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

4x4van wrote:
I agree that Carfax is a joke. I recently bought a 2008 Hummer, the Carfax was spotless. One owner, dealer serviced every 5-7,000 miles, no breakdowns/repairs.
I have since noticed that the grille, bumper, right front fender, right front door have all been replaced, as have 3 of the 4 brake calipers, and the entire exhaust system. None of that showed up on Carfax.

My friend was trying to buy Dodge minivan and found one with clean California title.
Carfax show that the van was totaled in Hawaii.
So it works both ways. The government records would screw you, Carfax will save you.
Nothing in this World is foolproof.
Nothing beats good inspection. In the van above I could tell the front paint looks different straight from the pictures, even the pictures were taken during a rain.

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

We have put several miles on her since we bought it. I think around 4000. It was originally sold in Houston . I have the original papers where it was sold new. I would assume it was a repo when sold at auction. Who ever had it took good care of it. I bought it for what I thought was a good price. We are passing that on to a new owner. We installed new automatic steps, 2 new TV's, washing machine, electric fireplace, TV antenna. New tires and carpet were installed just before we purchased the unit from the dealer. The tires have about 4000 miles
So that is what the Owner says and I assume it could happen to any of us? So now he is "stuck" with a motorhome that may or may not have had Issues? But was at one time sold at Auction? Everyone has to do their own Research and sort out what is the truth? I tend to give folks the "benefit of the doubt" but in this case I will pass on this Coach Mainly because it is too far away to have it evaluated, drive it and look at it. And my "gut feeling" is not worth the questions I will always have. Thanks again for all your advice.

rockhillmanor wrote:

Private owners don't just get 'tired of trying to sell' and send them to the auction, they can not use auction houses. You have to be a dealer with a license. A used unit with high miles and/or problems are sent to the chutes by dealers I.E. the auction house. Where the buyers have to be licensed also. ebay and the like are different.

There are many different auction houses with different rules. The main auto auction in my area (Thomas Hichak Company in Williston, VT) will gladly accept vehicles from non-dealers, and likewise lets anybody register and bid on vehicles. I personally know people who have both bought and sold cars there.

There are, of course, other auction houses that only permit dealers to buy and sell.

rockhillmanor wrote:
Common sense. Any good well maintained MH does NOT end up at a licensed auction house.

Private owners don't just get 'tired of trying to sell' and send them to the auction, they can not use auction houses. You have to be a dealer with a license. A used unit with high miles and/or problems are sent to the chutes by dealers I.E. the auction house. Where the buyers have to be licensed also. ebay and the like are different.

There are a plethora of nice well maintained decently priced used MH's for sale by owners out there. Why take the chance.

Thank you for this comment, however I do wonder if that is always the case? For instance I know this Motorhome sold for List Price of anywhere from $160,000.00 to about $180,000.00 New in 2007. Of course wise buyers (or as the case maybe not so wise to buy new) would have only paid $122,000.00 such as we did on a similar Coach (25% off list). With a 20 year loan even after 9 years the "Bank" or Dealer would have gotten what? Maybe enough to satisfy the actual value or cost of the Coach to them?
The seller would be standing on his head with the price he could get and the price he owes. But somebody has to pay off the "lender" or write it off? So I think repossession may come into play here? I will ask my friend who is a Dealer and an honest one.
That being said I only keep this post "alive" because regardless of what CARFAX is lacking in it certainly helped me to ponder this Issue. In fact it has given me a real "heads up" about what CARFAX does not do! Also, I think the input from all of you fellow RV'ers is excellent! In a separate post I will quote the Owner and give more facts that anyone who finds themselves with this Issue may want to know prior to making a decision to buy given all the facts. Thank you!

Common sense. Any good well maintained MH does NOT end up at a licensed auction house.

Private owners don't just get 'tired of trying to sell' and send them to the auction, they can not use auction houses. You have to be a dealer with a license. A used unit with high miles and/or problems are sent to the chutes by dealers I.E. the auction house. Where the buyers have to be licensed also. ebay and the like are different.

There are a plethora of nice well maintained decently priced used MH's for sale by owners out there. Why take the chance.

I agree that Carfax is a joke. I recently bought a 2008 Hummer, the Carfax was spotless. One owner, dealer serviced every 5-7,000 miles, no breakdowns/repairs.
I have since noticed that the grille, bumper, right front fender, right front door have all been replaced, as have 3 of the 4 brake calipers, and the entire exhaust system. None of that showed up on Carfax.

You seem to be putting a lot of faith in Carfax.

I would be a bit nervous about a guy only owns if for 9 months after it got sold at auction for undisclosed reasons and there is something wrong with that when it transferred they didn't include the mileage.

All that said, pay someone a couple hundred to check it out and I might still go for it but there are enough red flags, I'm going to want a serious discount and I'm going to want outside verification that he has ownership before turning over the cash.

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

X-2

I once found a nearly new Chrysler at a dealer, and was doing the purchase paperwork, when I saw a few subtle clues that it may of been seriously damaged. After further examination, it was clear that the entire rear of the vehicle was replaced with another. Essentially, the thing had been built by welding two wrecks together. The car fax was totally clean, and the dealer's staff was aggressively promoting the fact that it was simply "impossible" and I had to be wrong. I guess that additional welding and patches under the car, the paint overspray, and oddly masked off clear coat were options that year, LOL.