First Time Buyers (Used)
First off please excuse any stupid questions i may ask. We are very new to Rv-ing both my Wife and i are in our late 50s and still working. We both are self employed so getting away at short notice is...
Forum Discussion
Sdyer,
After you make the deal, some dealerships will add a cost for the PDI. This can be as much as $1,000. Find this out up front when you are negotiating. Also, do not believe they did a thorough job on their inspection. You must hire your own independent inspector to go through the coach. I had really good luck searching for "mobile rv repair" to get a list of techs that could do the inspection. The price will be all over the map. Call several of them, tell them what you are after, and ask them what their pre-purchase inspection includes. The shining star will be real obvious. Some of them will also have yelp reviews. The inspection should also include the tech driving the coach. There are two general areas that you need to be concerned with. The coach systems and the chassis. My engine was low time, so I did not take the coach to a ford dealer for inspection. However my inspector went over the engine/tranny (as I did, get under it, look for leaks, worn belts/hoses, etc) and he used a magnetic dip stick in the tranny and engine oil looking for metal fragments. He gave me a comprehensive written report and charged me $250. He gave me ~ dozen dealer must repair items which included new tires. Dealer took care of me, partly because they knew I had my own tech. That absolutely was the best 250 I have spent. And BTW, having a written document from a respected independent tech was a great negotiating tool with the dealer. After they took care of the dozen items, I went back and did another inspection to find out all of them were not done. They did not get my money until the job was done. Buyer beware!
After you make the deal, some dealerships will add a cost for the PDI. This can be as much as $1,000. Find this out up front when you are negotiating. Also, do not believe they did a thorough job on their inspection. You must hire your own independent inspector to go through the coach. I had really good luck searching for "mobile rv repair" to get a list of techs that could do the inspection. The price will be all over the map. Call several of them, tell them what you are after, and ask them what their pre-purchase inspection includes. The shining star will be real obvious. Some of them will also have yelp reviews. The inspection should also include the tech driving the coach. There are two general areas that you need to be concerned with. The coach systems and the chassis. My engine was low time, so I did not take the coach to a ford dealer for inspection. However my inspector went over the engine/tranny (as I did, get under it, look for leaks, worn belts/hoses, etc) and he used a magnetic dip stick in the tranny and engine oil looking for metal fragments. He gave me a comprehensive written report and charged me $250. He gave me ~ dozen dealer must repair items which included new tires. Dealer took care of me, partly because they knew I had my own tech. That absolutely was the best 250 I have spent. And BTW, having a written document from a respected independent tech was a great negotiating tool with the dealer. After they took care of the dozen items, I went back and did another inspection to find out all of them were not done. They did not get my money until the job was done. Buyer beware!
