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Am I Getting Ready to Buy A Lemon?

Howlan
Explorer
Explorer
Hey Everyone, Newbie forum member here, getting ready to take delivery of my first RV Friday of this week and just joined to try and get info about the new family experience my family is getting ready to start. Well as I searched some I found an old thread that I think is the RV that I'm planning on buying, which is a used Hurricane 34Y from the Buffalo NY area (I'm in North Carolina and was going to fly up to get unit on Friday). See thread:

Thread about Lemon Hurricane 34Y in Buffalo NY

Being that the unit I'm looking at has 3600 miles I'm betting it is the same unit. The dealer (Colton RV in Buffalo area) told me there were no issues with the unit and it looked brand new. I was wondering why the mileage was so low and asked about that. Dealer said when I go there if I wasn't happy I could walk away from deal, so I put deposit down on unit to hold.

Reading the thread sure is making me get wet feet. Any suggestions or thoughts? I really don't need any headaches....

Thanks,

Howard
54 REPLIES 54

Roger_in_VERMON
Explorer
Explorer
Be careful with that dealer.
🙂 2001 41' Holiday Rambler Imperial
2004 Jeep Wrangler
Weekenders and Loving it!

msmith1199
Explorer II
Explorer II
I went and read through the other thread referenced here and it raised some doubts to be about the author of that thread. He states for over 4 years he could not use the motorhome except to drive it back and forth to the dealer. Yet none of the problems that he lists would have prevented him from using the coach. You can still use your coach without the leveling system and that was the most serious problem he listed. Everything else sounded like cosmetic issues. Why buy a RV and make those kind of payment and then just let it sit and not use it over cosmetic issues? Leaves a doubt in my mind.

2021 Nexus Viper 27V. Class B+


2019 Ford Ranger 4x4

soren
Explorer
Explorer
Howlan wrote:
Thanks for the info everyone!

I've run a Carfax and there was not much info there. It did show the unit was in an accident July 5 2009,not much details about it.

So, you have evidence that the vehicle has been in a moderate to severe accident. little bumps and bruises typically don't get reported to insurance companies, and therefore are not part of the public record that Carfax harvests. Pretty safe to assume that this rig has had several thousand in damage, up to the point of being totaled, based on the limited info. you have. This will SEVERELY impact the value, and your ability to resell it. It's simple, Carfaxs are cheap, even free from a lot of dealers. The damage to this unit is documented, and easily available to any potential buyer. There are TONS of used units available to any buyer. You are working hard at buying one with an accident history, do you think most folks do the same?



I've called to speak with the Sales Rep/dealer today, they are a very large dealer Colton RV in North Tonawanda, NY. Sales rep said I could walk away from if I was not happy with unit during the delivery process, going to see what they have to say about.

They are a very large dealer WITH predominately negative feedback everywhere you look, online. Generally ANYTHING a salesmen tells you from a high volume, low reputation dealership should be regarded as suspect. It you have a document, signed by management, that you have a refundable deposit, they you do. If you have the salesmen's "word" regarding a refund, you are probably going to end up losing it.

Have phone number from original poster and going to try and call him to confirm same unit (VIN, etc).

Thanks again for info.

Howard


I hate to see you end up screwing yourself, but you seem to want to thank folks for valuable information you are ignoring? Please step back, sit on this for a week, and think it through. A rig from a questionable dealership, in the dead of a brutal winter, located a fourteen hour drive north. Flying to get there is great, you really want to deal with driving home in a salt crusted mess of a rig, an take the chance of getting trapped in a blizzard? You know it has previous accident damage, and a permanently tainted Carfax report. You know that it has questionable low mileage, and that it may be a lemon that another member here desperately wanted to dump, yet your're bent on closing the deal?

Unfortunately, some folks are too honest, and really can't imagine the level that some of these large, poor reputation, multi-store dealers operate at. I had a friend who announced that he took a job as a service manager for one of the NY. based RV chains. I told him that he would be gone in six months, since a church going, deeply moral guy like him wouldn't last. He was gone in six, but the stories he tells are amazing. How about an in house lawyer that does nothing but act like a low level mob enforcer. Your spouse died suddenly, and your new rig in on order? too bad, not only are you not getting your deposit back ,it is being delivered to your driveway, your being billed extra for the home delivery, and sued for the balance. Your rig was damaged, on our lot, before delivery? too bad, we have already titled it in your name, call your insurance company. You want warranty repairs for the your trailer since all the tires are bald in a few thousand miles? Sorry, but we sold you this "new" rig after we repaired the crash damage, so we will tell you that the factory refused your claim, and that you must of done the damage after you took delivery.......and many more.

