Private Sellers vs. Dealers

The problem with opions about dealers is there is no universally true statement about any of them. Some dealers a crooks, some dealers are very good and honest, but most dealers are "innocent bystanders". In other words, what is most common is the dealer gives the coach a bath, puts a price on it, and then tries to talk you into buying it. The dealer, even though he is supposed to be an "expert", typically knows very little of the history of the unit. How would they, unless they drove it around for a month. So my opinion is that dealers are hit and miss. I would not shy away from a dealer, nor would I specifically seek out a dealer.

I bought my "used" 07 Endeavor from a private party after visiting several dealer lots. I spent a lot of time getting to know the seller. That helped me make a determination on the quality of care he gave the coach.

On the lot you're dealing with a salesman that usually has no knowledge of the history on the unit he wants to "SELL" you.

We were looking at spending $120,000 and the dealers were showing us $65,000 stuff while trying to get us to spend $100,000 plus.

Two Jayhawks wrote:

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I wouldn't spit in a dealers lot when buying used.....Most, not all, will stick you in a second. The reason most people are on a dealers lot is because they need financing and a private owner don't offer that.....Get your financing in place or have the funds and start looking at private owners and save yourself a bundle-----plenty of private inventory in all kinds of conditions. Beware of the dealer posing as a private seller or the person with someone elses name on the title----he has already shown how honest he is. By all means get someone qualified to check it over......GOOD LUCK.

X2

And I am sure that the private sale individual will go to great lengths to tell you all the things wrong with his rig, after all, he really isn't trying to make a sale, he is trying to be honest Joe. He will gladly take much less than it is worth since he hasn't done any research on it's value and even if he has, everyone knows high NADA retail is still a great deal when buying an RV. What he owes on his rig will have no bearing on what he will take, since he either has no intention of paying off the loan he has on it with a balance thousands of dollars above even his most optimistic dream of a sales price or he surely has unlimited funds to pay any negative equity should he decide to pay. And should you find something wrong with the rig after you buy it, he is very concerned with what any future buyer will think of his service, so he will go out of his way to make any repairs. In my opinion, trusting any seller, private or dealer is a fool's game, but at least with a dealer you might have some recourse if something is really screwy.

NEVER BUY FROM A DEALER. THE COACH WILL NOT BE INSPECTED THOROUGHLY BY THEM
A dealer will make verbal promises that WILL NOT be put into the contract and therefore have no way of being enforced. A dealer is out to get your money! HE has no loyalty to you after he gets it.

Find a good independent repair shop, go in and talk to them about your plans. If you find a shop you are comfortable with then, when you are in the process of negotiating for a coach make it a condition of sale that the coach pass a mechanical inspection as well as a inspection of the appliances etc by the shop chosen by you and paid for by you. If the person selling the coach does not agree then run away.

The inspection will cost you a couple of hundred dollars if done right.

You want the person to check at a MINIMUM

Compression test engine,
tires
belts
charging system
cooling system
front end components
brakes and seals
driveability
rear end
u joints
transmission seals
ALL HOSES AND BRAKE LINES


Coach
roof
stove
furnace
HW heater
A/C
Generator if equipped and transfer switch

Pump
other items may come to mind or others may think of other things

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I wouldn't spit in a dealers lot when buying used.....Most, not all, will stick you in a second. The reason most people are on a dealers lot is because they need financing and a private owner don't offer that.....Get your financing in place or have the funds and start looking at private owners and save yourself a bundle-----plenty of private inventory in all kinds of conditions. Beware of the dealer posing as a private seller or the person with someone elses name on the title----he has already shown how honest he is. By all means get someone qualified to check it over......GOOD LUCK.

X2

So glad you mentioned the turn around dealer for units bought at an auction. That was actually the first place we visited as it is close to our home. Food for thought.

We did the rounds of the dealers within about 75 miles of home and saw a lot of junk in our price range and a lot of good stuff way outside it. The vast majority of asking prices were at least 50% above KBB/NADA.

We then organised a home equity loan, with enough to cover our budgeted price range, and started looking at private sales. We found the rig we currently own in the classifieds in our local paper. It was about 30 miles away. We went over and looked, took a short test drive with the owner and decided it would do just fine.

Their asking price was about $8K below KBB and we paid it without haggling. After we'd closed the deal he admitted that his asking price was low to sell quickly and just covered the remaining balance on their HEL. They were selling because of medical issues that prevented him going very far from home.

When we sell, maybe next season, we'll do it through the local media too, as we won't be staying in the lifestyle, and don't want to take a dealer's low-ball "get it off your hands" offer.

I prefer a private party sale if at all possible. Past service and repair records are important, something a dealer won't have. Many of these "dealers" are not much more than turnaround lots for units they have purchased at auctions. Some can provide service, many have nothing more than a portable office. They seldom know anything about these rigs. We started by visiting lots of dealers and internet research to pick a make and model we liked. Once we had that it was a matter of locating a suitable unit. Depending on your budget it may not be possible to get the perfect color or options you want but you should be able to get real close. Research the manufacturer to see what options were available and if any recalls exist. We passed on one nice unit because it fell into the Cummins wrist pin recall. With a little effort you should begin to know more about a particular unit than the dealer will. Don't limit yourself to local units, do a nationwide search. These dealers travel all over the country to bid on these repo units, you can make a similar effort. It's a lot of money for a depreciating asset so a little effort now can save some money.

Consider PPL in Houston, a consignment lot. I have sold two coaches there, and shopped there many times. The sales people are low key and knowledgeable, and will be brutally honest about the true condition of a coach. Services for transportation and inspection are offered.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/

Matt B

I wouldn't spit in a dealers lot when buying used.....Most, not all, will stick you in a second. The reason most people are on a dealers lot is because they need financing and a private owner don't offer that.....Get your financing in place or have the funds and start looking at private owners and save yourself a bundle-----plenty of private inventory in all kinds of conditions. Beware of the dealer posing as a private seller or the person with someone elses name on the title----he has already shown how honest he is. By all means get someone qualified to check it over......GOOD LUCK.