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

to me carfax is a joke, was going to buy a sprinter one time CF says NO PROBLEMS, took the vin number to a dodge dealer buddy, he ran the vin , RV was wrecked,,, repaired had engine replaced,, and the front end reworked. NO thanks I,ll never use car fax

valhalla360 wrote:
Assuming you have full access to check it out, can put a survey in as part of the offer, and they can provide proof of ownership, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Now if they start getting dodgy when you ask questions and won't tell you why it was up for auction, I might shy away from it.

Well this is interesting. Actually the Coach was sold at Auction in Texas then 4 months later Title was transferred in Arkansas. CARFAX does guarantee they will buy the vehicle if they certify it was not a salvage vehicle or flood fire etc and that is proven to be wrong for whatever that is worth.
It may be just a simple case of loan default and the Coach was simply not worth anywhere near what the "poor person" paid for it and still owed on it. I could not believe the financing available at that time and maybe still of 20 year loans? oh my god what a racket.
One item of note I see is when this vehicle changed ownership the last time it was exempt from odometer reporting for some reason. The last recording of mileage was when sold at Auction.
Someone put 5,000 miles on it either from date of sale 11/14 or change of ownership on 3/17/15.
In a Nutshell the days of buying and selling with a handshake and total honesty are most likely lost. I have bought and sold 6 motorhomes and not once did I sell anything that was not fully disclosed nor did anyone sell me something they would not stand behind. This seller may or may not be honest, he did put in new carpet and a fireplace but then he is selling it 9 months later because he bought a "cabin" in the woods? that happens folks change their mind but my gut tells me that sumthin ain't right so I will just pass on this. I guess everybody needs CARFAX now in my humble opinion. Thanks for all the good information!

rv4jimnme wrote:
oh well the CARFAx report would show flooding or totaled I think? it does not

It shows on Carfax ONLY if the insurance company reported it or if enough time has passed for it to show up on their records. Several years ago our jaguar was totaled by the insurance company and it was repaired, sold, and shipped overseas, before anything ever showed up on Carfax. Nothing beats a very thorough inspection from someone that is qualified to evaluate a motor home.

Assuming you have full access to check it out, can put a survey in as part of the offer, and they can provide proof of ownership, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Now if they start getting dodgy when you ask questions and won't tell you why it was up for auction, I might shy away from it.

Not everything shows up on CarFax...just sayin...caveat emptor.....Dennis

Lots of folks buy with the sole intention of flipping vehicles these days. I know people that search Craigslist as well as sites like Crankyape to make a few $$$. One guy I know specializes in boats, and has done well enough to make it his full time job.

My guess is that is what you are looking at.

Anybody can auction off a motor home or house to the highest bidder. Somebody probably just wanted to get out from under it.

Sounds like a small time dealer masquerading as a private party.
Need a low price as the red flag is waving.
Could be a decent deal and check out it thoroughly.

oh well the CARFAx report would show flooding or totaled I think? it does not

Motorhomes could find their way to auction for a number of reasons. Bank repo's would be sold at auction. So would motorhomes totaled by the insurance company for things like having been flooded. Buyer beware.