Buying a known (?) problem

Deb and Ed M wrote:
Thanks, Re and Cheryl - the "good thing" in this 5er is that the damage is in the bunk area. If I have to tear up the floor, I don't have much to move out of the way except the bed frame. The area under the full-sized bunk is currently carpeted and is the storage area where we'd put the outdoor carpet/chairs/etc, so I would tear out the carpet and put in linoleum anyway.

Me Again, as we look at other 5ers, we're astounded at how many have problems, but then again, that's probably why their owners got rid of them? Sometimes, leaks will be glaringly obvious (especially with the fiberglass walls) - but even then, the '09 Holiday Rambler Savoy we looked at looked fine. Until Ed noticed that the keys had an inventory tag for a large local dealer - and he said "Why wouldn't they sell something this nice and relatively new, on their own lot? There's something wrong, somewhere..." and we finally found the rotted back corner.

Granted, when you're poking around auction lots, you're dealing with the "cesspool of vehicles" to start with.... but when you're paying 60% less than a dealer's lot and you're not expecting to find a gem to start with - you can do alright, with a heavy dose of Due Diligence.