PPL Motorhomes in Texas?

[Moho_Driver]

Hi All,

I am new to the forum as a poster, although I have been sneaking around and reading A LOT of all of your posts and the wealth of information you all share. We purchased a 1987 Itasca Suncruiser a couple of years back as our first RV. Its in great shape, it's never let us down, and we got an awesome deal on it. Now, we are in the beginning stages of looking around for a new class A, just seeing what's out there and weighing different options. It will likely still be some time before we make a purchase.

My question is regarding PPL Motorhomes out of Texas. Has anyone had any experience buying from them? In my searches, quite a few of the rigs that look like great deals appear to be offered through PPL. Since we are in Oregon, its not as easy as just running down the road to take a look at one to see the condition and make sure it is being accurately represented. I guess I am just wondering if anyone has had experiences with them, good or bad. My main point is to make sure that how a rig is advertised, is true and if I can "trust" the dealership. And I use the term "trust" fairly loosely.. I suppose that's all relative when were talking about sales folks.

I have so many more questions I just want to list them out right here, but I suppose that not proper etiquette. You haven't heard the last of me!

Thanks everyone!

[Grey Ghost I]

With your inexperience, I advise you NOT to shop PPL. I have purchased many rv's in the past 50 years, and I will not chance them. Would be different if you lived near them, and could scout them every day.

[edgray]

Generally speaking and IMO, many times pictures can make a coach better than it really is because they don't capture the fine details. Keep in mind the pictures are part of an AD, and few will advertise with pictures of defects. I think you should call and speak to them "privately" about any coach of particular interest to you. Explain that a LONG trip would be involved and that you don't want to be mis-led about actual condition MAY evoke a more candid answer than what you are likely to get in writing.


I can tell you, having sold a coach thru PPL in Houston, that they will pressure the seller to fix /replace anything that may be needed to help expedite a sale. They don't make a dime until they get a deal between a seller and a buyer, and I'm confident they "work" both sides during the negotations. To be clear, I'm not being critical of PPL and I would use them again if I wanted to pay someone 10% of the sales price to sell my coach.

[Sky_Boss]

Buying an expensive item like an RV without putting your own eyes on it is not a good idea. I wouldn't travel cross country to do that unless I had some real good intel.

If you find something that is long distance, find a trustworthy and INDEPENDENT person to inspect the coach and report back. It isn't cheap but they are YOUR agent and will be responsible to report back to YOU...NOT THE DEALER.

If a dealer balks at letting an independent agent inspect and drive the coach...move on.

[edgray]

If you do find one you are serious about, take a look at this thread: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/for-...pl-250562.html
Happy shopping !

[Moho_Driver]

That's all great advice and info. It gives me some more to think about! A personal conversation and a third party, might be the right way to go if I decide to pursue something that far away. Thanks everyone!

[ImNuts]

I purchased our Rv from PPL. I had a good experience. I live in the Dallas area so I did an "out of town transaction". I started off by looking at the ads and the discriptions. I then spoke with sales reps about the RV that I was interested in. I asked the sales rep to take a look at it, walk in and out out of it and tell me the positive and negatives. The sale rep looked at it and sent me their own evaluation. Those evaluations were pretty accurate. I formed a relationship with the sales rep and he guided me through selecting an RV remotely. The sales rep suggested that I pass on couple of units, after knowing what I was looking for. I found that the best units and deals would go almost instantly so, if it's been there awhile, there is a reason for that. PPLs locations and website get an incredible amount of traffic.

We got a great RV in excellent condition for an incredible price. I called about it the first day it came on the market and negotiated a deal. I did not have to close the deal until after my test drive and inspection (I could have also had a 3rd party inspection). However, I did look at units for about two months and rejected a couple before I purchased one. Having previously owned an Rv (and reading a ton of threads and this site), I had a better idea of what I wanted and what to look for (and avoid).

Bottom line, PPL has some good units and some bad ones; great deals and ok deals. It's up to the buyer to decide. But I can say that my purchasing experience was a very positive one and I got a better deal than I was expecting.

[austx]

We had s good experience selling our Class A through PPL in New Braunfels in March. We did fix several things that came to our attention by PPL.

[DGBPokes]

We purchased a motorhome from PPL in April. This is our 4th used motorhome. Our unit was cosmetically rough, but mechanically, very sound. We have invested some money and done some cosmetic things. And it is much better and worth a lot more now. But we were very pleased with our PPL experience.

We had seen some real dogs, with motor mouth high pressure sales guys. It was refreshing to be totally free to roam and inspect with no salesman following me around.

Also, we financed through Essex.....it took a lot longer than it should, but it did. PPL could have easily withdrawn our contract but did just the opposite. Helped as much as they could to break a couple of log jams.

[Micah.TX]

OK. My two cents... Right now, I'm selling a travel trailer at PPL in Houston. As soon as it sells (thank you, Jesus!) DW and I will be looking for a motorhome (MH). Probably will start with the inventory at PPL. There are some of interest! I've had bad experiences with a big rv dealership and so far feel good about PPL. They do want to sell your rv because they don't make money until they do. When they took my rv, they took a history of use and repair. You never know what people will put down, so don't blame them if it's not accurate. By all means, pay for an rv inspection. When we look at MHs, my DW and I will insist on a non-smoker and no pet rv. Make your list of non-negotiable items. PPL offers an rv inspection service for a price, but I think I will use an independent company for any MH I'm interested in. I'm sure they're everywhere. Houston has lots of them. Do your homework! Before you head to PPL, send them emails with your questions. Yes. You can't tell everything from the pictures. They can contact the owner on your behalf. Ask for a repair record. It is a long drive from Oregon, but if you research the model and year you're interested in, and have a clean inspection, you probably won't be disappointed if you fly in for a test drive.

Tomorrow, I head over PPL to check for water damage on my trailer. We've had a ton of rain in Houston, lately. If you find a unit without a water leak in Houston, you've got a gem! Good luck!

[Scottybdivin]

I visited PPL on a few occasions. I didn't end up buying one from them but what I really appreciated was being able to go on their website and see many RV's in every price range. The fact that they display the floor plans of each unit on the header page makes it even better. Then there is the "RV's Previously Sold" page to get an idea what they are actually selling for. It was part of my education process.

[89sandman]

PPL, the problem child lot of the rv industry. There is a reason why most of their units are cheap. People take them there to sell because they are too embarrassed to sell them themselves!!! Many threads on here about how their most highly rated MH's are nothing most people would want. If you want to buy a crappy MH for cheap this is the place to go.

[Moho_Driver]

Sounds like some mixed reviews of this place, like many others. I think if I use my common sense, ask lots of questions, and pay for a third party inspection I should be in OK shape. I'm not expecting to get a perfect rig, I mean, I'm buying used. There is hardly such thing as perfect in the world of used motorhomes. I just want to make sure I know what I'm getting into and avoid dry rot, soft spots, and mechanical (engine/transmission/chassis) issues. The small stuff I can deal with.

I was interested in this unit 2001 Landau 3601 FS for Sale - D703 - PPL Motor Homes at the Houston location, but it sounds like it may not be as good of a deal as I thought. It books for much more than the what the sales price is, so its probably too good to be true.

[Moho_Driver]

Oops! Looks like theres a sale pending on that unit now. It was listed at $20k.