After we made a handshake agreement with the sellers based on having a pre-safety done on the '81 Roadtrek before we fully committed, I set a number in my head and told myself if it was much more than that we would have to walk away.

Why? Because we had a budget. Because we also want to be able to afford gas and groceries when we finally hit the road.

For the week it was with the mechanic I felt like I was living on a prayer. Please please please please please please please let it work out!

When he finally called, we sat across the dining room table from each other, Scott's phone on speaker resting between us as the mechanic shared what he'd discovered. He walked us through what the van needed to safety. Then he quoted a number. It was $70 more than the number I had set in my head.

Do we walk away?

It was like a proposal. Say yes, and you're committing to a life change. Say no, and you have nothing but the experience of tough decision-making to propel you forward without the man (van!) of your dreams.


Scott asked the mechanic if he thought the engine was good. "I'd jump in that thing right now and drive it straight across the country as is!"

Good enough!

How do I justify going past my number? Easy. I wanted it. I believed it was meant for us. And I felt sure things would work out in our favour, whether we spent a little more or not. We'd looked at so many and learned quickly that the new certification laws in Ontario mean that you're going to have to put out a pretty penny no matter what you're buying. So, we could abandon this thing of beauty we were both fully in love with, go search for something else that wouldn't be ready for our August trip and would still cost a lot to certify, OR we could remind ourselves this is an investment in our future and our family and that the major cost of the safety (new tires) would have to be faced down the road anyway if not now.

None of this happened in a real conversation as we sat on the phone with the mechanic. Scott looked at me, showed me a thumbs up and a thumbs down. I returned with a thumbs up.

"Okay," he said to the phone. "Go ahead with the safety!"

So just like that, we made a huge decision, and we felt good about it. A little nervous, but good.

When we got a call on Tuesday (a whole week earlier than it was supposed to be ready!) we dropped everything and jumped in the car to go pick it up.


The thrill of knowing it was ours was palpable between us. Everything seemed to go our way:

• the final charge for the safety (including an appraisal, which is required by the tax man for vehicles over 20 years old) was $300 less than we were quoted — which brought us well under that number I'd set for us.
• the woman working the counter at the Service Ontario office in Wiarton was the most cheerful, patient, and helpful person - which is not the normal reception you expect when entering one of these where-joy-goes-to-die departments. 
• we realized the van has cruise control — bonus!
• and we discovered that it's already set up with beds for four — another huge surprise!

Seeing that vintage beauty parked in our driveway, waiting for us to put our own touches on her interior, is so exciting. I can't wait to get into it, clean it, and make it our own!