Community Forums

Dodch · 08-09-2018, 05:45 PM

Ok...my husband found a 2014 Newmar Ventana 3436 on line that we are very interested in. It is 11 hours away from us. What is the best way to go about NOT being scammed and what to look for to make sure it has not been in a hurricane, flood, etc. I am very skeptical after reading about all the scams. Any suggestions would be most helpful. I have spent the last 4 hours reading from “search forum” but still don’t have a plan in place. If you have ANY advice we would most certainly appreciate it! (My husband did talk to the person selling it today but lost connection due to a storm they were having in south. Seller said he drove it 500 miles up from Florida but husband did not get “how” seller acquired motorhome but did get that it Is at a new car dealership.). ???

brandss · 08-09-2018, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dodch

Ok...my husband found a 2014 Newmar Ventana 3436 on line that we are very interested in. It is 11 hours away from us. What is the best way to go about NOT being scammed and what to look for to make sure it has not been in a hurricane, flood, etc. I am very skeptical after reading about all the scams. Any suggestions would be most helpful. I have spent the last 4 hours reading from “search forum” but still don’t have a plan in place. If you have ANY advice we would most certainly appreciate it! (My husband did talk to the person selling it today but lost connection due to a storm they were having in south. Seller said he drove it 500 miles up from Florida but husband did not get “how” seller acquired motorhome but did get that it Is at a new car dealership.). ???

We are buying our first coach and from what I have read, and I totally agree with, is get an inspection from a certified RV inspector. There is no way I would buy from an individual or dealer without doing this. If you think about it, it's a home on wheels and no one would buy a home without a home inspection. Good luck on your search.

Isaac-1 · 08-09-2018, 10:15 PM

I too suggest getting an inspection by a qualified inspector, try looking at the inspector locator at nrvia.org and look for a level 2 inspector in the area where the motorhome is located. Many inspectors will provide a preliminary pre-inspection overview for a small covering expenses fee, which may help you decide if this unit is worth consideration. A full RV inspection on a coach like this should take 6-8 man hours to complete, that does not include an inspection of the drivetrain, which should be done by a qualified mechanic that is familiar with the particular brand and model of chassis. RV inspections are primarily about the house systems, and structure of the box, not about the chassis or drivetrain.

CountryB · 08-10-2018, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dodch

Ok...my husband found a 2014 Newmar Ventana 3436 on line that we are very interested in. It is 11 hours away from us.

I would look closer to home.
Unless you live somewhere where there are no RVs being sold in a 2 hour radius. When I was shopping, I found that many of the coaches I looked at where not as nice as the Ads led one to believe. I had to look at several before I found the right one.

After an 11 hour trip to view, you may be more motivated to buy just to justify your time and effort. Whereas the same coach an hour away would have been rejected.

Or
You could pay someone to go look at it for you, but the you risk spending $500 on an inspection and finding out the owner sold to someone else. I don't think there is an easy answer.

Perhaps you could go look at it first, and if you like the way it looks, then make an offer based on it passing an inspection. If that offer is accepted you put down a refundable deposit for the guy to hold the coach until the inspection is completed. If it fails inspection or has minor problems you would then be allowed (per your offer terms) to withdraw or negotiate your offer.

DjDave · 08-10-2018, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dodch

Ok...my husband found a 2014 Newmar Ventana 3436 on line that we are very interested in. It is 11 hours away from us. What is the best way to go about NOT being scammed and what to look for to make sure it has not been in a hurricane, flood, etc. I am very skeptical after reading about all the scams. Any suggestions would be most helpful. I have spent the last 4 hours reading from “search forum” but still don’t have a plan in place. If you have ANY advice we would most certainly appreciate it! (My husband did talk to the person selling it today but lost connection due to a storm they were having in south. Seller said he drove it 500 miles up from Florida but husband did not get “how” seller acquired motorhome but did get that it Is at a new car dealership.). ???

We had been looking for 2 years, found what looked like "the one". Took a leap of faith, & bought one way tickets to Houston from Baltimore, on Spirit, thought we might be buying tickets home, but ended up driving it 1500 miles home. 11 hours away, we would have driven to take a look. Not too bad to even make a second trip if needed.
Good Luck!

Ohiomike · 08-10-2018, 06:23 AM

I recently bought a class a from a seller 3 hours away. When I asked them to show me everything wrong on FaceTime they showed me a scratch in driver chair I deemed no big deal. When they arrived to do the deal there were a couple other issues that were non disclosed to me. The stair houses was falling out and there was a trim issue on the slide were the two majors. A couple trim pieces inside needed tacked up. The coach was pretty dirty and clearly not cleaned well. I bought the coach anyway as I was $12,000 under nada value and knew I could get the items repaired for less than that.

