PPL motorhomes

[Berner2]

Have any of you ever purchased through PPL? I am wondering if it's worth a trip from So Cal to look at a couple of motorhomes. I have seen a couple on their site that interest me, but I am reluctant to fly there based on pictures alone. I would appreciate hearing about your experience, would you buy from them again? Should I pay a few thousand more and buy locally???? It's a long way to go based on a picture.



Thanks, Terry

[whporwil]

We sold our 5th wheel through PPL. On my way to Houston from Minnesota where we live I lost a wheel, really lost a wheel. Had to have new studs put on the hub before I could mount my spare. When I got to PPL I ordered a new matching rim which took 6 weeks to get, and then it didn't fit. I had to buy another hub and another set of studs, PPL told me. I see the wheels on Ebay all the time, but in the six weeks we waited the price on our unit was lowered to a close out price. Of course my ugly spare wheel was the closes one to the door. However, on there web site they had a coupon for free detailing so we saved money there. We ended up settling for a price lower than we agreed to. So there may be a 5th wheel out there with two different size studs on it's wheels. But I would use them again.

[GTN_and_Catz]

Berner2 wrote:
Have any of you ever purchased through PPL? I am wondering if it's worth a trip from So Cal to look at a couple of motorhomes.

Yes - Bought mine a few years ago from PPL and have been back for parts, minor service and wandered through the lot a few times just to see what's out there on consignment.

The operation's run the same as before. If the consignee DOES NOT choose to spend the $450 (may be more now) to prep the MH for sale, then you'll get dirty carpets, etc. PPL does a good job prepping the MHs for sale by cleaning them up and noting items that should be fixed to aid in the sale. For me, as a buyer, they identified a refrigerator that was failing and had the seller replace it! So - what you see is what you get.

You can also have your own inspector come on site to do an inspection if you don't want to use PPL. For the "house" inspection, that's not an issue. However, unless they've changes their policy, you won't be able to remove the vehicle from the premises for a "vehicle" inspection.

If you can identify two or three units that you're really interested in, call PPL at the last minute to make sure they're still available (maybe on Saturday afternoon), ask that they be put on hold, fly out on Sunday and take a look at them Monday morning. That way you'll be sure that they won't be sold out from under you before you have a chance to look at them.

Do it soon and you also get a chance to go to the world's biggest and best rodeo!

[bshpilot]

Mr.Mark wrote:
bspilot and 2112... so that is one vote for slides OUT and one for slides IN. I heard that they keep them out and stand corrected if I'm wrong.

I do know that they don't plug their untis in because my friend who consigned and sold his National had lots of solar on the roof. The salesman told him his was one of the units that would start every time, others had to be jumped.

PPL is a good place, I didn't want my coach scortching in the sun without the air on. PPL charges 10%, MOT charges 8%.

MM.

last time i was down there it was so packed there was barely room to walk between the coaches - either way - in or out i don't see a problem w/ it. If the slides were only partially deployed, sure thats a problem, but thats not how PPL works.

PPL his acres and acres of units - theres not enough electricity in the world to plug 'em all in....think open storage lot....MOT is a boutique dealer - if they have 60 units at a time id be surprised.

given the geographic location of MOT vs PPL i could see them being able to charge 2% difference.

both are great places - with good reputations, but theyre VERY different at the same time.

Personally if i was gonna consign a unit - id do it at MOT....less traffic, but also the lot is better monitored by sales too.

[mike_brez]

Mr.Mark wrote:
bspilot and 2112... so that is one vote for slides OUT and one for slides IN. I heard that they keep them out and stand corrected if I'm wrong.

I do know that they don't plug their untis in because my friend who consigned and sold his National had lots of solar on the roof. The salesman told him his was one of the units that would start every time, others had to be jumped.

PPL is a good place, I didn't want my coach scortching in the sun without the air on. PPL charges 10%, MOT charges 8%.

MM.

Seems like two different types of clientele also.

[Mr_Mark1]

bspilot and 2112... so that is one vote for slides OUT and one for slides IN. I heard that they keep them out and stand corrected if I'm wrong.

