Before we owned our Jayco. Before we knew what a surge protector was. Before we had any idea what we were doing — Michael looked at me one random day and said:
"Let's rent an RV first before we buy one."
Smart idea, right? Test it out. See if we actually like it. Make an informed decision.
What followed was one of the most chaotic, hilarious, and genuinely unforgettable experiences of our lives. And somehow — it still convinced us to buy one. 😂
Here's the full story. 🚐
🗺️ The Rental — A Forest River & High Hopes
We found a 24-foot Forest River rental, did our walkthrough inspection, everything looked good, and we loaded up the fridge and freezer with food before hitting the road.
We packed Roxy and Maggie, pointed the rig toward South Carolina from Boca Raton, and felt extremely proud of ourselves.
We had no idea what was coming. 😅
❄️ Day One — The Fridge Said No
We arrived at our first campsite, got set up, and opened the fridge to start dinner.
Everything was warm. The fridge and freezer had stopped working somewhere on the drive up. Every single piece of food we had loaded before leaving — gone. Completely ruined.
Now if you know anything about RV fridges you know they can be finicky, especially propane absorption fridges that need to stay relatively level to work properly. We knew none of this at the time.
First lesson learned — the hard way. 🥲
🛋️ Day Two — The Couch Fell Apart. Literally.
The rental RV had a Murphy bed with a pleather couch cover. You know the kind — that fake leather material that looks fine until it doesn't.
Well it didn't.
Over the next couple of days that pleather started chipping and peeling and falling apart right in front of our eyes. Pieces of fake leather everywhere. All over the floor. All over us. All over Roxy and Maggie.
No fault of ours — it was clearly already on its way out before we ever stepped inside. But man. That couch completely gave up on life during our trip. 😂
🐜 Day Three — The Ant Invasion
If the fridge and the couch weren't enough — that night we discovered we had ants.
Not a few ants. An invasion.
We believe they came from wherever the RV had been stored before our rental — they had set up camp in the walls and apparently decided our dry goods in the pantry and cabinets were the perfect welcome feast.
We lost most of our pantry supplies. Ants everywhere.
At this point Michael and I just looked at each other and started laughing. What else could you do? 😂🐜
💚 And Yet — We Still Bought One
Here's the thing that surprises people most when we tell this story:
Despite the broken fridge, the disintegrating couch, and the full ant invasion — we drove home from that trip MORE convinced than ever that RV life was for us.
Because even through all of it — the mountains, the mornings with coffee outside, Roxy and Maggie exploring every new campsite, the freedom of waking up somewhere completely different — all of it was still incredible.
Michael said it perfectly on the drive home:
"This is basically a house driving down the road with a 5.0 earthquake happening the whole time. Things are going to break. Things are going to go wrong. That's just part of it."
That mindset is everything in RV life. If you need things to be perfect you're going to struggle. But if you can laugh at the chaos and focus on the adventure? You're going to absolutely love it. 🚐💚
🔍 Then Came the RV Shopping Journey — Which Was Its Own Adventure
Once we decided to buy we thought the hard part was over.
It was not. 😂
We looked at new RVs first. We actually negotiated an incredible deal on a brand new RV through a dealer in Tennessee — probably one of the best prices available anywhere in the country at the time. We were excited.
Then we went to look at similar models locally at two or three dealerships. And what we found stopped us cold.
The build quality on newer RVs right now is genuinely not great. Fit and finish issues everywhere. We even had the Tennessee dealer do a thorough walkthrough on our negotiated unit — same issues. Gaps, soft spots, things that just weren't right on a brand new RV.
We walked away from that deal.
🔧 The Used RV Search — Cracked Frames and Costly Lessons
So we turned to the used market. And that was a whole journey in itself.
The first used RV we seriously considered had a cracked frame. Michael caught it during his own inspection. Bullet dodged.
The second one looked absolutely perfect. Gorgeous inside and out. We were so excited that we paid over $500 for a professional inspection just to make sure we weren't buying someone else's problem.
The inspection came back with a long list of issues. Things that weren't visible on the surface but would have cost us thousands down the road.
We backed out of the deal. Lost the $500 inspection fee.
And you know what? It was worth every single penny.
💡 The Lesson We Want Every RV Buyer to Hear
Whether you're buying new or used — always get an independent inspection. Always.
There is so much on an RV to check. Water pump. Sinks. Black tanks. Electrical systems. Roof seals. Frame integrity. Slide mechanisms. The list goes on and on.
Michael had done enough research to feel knowledgeable going in — and even HE missed things without a professional eye.
The $500 we spent on that inspection saved us from a purchase that would have cost us far more than that in repairs. Don't skip this step. Ever.
🏆 And Then — We Found Our Jayco
After all of it — the rental disasters, the new RV quality concerns, the cracked frame, the failed inspection — we finally found her.
Our Jayco Jay Feather. Used, well maintained, inspected, and exactly what we were looking for.
Was the journey to get here messy and expensive and full of lessons? Absolutely. 😂
Would we do it all over again? Without hesitation. 🚐❤️
If you're in the RV buying process right now — whether you're renting first, shopping new, or hunting for used — we're happy to help. Hit reply and ask us anything. We've been through just about every scenario and we want to help you avoid the mistakes we made.
Until next week, keep the wheels rolling! 💨
— Amanda & Michael (Levi & Daniel) CoupleOnTheGo