How far would you travel for a deal?

[coolmom42]

IF you found a motorhome that was exactly, or very close to, what you want, at the right price, how far would you travel to look at it and/or buy it?

And how long do you keep on looking before compromising on your wish list?

I live in rural Middle TN, 50 miles west of Nashville. There are not many class B RVs for sale in this area, and none that are exactly what I want.

Now if I wanted a 5th wheel.... they are a dime a dozen, LOL.

[Escargot]

I've bought 3 of the 4 RVs I've owned within 200 miles from home (metro San Diego), although I did buy one of them from an immediate neighbor (who had to sell one month after she and husband flew to Denver to purchase it. He had Vietnam flashbacks every night for their entire trip back from Denver, so that ended that).

I would probably be willing to fly across the country if I was dead set on a specific RV that met all of my requirements; that what I required was so rare that they rarely came up for sale; that I was unwilling to compromise on some aspect of the RV; I trusted the buyer; and looked its history, many photographs, and asked a million questions beforehand.

[Sebtown]

I live in No. California where used B's are few. I was in the process of deciding which of the large dealers to purchase from a couple of years ago. As luck would have it a 2007 AI popped up 45 minutes from home, lightly used and low mileage. The seller sold it to me for the same price one of the dealers quoted him, over the phone, sight unseen. Last week my buddy flew from San Diego to Salt Lake where he picked up a low mileage 2006 Sprinter B at an equally great price. The seller (dealer) insisted the 2006 T1N based B was a V-6 and 16 mpg. Of course it was the workhorse I5 and he reports 22.7mpg on his first tank!

If I was buying NEW I would not hesitate to buy the best priced B, of my choice, anywhere in the country. I would go for a long and leisurely shake down trip home however the savings would have to be substantial.

[bobojay5]

We went 600 miles one time, 400 miles twice over the years....

[jjrai]

We drove from Amelia Island to Ft. Lauderdate for ours. Stressful in 95 degree heat, but are glad we did. To make it worth the trouble, the price has to be right. If you' going to be in Florida I recommend Sunshine State RV. We did not buy from them but they made a great impression and helped us make our decision.

[1donald]

Gene in NE wrote:

coolmom42 wrote:
IF you found a motorhome that was exactly, or very close to, what you want, at the right price, how far would you travel to look at it and/or buy it?...I live in rural Middle TN, 50 miles west of Nashville. There are not many class B RVs for sale in this area, and none that are exactly what I want...

Have you checked with Van City in St Louis? Probably around 300 to 350 Miles North of you. They have always gotten good reviews. Clicky for http://www.vancityrv.com/

I second Gene's suggestion of Van City - St. Louis. We've bought a new 2007 Roadtrek 210 Popular from them & last year we traded the Roadtrek for a new 2013 Leisure Travel Van Twin Bed. Excellent to do business with & no hard sell &n excellent service after the sale. Lots of various B's & C's on the lot new & used.

[coolmom42]

I've bought 2 vehicles on Ebay, from dealers with 99.9% positive feedback, and been very happy with both the vehicles.

My only hesitation about a RV on Ebay, is that there are so many more systems to go wrong than on "just" a car. Of course the running parts of the vehicle are the most expensive functional parts of a RV, and much of the RV stuff I can DIY pretty readily.

[AsheGuy]

coolmom42 wrote:
IF you found a motorhome that was exactly, or very close to, what you want, at the right price, how far would you travel to look at it and/or buy it?

Your questions are all a matter of personal preference and personal confidence related to the process. That being said, others' input can help with some caveats. We all tend to extend our personal experience to be the norm. Warnings about warranty issues are an example. Warranty service problems always get more publicity then warranty service satisfaction. We've never had a warranty service problem so I think that is the norm. 🙂

I second the Van City RV suggestion. We bought ours (new) there, they paid for my wife and I to fly to St. Louis from Raleigh and we drove it back to NC. We only had a phone agreement, saved $4,000 over best price for same unit from NC dealer, and when we picked it up Van City was a pleasure to work with, no deviation from what we agreed to on the phone.