I do know that they don't plug their untis in because my friend who consigned and sold his National had lots of solar on the roof. The salesman told him his was one of the units that would start every time, others had to be jumped.

PPL is a good place, I didn't want my coach scortching in the sun without the air on. PPL charges 10%, MOT charges 8%.

MM.

[2112]

bshpilot wrote:
... id be happy to go look at a unit and provide an over the phone evaluation/feedback - but you can expect me to tell you everything i see wrong w/ the unit (in the interest in full disclosure).

I can take some pictures if you like

I did this for a senior member here last month and he was Very Grateful. It saved him a trip from Florida.

I would make the same offer but it's just too dang cold right now to be walking over acres of parking lot 😞

And yes, ALL slides are left open 24/7. The above remark was referring to having the slide cover awnings (if installed) being exposed to high winds unattended, which they are.

[bshpilot]

Mr.Mark wrote:

I did not pick PPL..... because they leave the slides out and from what I understand, they don't plug in their units.

PPL does NOT put slides out - there simply is NO room for slides to be deployed.

there are 1000s of units on the lot....its a large volume consignment lot.


Mr. Mark - where you bought your coach is almost the opposite of PPL...your dealer is a much smaller volume/lot - they don't do many consignment, at best consignments at MOT are a very small part of their business.

[bshpilot]

Im local to PPL - the staff i have encountered (by phone, internet/email & in person) were very helpful and polite - that said i never really dealt w/ any of the RV Sales folks. I deal mainly with parts folks and have had conversations w/ finance (once).

there are HUNDREDS of each type of RV...and as has been said here before....condition runs the gamut. Its a self service type lot....dont expect anyone to walk the lot w/ you or to know the condition of a unit - there are just too many units and the turn over is pretty rapid.

id be happy to go look at a unit and provide an over the phone evaluation/feedback - but you can expect me to tell you everything i see wrong w/ the unit (in the interest in full disclosure).

I can take some pictures if you like (perhaps this should be a business).

PM me & I we can swap emails / phone numbers & arrange a time for to look over any units you want me to look at.

[puttd]

$390 is alot of money to put down on a rig and damage like that is not repairable.I would be more than perturbed to pay for plane tickets and a hotel and find damage like that.

I have inquired on a number of rigs at PPL. On one, also rated excellent, the pictures on the website carefully avoided the substantial staining on the ceiling where there were very bad leaks. It two weeks of bugging the sales person to finally get the honest pictures. Very disturbing and as far as I was concerned, misleading.

[jtad]

Well we just bought an 2004 Holiday Rambler Endeavor from them 2 weeks ago.. We hit the jackpot with this coach, too much to go into hear but after talking to the last owner I got a steal. But as far as PPL they are just a lot. If you are going down to browse around no one is going to hold your hand. I like that anyways, I do my research and typicaly know more about what I am looking at than the person selling it to me (thats a whole other complaint) The coach we bought was pretty well what the saleman told me it was over the phone. No major problems.. We did however have some issues with a few things, no biggie the service department was excellent. We had already put down errnest money, and had every intention of buying this coach when we got there. The salesman I had talked with over the phone just seemed preoccupied with other stuff while we were there. I had a couple of issues that needed his attention and I was having to go track him down every 15 mins to handle it. At one point while he was supposed to be making a phone call to the previous owner I found him working with a customer who wanted to list thier unit on the lot. It was like I was having to go out of my way to get them to help me, all the while I have a check with more zero's on it than anything I have ever written before. The $390 check out was sort of worth it, a bunch of stuff they wrote up that was wrong with it wasn't and we found some stuff once there that needed addressing (minor though) They explained itto me like this. "We just send someone out there to see what works and what doesn't. They write it up and it goes to service from there. They may or may not have known what they were talking about." The young man (David) that did our walk through was excellent. Bottom line is this, it is like anywhere else. You are buying a used RV it is either well kept or it is not. They are just the holding area for said RV. The parts and service dept were excellent, sales..not so much. After signing all the papers we were ready to leave I though the polite thing to do was go tell my salesman good bye and shake his hand. He was no where to be found. I did find one of the co owners standing in the hall way shooting the breeze with a co working I had to butt into thier converstion to get them to talk to me. He told me my salesman was gone for the day, and pretty well told me "see ya" in not so many words. Did I get a great deal on a very well kept coach..You bet. Did PPL have anything to do with that.. Not at all, it just happened to be sitting on thier lot.

