Buying from a dealer vs private sale

problem is and there have been plenty of posts here like this, when one runs up against a lemon, water damage they want to unload, etc. it is always the solution just to sell it off.
bumpy

I can think of a lot of reasons to buy private party but the 2 big ones are lower price and better chance of not getting taken by a private party seller.
Most dealers are lying about something as soon as their lips move.
Yes you could get taken by a private seller too but would you rather buy from some nice old dude who knows everything about the camper and is willing to share (you have to be a decent judge of character here) or some low paid salesman who is gunning for that next commission to put food on the table?
Il take my chances with pp sales every day and twice on Sun.
But thats just me. If plenty of people didn't buy brand new and from dealers then there would be no nice used stuff for me to buy!

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!

dnmccoy wrote:
Yeah, in Ohio Id pay taxes when I went to register it either way.

yep, "pay not tax" is not correct in any state I have been in. you pay your "tax" when you register the vehicle. and if you have a "trade in" some states let you pay on the difference which you would do at a dealer, not at a private sale.
bumpy

I think you could get 5% easily shopping around.

Even if Im not a customer?

Most credit unions will charge a minimal fee of $25-50 for membership provided you meet the membership criteria of the specific credit union.

popeyemth wrote:

dnmccoy wrote:
Do dealers have better financing terms on used models than I might see if I went through my local bank? I checked today and my bank is something like 8% for up to 5 years for used models under $20,000. My wife and I have excellent credit and own our home,so I wouldn't think it would be a problem

You could get half that at a credit union
Good Luck, Mike

Even if Im not a customer?

dnmccoy wrote:
Do dealers have better financing terms on used models than I might see if I went through my local bank? I checked today and my bank is something like 8% for up to 5 years for used models under $20,000. My wife and I have excellent credit and own our home,so I wouldn't think it would be a problem

You could get half that at a credit union
Good Luck, Mike

Yeah, in Ohio Id pay taxes when I went to register it either way.

We almost always buy used stuff - let the first guy take the depreciation hit and get the bugs out. Are last two trailers each came from dealers as they seemed to offer the best overall deal for a unit we liked at the time we were looking. In both cases we ended up trading in our old unit and financing through the dealer since they offered the best deal compared with local banks. We also had a 30 day warranty on each of those trailers,

The last two vans we have bought have been through private sellers. Go with the best deal you can get on a unit that meets your needs .....

In most states, you pay sales tax one way or the other - either to the dealer, or too the motor vehicle agency when you register the vehicle.