Involving an Attorney prior to purchase

[gemini5362]

Originally Posted by StevieG

I've been a banker for over 30 years, involved in hundreds of kinds of transactions both large and small... And I totally agree!

I actually find your post very funny. I have heard a lot of stories where bankers have had problems that a good attorney would have prevented.

[spinn]

If you had an attorney involved I would bet that a lot off those "promises" the dealer made will actually happen :-)

[IamJerryP]

Originally Posted by spinn

If you had an attorney involved I would bet that a lot off those "promises" the dealer made will actually happen :-)

I think it is a great idea, considering the amount of money involved. It is something I wondered about as I shop for an RV, and read the horror stokes of promises made, and not kept. Buying an RV is an exciting event, and having a lawyer, there would help privent the buyer from doing something because they were overly excited, and wanting that new RV
"When the dealer says don't worry, we will take care of it", the lawyer will say, "please write that down, and sign here that you will take care of that".
Nothing wrong with having somebody there to take care of you, and make sure your interests are being taken care of.
Lawyers are involved in all the paperwork you sign, in order to protect their client, which his the dealer, manufacturer, and the bank....
Cross the dealer, manufacturer, or the bank, and see who gets involved... Lawyers....
I see a lot of problems on these forums that would not have been problems if a lawyers was looking out for the buyer. and whispering in the ear of the excited buyer...
Not having a lawyer when everyone else has one, sort of makes you an unarmed person in a battle of wits.

[wa8yxm]

I would recommend at the very least you go to the sales "interview" Wired, (That is wearing a recorder, a common cell phone will do in most cases and most all smart phones can do it too. I have some very nice digital recorders which, in stealth mode, have markers that can assist in proving no tampering occured but that's me and they are no longer made. (I have them for entirely different reasons, they are very good digital recorders and my Darling Daughter is a very good Classical Musician.. I also have mics, mixers and processors for recording, I do a bit of singing myself and often do "Open mic" recordings of myself and others).

But bringing your buddy Joe, (Of Joe, Peat and Sam attornies at law) along,,, Not a bad idea really.

[cjkroodsma]

It sounds to me like the poor condition of units from the factory and lack of dealer involvement to fix/correct could be taken care of by a well written contract. This would initially probably take a lawyer to make happen but hopefully in the near future would become a standard contract. Delivery condition/repairs/loss of use/$ retainage until satisfaction/etc. are all things(and more) that could be written into a purchase agreement. OF COURSE manufactures and dealers will stonewall any efforts in this direction. When will WE the buyers with the $$/time being spent stand up and demand the best for ourselves. Hasn't the time now come to hold those responsible for their products/repairs/performance to a satisfactory level? Is there a lawyer or contract writer out there willing to write and market a standardized contract or group of performance expectations to add to the dealers contract to protect us as we should be? Is this now the time to demand better from those that want our money. Competition and public sentiment helped improve American automakers. OK RV manufactures---time to step up deliver quality products. Lawyer/contract writers opinions will be appreciated! I'm now off my box! Thoughts?

[Fred and Bonnie]

My concern would not be warranty items, but securing a "Clear" title to the new unit and a "cleared" sale on the old unit.

Just remember how many "horror" stories that have been posted concerning obtaining and clearing titles and loans.

Would you spend $300K on a house without an escrow or attorney?

Fred

[StevieG]

Many of the arguments I've read above for using an attorney make me feel like most of these people don't have enough common sense or life experience to research their dealer in advance of a purchase, properly negotiate a deal, or protect themselves in their contract. I guess that is why attorneys can charge so much for doing nothing more than what you should really be able to do for yourself... Especially if you can spend a couple of hundred thousand on a motorhome...

[StevieG]

Originally Posted by Fred and Bonnie

My concern would not be warranty items, but securing a "Clear" title to the new unit and a "cleared" sale on the old unit.

Just remember how many "horror" stories that have been posted concerning obtaining and clearing titles and loans.

Would you spend $300K on a house without an escrow or attorney?

Fred

Before a lender will fund a loan that is secured by a motorhome as their collateral, they will review the title to insure it is clear and in my case paid the state sales tax and registered the motorhome for me. I did not need an attorney. I bought my motorhome on EBay roughly 700 miles away from where I live. The sales contract was in plain English, I had an inspector go through the motorhome, and would not close until all work items were signed off by my inspector. I have a great rig and like the guy that I bought my mh from.

[StevieG]

Originally Posted by IamJerryP

"When the dealer says don't worry, we will take care of it", the lawyer will say, "please write that down, and sign here that you will take care of that".

Really? You need to pay somebody to do that?

[IamJerryP]

Originally Posted by StevieG

Many of the arguments I've read above for using an attorney make me feel like most of these people don't have enough common sense or life experience to research their dealer in advance of a purchase, properly negotiate a deal, or protect themselves in their contract. I guess that is why attorneys can charge so much for doing nothing more than what you should really be able to do for yourself... Especially if you can spend a couple of hundred thousand on a motorhome...

Maybe because they have common sense enough to spend a little time, and money protecting their investments is why they have that money to spend on RVs.
Not sure why you would fault people for using someone more knowledgeable than themselves to make sure they get what they paid for, and expect from an industry known to not always be trustworthy
Commons sense, and logic say one should listen to more knowledgeable people, and not be to proud to get knowledgeable advice when needed.

[MRUSA14]

The case you referred to is being handled by Entegra at their expense under warranty. What more could an attorney accomplish? Nothing but added expense.

By the way, I custom-ordered an Entegra coach and my purchase deposit was $2500.

[StevieG]

Originally Posted by IamJerryP

Maybe because they have common sense enough to spend a little time, and money protecting their investments is why they have that money to spend on RVs.
Not sure why you would fault people for using someone more knowledgeable than themselves to make sure they get what they paid for, and expect from an industry known to not always be trustworthy
Commons sense, and logic say one should listen to more knowledgeable people, and not be to proud to get knowledgeable advice when needed.

Sorry to disagree... Being an attorney doesn't automatically make somebody more knowledgable... Especially when it comes to buying an RV...

[Fred and Bonnie]

I should have myself clearer, if you are trading and expecting the selling dealer to payoff the old loan, you could be in for a surprise.

Fred

[sirpurrcival]

Originally Posted by StevieG

Sorry to disagree... Being an attorney doesn't automatically make somebody more knowledgable... Especially when it comes to buying an RV...

No it doesn't, but trying to read through a lengthy contract often filled with legalese when you haven't had a lot of experience or training doing that kind of thing doesn't always lend itself well to a happy outcome either.

People are free to make the choice to be their own advocate and some via experience and training are better prepared to perform that role. That doesn't describe everyone however. To the original poster, I would simply say this. If you are at all concerned with your ability to navigate through the purchase process on your own, you should take whatever steps you see fit to make the process more understandable and comfortable. That doesn't necessarily mean just any lawyer or even a lawyer at all. For example you might hire an auto broker. This is a person who buys vehicles on the behalf of other persons. They would be familiar with purchase contracts, the processes involved with obtaining clear titles and all the rest. A specialist in vehicle procurement as it were. Probably cheaper than a lawyer to boot.