[Mr_Mark1]

2gypsies, I have nothing against PPL as I look at their site all the time. I have a friend who sold his National RV there and was pleased.

I did not pick PPL to consign our '08 Monaco Dynasty because they leave the slides out and from what I understand, they don't plug in their units. Summertime in Texas is not pleasant. I could not leave our pristine motorhome on a lot with my slides out in the heat. Storms can pop up quickly and rip them off.

As for leaks, I think it would be evident if there was previous leak. Any good unit could start leaking tomorrow.

We chose to consign ours at the Motorhomes of Texas in Nacogdoches. They keep them plugged in with the air on (if needed) and the slides 'IN' until a customer wants to look at a unit. We sold ours in 90 days at what I thought was a reasonable price.

Safe travels,
MM.

[lunch_surfer]

I go to their shop once every 2 month for supplies an some time to look around. They are good folks and great service. I live 10 minutes away from their Houston location and have always thought they have a great business plan. They are consignment, so rigs belong to owners and are prepared by owners. Therefore it is a very similar experience of buying a stick home. If the owner cared for the unit it shows well. If the unit was dogged it shows poorly. I almost bought a 5 year old Travel Supreme that was obviously someones baby. We just could not get rid of our current rig to make the deal. I recommend PPL an will always shop there, they are a quality outfit.

[2gypsies1]

As a seller, PPL was awesome to deal with. We set our own price and we set it a little higher because no one pays asking price on anything. Before taking it there we asked pertinent questions via telephone and they were very professional. We had them detail it inside and out and it was a terrific job.

While there we didn't see any rigs with awning out. Yes, if someone is interested, they will put it out. Slides are left out and in my opinion that's a good thing. Then you can see if there's a leak or not. If you're camping you wouldn't bring slides in when it's raining.

A sales person goes with the interested party for a test drive. Salesmen do not go around showing you the RVs. You look on your own. If you're really interested in one he'll devote time to you.

We filled out an extensive form as to what our motorhome had in the way of basic and optional equipment. That is what they go by when questions are asked. When you buy it they will run through the normal systems to make sure they work. Anything found wrong is dealt with between the seller and potential buyer.

We kept detailed records of maintenance and repairs. All of our manuals were left. If something is wrong with the RV you can negotiate with the owner, not with PPL. You can negotiate with the owner for things you want repaired and PPL will see that it's done. Everything is between you and the owner. There is absolutely no pressure in looking.

They receive some high end RVs in immaculate condition and some very worn old ones. The owners don't seem to want the older ones detailed so you're going to see it 'as is'. It's like looking at RVs anywhere. Some are in excellent condition and you know the owners really took care of it. Some are by owners who don't give a hoot about keeping it in good condition. It depends what you're looking for.

I'd highly recommend them.

Within a month's time a party flew in from Florida and bought it. He was happy. We were happy.

[Executive45]

I bought my first DP from them years ago. Found it on their website, flew into Houston (from Cali) and rented a car. Looked at the rig and it had some minor issues that needed attention. We negotiated a price with the owner thru the dealer and came to an agreement. PPL put in new batteries from their side of things. They allowed us to "camp" in their parking lot..(three spaces all FHU) for two nights while we worked out any kinks in the coach. All in all it was a pleasant experience.

They leave all of the rigs unlocked so there's no high pressure with a salesman following you around. Inspect the coaches at your leisure. They do not wash or clean the rigs, that's up to the owner/seller. If there's a specific rig you're interested in, have an independent inspector look at it for you. IMHO, money well spent. Then again, the cost of the inspection would probably pay for your air fare to Houston and you'll get a mini vacation out of it to boot...:W.....Dennis