Hope it works out for you, but if it doesn't, don't forget to look back at this thread.

midnightsadie
Explorer II
Explorer II
so now we know why the low miles it was a wrecked rv being repair alll these years . wake up get your bucks back. car fax does not tell you much there next to worthless.

soren
Explorer
Explorer
D.E.Bishop wrote:
I suggested a Carfax because I thought that the minimum info would include all past owners. What does Carfax tell you? Not a highjack, just wondering if a Carfax would help


Carfax includes zero personal information on previous owners, just things like where registrations were renewed,where ownership transfers took place, and REPORTED damage and repairs. Carfax will not list repairs typically done to defective RVs. They also make it quite clear that they only provide publically available information. It is possible to buy a salvage vehicle, assembled from a collection of wrecks, and receive a glowing car fax with the purchase. I nearly did so, and really did battle with the dealership management who stated that the Carfax would have clearly shown this info. Once we were all laying under the vehicle, looking at shoddy repairs and odd overspray, they agreed that they bought a wreck.

Carfax type services are valuable. They can give you an idea where a car has been, and if the backstory adds up. For example, you're buying what is billed as "Grandma's car" from the estate, and the claim is that the car is a one owner, with low miles. The car fax indicates that the title did a loop through a few distant states, (possibly to wash the title of a salvaged or stolen car) and that a registration a few years ago shows way more miles than the ODO. does at the moment. In that case, the Carfax prevented you from buying a really bad car, from a liar, or maybe even a criminal.

OTOH, being confident that you bought an accident free, flood free car, because the Carfax shows no evidence to the contrary, is only kidding yourself.

Dale_Traveling
Explorer II
Explorer II
GlennLever wrote:
If your gut is saying wait a minute, don't do it.
I think Glenn said it right. If you're not comfortable and are having second thoughts then walk away.
2006 Hurricane 31D built on a 2006 Ford F53

Howlan
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for the info everyone!

I've run a Carfax and there was not much info there. It did show the unit was in an accident July 5 2009,not much details about it.

I've called to speak with the Sales Rep/dealer today, they are a very large dealer Colton RV in North Tonawanda, NY. Sales rep said I could walk away from if I was not happy with unit during the delivery process, going to see what they have to say about.

Have phone number from original poster and going to try and call him to confirm same unit (VIN, etc).

Thanks again for info.

Howard

GlennLever
Explorer
Explorer
I have had a bad experience with a deal that promised the world and then did not delivered. What is similar is I traveled from NY ro AZ on the words of the dealer. Yes he said I could walk away, but I would have had to spend a $1,000 in air fare to do it. In retrospect should have done that. Now I am fixing and paying.

If your gut is saying wait a minute, don't do it.

D_E_Bishop
Explorer
Explorer
I suggested a Carfax because I thought that the minimum info would include all past owners. What does Carfax tell you? Not a highjack, just wondering if a Carfax would help
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson

David Bishop
2002 Winnebago Adventurer 32V
2009 GMC Canyon
Roadmaster 5000
BrakeBuddy Classic II

93mastercraft
Explorer
Explorer
BuckBarker wrote:
93mastercraft wrote:
If it's a Thor, buyer beware.


Oh no you don't. Mine has been trouble-free for me for 7 years.


Please search my posts. It's just my opinion. Once you see all the problems I've had you will understand. I am glad yours is trouble free. I wish I could say the same.

2014.5 Thor Palazzo 35.1


2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
Ready Brute Elite Tow Bar with road master base plate
Safe-T-Plus Steering Stabilizer
TPMS with toad and MH transmitters

soren
Explorer
Explorer
Just curious. You can head north or south, traveling nearly the exact same distance, 620 miles +/- from your location to Buffalo NY, or to the Orlando/ Ft. Myers corridor.

Down south, you will find thousands of motorhomes, and great weather to shop. There are dozens of dealers, some are huge, and have hundreds of rigs on the lot. There are also countless smaller dealers, Class A's are on used car lots, parked at grocery stores with for sale signs in the window, and Craigslist has hundreds of listings. Pretty much 10,20 maybe 30 times what you are going to find in upstate NY in the middle of winter.

Up north, the dealer you are in the process of buying from has a hand full of rigs, in one of the worst winter locations in the lower 48. A quick search of any customer review for this dealer makes it clear that it's a great place to avoid. Oddly enough, there is no shortage of high pressure, multi location dealers in this region, with less than honorable reputations, but that's another matter. The used coach you want bears a striking resemblance to one from the same area, that the another member here described as a lemon that he desperately needs to dump. If you do end up purchasing this rig, you are 14 hours away, and have zero recourse if, and when, it becomes evident that you are now stuck with a piece of junk.

Returning to the question you posted on your thread title........... the answer is yes.

BuckBarker
Explorer
Explorer
93mastercraft wrote:
If it's a Thor, buyer beware.


Oh no you don't. Mine has been trouble-free for me for 7 years.

golfman_1
Explorer
Explorer
Run away don"t walk
2000 Mountain Aire 4093 Double slide DP"the Dreamweaver"

2001 Honda Odyssey


Retired and living life to the max.


See you on the road.


roam1
Explorer
Explorer
even if it isn't a lemon, do you want to take it back to that dealer for warranty.........odds are good that there will be warranty items after you take it home.......make sure you price that in if you will not be returning to that dealer for warranty repair....

93mastercraft
Explorer
Explorer
If it's a Thor, buyer beware.

2014.5 Thor Palazzo 35.1


2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
Ready Brute Elite Tow Bar with road master base plate
Safe-T-Plus Steering Stabilizer
TPMS with toad and MH transmitters