Shopping for first Motorhome near Houston

[Stormy_Eyes]

We are in the market for our first Motorhome. We have looked and test driven some units locally, but have not found the one. Prices and selection seem better in Texas, so I will soon fly in to see some used units, including ppl. Anxious and excited, I have a few questions.
Any input or advise about ppl?
If we find a rig we want, can you suggest somebody to help inspect it?
If we buy one, we will need local storage for a few weeks, so could somebody suggest a good local storage facility?
Any other advice is appreciated.

[barmcd]

Stormy Eyes wrote:

barmcd wrote:
Look carefully at PPL's list of RVs for sale. They also have lots in Cleburne and New Braunfels which are quite a ways from Houston. The coaches at the other locations are noted in the title and easy to overlook.

I appreciate your input. Most of the ones I hope to see are in the Houston location, though I'd be willing drive to one of the other locations if need be...I am motivated to find the right starter unit.

I'd also look at Texas Best Motorhomes near the airport. Kevin only sells first rate coaches. He replaces carpeting with hardwood and makes sure everything works before he lets them go.

[garyemunson]

Keep L.A. in mind, too!

[Stormy_Eyes]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Check out the low prices and extensive inventory of RV's in Florida 'before' you buy your airline ticket to Texas. :W

Not only have I purchase the ticket, I'm at the airport ready to go. If I do not find the right one in Houston area, I'll shop in Florida soon.

[Stormy_Eyes]

wolfe10 wrote:
A STRONG suggestion. You will learn a tremendous amount by being present for a mechanical inspection by a good inspector. A written report can tell you what is wrong. In person you can discuss what needs to be done and when and also whether this is something that you want to do or hire out. And, you can actually see that abraded hose that needs to be replaced. Kind of difficult to put that in a written report.

SO, for out of town purchases, here is my recommendation:

1. Come to agreement on price and outside date for consummation of the deal with the deal SUBJECT TO INSPECTION AND TEST DRIVE SATISFACTORY TO BUYER TO BE DONE BY XX DATE.

2. Look over the coach and make sure it meets your other requirements (very hard for an inspector to do a "sniff test" for you, and if you are allergic to cats and they had cats, that is important to you.

3. Schedule and attend the inspection-- wear old clothes and look at the coach through the eyes of the inspector.

4. If major issues found, renegotiate the price/bail on the deal. OR, hopefully drive off in your "new to you" coach.

That sounds like great advice. As a newbie, I could learn a great deal from the inspector, and I will attend if at all possible.

[rockhillmanor]

Check out the low prices and extensive inventory of RV's in Florida 'before' you buy your airline ticket to Texas. :W

[wolfe10]

A STRONG suggestion. You will learn a tremendous amount by being present for a mechanical inspection by a good inspector. A written report can tell you what is wrong. In person you can discuss what needs to be done and when and also whether this is something that you want to do or hire out. And, you can actually see that abraded hose that needs to be replaced. Kind of difficult to put that in a written report.

SO, for out of town purchases, here is my recommendation:

1. Come to agreement on price and outside date for consummation of the deal with the deal SUBJECT TO INSPECTION AND TEST DRIVE SATISFACTORY TO BUYER TO BE DONE BY XX DATE.

2. Look over the coach and make sure it meets your other requirements (very hard for an inspector to do a "sniff test" for you, and if you are allergic to cats and they had cats, that is important to you.

3. Schedule and attend the inspection-- wear old clothes and look at the coach through the eyes of the inspector.

4. If major issues found, renegotiate the price/bail on the deal. OR, hopefully drive off in your "new to you" coach.

[malexander]

We just recently bought our 2007 Fleetwood Bounder through PPL in Houston. I feel like they were as honest and helpful as they could be. Amy Jonas was our sales rep.
We made two trips to Houston from Oklahoma City. First trip down, we looked, found exactly what we wanted, made the "deposit". Second trip to finalize and pick up the unit.
I'm satisfied enough with them, I'm taking my 2000 Fleetwood Southwind to them to sell for me.

[garyemunson]

Just a thought from someone who has owned quite a few RVs over the years. The floor plans we have been most satisfied with, whether it was a TT, Class C or A, all had one thing in common. It may seem a trivial item but a side hallway makes such a difference in how a rear bedroom feels separated from the rest of the coach when you decide to turn in before your travel partner, That's become our main criteria when we are looking at floor plans. That one thing seems to us to minimize the 'railroad car' feeling RVs tend to have. I'm curious if anyone else feels the same way about this... For an example Google Tioga 31M floor plan.

[WILDEBILL308]

PPL must be doing someting right they show they have sold about 4500 RVs in the last 2 yers. Antony has a sujestion inspector for you. Yes it can cost some money to have a unit inspected but it could save much more if they find a problem.
Bill

[Antony]

Peter Sam at PPL did right by us on the purchase side. I really can't say enough about how honest and helpful he was. He knew that I was running a little low on calories and even went out to get me some bbq while I waited for some small parts to be installed. I had flown in alone to take delivery so was stranded at the dealership. Ed Baugh with rvsurvey.com did an outstanding job of inspecting the unit ahead of time. He was not cheap, but I would go down this exact path again in a heartbeat.

Anthony

[Stormy_Eyes]

mlslcan wrote:
You might want to find other RV dealers in the area depending on the time you have to look around. I was thinking of a trip to that area but the dealer (http://www.bestpreownedrv.com/) had already sold the RV I was interested in.

Mike

Thanks for the link. I'll add that dealer to my list.
DeMontronde RV is also advertising online a unit that I might try to view on this trip.

Has anybody interacted with Best Preowned RV and/or DeMontronde RV?

Anybody have suggestions for a company for a pre-purchase inspection?

Thanks,
Windy

[mlslcan]

You might want to find other RV dealers in the area depending on the time you have to look around. I was thinking of a trip to that area but the dealer (http://www.bestpreownedrv.com/) had already sold the RV I was interested in.

Mike

[Stormy_Eyes]

garyemunson wrote:
I found using RV Trader to search nationwide found us the best deal on our new unit. We live by Reno NV, the coach we found was in L.A. We were able to negotiate a $250 delivery charge and, after sending the dealer pictures of our coach, were able to agree on a trade in value (dependent on the delivery man's inspection to make sure we weren't lying) so he was able to drive ours back. The logistics might not work out so well for you but RV Trader saved us many thousands of dollars over the other places we looked. Think of picking up the RV as a mini vacation..

Mini vacation is a great way to look at this rv shopping trip. I enjoy visiting Texas, and I enjoy seeing different floor plans, so it is easy to adopt that attitude. I do hope we find the right one on this trip. If not, we will continue to look.
I have been looking at rv trader, and have found some leads. Your purchase story is inspiring. As a newbie, I am not as confident as you were, so I will want to see and drive the rig rather than arrange delivery. Maybe I'll be that confident on my next one.

[Stormy_Eyes]

barmcd wrote:
Look carefully at PPL's list of RVs for sale. They also have lots in Cleburne and New Braunfels which are quite a ways from Houston. The coaches at the other locations are noted in the title and easy to overlook.

I appreciate your input. Most of the ones I hope to see are in the Houston location, though I'd be willing drive to one of the other locations if need be...I am motivated to find the right starter unit.