On October 13th I posted a thread called “What coach would you buy for $$$$ ?” and was given terrific information. Now I’d like to know “What comes after you’ve selected the Coach?Once I shop around and find the floorplan I like and like what I see and I like the way it drives and rides, what do you do next? I have read some checklists about this at various websites but I also know that sometimes what you read is not necessarily how it works in real life.A couple specific questions I have is;• Buying from a private owner. Is there more risk there and needs to be checked more throughly?• Buying from a dealer, is it better - worse - or of little difference? I’ve listed three dealers below that are well know and from what I can tell have very good reputations. Can you buy from one of them with a feeling that they have checked them out and you can have a high degree of expectation buying from them? • Is there any benefit buying a used coach from a dealer who also sells that coach new?Motorhomes of Texas: http://mot-production.herokuapp.comLazyDays: http://www.lazydays.com/rvs?Classes=ALuxury Motorhome Sales: http://luxurymotorhomesales.com/index.php I will be looking for;• Bluebird Wanderlodge• Country Coach• American Coach Eagle - Heritage • Newmar Essex - King AireI am planning to really step up my hunt for the right coach and will enjoy input from those who have “been there - done that”!Thank you,HJ

One thing you should never do. Let the seller know you only want that RV. If you do they will hold out for a higher price.

My opinions/thoughts and experience after buying 3 motorhomes, the first from a private seller and the last two from reputable dealers:I am sure you can get a great deal and coach from a private seller if you have the time/energy/patience to deal with many who want too much, will lie about condition, etc. In both cases of buying from a dealer, we were satisfied with the results. I had firm rules and let the dealer know; 1. Will only consider a one owner coach, 2. Dealer must agree to put me in touch with the first owner, 3. Service records must be produced. In both cases, those three rules were achieved. In both cases we contacted the previous owner and got the scoop. My thinking was that the PO had nothing to hide since he had already traded and was not obligated to help the dealer sell the trade. In both cases the PO's were honest about any issues and incredibly helpful. One dealer offered a 90 day bumper to bumper warranty and the other did not but agreed to fix anything we discovered after purchasing the coach and before we left the RV park adjacent to the dealership. We traded, 'lived' in the new coach for two days and the dealer quickly fixed two issues not discovered in the PDI. Since your list of coaches includes Americans and CC, I would recommend you check with Tom Johnson in North Carolina. TJ's sells a lot of AC's to NASCAR teams and to high rollers who chase racing. They generally have a good inventory of American coaches and we were very pleased dealing with them on the Allure. In fact, they sell a lot of Newmar's too.For CC, check with both CC and Premier in Junction City, OR. Both have a number of really nice CC's (several Magna's) on consignment. Premier had more when we were there and both of those places are really expert in getting them in top shape for sale.

I'd rather buy from a private party, they don't usually have professionals clean and detail their coach, you can get a better feeling as to how well a coach was cared for. Always use your bank and financing, never the dealers.With a private party you are not paying the dealer mark up. With a private party you can see the prior owners maintenance records.With a private party you can take your time and see how each system works, what they have used as chemicals, waxes, etc.And you don't get the bums rush that many dealers will try to put on you.Deal direct, take your time, go thru each and every component/system, ask questions, we shopped 2 years before we found what made us happy, and never had any owner get angry with us for looking.

Tom/Barb wrote:I'd rather buy from a private party, they don't usually have professionals clean and detail their coach, you can get a better feeling as to how well a coach was cared for. Always use your bank and financing, never the dealers.With a private party you are not paying the dealer mark up. With a private party you can see the prior owners maintenance records.With a private party you can take your time and see how each system works, what they have used as chemicals, waxes, etc.And you don't get the bums rush that many dealers will try to put on you.Deal direct, take your time, go thru each and every component/system, ask questions, we shopped 2 years before we found what made us happy, and never had any owner get angry with us for looking. X-2, Check out all the service records to make sure the coach has been properly maintained and any promises need to be in writing!

J-Rooster wrote:Tom/Barb wrote:I'd rather buy from a private party, they don't usually have professionals clean and detail their coach, you can get a better feeling as to how well a coach was cared for. Always use your bank and financing, never the dealers.With a private party you are not paying the dealer mark up. With a private party you can see the prior owners maintenance records.With a private party you can take your time and see how each system works, what they have used as chemicals, waxes, etc.And you don't get the bums rush that many dealers will try to put on you.Deal direct, take your time, go thru each and every component/system, ask questions, we shopped 2 years before we found what made us happy, and never had any owner get angry with us for looking. X-2, Check out all the service records to make sure the coach has been properly maintained and any promises need to be in writing!Another advantage of a Private Party sale, is, depending on your State, you might not have to pay any sales tax.

What comes after you’ve selected the Coach? | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

Joatha
Explorer
Oct 15, 2014
HOM wrote:

Others have mentioned if you have a Commons engine to take the coach to them for a drive-train checkup. Will a private owner or dealer let you do that?

