BOLTON: RETURN TO VERMONT

ODOMETER (MILES): 83887
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LANCASTER: EASTWOOD CEMETERY

There is nothing more fitting than landing at Eastwood Cemetery on Memorial Day Weekend as a proper way of capping FLTLNDR™'s inaugural voyage from south to north. This is the final resting place of my father, grand-father, and great-grandfather. I suppose I'll end up here as well, kicking & screaming, after a well-lived life. I'm so happy I visited but am in no hurry to return to this place in a jar or box. Visiting in the Chinook will do for now.
ODOMETER (MILES): 83569
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OLD SAYBROOK

ODOMETER (MILES): 83364
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NEW YORK CITY

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DELMARVA PENINSULA

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TIRES: 2000 FORD CHINOOK CONCOURSE XL

The first move I made to improve the Chinook was to purchase four new tires to replace the rear-duallys. Writing about tires is uninteresting to me so I will keep it simple. Despite looking perfectly fine a tire may be outdated, and unsafe. It is especially important to be prudent with tires supporting a 7-ton vehicle (GMVW exceeds 12000 pounds). In order to glean all the information possible from a tire refer to the following links:
1. How to Read a Sidewall
2. Reading the Sidewall of a Tire
3. Determining the Age of a Tire
COST (FOUR TIRES, MOUNT/BALANCE, INSTALL): USD$635
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MOREHEAD CITY

ODOMETER (MILES): 82514
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CARFAX: 2000 FORD CHINOOK CONCOURSE XL

COST: USD$35
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PURCHASE: 2000 FORD CHINOOK CONCOURSE XL

For someone who moves quickly I sometimes manage to surprise myself. I was, within three days of selling the Toyota Chinook MPG, the owner of a Ford Chinook Concourse XL, an upgrade of significant margin measured by decades, square footage, and comfort. I had leap-frogged from the '70's to the 21st century, and my image transformed instantly from a hippie into a retired, privileged, baby-boomer. What happened?
COST: USD$ CLASSIFIED
ODOMETER (MILES): 82252
GENSET (HOURS): 475.8
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HELLO CHINOOK NATION

Data from the Chinook RV Owners (CRVO) database. Map displays the location of Chinook owners according to zip code. Data lists year, model, and production number if available. List contains only information voluntarily divulged by owners. CRVO: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ChinookRVOwners/
Map developed by FLTLNDR™


View CRVO: Chinook Locator (North America) in a larger map

SOLD: 1977 TOYOTA CHINOOK MPG

I left Key West sooner than I wanted to get back to Boca Raton one day before a scheduled showing of the Toyota Chinook. FLTLNDR™ needed to look as good as possible to sell herself, but after the detailing & accessorizing I had done the rig was looking fine and I was confident a prospective buyer would be rolling away with her after a little bum-sniffing.

I had a firm offer for $6850 - a price many said I'd never get, but FLTLNDR™ is perhaps the finest surviving 1977 Toyota Chinook on the market today, of that I am very confident. Nonetheless, I had a compression test done that yielded some disappointing results. During the 5000 miles of actual driving I had put on the 22R engine it had never betrayed any sign of weakness, yet there was no arguing with the test numbers. From MN to VT to FL, FLTLNDR™ had performed exceptionally, and would likely continue to do so, but with what I knew about the engine I had to pull the vehicle off the market and re-calibrate my thinking.

I pondered driving the vehicle until the engine failed, and then mounting the cabin on a newer 4x4, a Ford Ranger or Toyota Tacoma will fit perfectly. Instead, I contacted the prospective buyer and dropped the price to $5000 to provide a $1850 budget for possible future engine repair/replacement. The sun was shining, I wore my silkiest tongue, and we went for a test-drive. Sold.
PRICE: USD$5000
ODOMETER (MILES): 36576 (or 136576).
© FLTLNDR™

BOCA RATON>KEY WEST

This is the 2000 Chinook Concourse I was hoping to buy, the first Concourse to catch my eye. The vehicle initially listed at $25000, and though it was a stretch for me to buy it, I nonetheless had been in touch with the owner since late 2010. I could not fathom why this vehicle was not selling if it was in the condition it appeared in the photographs the owner sent to me. Spotless. It was May before I had a chance to visit the seller and inspect the motorhome, and I did so by combo-ing it with a trip in the Toyota Chinook to Key West to visit my friend Randy, and have a great ropa vieja at El Siboney.

It was a blast driving the Toyota Chinook around Key West as this flat landmark is the perfect arena for an aging four cylinder motorhome, and its throwback style was complimented by the place. While I was boondocking there I experienced some of the challenges faced by the freeloaders of Key West: direct sunlight & police surveillance. I felt like a crab on the beach at low tide. On my way out of town it was time to meet the seller of the Concourse, and only then did I discover why this vehicle had not yet sold.

First of all it was not on Key West but Geiger Key, so not heaps of drive-by traffic. None at all in fact. Secondly, the listing was on an RV search site, not Craigslist, so fewer eyeballs. Then, a week before I arrived, the seller listed the vehicle on CL and dropped the price to $23500. Bingo: offers. By the time I made an appointment the seller told me he had a buyer flying in from New York the very next day who was prepared to buy it if it met expectations. I decided to visit anyway to learn what I could about the Concourse model, and be first in line if the buyer balked. He didn't. He saw what I saw and bought it on the spot. Meanwhile I had the scent of the good life on six wheels and there was no looking back - the hunt was on for another Concourse!
© FLTLNDR™