Author: Rae

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It Feels Good to Make a Decision

There’s no turning back now since the ticket is booked. I’m flying to Calgary Sunday afternoon to start really shopping for my new toad!

The plan, loose as it is, is this:

-get to my hotel Sunday night and comb the for sale ads for trucks that have potential

-make some calls if it’s before 9PM or else send emails and try to book a couple of showings in the morning

-Monday, see as many trucks as I can and book the best candidate into an inspection shop the next day (a big if as an inspection shop might not have an appointment on Tuesday…)

-if the inspection results are good on Tuesday, pay for the truck, get my insurance papers, register the vehicle (note to self: remember to put license plate in suitcase)

-Wednesday, get whatever I need to make the truck comfortable for sleeping and drive from Calgary to my property in SK (why do I find that hilarious?): 745KM

-Thursday drive from my property to Grand Forks, ND (I wonder if the customs officials at Portal will recognize me): 820KM

-Friday drive from Grand Forks to Sault Ste Marie, ON: 1,100km

-Saturday drive from the Sault to Chambly: 1,100km

WHEW

Of course, the drive back will depend on how I feel and I will lengthen and shorten the days as needed.

As for what I am going to be looking for:

-Ford Ranger, 1995 or newer

-manual transmission

-4L engine

-must have canopy/topper on the box

-regular cab

-will favour trucks with a complete maintenance history

Wish me luck!

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Intact Insurance Claim Resolution

My cheque from Intact insurance for the car settlement arrived this morning! Since I’d already done several hours of work today, I decided to take a break and walked over to BMO to pay off the car loan and have the balance given to me as a draft.

I was concerned that because the cheque was made to my name and BMO’s, they could try to apply the balance of the cheque to the motorhome loan, meaning I would have to take the cheque back, have the insurance company pay BMO directly, and then wait for a new cheque for the balance. I almost went that route and kicked myself for not going through with it.

Needless to say, my pulse started racing when the teller said, “Okay, this more than covers the car loan. Do you want me to apply the balance to the motorhome loan?”

“No! Please! I’m on foot! I can’t use my motorhome as a daily driver!”

She laughed. “No. No. Don’t worry. I have to call the insurance company to confirm that the cheque is good. At the same time, I’ll make sure that it’s for the car and not related to the motorhome loan. Then, I can do a draft for the balance.”

It took nearly an hour for all of that to happen, but I walked out with a bank draft for nearly $8,000, which is more than enough for the truck, towing equipment, a year’s worth of insurance, and some left over to get work done on Miranda.

Next, I walked to CIBC to deposit the bank draft. I was shocked to learn that they have to put a week-long hold on it! It’s a bank draft, as good as cash! Apparently, this is a brand new policy; the memo came out just a couple of days ago. The teller said that she would ‘fax Toronto’ and that I could call them this evening or tomorrow morning and they will lift the hold. Anyway, it’s unlikely that I will be flying to Alberta this week, so a few days’ hold is fine.

Thumbs up to Intact insurance. This was a painless claim!

From CIBC, I decided I might as well go pick up cat food and decided that an extra couple of kilometres would be less tiring than going to the grocery store across from the bank and carrying the bag all the way home. So I’d planned on a 5.5KM walk and ended up doing 7.5KM. After several days of typing, it sure felt good to get out and take in some fresh air!

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Getting Closer to the Final Motorhome Repairs

This afternoon, I was able to not only take a couple of hours off, but I also had access to my mother’s car. I went to the RV place my sister recommended, but they only work on trailers. They sent me up the road a ways to VR Express in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. They can do all the work on my list. I need to go in ASAP with Miranda for them to create an estimate for both halves of the work, what I want to pay out of pocket and what the insurance will cover.

I emailed the info to my adjuster and asked her how I need to proceed at this point. The service tech thinks that Aviva will want to send a Quebec adjuster to where I am parked right now, after which time I can move the rig to VR Express so they can do their estimates. I’m still hoping to time this with the trip to Alberta, but that’s more and more doubtful. I also haven’t received confirmation that the cheque for the car is in the mail, which is making it all the more difficult to plan anything. Anyway, the pieces will fall into place as they always do so no sense stressing about it.

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Tonight, I Love Being an Albertan

Jody just emailed over a scan of my vehicle registration papers for Miranda. Total cost for a year, $84 and change. It was about $100 the Yukon and it was a whopping $650 in Quebec. Am I glad I don’t have to register a motorhome here again! The amount for the car would have been the same and will be the same for my new toad.

That said, registering a trailer in Quebec is about as cheap as in Alberta and has the same benefit: it’s a one-time registration fee. My sister just bought a travel trailer and I think her registration was $7o. Add $270 per year to register a personal vehicle (have I mentioned that I’m glad I don’t live in Quebec anymore?), such as a truck to tow the RV, and it makes sense to own a towable in Quebec. I wonder if I would have considered this route way back when had I known what I didn’t know.

Now, I just need to figure out how to advise Alberta that I won’t be renewing the car registration seeing as the car is six feet under and will soon by replaced by a cute little pickup. I think my grieving period is over. 🙂

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Narrowing Down the Toad Choices

I think that my choice for a new toad has been made for me, based on what’s available in the market I’m shopping in and how far my money could go.

While I really wanted an import truck, either a Nissan Frontier or a Toyota Tacoma, there are very few older ones for sale in Alberta. Pickings are slims, options are non-existent, and prices with a canopy could easily reach $4,000 for an early 1990s bare bones model. Add another $2,000 for the towing system and $1,000 for the braking system, and I’m at $7,000 for a new toad.

There is another option that is plentiful and cheap in Alberta. The ratings for the vehicle are excellent and I am familiar with the manufacturer. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but right now, the top contender for my toad is a Ford Ranger! It would be hilarious to have my Ford motorhome towing a Ford toad when I’ve bad mouthed Ford so much in the past! But if I go with the Ford Ranger, I’m suddenly looking at a late 1990s or even early 2000s model for $3,000 to $3,500 with a few nice options.

The ads I’m seeing for the Ford Ranger are a lot less depressing than those for the Nissans and few Tacomas, showing newer, cleaner city-used vehicles with less mileage. I’m actually getting excited about the idea.

I should be able to borrow my mother’s car tomorrow afternoon to talk with the RV repair shop and get the ball rolling on getting Miranda fixed up and me back in a vehicle. Hopefully the insurance cheque really is in the mail. 🙂