As an example of long distance deals, I put an ad for my VW Golf TDI on Craigslist and sold it within 24 hours to a Vermont buyer who flew down to pick it up and drove back the same day. And no, I didn't under price it. But the point is that I have sold several vehicles on Craigslist and several before that through newspaper ads (remember those) and so am familiar with the process and safeguards to take. If you are not, then a long distance deal might be a bad idea. If buying used (and that seems to be your intent), it's trickier buying then selling because it's harder to verify a units condition.

We have friends that bought a used Sprinter-based B about 200 miles from their home, got a great deal and a lovingly cared for unit. Since they were completely new to RVs, they took us with them to look at the unit to help them ask the right questions.

Good luck in finding a B and enjoying its benefits. And I also agree that finding exactly what you want configuration wise is more important than getting the best possible deal.

[coolmom42]

I will not be buying new, unless I win the lottery. 🙂

I'm looking for a B or small class C.

Must-have: permanent private bathroom--no in-the-aisle Roadtrek style. Non-smoker use only. Length 25' or under. Price under $35K. Mileage under 80K. Fuel-injected engine.

Must not have: Any signs of leaks, bad odors, or a cab-over window. No Mercedes chassis.

Preferred: Chevy or Ford 3/4 ton V8; mileage under 50K; neutral interior colors--no pink/blue/burgundy/orange; no slide-out; length 21 feet or under; price under $25K.

Yes, I know the "preferred" list is a pretty unlikely combo--that's why it's preferred rather than required.

My biggest problem with traveling to look at a RV is that I'll feel the need to buy it, after all that trouble getting there. I don't want to lose the willingness to walk away.

In general----how negotiable are dealer prices on used units? For instance---on something like this one.

If a person looked up the NADA pricing---where is dealer pricing typically in relation to that? Above average retail?

[PSW]

Like the OP, we live in an area that is really shy on Class Bs for sale, other than Winnie products. So, the last two Bs we purchased were away from home and it was never a problem. When we sold our RT 210P earlier this year, we drove it 500 miles to Houston and PPL for a better price and larger, national market exposure. It sold in 3 days. We now have a small Class C and we were going to Elkhart, Indiana to the factory to order the same model (Phoenix Cruiser is factory direct only) and we suddenly found the exact same model we wanted less than a year old within 3 miles of our house. These are very low production, made to order units so that was an incredible find for us. A year later, no problems at all and a great 2014 boondocking in it.

If I wanted a Class B, I would figure out exactly what I wanted by going to one of the really big RV shows like Pomona or Hershey and then find what I wanted online, make a deal and fly there to get it. When you are talking this many bucks, what difference does a few hundred for a plane ticket make?

For you, I second Van City in St. Louis. Close to you and well known folks.

[coolmom42]

bsinmich wrote:
When I just bought my Roadtrek I had to travel about a tenth of a mile. The seller lives in the same condo complex as me. You may not be that lucky.

Probably NOT LOL.

[applegater]

In 2005 we corresponded with a factory rep., determined the exact configuration we wanted and then searched internet for best dealer price. Flew from Oregon to New York City and drove it back. Warranty work was never an issue. Outfitted the unit on the way back and had a great time.

[Trackrig]

We flew from Anchorage, AK to Boulder, CO to buy our MH. There was the exact same one in Palmer for sale, but we went to Boulder and bought it for $40K less from a private individual. It cost us about $4k for three airplane tickets, a rental car, food and fuel to get it home. It took five days with two people driving since we were on vacation time then. Next year when we were retired, we took about 30 days to come down through Canada. I'd say it was very worth while to make the trip.

Bill

[Ray___June]

We drove our CRV towing a U-Haul with everything we needed to tow the CRV. It was over 1100 miles from our past residence to the dealer where we picked up our motorhome. We special ordered it because there were non available with the options and colors we wanted. It was also over $2000 cheaper than the best quote we received from the local dealers.

We're glad we did it, as we were able to tour the factory which is only a mile from the dealership.

[Davydd]

800 miles for us for our new Advanced RV being built right now. Minnesota to Ohio. We have visited twice so far and will have another trip in January to pick the B up.

[bsinmich]

When I just bought my Roadtrek I had to travel about a tenth of a mile. The seller lives in the same condo complex as me. You may not be that lucky.