Buying my camper was the first step in my journey. It took my idea of traveling across the US and made it a reality. This is the biggest investment I've ever made into my future (except college) and although it was exciting, it was also exceptionally scary. Let me paint you a picture of how it all went:
I was laying in bed unable to sleep so I decided it was as good a time as any to shop for a camper. I'd been playing with different filters on RV Trader to find exactly what I wanted in terms of length, layout, and monthly payment. I came across this trailer model and felt my heart rate speed up. I knew in my gut I was viewing my future home through my phone screen. The next morning I spoke with my mom and step dad (Duane) about how I'd found my camper, it was currently sitting in Holly, MI waiting for my purchase. Duane did some research and found the exact same camper a little closer to home, but listed at a higher price point.
My mom started coaching me on how to negotiate a price I'd be happy with and we agreed we'd all go together to look at the camper. Mom and Duane are pro campers, I wanted them to come for their knowledge and moral support. After a few days it was the weekend and we were off to General RV in Brownstown, MI. The whole way there I had a big goofy grin on my face and Mom had to remind me to "be cool".
When we walked in I told my sales guy (Dylan) that I was really just starting to look at campers and I'd like to get an idea of what I was interested in. I gave him the parameters I was looking within (same ones I used on RV Trader) and he came back with a list of rigs to show me. We headed out on a go cart to see what options I had. When I saw my rig (and Dylan wasn't looking) I pointed at the camper and whispered to Mom "that's my camper!!". When we got to look at it I talked about what I liked but ALSO what I didn't like, that way I didn't sound too eager.
After viewing all of the options we returned indoors to look at some prices. There was a sale and Dylan was willing to work with me on price so I figured I'd see what he offered and then pull out my golder ticket for the negotiation, the other camper. When the time felt right I pulled out my phone to show Dylan the other camper listing and let him know I'd like a price match (at least). This took some negotiating and finangling BUT we landed on a price that worked for everyone (gosh it felt good to get exactly what I wanted). We shook hands and the deal was done.
I smiled for 3 days straight.
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