Ongoing saga of the motorhome

[VickiK]

We are in Indiana and it is cold with lots of snow. Snow for last few weeks. We also in the process of buying a used motor coach from a dealer. We have looked over the interior and taken it for a very short test drive with the salesperson. We have even taken our 5th wheel up for the trade. As of yet, we have not tested everything in the coach (no shore power and the conditions outside....did I mention COLD) We did a dealer recap sheet that addressed the items we did find inside the coach and a promise that we would see everything working - to allot about 3 hours for this. No binding contract yet and $500.00 to hold the unit while we were considering. We also asked about having the inspector for the warranty company tag along for the inspection of the coach and given a nod of approval. We are scheduled to see the coach tomorrow and if all goes well to purchase and drive away with our new home away from home.

The inspector called today and said that the dealer refused to have him tag along or even on the premises. So DH calls the dealer to find out what is what. We do believe there was a misunderstanding between the inspector and the dealer; however, this little "spat" opened up some other issues.

1. Apparently, they believed we were going to hand them the check before going over the unit. We have informed them that is not happening. If we had had the opportunity to fully explore the coach I would understand this position - but we haven't; and we have been assured everything works, we want to see that first. We have been reminded that this is a used coach. So what is reasonable to expect from it? If they say everything works, is it unreasonable to expect that it will work when I leave the dealership (knowing that it might not work in a couple of weeks)?

2. We were told to set aside 3 hours (last Thursday) for the inspection. Today, DH got the impression that the time for this will be much shorter and that shorter time will include the paperwork. It was inferred that if we expect more time - we would have to pay for it. Prior to today, we were under the guidance that we would see everything work AND they would make sure we felt comfortable working it. Unreasonable expectation on our part?

As a further add - we did not dicker over the price of the unit. From the very first look at, we were told the unit is from a personal friend of the manager and was taken very good care of. It looked very clean inside with what we would expect would be normal wear and tear for a 9 year old coach. In pricing the unit from nada, ppl and other websites we determined it was priced on the high end but if they made sure everything worked before we left that might actually be a small price to pay.

Are we being unreasonable?

[Dale_Traveling]

Treat the purchase of a coach in the same manner as you would a primary residance. If the homeowner, dealer in this case, refuses to allow you to bring in your inspector then the deal is off.

[dougrainer]

I forgot to mention. The ESC warranty company Inspector IS NOT THE SAME INSPECTION AN INDEPENDANT INSPECTOR will do. The ESC man will NOT be doing a complete check out of the RV and systems. Only certain items the ESC wants looked at prior to issuing the contract. Doug

[2112]

...we were told the unit is from a personal friend of the manager and was taken very good care of...

I was told the exact same line from a used car salesman that had a truck I was interested in. I know for a fact that truck came off of a two year lease and he bought it at a wholesale auction. I didn't believe another word he said after that comment.

[dougrainer]

1. You state no 120 shore power. What type of dealer does NOT have 120 shore power to check out units and let potential buyers use the shore power to check out?
2. If ANYBODY(dealer/private party) balks or causes problems with an independent inspection, THAT SHOULD TELL YOU TO WALK AWAY. HONEST sellers do not stop an inspection.
3. YOU obviously have too much emotion involved in this RV, there are hundreds of used motorhomes out there that will fit your needs and price. Step back, think about it and you will realize you need to walk away. Doug

[ncrowley]

First, you and the inspector should be able to take as much time as you want and need to inspect the coach. This includes a test drive. After this, you negotiate with the dealer about what you want fixed or changed. When you come to an agreement, you inspect again to make sure the agreed upon updates are made. This is what we did when we purchased our used coach and we used an inspector. We had the inspector look at the coach before we were there since it was not close to us. The inspector looked at a lot of coaches before he found one that he thought would work.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

Walk away!!

[Billinwoodland]

If I read your post correctly, you are relying on the warranty companies inspection to serve as your pre-buy inspection. From what I have seen, their inspection is no where near as thorough as an independent inspector that you are paying to represent you. When I bought my 2008 coach, my inspector spent over 4 hours going over every system, followed by a written report which included mandatory items the dealer needed to fix/replace, and suggested items. I used this report to my advantage with the dealer, who had a deposit but not full payment. I made it very clear no more cash until the rig is as expected. This was an exhaustive process on my part as I ended up doing 3 PDIs, one after each time the dealers techs were back in the coach addressing issues. In the end, they came through, I think only because I had the money and a written report from a local industry expert. It's a big investment, there's only one person, well maybe two if you count an inspector on your payroll, who is going to take care of you. And I promise, the dealer is not the one.
Bill

[happy-2]

I would NEVER buy from a dealer,there are to many very nice rv on the market, just take your time to find the one you want. I have always bought from private owners, more truthful and you can see how they live,where they live,is how they take care of the rv GOOD LUCK

[AllegroD]

IMO, You have gotten good advice. Be prepared to ask for your deposit refund and a fight over it.

[Tom_Barb]

Barb and I looked for better part of 2 years prior to buying, and no dealer we looked at said we could not inspect the trailer/motorhome/?several even offered to allow us to camp in the coach prior to buying.

[mikeleblanc413]

RUN...RUN...RUN as fast as you can away from this dealer (term used loosely)!!!!! Hopefully with your $500 in hand, but even if you don't get the money back, it's better than the money pit you may buy and consider it lesson learned! We've all been there.

[SCVJeff]

It's simple. You're guy looks at and certifies the coach one way or the other and there is no negotiation on that.

Take that story to small claims and I doubt you will have no problems getting the deposit back if it came to that.

[midnightsadie]

dealers do VERY LITTLE to used units and promise the moon . no inspector NO money . and no more than the $500. till repairs are done. me I,d run now .theres lots of MH out there.

[VickiK]

Ranger Smith wrote:
Just remember if it is NOT in writing there is no deal and nothing said verbally by any employee of the dealer is NOT part of the deal

Totally agree:) The nice thing is we haven't signed anything and if they do not make what we consider an aboveboard effort we can walk as well. So here is to shore power and under coach exploration.

Just an aside, we really have enjoyed working with this dealership thus far. There has been no pressure to sign or commit. They have answered questions and allowed good access to the coach - but with the weather that has been limited. I guess tomorrow will tell what they are really made of.

[1BryNelson]

Everything should work first, before any paperwork. The coach can be replaced, but your buying a lemon is $ out the holding tank. If the dump valve works!