I’m just saying it could turn out nice but expect some hidden or not shown issues. I even had seller FaceTime me around the entire coach top to bottom.

Again my experience was still a good one and the rv repair guy told me I did very well with purchase when he took it in. The local area I am in is very hot and the sellers were 3 hours away. Just keep your eyes out. If your that far away it would be worth sending an inspector to do a quick visual inspection to insure you see any major faults up front.

Good luck.

edgray · 08-10-2018, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dodch

Ok...my husband found a 2014 Newmar Ventana 3436 on line that we are very interested in. It is 11 hours away from us. What is the best way to go about NOT being scammed and what to look for to make sure it has not been in a hurricane, flood, etc. I am very skeptical after reading about all the scams. Any suggestions would be most helpful. I have spent the last 4 hours reading from “search forum” but still don’t have a plan in place. If you have ANY advice we would most certainly appreciate it! (My husband did talk to the person selling it today but lost connection due to a storm they were having in south. Seller said he drove it 500 miles up from Florida but husband did not get “how” seller acquired motorhome but did get that it Is at a new car dealership.). ???

You may get better opinions if you post a link to the ad where you've seen this coach. I would be even more cautious about a "new car dealer" that is offering a used coach they traveled to buy. Something about that doesn't sound right to me.

scbwr · 08-10-2018, 07:39 AM

There's no definitive answer. The first thing you can do is learn everything about motorhomes you can using the resources of the internet and whatever you can find. Secondly, you need to look at a lot of used motorhomes and learn how to look at every crook and nanny and check every system to see that it is running. Then, consider going with one of the brands that has a better track record for quality.

In our process of looking for a used motorhome, based upon what we read and saw, we pretty much narrowed our search to Tiffin, Newmar, Winnebago/Itasca and older Holiday Rambler motorhomes. Originally, we were looking at older (2005-2008) units but after looking at outdated interiors and units in need of so much work, we upped our budget and didn't hesitate to buy the 2012 Baystar 3302 we found in Lancaster, PA which is quite a distance from our home in Ohio.

There are some check lists you can find online for inspecting motorhomes. And, having a unit inspected by a pro is a great idea. Also, purchasing a warranty (extended service plan) or getting one as part of the deal can help relieve the anxiety of "what will go wrong". We were fortunate to get a plan with ours which only required a $100 transfer fee, but be aware of the documentation that may be required by the insurance provider.

Dodch · 08-10-2018, 02:58 PM

Thank u all for your input! Now we are questioning buying new instead of used. It seems diesel used are running about same price as 2018 models of some of the diesels we looked at. This is all very confusing..think we need to study some more. I really appreciate all you RV owners out there that have helped us so far!!

Waiter21 · 08-10-2018, 03:06 PM

If you cannot personally look at it or send "YOUR" representative to look at it, then its a scam..

If the seller says they know someone who can inspect it, DO NOT DO IT..

TurtleKent · 08-10-2018, 03:07 PM

Used DPs are holding value pretty well, to the point that you can buy a new model for 25-30% off MSRP for about the same price as a 3 year old model. I learned the hard way...

lwmcguire · 08-12-2018, 04:12 PM

Check out the large dealer in TX if you are willing to go that far. Prices are very good and selection is great. The sell around 10 units per day and have a great place to stay overnight to learn about your coach if you buy there.

Dodch · 08-13-2018, 04:50 AM

lwmcquire,
Thank you..we have looked online. Are the prices on line their lowest prices? We are still looking!! 😊 We found a 2006 Newmar Ventana but when we called it had sold 3 days earlier. My husband really likes the Newmar Ventana but finding one we can afford seems to be a problem! I loved the living area of the Winnebago Forza but he seems to be leaning towards the Newmar. The CD feature has caught his eye and we realize it is only in 2014 models and above. We are looking for a SMALLER one! Would have liked to try an older one for a couple years to make sure that is our wants. We may end up stepping back and saving more before we can buy. I still have a few years to work before I can retire! 🙁 Thanks again! We have been reading on this forum all weekend and have found it extremely informative and helpful!!

lwmcguire · 08-13-2018, 05:03 AM

The discount are going to be pretty close if they are in the 30% and up range

You will stand to loose less money on a used coach if nothing major is wrong with it

When we looked at used one in 10 had been maintained properly

Cummins and Allison both have 5 year warranty so another factor

Maybe rent for a couple trips to be sure

It truly is a big investment, similar to another home with more variables

Good luck