CNN iReport

Well we set off to get the RV from Riverside, CA. We rented a car in Austin to drive out because nobody in Houston does 1 way rentals. We drove all night in 2 hour shifts & made pretty good time, we even came in just under y estimations for fuel costs. Everything was going very well, then we got there. We were told on the phone & via email that the RV ran great would make it back to Houston easily. The eBay ad said the only thing that didn't work was the dash AC. AFTER driving 1500 miles from Houston to Riverside to pick up the RV we were told it had been sitting 2 years & the furnace & water heaters were never used. We were also told the windshield wipers came off but found it is either a bad switch or wiper motor, and have discovered weak spots in the floor where attempts to cover had been made. Since we already had put a $500 deposit into it & invested $375 in rental car & gas, $25 in temp tags, $75 in insurance we went head & paid then proceeded to drive it to Long Beach to drop off the rental car, upon doing so we discovered the RV does not accelerate well, backfires, does not reach speeds above 55 mph, stalls, does not downshift upon acceleration or on sharp inclines as it should. When we called that night to attempt to reach a mutually agreeable solution we were told the RV had actually been sitting 4 years, it was AS-IS, were hung up on, further attempts to call the owner went unanswered, attempts to call the seller (owners brother) were not returned. Were also told no leaks but missing seals around the doors leak, ad states sleeps 6 but the missing dinette makes it a vehicle that sleeps 4, stated in ad everything works but we discovered the toilet needs repair, generator does not draw fuel from the tank so cannot start, inverter does not power, left turn signal is out, right taillight went out after going over a bump, investigation showed faulty wiring to be the cause. Have, as of yet not been able to test Ac, water pump, tanks, propane system, stove, oven, and fridge. We decided to attempt to drive the vehicle to Houston anyway rather than risk being stuck in California and losing our entire investment, gaskets are now leaking due to extended periods of inactivity, severely dry rotted tires need to be replaced & due to a blow out have left us stranded in Casa Grande, AZ about 975 miles from home & waiting on $1200 worth of new tires that had to be order due to the off-size of the tires used on this vehicle. Passenger door does not close securely, comes open when turning, passenger seat is unstable. Everything described can be repaired but at a substantial cost & should have been disclosed in the auction. We opened a dispute with paypal to try & get the $500 deposit back based on misrepresentation. Wish us luck, it looks like we'll need it based on the lies included in the response to paypal from the seller. Had the vehicle cost more than $2000 I would sue under CA &/or TX Lemon laws but for what we paid we'd be stuck in small claims & I don't feel the reward would justify the expense. I've been a cautious eBayer & asked question to both the seller & owner & they both neglected to mention the extended period of sitting & both assured me everything worked until AFTER I paid. Well, loss of money from the hurricane & then this. I stand by this decision & guess it can only get better. Not sure if writing them would help if you wish to but my PayPal account is prppp@hotmail.com (Just Kidding! I have to inject humor here somewhere). Having said that, we're thinking of buying some hard plastic jack-o-lanterns & bolting them to the rear bumper tied into the taillights for Halloween! Wil http://www.sheavanwinkle.pieraidrecords.com/