Hi! We are Joan and Steve. This is our first thread in RV-Dreams and we are excited to be rookies. For what it's worth we thought we'd let you know a little about ourselves. Hope it's not too much too soon.

We have been together since 2005 when we were introduced by a mutual friend who knew we were both into motorcycling. We are both native Floridians and had lived within two blocks of each other in central Florida for 11 years prior to meeting. Shortly after getting together we realized we both had a desire to 'see the country' and decided to see if RV'ing might provide a method to our madness. We bought a used 25' Class C in 2007 and used it for weekend motorcycle outings and sofball tournaments (Steve plays 'Over 50' Tournament softball).

Then in 2010 we used the RV as the tow-vehicle for our annual motorcycle trip with friends. In years past we had used our fellow rider's vehicles to tow the motorcycle trailer to our destinations which included NC in 06, UT in 07, VT in 08 and CO in 09. June 2010 we and two other couples pulled a 22' trailer with 4 bikes to West Virgina where J&S stayed in the RV while the other two couples stayed in a cabin across the campground. Another great vacation and one where we learned that RV'ing was going to continue to be important to us in the future.

We also learned that we needed a little more 'ummph' in the RV to ensure we could pull whatever we needed through the mountains. And that we would definitely want more creature comforts than our current Class C could provide. So we set about to sell the Class C and start a search for our next RV. We were prepared to look long and hard; take our time to identify what we needed, what we wanted and what we could afford. We talked about being patient and that we would be able to find everything we wanted at a really good price.

Well we were right and we were wrong! I sold the Class C twice in two days! I listed it on Craigslist late one Tuesday night and got our first call 20 minutes later. Wednesday morning the first 'buyer' drove down to see the unit. After a short test drive and some negotiations we struck a deal. Unfortunately he called later in the day with the sad news that the bank could not finance the unit as it was 10 years old. A few hours later the second 'buyer' called and made an appointment to see the unit Thursday. It was almost deja vu; After a short test drive and some negotiations we agreed on the same deal as the first 'buyer'. Good news! These buyers had cash. So out with the old and on with the search for the new!

We began to search the various forums for information while we reviewed dealer sites and RVTrader to learn what was available and for what price. Just a few weeks into our search Steve spotted a one-owner used Class A that offered a lot of value for a very attractive price. Joan didn't really like the pics (weird color, strange floorplan) but agreed to take a look at it. And WOW! were we surprised. Friends went with us and once we walked in the door we were all really impressed with the options, features and floorplan. It had everything on our list and more! And it was 3-4 years newer than we ever expected to be able to afford.

So then we started talking price. After some offers and counter-offers we decided to sleep on it. We had negotiated the price to below NADA low retail for the base unit (which did not include all of the options the original owner had ordered when he had it built). However this was still about $10K more than we had budgeted. We talked and talked and decided to 'go for it'! So two days later after a couple of additional negotiations we made the deal. So we are now the new owners of an '05 Monaco Knight 40PLQ.

And so begins our trek to Full-timing and our joining RV-Dreams. Look for us on the Road and in the Forums!