did it! I talked my hubby into downsizing, the dealer happened to have the model we wanted fresh in from the factory, and we were able to agree on a price! :B
I've been driving it everywhere for practice. Picked the kids up from daycare in it...that was a hit. There was plenty of room for all 8 kids to pile in and take the 30 second tour, but I sure wouldn't want to be in there with 8 kids for more than 5 minutes! LOL
So far we've only driveway camped. My daughter had a friend over so we slept in the new rig. Everything works so far and nothing leaks yet. :) They had a ton of room in the cabover bed...probably more than I did in the rear queen. I've already put a mattress topper on the rear corner bed and it worked great (a new cool gel memory foam model...it did stay nice a cool and was just right as far as firmness). Making the corner bed is a total pain, so I will definitely be using my travel sheet and a blanket on top of the "made bed" so I don't have to deal with that hassle.
There are plenty of downsides. First, the A/C unit is very loud, even on the quietest setting. Fortunately the unit is small and cools very quickly, and it wasn't too hot out so I was able to turn it off, but if we have to run it overnight it could be annoying. Since the unit is so small, there are no jacks, so it does move quite a bit when anybody tosses or turns. This didn't bother anyone else, but other moms who are light sleepers like me might be waking up quite a bit. Finally, I noticed in driving it there is more tail swing than I anticipated. Our unit (Coachmen Freelander 21qb) doesn't have a lot hanging over the back axle, but when I was pulling away from the gas station at Royal Farms, I came way closer to the tank than I had anticipated! :E I will definitely need to be mindful of that!
Aside from that, I'm tickled to pieces! I'm very comfortable driving this one around, and will not hesitate to take it anywhere. Softball tournaments, tailgating, horse shows, camping. I could even see us using it to drive to a far-away vacation rental. So many uses, which was my ultimate goal...to get more use out of our RV.
We're leaving Friday for our first "real" trip in it. I'm driving! :) The kids can't wait...hubby is begrudgingly coming along, but is happy not to have to drive. I even promised to do all the set up (LOL...that consists of park, plug, roll out mat and automatic awning!).
