Community Forums

brobox · 05-25-2015, 05:46 AM

Just my experience. I ordered a brand new MH to be delivered. It was in such bad shape when it arrived we refused it and sent it back to the factory where they had it for an additional 3 months. The top line dealer even called us saying your MH was ready when nothing worked including the air system. That is the risk buying sight unseen. I know I will never do it again.

mojoracing · 05-25-2015, 07:28 AM

We delivered high end coaches all over the country. We had a master tech who would drive the unit to the customer after performing a pre delivery inspection at the dealership. He would tow a dinghy to get home and also had a pretty substantial tool kit with him. When he arrived at the customers house they would do a complete walk through and then he would go through the paperwork with them, collect or sign whatever monitory instruments were needed and head home. In many cases the shake down run to the customers house revealed issues that might not have been caught at the shop. Remember, the OP only asked if it was possible not what we thought about his choice.

laurier · 05-25-2015, 07:42 AM

Be aware that expected delivery delay for a Unity is actually 10 months.

And they all have minor problems to be fixed (hope you read about a new King Aire that had a major water leak from the back sink, it flooded the whole MH and had to be returned to the factory for rebuilt.

jesilvas · 05-25-2015, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeannine111

I guess my issue is that even if I looked at the rv before buying, what am I looking for in an rv right out of the factory? It looks like I'd be getting the 2016 model that goes into production next week. If I visited the dealership and test drove it and looked it over, what glaring defects am I looking for? It's brand new. I'm aware that new rvs can have problems. But what are some of the problems that I'd notice on a one day test drive of an rv that just passed factory inspection? If the rv was used then I'd have an idea of what kind of wear and tear to look for.

Has anyone test drove a brand new rv and noticed a factory defect during the test drive? If just one person says "yes" then I'll have to consider making a trip to the dealership before purchase. Thanks for your input and knowledge!

The "test drive" might not show much. But you should check it out with the water running, propane on, check ALL appliances for ALL functions, tires, wheels, lug nuts, roof and sealant, motor and chassis, and all finish trim.

SpaceNorman · 05-25-2015, 10:23 AM

The logistics of having something transported aren't tough ... but the downside risk of purchasing an RV sight unseen are what I would consider high. The idea of relying on the dealer to get it right without having somebody there representing YOUR interests prior to the close would scare the bejesus out of me. Unless you have a long history with the dealer ship in question - I certainly wouldn't consider it.

We purchased our coach from a dealer on that was roughly 175 miles away on the other side of the state. Between having some prep work down to ready our Jeep Liberty for towing - and a number of walkthrus on the various features / functions / systems our trip to take possession turned out to be a 2 day affair - with us driving up early to turn the jeep over for prep work when the dealership opened - and us leaving to come home the following day after spending a night in the coach on the dealership lot. I'm glad we took the time - we found a couple of minor things that needed to be addressed during our day (which were taken care of before we left..).

Is there anybody you trust who you could send in your stead to act as your representative at the closing and to take possession and drive it home?

Speedjester · 05-25-2015, 11:18 AM

There are companies..that will inspect your rig prior to purchase..and I'm sure they can arrange delivery... 200miles is a few hours.....

Jeannine111 · 05-25-2015, 04:11 PM

Where to begin a response to all this? First, I do not expect to not have any problems with the rv. Of course there will be issues with it. I'm just fairly certain that those issues will most likely not pop up on a test drive. Yes, I would inspect the rv upon delivery to me. Yes, I would make sure that I'm in a position to decline the rv if there is damage to it from transport or if something isn't functioning properly. Yes, I know that I will be taking the 200 mile trip several times in my rv to get things looked over at the dealer. This is common sense stuff folks. Common sense. I'm far beyond that. I appreciate the responses, but I never asked for anyone's opinion on whether or not they agree with my decision. My initial question was pretty straightforward: Is having an rv delivered possible? I've since researched this more and learned that not only is it possible, people do it everyday. It's common for new rvs to be shipped to new owners....sight unseen.

And, yes....I'm aware that the 2016 Unity is at least 10 months out. They don't even go into production until June 1st. I could get a 2015.5 Unity now, but I'm leaning towards waiting for the 2016. Once my rv is built and ready for me, I'll be getting it shipped to my front door

Dune Hauler · 05-25-2015, 06:41 PM

For all the naysayers out there, I bought my RV from the factory after it was a dealer demo for a year.They took a lot of pictures and took close ups of anything I had doubts on. I then had them deliver it 2300 miles sight unseen after I wired them the money. I was very lucky as it arrived very dirty but in great shape. The only problem I found was that the grey and black tank sender wires were reversed (a 10 minute fix). 200 miles is nothing and should be easy for a dealer to set up,personally I would feel that is close enough to get it yourself, see if they can meet you on a weekend or a evening.

Jeannine111 · 05-25-2015, 10:50 PM

Dune Hauler, thanks for sharing your experience. What was the method of delivery? Did they haul your rv on a truck or drive it themselves? Thanks!

ahicks · 05-26-2015, 05:48 AM

Speaking for myself, I wasn't questioning the potential for getting a motor home delivered. You could have a railroad caboose delivered to your back yard as far as that's concerned. I was questioning the cost/wisdom of having that done.

Hope it works out for you....

Dune Hauler · 05-26-2015, 09:09 PM

Jeannine111, They supplied a professional driver that towed his car behind my rig. He delivered it right to my door, I took him to dinner and then he hit the road for home. I had them work it into the price of my purchase, I don't think they even got fuel expenses out of the deal I made.

Jeannine111 · 05-27-2015, 04:07 PM

Dune Hauler, this is good stuff to hear. I've chatted with a few other people that also had good experiences with home delivery. Learning this has made my week. Thanks for the responses!

DDDonkey · 05-27-2015, 04:38 PM

What about ordering a new unit from a local dealer, if you don't need it for six months it should not be a problem.

Just so you know I bought my new (to me) RV from across the country with just pictures and an inspection and had no issues. I did drive a local model that was the same, and have had really no issues just questions about it.

DegoRed · 05-27-2015, 05:13 PM

This has been a very funny thread for sure. Jeannie, I purchased my first BRAND NEW motorhome for a dealer 200+ miles away, sight unseen. I made them throw in the delivery to my home as part of the deal. They were happy to do so, and the guy who delivered it said he does this all the time.

The motorhome showed up with a PoS little Mazda/Toyota/Honda looking thing attached via a blue ox toad hook up. This supper nice guy stepped out of the MH, walked me through all everything, including the broken microvave dish thingy that spins around when cooking. He made sure I was all good, he even stopped at a car wash outside of town and pressure washed the rig down to clean it up before the delivery.

It took the guy under a minute to unhook the toad, then drove off. Simple as can be.

To futher blow everyone's mind, I purcahse every vehicle I own this way, have not been to a dealer to buy a vehicle in 20+ years. Don't think I have purchased a vehicle in my area (Austin) ever, always from out of town or out of state, always delivered. The economy has never gotten bad in Austin, all the dealers in this area think their stuff is gold plated.

Don't sweat the delivery, everything is under warranty. IF you were a MH/RV Jedi Master, yea you could spot some of the small problems at the dealership, but since you seem like you are not, you probably would not notice the small problems anyway (no offense intended), and odds are good that your unit will be fine, just some small stuff that you can get fixed at your liesure at a service center of your choice.

Good Luck!