My 2017 quest for the perfect TT!

Ponduke's Brother wrote:
New guy here. Felt the need to reply to this thread. My wife and I, on July 3rd, after a couple weeks of looking for a new camper drove 120 miles to look at one we saw on CL. It was a well-kept 2005 Springdale. Nice little camper but the price was too big and the bed was too small. We walked away. On the way back from that long drive, not 10 minutes from home, I see a Coachmen camper sitting in someone’s front yard with a for sale sign on it. Stopped and got out to look it over. Owner drives up on a golf cart asks if we want to see inside. It’s a 2015 Coachmen Freedom Express 246 RKS. Pretty much the exact camper we were envisioning when we started looking. Light enough for my truck, big enough to not feel too cramped, and inexpensive enough to be in serious consideration. Was in perfect condition and everything worked (well, the interior light in the fridge didn’t work but I figured I could live with that :)). Owner just bought a newer larger Freedom Express so was selling this one. His asking price was great but he went down another 500 and we shook hands.

Here’s the thing though. I did NOT have cash, or could not even write him a check until I did some paperwork at the bank (Yes I had to get a loan. Some of us are crazy that way!) and tomorrow was the 4th of July so the bank wasn’t open. Had the owner been the OP I guess he’d felt like I wasted his time and sent me on my way. Instead I told him the situation, he said no problem so I handed him 100 dollars cash in “earnest money” and told him I’d be back with a check on the 5th and if I flaked on him he just made an easy 100 dollars. Long story short, the wife and I just got back from our first weekend trip to try it out and we love it!

I understand what you are saying, but you have to understand my situation is very different then yours. You were dealing with a person who simply put a sign on their trailer and had a lot of time to find a buyer and sell the trailer. My situation is very different. I need to sell this trailer ASAP.

I have put in my ads the following phrases, CASH ONLY" and "Must Sell Fast". Now if the person had those words in the ad or sign on their trailers, would you have approached them asking them to wait on you? Call me strange but, I expect people to actually READ my ad. I expect them to understand what my conditions are and respect those. When a person, after having read that this is a CASH ONLY sale and that I want a FAST sale, and then show up without out any cash or even the ability to pay in quick order; call me unreasonable, but that is just a little rude in my book. That person is saying by their actions, "We don't care what you want or need. We only care about what we want and need and we want you to bend to our desires." In essence, they are treating me like they would treat an RV dealership, and not a private party. For some reason, there is this unreasonable exception that private sellers should have the same level of customer service as a DEALERSHIP.

Bottom line, if I had the time. I would work with a person, but I don't. I really wanted to sell it to the people that came last night, even though they mislead me into believing that they had the cash when they came out. They really need the trailer and are a nice couple and want to pay my full asking price. But after they got out here they told me they will only get the money on the 28th. This was after I asked them before they came out if they had the money to pay. But they are desperate and I have compassion on them, but that does not change my situation and I absolutely cannot wait until the 28th. I just don't have that prerogative.

I am not trying to be hard, but it is very simple. The first person to put the cash in my hand gets it. I really don't know why that is so hard for people to understand. When a person says, CASH ONLY, maybe they actually mean that. :S