buying an rv

I bought from a dealer because I THOUGHT it would give me a warranty and peace of mind.

NEVER AGAIN!

Trying to work with the dealer was terrible. It was like pulling teeth just to get the KEYS!

The only way I would work with a dealer again is if they were the only ones with the camper I wanted. THEN - everything would be completed up front BEFORE $$$$$$.

What 2gypsies said. A dealer would probably lose the Mx records if they didn't help to sell a coach, whereas a private buyer will keep them figuring it will help sell the coach. When buying a plane, missing logs or gaps in logs will cost you thousands in resale value. They put 'NDH' - no damage history - in ads. I remind people that NDH can mean 2 things; no damage or no history.

The Sahara had a binder with the original brochure, the original sticker, a complete list of the original equipment with model and serial numbers and every receipt for parts and repairs for 18 years. I noticed that the ice maker was missing. A search of the docs showed that the coach was broadsided the first year and the ice maker was not replaced. A dealer probably would have removed that page.

i find that private sellers value their RVs, way more than they should.

we've often found new RVs, for what used ones from private sellers are selling for.

certainly a private seller. find an owner that took care of his rig. if he or she hasn't been on the roof twice a year to inspect things I'd probably pass on it. Everything on a coach can be fixed but if its had water damage its just not worth it.

We bought ours by private party 5 years ago. At least you don't have the "dealer fee's" added. But I guess if you finance you may want a dealer to find a good rate if you haven't done that yourself previously.

I am not fond of dealers for the most part. Especially the ones that think they know what I want when they are way off from the beginning!

I'd say buying private party is the best. You can talk to the owner; hopefully he'll have the maintenance/repair records for you to look at and you can see how he takes care of his home/yard which influences somewhat how he took care of the motorhome.

Also, the dealer salesman has no idea of the history of the RV, either what's been done to it, what's broke over time, what's been repaired, or what needs to be repaired. The selling owner knows this stuff. I've found most of them to be very honest. I also found a few owners who are truly dumb or ignorant about their RV - but that's no worse than dealing with a dumb person that's never looked inside of that RV before. While I'm sure they're out there, I've never dealt with a owner / seller trying to hide something.

Bill

Bought our Aliner used in Colorado in 2005. Have drug it to Maine and back plus many other trips in between.12 years and no problems with it.

For automobiles we prefer private sellers and would do the same if an RV we wanted were available. We do it because we get a better price and more honesty about the actual condition of the unit.

It doesn't matter - buy where you get the best deal.

If Bob will sell his MH to you for $75K or to a dealer, do you think the dealer will sell it to you for the same $75K?

Both of my current TT and DP have been bought from private individuals over 3,000 miles from home. Happy with both.

Bill