I have traded in my beloved 2005 Ford Mustang for a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer. It's a whole lot of truck, with a big V8 for hauling stuff and all the bells and whistles to keep my wife happy.
This is something I have been considering for some time as part of our competition plan for 2007. It just gets way too expensive to compete when in addition to meat, entry fees and all the other associated costs, you have to pay $200 to $250 for a cargo van and the fuel for a vehicle that gets 8 miles to the gallon.
Having our own truck will make a huge difference this year. With a Mustang and a VW Jetta, we certainly couldn't get it done with our own vehicles. It also removed the biggest financial constraint to competing for us, the van rentals. It will allow us to hit so many more events.
It was so difficult to get rid of the Mustang. I loved that car. It was two years ago today that I bought it. I was one of the first people to get it with the new body style, and it was so much fun to drive. I kept it in immaculate condition, and had a great Sirius install. While I will miss driving the Stang, I do not regret the decision. We are committed to BBQ competitions for the long haul, and now we have the wheels to guide us on our journey.
The Stang
Now, I can turn my sights to what I want to pull with the truck. Right now I'm somewhat torn between a pop-up camper or a cargo trailer. I despise sleeping in tents, and am very intrigued by the pop up camper idea. We could fit it right in our site at most competitions, and be able to sleep comfortably. Also, if it is nice enough, maybe it will reduce the amount we spend on hotels!
1 comment:
Hi Q-Haven!
I LOVE our pop-up camper, you may have seen it in NH...heheh. Even though it is older than my daughter and has a few too many duct tape repairs, it was FREE and it works well when it is torrentially raining out. Also, we used a little ceramic heater in Clarence, NY and it worked great heat-wise, although it only got down to about 40 that weekend; it also kept everything inside it nice and dry instead of disgustingly damp. If you pay attention, it will fit in just about any 20x20 with room to spare for an EZ-UP and a coupla cookers, depending on if they used a real tape to measure... just be sure to confirm with each contest organizer that it is ok to bring it. Some don't allow it, not sure of the why's.
Hope to see y'all in Lincoln!
(Nice shiny new truck, by the way!)
michelle - lunchmeat
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