Community Forums

mr buster · 07-12-2017, 09:48 AM

Hi Guys,
First time RV buyer, long time reader of these forums. Am I better off buying a used RV from a dealer or private party? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?

gerdutch · 07-12-2017, 09:52 AM

I look at it this way!
Who you think is more honest and knows the most about the Rv? Then it comes down to price!

MCJones · 07-12-2017, 10:01 AM

Tough question. For us we had a 5th wheel trade and a nice truck that off set the settled on price and helped with the tax. I felt they gave us a fair deal on everything and made financing slick with an incredible good interest rate. You will have access to warranties even for a used rig and a righteous dealer will let you live in the coach for several days to be sure everything is right. I have not been unhappy buying from a dealer but I may have spent more money than necessary - who knows. IF I had cash I would look at private deals first. jmo mark

Roy1 · 07-12-2017, 10:01 AM

I bought mine from a dealer only because he had what I was looking for. I would have preferred a private party also in this state private party no tax dealer big tax.

MSHappyCampers · 07-12-2017, 10:34 AM

Hi !

Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

I would trust the word of a private seller more than a dealer! Only exception might be if the dealer will give you a warranty of some kind to cover all the things they "forgot" to tell you about!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Podivin · 07-12-2017, 10:44 AM

Unlike Joe, I don't trust anybody who's selling anything...

Ultimately you're buying the rig, not the seller - so buy the one that seems like the best deal for YOU.

I would expect an owner to know more about what he's selling, but he may be one of those people that doesn't give you the WHOLE story unless you ask just exactly the right question(s). So he may or may not tell you about any 'gotchas' that will be coming your way. (or he may outright lie)

I would not expect a dealer to know much about a particular rig, just those rigs in general. So they may or may not really know what's wrong with it - that depends on what the previous owner told them when they traded it in (see above about what the previous owner may have told them).

All of the dealers I talked to when buying mine guaranteed that everything would work when you drove it off the lot. And we were encouraged to spend as much time as we wanted going through looking for issues. We found some, they fixed it, we drove away (days later). Now if something broke the day after we drove it off the lot, well then we're on our own - but a private seller doesn't give any guarantee at all.

It's a crap shoot, pick the deal your comfortable with and go for it.

Waiter21 · 07-12-2017, 11:58 AM

BUYER BEWARE - You have no friends...

#1 Assume the seller knows absolutely zero about the motorhome, regardless if its a dealer or a private sale.

#2 You must be the expert, learn everything you can about the motorhome and its systems. The more you know, the better off you'll be in the negotiating process.

#3 do a pre-purchase inspection, Have a checklist and follow it, make notes. This will help you in negotiating and also give you an idea of what issues will need to be dealt with if you seal the deal.

#4 Consider all sales final. Assume there are no warranties, promises, etc. If you don't have it in writing, it doesn't exist.

#5 A Dealer will help with financing, paperwork, etc. They do this 7 days a week, I do it once every few years.

#6 A Private sale may work with you on what gets reported to your DMV, a dealer won't.

I have a pre-purchase inspection on my web site that I use. Your welcome to copy, modify, or throw in the garbage.

Pre-Purchase Inspection

I also have a Ford F53 maintenance inspection that I use to make sure all the F53 stuff is up to date.

http://www.1999southwind.com/f53-ins...nce-checklist/

..

LVJ58 · 07-12-2017, 12:21 PM

Personally, I would prefer buying from a private party so long as the private party can provide complete maintenance and repair records on their coach from when they purchased it new.

Most dealerships cannot provide complete maintenance records for used coaches they have for sale on their lots.

In all instances I would spend the $$$ to have a thorough inspection of all systems on the coach including engine, drivetrain, brakes etc.

Good luck with your choice on making a buy from a private party or dealer.

Craig36 · 07-12-2017, 12:36 PM

When you buy from the dealer, his salesman will likely know nothing about the coach. The advantage is they have a selection to choose from at one location.

When you buy from a private party, they know all the problems, but will not volunteer to tell you about them unless you ask one by one.

Dealers make most of their profits on the spread on used MH prices. You are not going to get a great price. You are not going to buy a coach from a dealer at NADA average retail.

The used coach I just bought was a private sale, and it had lots of problems that were not disclosed. What started out as a great price will likely be average retail+ when everything is fixed.

Mr_D · 07-12-2017, 12:37 PM

from WA State!

Both are really equally undependable! Only bought one used MH, the present Magna and it was on a consignment through a used/consignment dealer. Even did the oil testing and the engine failed 2,200 miles after we bought it. Cummins made good on about 1/3rd the $33,000+ cost. It was a known defect in the engine design, Cummins even had new parts out, it had blown once before for the original owner but still Cummins is not doing a recall or warranty extension. So, no matter what you buy from private or dealer you can still get stuck!.

FatChance · 07-12-2017, 01:44 PM

When we were looking for a 10-12 year old DP, we were set to pay cash so dealer financing or trade-in were non-factors. I looked at some from dealers but they didn't have maintenance records. I found the coach I was looking for from a private seller 1300 miles away. I drove down to look at it and meet the seller. It was in great shape, with all the manuals and maintenance records since new and I gained a lot of respect for the owner and his dedication to keeping the coach in top shape. He had been very active for many years on an Internet forum dedicated to the coach's marque. In the end, I bought it as much for the seller as I did the coach. We still stay in touch and he honestly and helpfully answers any question that comes up. The personal part of the transaction is something I never would have got from a dealer.

MRUSA14 · 07-12-2017, 01:50 PM

I doubt if either a dealer or a private seller could have known your engine would fail 2200 miles later.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

from WA State!

Both are really equally undependable! Only bought one used MH, the present Magna and it was on a consignment through a used/consignment dealer. Even did the oil testing and the engine failed 2,200 miles after we bought it. Cummins made good on about 1/3rd the $33,000+ cost. It was a known defect in the engine design, Cummins even had new parts out, it had blown once before for the original owner but still Cummins is not doing a recall or warranty extension. So, no matter what you buy from private or dealer you can still get stuck!.

okcnewbie · 07-12-2017, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr buster

.... Am I better off buying a used RV from a dealer or private party??

I think you should buy from a dealer that is honest and has your best interest at heart. He will search far and wide for just the right MH for you........... on second thought.

Find a one/two owner gem and buy directly from the owner.

smlranger · 07-12-2017, 02:13 PM

We bought both of our last two used DP's from dealers since we wanted to trade and not deal with tire kickers ourselves by selling our motorhomes.

Both dealer experiences were positive. Both dealers had what we wanted and both gave us (in our opinion) a fair deal. We did our homework on the dealers and the coaches we purchased.

One dealer offered a 90 day bumper-to-bumper warranty and the other agreed to fix anything we found before we left their lot after purchasing the coach. We stayed in their campground for three days and did find a couple of issues missed at PDI and they fixed them quickly.

So, depends on the dealer and your expectations. As noted, you need to be your own advocate and not trust much of anything either a dealer salesman or a private seller tells you. Verify for yourself.