Thoughts of this dealers policy on possible purchase.

[Plumber101010]

2000 Newmar Durchstart
Model 3851
Length : 38
Chassis : Freightliner XC Raised Rail
Engine : 300 HP. CAT Turbo Diesel
Mileage: 100k

What I have learned in my research, having no hands-on with the purchase of a motorhome, has led me to believe that this is a pretty good buy. I love the fact that it has a lot of miles in combination with the fact that it looks show room new. That tells me it’s been tried and true, it’s been used about the average of 5000 miles a year, so hasn’t been sitting up anywhere and anything that has broke has been repaired along the line. Add in the condition of the exterior and tells me it’s been better than well-maintained. The interior has been partially updated, the carpet removed and tile put down and they also added lots of updates. But the condition of the painted exterior alone is what is selling me. It was obviously babied and cherished by its owners.

I would post pictures but suffice to say that based upon 30+ pictures and a 30 minute video, it’s really hard to explain how the exterior looks as it does, but it shines like a brand new silver dollar! So does the interior but interior can be renovated and re-done. The exterior is original!

My problem is with the dealer. Parkway RV Center Ringgold Georgia. It’s evidently a high volume, in and out dealership that has tons of turnover and a selection second to none. So I’m sure these policies have been put in force for a lot of good reasons and I see the logic behind some of it. I’m sure there’s a lot of Lookie Lucy’s in this business that drive them insane and never purchase. That said:

They have two prices. No haggle absolute firm price, don’t bother asking. That includes them bringing it into the service center and doing this ridiculous 5 billion point inspection that everybody claims they do, but in essence they just put a checkmark next to everything and push it out the door... and anything that’s wrong whatsoever, they will fix at their cost and the price does not go up for any reason. OR, pay for it and drive it off the lot and it’s all yours at a cheaper price to be negotiated on site. As is.

The problem I’m having is this. And I don’t know if this is standard in the industry. But I seem to be screwed no matter which choice. They don’t do any inspection prior on any units until they receive a nonrefundable $2500 deposit. Once they receive a deposit you have 7 days to pay the balance.

Unfortunately, it will take them 2 to 3 weeks (they are honest and upfront about this), to get it in line and go thru the service department to go through it so if something is found out after you pay for it in full, too late. Of course they’re going to fix it so it shouldn’t matter. But they will not let you take it on a test drive until you PAY for the unit IN FULL!!!

They will not allow anyone to take a test drive until it has ibeen through the inspection department to make sure it’s safe to drive, and because these inspections take longer than 7 days, that translates into meaning you’re going to have to pay in full before you ever get behind the wheel... but they always add that they just drove it 500’ miles when they purchased it and it drove great. Why they are able to drive it without a safety inspection but we cannot I’m not sure I understand.

Keep in mind its the same situation if you purchase it as is. You have to buy it first before you can even test drive it. To make matters worse, they give no warranty no matter what choice you choose. They have one of those 90 day extended warranties but that’s not the same thing. So if you choose the no haggle price and let them bring it through their center, you are basically not going to know if something is wrong until you really get on the road and drive it ia few hundred miles to only then find out they missed a few things. And at that point it’s too late.

I have spent 45 minutes reading the reviews and spoke to the salesman today. The reviews are mixed. 75% really good, 25% horror stories about how they paid the deposit, blah blah, couldn’t get it back, problems with the unit, there doesn’t seem to be any gray area with this dealer. It’s either raving good reviews or straight to a horror story. But their prices are really hard to beat and that is a really good thing.

I am tempted to drive down tomorrow morning and give them the deposit. But I don’t really know what I’m looking for. I can act like I know what I’m looking for. But I really don’t lol. However every bit of my gut feeling is telling me no matter how bad I want this particular unit after searching for months, to walk away because I don’t like the aspect that I can’t take it on a test drive even AFTER giving them a $2500 nonrefundable deposit!

Conversely, hundreds of people are doing exactly that and are very satisfied and leaving good reviews! I have come to trust this forum over all others I am a member of. So would like some input please 🙂

[Plumber101010]

AlaskaShooter wrote:
Illegal drugs are a wonderful thing. If used in moderation. 🙂

The only one who enjoyed my joke! LOL 🙂

[Plumber101010]

dougrainer wrote:
1. Per Carfax---They do not list motorhomes only Cars and light trucks
2. For any dealer to state they KNOW the tires are OLD(past 7 years) and REQUIRE replacement and refuse to do so, they can be held liable if the tires cause problems after the sale. Also, HOW DOES THAT JIVE WITH THEIR SUPPOSED SAFETY INSPECTION REQUIREMENT FOR TEST DRIVES???????
3. NO Saturday test drives?????? Boy, that would make a working man mad.
4. Me thinks you just talked to a BETTER Salesman, but his mouth still was moving with forked tongue:B
5. USED units need to be turned quickly, not relegated until they can get to them. The Owner OWNS those used units and needs his money back quickly. So, they should be turning over the used just as quickly as new or wholesaling them.
6. As someone who has been involved and still is in dealing with Motorhome sales and Service, a lot of his comments I would take with a grain of salt. Doug

