DP Search

Part of the reason we've found (we've bought 3 DPs from Camping World) is that they're not going to pour a bunch of money into the motorhome until they have a buyer.

You might be able to save some money by doing those cosmetic repairs yourself.

We've stuck with this dealer because we had a trade-in. I didn't want to go through the time or hassle of selling our used privately then going to the dealer to buy. I could always get the dealer down a bit. The dealer has a reputation and I presume would like to maintain it. A private seller doesn't and just wants to get rid of their albatross. Just my thoughts.

Does anyone really think the broken parts, dirty carpets and filthy refrigerators were put in there by the dealers? That's the way they came from the previous private owners. Dealers will put the time and effort into cleaning and repairing a rig they fully intend sell on the retail market, but most of those rigs are either consigned for sale by the current owner or are trades that are going to be wholesaled at the next RV auction.
Those rigs slated to be wholesaled can be bought by a retail customer, but the dealer isn't going to bend over backwards to make it pristine on the lot because that is money spent that won't be recovered if they do wholesale it. And they aren't interested in a wholesale price from a retail buyer because the retail buyer comes with all sorts of strings and needs that the wholesale buyer doesn't have.
The consigned rigs aren't going to be cleaned or repaired either unless the seller agrees to it and wants to pay for those services. Most of the consigners are looking to get out from under the costs and obligations of that RV and they aren't going to spend one more dime on it. Not very smart since it makes those rigs much harder to sell, but most people aren't very savvy when it comes to marketing.

DKeppner wrote:
Vector - you are on the right track, don't give up and don't lessen your standards.

X2

I have bought 3 nice clean, we'll cared for motor homes over the years. It just took patience. I took good care of them myself and when I was ready to upgrade I was able to sell each of them within a week for my asking price. I still have my 3rd one. It is 12 years old, but still looks new.

Vector - you are on the right track, don't give up and don't lessen your standards.

mike brez wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Buying any coach requires you to do your homework. You need to determine what you want and what you are prepared to pay for it. You also need to be knowledgeable enough about what is a good coach and what is a poor one.
If a little bit of dirt is enough to make you pass on an otherwise mechanically sound coach, then perhaps you need to rethink your expectations.
If you do your homework and are able to look past a little dirt and minor repairs to properly evaluate the systems and mechanical condition of a coach, you would realize that the dirt is a great negotiation tool that you could use to your financial advantage. So what if you have to spend a little time and a few bucks to clean a coach that looks exactly like yours will at the end of a trip?
If you only look at spotlessly clean rigs, you may be fooled in to buying a great looking rig that has an engine or transmission about to take a dump.

Dirt is one thing I think we all see past that. When dealers and private owners tell you what great condition the coach is in and then going to look at it to see delamination,water leaks and over all poor condition that's a run forest run situation and a big waste of time. If buying used there is no possible way to 100% guarantee the trans or engine will take a dump.

Since the OP mentioned filthy carpet, stinky refrigerators, and dirty upholstery, and broken latches, it was pretty obvious to me that they were getting hung up on minor things that I would use to deduct thousands from the asking price since I am knowledgeable enough to look past those items and focus on the really important major items.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Buying any coach requires you to do your homework. You need to determine what you want and what you are prepared to pay for it. You also need to be knowledgeable enough about what is a good coach and what is a poor one.
If a little bit of dirt is enough to make you pass on an otherwise mechanically sound coach, then perhaps you need to rethink your expectations.
If you do your homework and are able to look past a little dirt and minor repairs to properly evaluate the systems and mechanical condition of a coach, you would realize that the dirt is a great negotiation tool that you could use to your financial advantage. So what if you have to spend a little time and a few bucks to clean a coach that looks exactly like yours will at the end of a trip?
If you only look at spotlessly clean rigs, you may be fooled in to buying a great looking rig that has an engine or transmission about to take a dump.

Dirt is one thing I think we all see past that. When dealers and private owners tell you what great condition the coach is in and then going to look at it to see delamination,water leaks and over all poor condition that's a run forest run situation and a big waste of time. If buying used there is no possible way to 100% guarantee the trans or engine will take a dump.

Buying any coach requires you to do your homework. You need to determine what you want and what you are prepared to pay for it. You also need to be knowledgeable enough about what is a good coach and what is a poor one.
If a little bit of dirt is enough to make you pass on an otherwise mechanically sound coach, then perhaps you need to rethink your expectations.
If you do your homework and are able to look past a little dirt and minor repairs to properly evaluate the systems and mechanical condition of a coach, you would realize that the dirt is a great negotiation tool that you could use to your financial advantage. So what if you have to spend a little time and a few bucks to clean a coach that looks exactly like yours will at the end of a trip?
If you only look at spotlessly clean rigs, you may be fooled in to buying a great looking rig that has an engine or transmission about to take a dump.

It can get discouraging. We looked on the internet for months seeing the same units over and over. Looked at Junk from private and dealers that said units wer in excellent condition.

It obviously depends on where you look, the quality of the dealer or private seller. We looked at a few private party coaches that were nasty in spite of the seller claiming they were pristine (photos don't always tell the truth). We saw some really nice clean coaches on dealers' lots. Both of our DP's were bought used from dealers and after searching their inventory on the internet and talking to them before going there. The coaches we planned to look at were clean when we saw them.

It just depends on many factors.

Whats with the drinks and full fuel tank? Mine came the same way! I to say private parties and have your money ready---good deals on nice units don't last long.