Frank Gets a New Transmission & Keith Has a Mission

Since we have no legs to stand on, at the moment, we found a transmission guy through my family’s referral who will be putting in a new transmission. That’s around $4,5000 for those of you wondering... we aren’t thrilled at all but our adventure requires a truck so we are doing what needs to be done to move forward.

Keith, on the other hand, has a new mission. He’s taken to social media, reached out to the BBB, emailed the Chrysler CEO and then some. We feel the dealership has acted unethically to not stand behind a product they sold us. They knew why we bought the vehicle and what we needed. To top it off they told us it was a Harley Davidson edition. It’s not. It was just up-badged to appear to be so... when we test drive the truck Keith noticed a spitter and they guy claims he took it back and looked into, claiming it wasn’t anything major. After driving it again it appeared to be fixed and we were told it was just b/c it was cold.

We take responsibility for not taking it to a mechanic but is it wrong to want a reputable dealership to sell products they’ve tested and checked? Hell, to stand behind the products they sell! I don’t think we are asking for something unreasonable. We hadn’t even owned the truck a week! Do what’s right Capitol Chrysler!

I Spoke Too Soon...

Ok, so our first major bump has occurred... on the way back to my Dads from picking up Annie, Frank decided he didn’t want to tow and started sputtering. Thankfully we made it... My brother-in-law has a diagnostics scanner so Keith ran a scan and it seems we got a “gear 5 incorrect ratio” alert. What does that mean you ask... well, it means that our transmission has to be rebuilt. 😳

We called the dealership and they refuse to do anything. They weren’t kind about it, just blew us off. We’ve owned the truck about 6 days and it needs a new transmission. That’s insane! Missouri’s lemon law doesn’t apply to as-is used cars and we were offered no warranty when we signed. It’s been a nightmare!

DO NOT USE CAPITOL CHRYSLER IN JEFFERSON CITY, MO!!

Remodeling Is For The Birds

For me (Tarah), remodeling a home is pure joy. I love picking out the colors, decor, layout, furniture, decor... you name it! For Keith, it’s pure stress. Now I love this man more than life itself but I constantly put him in this situation. He always agrees. By the end of it he’s stressed and saying never again.

On this trip we decided to redo our drab laundry room and guest bedroom closet. Both were dull and ugly. We were going to hire a painter but to save money, I did it myself. I am really proud to say, it turned out great! We went to Home Depot with a plan but then saw the Behr 2019 color winner, which is this amazing blue. So, the plan changed! We had originally wanted to do a shiplap peel and stick wallpaper but come to find out our walls are textured and the wallpaper won’t stick.

Next up, the closet. It was a hot mess! The previous owners just had a big board shelf for luggage. No place for hangars or clothing, drab walls and the light didn’t work. I opted to paint the walls my new favorite blue, we added a shelf and clothing bar, added a dresser, a rug and a very fancy chandelier light. Classy! I didn’t take a before picture but I assure you, it was bad. What do you think of the update?

Finally in Lake Ozark

We made it to our condo, The Blue Cat Condo. This is what we woke up to - isn't it beautiful?! We are here for a little over a week and then we head to Ohio.

While here, we have to get the place finalized and ready to be rented for the high season. We have just a few things left to do and I am sure we will post pictures.

Have a beautiful day!

Buying a Home in Lake Ozark, Missouri

Keith and I have been looking to find a home in the US ever since we left. We loved Seattle but it was too expensive for us to keep a home there and retire. We have been watch the Netflix show Ozark and they mentioned Lake Ozark has more coastline than California. That intrigued me.

I have been doing a ton of research on rentals in the area and how they perform and it seems, even though seasonal, they have a high % of rentals that perform rather well. We went to visit the area and REALLY liked it. The people are seriously some of the nicest I have ever met... and I'm originally from the South! Plus, we could afford a nice condo right on the lake, which is what we were hoping for.

So, after much searching, we found a condo we liked, made an offer and we closed on November 2nd.

We flew up for the closing and started on the place before the ink was dry. Keith had to fly back to Seattle to help his mother with a few things so I was left, with my father, to paint, decorate and get the place in order. We pretty much got everything done, except for a few things we plan to do in January.

Our plan for this place to to do the reverse snowbird so we can enjoy both locations. Plus we will be renting our Mexico place and the Lake Ozark home on Airbnb. Are you looking for a vacation?

Right now only our Mexico penthouse is listed on Airbnb as we are still working on the Lake Ozark condo. We do have a facebook page for both as well with lots of pictures and information. Check out La Casa Morada (Mexico) and the Blue Cat Condo (Lake Ozark).

If you watch the show Ozark you should understand the name and the decor... 

Check out our listings, share them with your friends/family, rent a few nights... We'd love to have you!

More About Our Lake Ozark Side Trip

Keith and I have been talking for awhile about buying a place in the States since we no longer have a home in our home country. My parents have been very kind in letting us stay with them every time we come visit. We wanted to find a place on a lake, ideally.

Fast forward a few months and we have been watching the Netflix show, Ozark. It's a great show if you haven't seen it. Jason Bateman and cast do an amazing job. Oddly enough it's about a guy who moves to the Ozarks to clean money for the Mexican Cartel. Being that we live in Mexico you'll see the connection shortly...

When we were in the US recently, we made a side trip to Lake Ozark to look at some properties as we were intrigued by the area. According to Google, "The lake runs 92 miles end to end. At roughly 1,150 miles, the total shoreline of the Lake of the Ozarks is longer than the coastline of California." It wasn't a lie, the lake is HUGE and there are tons of lake front opportunities, most of which are still somewhat affordable. The housing market appears to be on the rise, which is good.

Our realtor showed us 10 places - I think she got a kick out of the fact we live in Mexico as she mentioned the show. We NOT work for the cartel and we aren't cleaning money.

We had originally wanted a house but ended up finding a condo we really liked. All of the homes we looked at needed work that we didn't have the budget for... :( Being that we retired early and live on a budget, it had to be something we could make work. We are hoping to rent it on Airbnb when we aren't using it and have it paid off in less than 6 years. We see this place as being a lovely retreat for us and our family.

As it stands right now everything is pending until all the loan information clears and all documents are signed. We have a closing date of early November and plan to fly back to be there for the closing. The condo comes furnished so we only need to buy a few items to get it ready.

In honor of the show, we will be calling the condo the Blue Cat condo. We'd like to honor the show since we'll be in the area!