Doug you may want to re-verify that Carfax for motorhomes statement. There are articles right here on this site that said people get them all the time for their motorhomes, read one last night coincidently. Maybe it’s possible they stopped recently? But there doesn’t appear to be a shortage of dealers offering free Carfax and individuals for MH’s as well for $29.99

Here is the link I happened to read last night on this forum:

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/21648311.cfm

[Plumber101010]

Lantley wrote:
Yes the OP may have come across a better salesman. However the 1st salesman story and the entire thread did not make any sense.
No one in their right mind would buy without a FREE no obligation test ride. So I have to agree with the 2nd salesman that their must have been some miscommunication.
As to how many trades are taken in vs. units sold. Who cares, now we are getting back to basic salesmanship which often involves exaggeration and stretching the truth to make a sale.
The OP also needs to decide on the value of full body paint.
Doug mentioned it was a was a $10K option back in 2000.
So what is it worth today?
In the long run the OP gained enough info to make an informed decision vs. paying $2,500 for a test ride

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Perfect wording. At this point it’s a moot point and I think maybe now trying a bit hard to find more wrong with them. It’s the south. Much diff from other areas and it is very common to have multiple lots in other areas for more. I personally when buying my TT went to dealers who had the main lot, then one across the street, then one a block or two over. As you expand and grow, you can’t always just buy another attached 10 acres for storage so it’s not uncommon to buy additional acreage in other areas for more storage.

But yeah, I absolutely believe the second salesman. And again, at this point it’s time to Move on.

But WOW, really Doug? Thank you for bringing up the paint job was $10,000 LOL, I wouldn’t have NEVER guessed that high in 1 million years. And in 2000 means 15-17k worth today money.

So I guess the big question here is, how much is that worth to me, how much is it worth at resale, and if painting or full-bodied decals became standard a few years later and I can buy one for the same price or cheaper, it really doesn’t matter at all still.

[AllegroD]

Walk. Can't drive it, aint buyin' it.

[westernrvparkow]

hoosiermark wrote:
Something just does not seem right. OP says salesman said they go thru 50 units a month and get 50 in a month and sell hundreds and hundreds a month. If you only get 50 units in, you would run out of units. Plus the fact that if they are that busy and the service department is that far behind it begs the question, why would you not expand the service department and the same with the sales department. I know in Indiana that is what the dealers would do to meet demand. Any dealer that would not be expanding to serve the customers must not be a good businessman. Walmart figured it out, give the people what they want where they want it. If I ran that business and was that busy on Saturdays, we would have more sales people to allow customers time to drive and buy, same with the service department.

Their website show a total of 115 vehicles (including some cars and trucks) in their inventory. Auto dealer inventories average a 70 day supply of vehicles. Though it is doubtful used RVs turn over as rapidly as cars, using that average means they sell around 45 vehicles a month. Far cry from hundreds.
Things just continually seem to be amiss in this whole narrative.

[Executive45]

Not to beat a dead horse, but a quick google search of the listing dealer doesn't look like a 'high volume' dealer. He does have a pawn shop in the middle though...Dennis

[Lantley]

mike brez wrote:

Plumber101010 wrote:

dougrainer wrote:
What makes you think they turn and burn on a hi volume??????? I doubt that based on what you state is their policy. I have been on Forums for 20 years and a LOT of the posters on this thread have at least 10 years. I have NEVER heard of this dealer when people have posted about various dealers they find on the Internet, like PPL and Motorhome Specialist and Lazy Days. This dealer has an excellent business model. They get their money and the customer has NO recourse especially if they hoodwink people from out of state. They have shown their lack of business principles and anyone that buys from them will also buy ocean front property in Arizona sight unseen, because it was such a GREAT deal:B Doug

Take a deep breath there Doug! LOL. I’m glad you’re passionate about things like I am though. I think 50 motorhomes a month and several hundred per month total is definitely considered the ranks of a high volume dealer 🙂

The salesman told you how many they sell a month? You do know how to tell when they are lying right?

