Too good to be true....it was!!

[Melody Ranch]

Acquaintance here in North Texas came by to look at the Caravel I have for sale. He decided he was not the Vintage type. Besides, there was a GREAT deal on a 2002 (+/-) Airstream in New Mexico. Off he went for the great deal and returned with it. Next morning he noted something peculiar about the "stance" as it sat catywampus in the drive. Took it to the local shop where an inspection showed a rippled skin high on one side. Closer inspection showed that the entire frame on one side was curved almost like a snake. The rippled skin side panels had been replaced and the bent, curvy, frame had built in a stress on those new panels. Best guess is that it had been on its side. Like the song says.....the road goes on forever....Be careful out there.

[Silvertwinkie]

Funny how one could not notice something like that. I mean it sat wrong before he got it home...it most likely didn't tow right. The main entry door typically shows some of the first signs of shell stresses.....

Bet he wishes he went vintage...bet your Caravel is in better shape.

[Mel]

Sounds like he was a little blinded by the GREAT deal! Good luck finding a great new home for your Caravel.

[hendrie42]

always get a gooooood inspection before you buy-----

[safari57]

OK, Melody Ranch - I gotta ask - - - "catywampus?" Where the heck did that term come from? I love it and I am going to have some fun with it but for sure people are going to ask me where I heard it . I'm learning a whole new lingo on this forum .

Barry

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by hendrie42

always get a gooooood inspection before you buy-----

Agreed....if you can't do it yourself, get someone!

I was also thinking....if the RV was that bad, I'm wondering how it could still be normally titled and not a "salvage" type title. Reason I say this is because I've read here several times where a coach was so bad that insurance bought it out and to register it, it would have to have been a salvaged title. Of course, there most likely are ways around that I'm sure, but just came to mind as I read the additional posts here.....

[Nuvite-F]

Safari,

I gotta ask - - - "catywampus?" Where the heck did that term come from?

Heck, we have used that term for years around the lower midwest. . .

Let me give you some etymology as I recall it.

50+ years ago my mom used to use the term "cattycorner" to refer to "diagonal". (Another synonym that I like is "slaunchwise".)

Cattywampus (I spell it with two "t"s although it's one of those words that is seldom written) is sort of like cattycorner except in maybe three dimensions. It generally has the connotation of "disorderly". Sort of like a four wheel tow vehicle that only sat on three wheels at any one time after a wreck would sit cattywampus.

Don'tcha love the English language? (Although I'm not sure the Queen would claim "cattywampus". . . )

See you down the road,
Nuvi

[overlander63]

cattywampus (adj.) A slang word meaning awry or askew, as in "the newspapers were all cattywampus" on the floor. The word cattywampus may be used to imply crazy or chaotic.

[Silvertwinkie]

One things for sure, Cattywampus (a new word I learned today) clearly seems to fit this situation.

[markdoane]

Originally Posted by Nuvite-F

50+ years ago my mom used to use the term "cattycorner" to refer to "diagonal". (Another synonym that I like is "slaunchwise".)

I grew up in southern Ohio, and we said "Kittycorner" instead of "Cattycorner"

. . . but I don't think we went as far as "kittywumpus"

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

....... Next morning he noted something peculiar about the "stance" as it sat catywampus in the drive. .......

Sounds discombobulated to me

[BIGED52]

I grew up in the Detroit area and my parents and grandparents were from Illinois and Arkansas respectively. Caddywampus and Kittycorner have been used in our family for generations....Different spellings perhaps but generally speaking it must be an Old South/Midwest terminology at work here. I'm sure somewhere these words were butchered from real words to fit the situations at hand. Stange I still hear them all the time around here. Then again I hear terms like....It's raining like a cow pi$$in' on a flat rock and the ever popular cuss word... Daggonenabbit!

[safari57]

What a great learning experience - my vocabulary has increased, I can wow my SOB owning friends, and when they challenge me I can relate real world experiences. This is great. Thank you for the education - my wife is going to wonder what I've been reading .

Barry

[maxandgeorgia]

Yep, here in Mid-Mo, it's been kittycorner and cattywampus as long as I can remember, and, to the crooming of Johnny Mathis, "that's a long long time!" ~G