Buying from a dealer vs private sale
So Ive been looking for a nice used TT, and I have noticed that dealer pricing is often times a couple thousand more than buying from a private individual. I understand the dealers overhead and costs,...
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We just went through this ourselves. We spent some time (many months) scouring ads, websites looking for a TT or HTT. We found a couple we liked from private sellers. Went and looked at them and both times I felt that the owners were not honest. It takes common sense for anyone who is in the market for a major purchase to take caution when it comes to buying from a private party.
Personally I am too anal and while I like to give the private seller the benefit of the doubt if I feel they are not totally truthful then I back out immediately. We looked at one TT that we drove an hour and half to see. It was a 2010 Keystone Cougar which are very good RV's. I figured it was only 4 years old and a Keystone which is good quality so at $15k it seemed like a good deal. The first thing I saw when we arrived was the lettering on the front of the TT was peeling off badly. The exterior was not washed well. The interior was not cleaned well. For a 4 year old TT it appeared to have been lived in full time. When my wife asked about why a piece of Trim was not matched to the rest of the trim in the TT the owner stated there was some water damage he had to repair. That was it... we took off.
Working through a dealer has many advantages. DOr starters, you can look at many RV's at one place. If your looking at used TT's at a dealer, they clean them well, they can usually warranty them for a time, and if they receive them with some damage, they repair them with the proper parts for the TT.
For us, we went with a new one. I just decided I am too much of an anal person to want to deal with issues that may arise from a previous owner. Our experience buying our HTT was awesome from a dealer! We went through a number of coaches before we found ours. The financing was taken care of on the spot. If I have an issue with it in the next year, I can take it right to the dealer under warranty. I dont regret this decision at all!
Personally I am too anal and while I like to give the private seller the benefit of the doubt if I feel they are not totally truthful then I back out immediately. We looked at one TT that we drove an hour and half to see. It was a 2010 Keystone Cougar which are very good RV's. I figured it was only 4 years old and a Keystone which is good quality so at $15k it seemed like a good deal. The first thing I saw when we arrived was the lettering on the front of the TT was peeling off badly. The exterior was not washed well. The interior was not cleaned well. For a 4 year old TT it appeared to have been lived in full time. When my wife asked about why a piece of Trim was not matched to the rest of the trim in the TT the owner stated there was some water damage he had to repair. That was it... we took off.
Working through a dealer has many advantages. DOr starters, you can look at many RV's at one place. If your looking at used TT's at a dealer, they clean them well, they can usually warranty them for a time, and if they receive them with some damage, they repair them with the proper parts for the TT.
For us, we went with a new one. I just decided I am too much of an anal person to want to deal with issues that may arise from a previous owner. Our experience buying our HTT was awesome from a dealer! We went through a number of coaches before we found ours. The financing was taken care of on the spot. If I have an issue with it in the next year, I can take it right to the dealer under warranty. I dont regret this decision at all!
