Would You Buy a Motorhome From A Private Party who....

bsinmich wrote:

cvbdsl wrote:
I've bought two MH's from a small local dealer who get's them at auctions in the US. He had been doing this for nearly 20 years ( he just retired) and he had around 7-10 MH's and a couple of dozen trailers/5th wheels in stock all the time. MH units ranged in price from low $200K down to some in the $35K and his prices were some of the best around.
.

A good reason for him not doing it anymore is the exchange rate. I just talked to my cousin in Petawawa, Ontario this noon and they just Paid $1.45 C for US Dollar. Today we have US people going to Canada for a bargain.

Yep, its a real killer and the CAD dropped again yesterday, some predict 65-70 cents against the USD by this summer (so the banks will charge 45-50%) as oil goes even lower. I will seriously have to consider how often I'll be going camping in the US this summer. OTH I can still save on some groceries (paid 7$ for a head of cauliflower here last week) and really save on booze.

The plus side, if someone made a fair offer on my MH in USD I'd sell in a heartbeat right now, put the cash away for 3 years until I retire:B (and maybe get a Super C then).

Chris

cvbdsl wrote:
I've bought two MH's from a small local dealer who get's them at auctions in the US. He had been doing this for nearly 20 years ( he just retired) and he had around 7-10 MH's and a couple of dozen trailers/5th wheels in stock all the time. MH units ranged in price from low $200K down to some in the $35K and his prices were some of the best around.
.

A good reason for him not doing it anymore is the exchange rate. I just talked to my cousin in Petawawa, Ontario this noon and they just Paid $1.45 C for US Dollar. Today we have US people going to Canada for a bargain.

One to keep in mind dealers have a year break point on what they keep on the lot, everything else goes to auction, so may have been nothing wrong with it. Was traded in , some people trade RV's like cars every 3-4 years, and didn't fit the dealer's profile so off to auction.

I've bought two MH's from a small local dealer who get's them at auctions in the US. He had been doing this for nearly 20 years ( he just retired) and he had around 7-10 MH's and a couple of dozen trailers/5th wheels in stock all the time. MH units ranged in price from low $200K down to some in the $35K and his prices were some of the best around.

He had a campsite in Florida with his own 5th wheel parked there full time. He'd fly down, scout out the auctions, buy what he liked and have them serviced and or modified down there (new flooring, carpets etc). He'd drive them back to Ottawa (3 -4 day drive - sometimes 3 or 4 at a time with his sales team) and then have a local RV shop go over them again.

He was upfront about what he did and backed up what he sold. (I had a rear jack fail after a few weeks and he had both rear jacks replaced at his expense).

He provided CARFAX reports but did caution that usually only damage was reported if an insurance company was involved and it was not a 100% guarantee.

My current MH was a repo sold at auction where he picked it up. It was a one owner MH with no maintenance records but was extremely clean inside and had some extras added that I believed showed someone did really like and and care for it. CARFAX covered the entire period including the auction and registration in Canada by the dealer. (I had new tires put on (by the dealer), oil changed, coolant flush and an inspection by a local shop).

I still feel sorry for the 1st owner, paying for it for around 8 years and then losing it to the bank.

I also miss the dealership as it is so hard to find a good one that you can trust and truly understands how everything is supposed to work.

I sold my first MH with the full story that it was a repo from a US auction. New owner did not really care, said he has bought cars etc from auctions himself. He still has the MH and has had no major problems.

Do your homework. If you don't have the experience to inspect a vehicle (not just a motorhome) then hire a competent experienced person who does prior to making an offer. Pay them what they are worth. It's that simple. It's really hard to fool a trained eye that knows what to look for. With that in mind, I see no reason not to buy a vehicle at auction if it passes YOUR inspection in advance.

I agree, sometimes Carfax can be worth the money, sometimes its not worth the paper it's written on. There is no reason major mechanical repairs would automatically show up on a Carfax report unless they were performed as part of other major accident damage well documented on a police report or other public documents. Accident damage, may, possibly show up, if an insurance company reports it. That doesn't always happen. Carfax gets most of its info from public sources. Get a clue!


Chum lee

Anyone around here can buy and sell at the auctions if it has a clear title. Lots of bank repos run thru and car lots wanting to get rid of older cars or just something they don't want to deal with.
I would have it inspected and if it has a clear title, Why not?

Plenty of dealers get inventory from auctions and then resell them. Some actually go through the unit and fix the problems, others don't. I have bought cars from auctions before, but never a MH. If the price was right, I would consider it. Good luck.

I bought my current unit at auction...would you buy from me?

Paid 22 cents on the dollar for a nice clean 10 year old unit with 52K miles in 2010. It was a Bank of America repo sold at an auction sale in Fort Worth, Texas. Used a friend with a dealer license to access and bid. Carfax basically showed the title history and where it had lived only.

Added 6 new Michelin's, 4 new house batteries, new shocks, 1 new slide out cover, new fluids and filters, 2 new flat screen TV's, new stereo, and had some spring work done. Been from TX to eastern TN and back 5 times plus local trips in the last 5 years adding up to about 15K more miles.

Why was it a repo? After finding the most recent paperwork on it after getting it home, determined that an older couple financed it for way too much money and the husband passed away (google search). Family let it go back.

So...IF I was selling and told you I bought it at Auction, would you that scare you off. Lots of different reasons they end up there.

Good luck on your search.

How it is being sold is irrelevant. Whether it passes a thorough inspection of all systems and mechanicals is really all that matters.

Executive wrote:
If the price was right, I wouldn't pass up on this coach based on what you've posted. I have no problem with buying a repo as evidenced by the fact that my current coach was a repo. How are they any different than what you might see on any dealer's lot. Used is used. Do your due diligence and pay extra attention to details. How and why the seller has the coach is irrelevant. How much he paid is none of your business. Many dealers buy at the auctions which sell coaches for many many reasons....not all of them bad....Dennis

Thank you Dennis the funny thing is or maybe not so funny since I need this motorhome NOW. Is the other choice we made from a Dealer I just ran the CARFAX and guess what? sold at Auction also. So I hope that armed with all the facts everybody has posted we can make the right decision and that these posts will help someone else.