HJ

I would say that most sellers will let you do that. It will, however, be on your dime to get it inspected. If they don't let you do it, I would be suspicious. I was considering another coach except the guy wouldn't let me get it inspected. He said it only had 55K miles on it so it was practically brand new and an inspection wasn't requird. For that matter, he wouldn't even take me on a test ride (claimed it wasn't properly insured). And, this was for a 16 year old coach!!! So, I passed on that one.

The current coach I have the owner I bought it from took it to Cummins for me and I paid for the inspection. It worked out fine. Then, I did an in-person inspection and took it home with me.
RayChez
Explorer
Oct 15, 2014
This thing about asking for records really is a waste of time. Records can be written any way they want just to make it look good and to sell it to people that are gullible.

If you are not mechanically inclined and have no idea what to look for, THEN I would pay somebody that knows about diesel or gasoline engines and the whole chassis in fact. A person that is trained on things like that can spot worn out parts. He can take it for a test drive and will be of more important information for you then any record that a owner is willing to show you.

You also got to remember that a private owner is trying to sell that coach because there is something on it already he does not like. You will find some honest people, but there are also some that will sell you something that they know is going to cost lots of money but will not reveal it to the buyer.

A dealer usually will fix any problems. A private owner will not.

So this thing about records to me is not worth the paper it is written on.
HOM
Explorer
Oct 15, 2014
Hi 10forty2,

From all I've read that seems to be the case just as you said "For me, it's a labor of love. I really LOVE my coach and I actually enjoy working on/in it."

I've read some posts saying that once you've selected the coach you should take a sample of the oil and take it to a lab for evaluation. Is that not an important thing to do?

Others have mentioned if you have a Commons engine to take the coach to them for a drive-train checkup. Will a private owner or dealer let you do that?

HJ
10forty2
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
HOM wrote:
Hi B's,

I've heard many times about a boat. That the happiest day was the day they bought their boat and the next happiest is the day they sold it! Never heard that about a motorhome though, Is the headache issue one of a motorhome or have you run out of Bayer Extra Strength? :)

HJ

You do know what BOAT stands for, right? Break Out Another Thousand...... :B

For me, it's a labor of love. I really LOVE my coach and I actually enjoy working on/in it. It's kinda like that mega thread on here somewhere... "What did you do to your motorhome today?" It's a project that will always be in the works. It'll never be perfect, at least not in my opinion, but it will be mine and it will be in great shape for the next adventure!
HOM
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
Hi B's,

I've heard many times about a boat. That the happiest day was the day they bought their boat and the next happiest is the day they sold it! Never heard that about a motorhome though, Is the headache issue one of a motorhome or have you run out of Bayer Extra Strength? :)

HJ
B_s_Bunch
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
What comes after you've selected the Coach?? The never ending headache you get from always wondering WHY you did this. :)
10forty2
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
A couple of folks have already said it....BUYER BEWARE! We bought from a private seller and fortunately the issues have been few, and only one thing we didn't have disclosed properly. The tires were over 10 years old, even though they had a bill of sale where they bought them 2 years prior to us buying the coach. They got screwed and we found out the hard way when we had a blowout on a trip. Check maintenance records, check tires...actual date codes....check brakes and other big-ticket items like water damage indicators inside. There are so many working parts of a motorhome and so many places where things can and DO go wrong. Not trying to scare you off, it's great to own one and I can't wait to be able to go on my next trip, but just beware and buy smart!!
Joatha
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
HOM wrote:

I will be looking for;

• Bluebird Wanderlodge
•
HJ

I suggest you join the Wanderlodge Owners Group aka WOG (if you haven't yet)...
http://www.wanderlodgeownersgroup.com

There are always a few for sale by owners there.

Randy Dupree is a broker for Wanderlodge coaches. His website is...
http://www.buybyebluebird.com

I bought my 2001 Bluebird through Randy and he is a straight shooter and trustworthy (IMO anyhow).

More Wanderlodges are also available at....
http://www.vintagebirds.com/bill-bd.htm
http://www.birdconnection.com

As far as "what's next", I'd start looking for a coach and then I would strongly advise you get an inspection. If its a Bluebird, you can also probably find an owner that will go with you (from the WOG). I had my drivetrain inspected by Cummins as well to ensure there were no issues on the drivetrain and suspension. I would recommend you do that regardless of what you buy (just take it to the CAT if its CAT-powered or Detroit for one of those).

If you want help with the Bluebirds, feel free to drop me a private message.
Raymon
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
I purchased my last class A from a private party who only put about 3K miles on the MH. This very young couple did not have a clue how anything operated. Fortunately, they had the owner's manual and all the information on all the appliances, etc. The MH had hidden issues of which even they were not aware and did not surface until I owned the unit for a few months. It was not a case of dishonesty as it was a true lack of knowledge.

As someone else said, buyer beware; take you time and do your research. I wish you the best.

Ray
Raymon
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
WyoTraveler wrote:
One thing you should never do. Let the seller know you only want that RV. If you do they will hold out for a higher price.

Exactly right! Do NOT fall in love with any RV; there are others out there, so do not pay too much.

Ray