Yes the OP may have come across a better salesman. However the 1st salesman story and the entire thread did not make any sense.
No one in their right mind would buy without a FREE no obligation test ride. So I have to agree with the 2nd salesman that their must have been some miscommunication.
As to how many trades are taken in vs. units sold. Who cares, now we are getting back to basic salesmanship which often involves exaggeration and stretching the truth to make a sale.
The OP also needs to decide on the value of full body paint.
Doug mentioned it was a was a $10K option back in 2000.
So what is it worth today?
In the long run the OP gained enough info to make an informed decision vs. paying $2,500 for a test ride

[hoosiermark]

Something just does not seem right. OP says salesman said they go thru 50 units a month and get 50 in a month and sell hundreds and hundreds a month. If you only get 50 units in, you would run out of units. Plus the fact that if they are that busy and the service department is that far behind it begs the question, why would you not expand the service department and the same with the sales department. I know in Indiana that is what the dealers would do to meet demand. Any dealer that would not be expanding to serve the customers must not be a good businessman. Walmart figured it out, give the people what they want where they want it. If I ran that business and was that busy on Saturdays, we would have more sales people to allow customers time to drive and buy, same with the service department.

[mike_brez]

Plumber101010 wrote:

dougrainer wrote:
What makes you think they turn and burn on a hi volume??????? I doubt that based on what you state is their policy. I have been on Forums for 20 years and a LOT of the posters on this thread have at least 10 years. I have NEVER heard of this dealer when people have posted about various dealers they find on the Internet, like PPL and Motorhome Specialist and Lazy Days. This dealer has an excellent business model. They get their money and the customer has NO recourse especially if they hoodwink people from out of state. They have shown their lack of business principles and anyone that buys from them will also buy ocean front property in Arizona sight unseen, because it was such a GREAT deal:B Doug

Take a deep breath there Doug! LOL. I’m glad you’re passionate about things like I am though. I think 50 motorhomes a month and several hundred per month total is definitely considered the ranks of a high volume dealer 🙂

The salesman told you how many they sell a month? You do know how to tell when they are lying right?

[dougrainer]

Newmar offered FULL Paint for a $10,000 option price back then. Doug

[theoldwizard1]

Plumber101010 wrote:

They have two prices. No haggle absolute firm price, don’t bother asking. That includes them bringing it into the service center and doing this ridiculous 5 billion point inspection that everybody claims they do, but in essence they just put a checkmark next to everything and push it out the door... and anything that’s wrong whatsoever, they will fix at their cost and the price does not go up for any reason.

And what kind of warranty does this give you ? Are they going to cover everything for 1 year ? 90 days ?
I would never buy a used Class A without taking it to an independent truck/RV shop for a full inspection and alignment, even if it cost me $250 to tell me they found nothing. If they don't give you any type of warranty, then they just "pencil whipped" the inspection.

But they will not let you take it on a test drive until you PAY for the unit IN FULL!!!

Walk away !

[4x4van]

Dealer claims that the unit was special ordered with full body paint, unlike most of that year/model. Proof of that? Perhaps the previous owner just recently decided to add full body paint to a very weathered exterior, perhaps in Mexico (would explain the immaculate appearance for an old coach just as easily as "taken care of extremely well".

BTW, Carfax, even for cars, isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

[AlaskaShooter]

Illegal drugs are a wonderful thing. If used in moderation. 🙂

[dougrainer]

1. Per Carfax---They do not list motorhomes only Cars and light trucks
2. For any dealer to state they KNOW the tires are OLD(past 7 years) and REQUIRE replacement and refuse to do so, they can be held liable if the tires cause problems after the sale. Also, HOW DOES THAT JIVE WITH THEIR SUPPOSED SAFETY INSPECTION REQUIREMENT FOR TEST DRIVES???????
3. NO Saturday test drives?????? Boy, that would make a working man mad.
4. Me thinks you just talked to a BETTER Salesman, but his mouth still was moving with forked tongue:B
5. USED units need to be turned quickly, not relegated until they can get to them. The Owner OWNS those used units and needs his money back quickly. So, they should be turning over the used just as quickly as new or wholesaling them.
6. As someone who has been involved and still is in dealing with Motorhome sales and Service, a lot of his comments I would take with a grain of salt. Doug

[Plumber101010]

Now since everyone has been so informative and so helpful on this issue, I can’t help but feel spoiled. So you all leave me no choice but to NOW request that everybody get together, go out and do all the research for me, find me the perfect vehicle, do all the negotiating for me, have it inspected thoroughly, and then have it delivered on my front doorstep. And if we could get that accomplished within the next 10 days it would be appreciated. Further, I’ll require someone to stop by and give me some driving instructions and teach me how to drive it and explain the operation of it bumper to bumper. Throwing in a warranty would be extremely helpful as well... 🙂