Community Forums

noserider · 03-31-2014, 09:35 PM

Went to PPL today in Houston. I have been there before. After reading all I can on this forum and watching Ebay, Craigslist and other places on the net I was looking through more seasoned eyes today. In general I was only looking at things in my price range (30-50K). While I love the fact there are so many styles there to look at I must say the coaches in my price range were generally very rough. It only takes one and I'll continue to go back to look at new arrivals but wow there was some seriously worn units. I think for me I will use them as a tool to refine my taste in wants and floor plans. Like everyone else I am looking for a clean well taken care of unit that has spent some time out of the sun while not in use. I am also looking for a 1 or 2 owner unit that has some service history I can review. I don't want to give the impression there are not some nice units there but they were most likely the newer ones for big bucks. In general it just felt good to feel that my buyer skills are getting refined hanging out here. I have worked on my own stuff in the past to include boats, airplanes, motorcycles and jet ski's and I enjoy tinkering. I'm hoping to find and purchase something this summer. Thanks for all the help you guys.

osok · 04-01-2014, 05:57 AM

Everyone wants that perfect coach that was stored inside and very low miles. They are available but you will need to purchase very quickly when you find it as they sell faster than you have time to think over the purchase. PPL does get some of these in so I think you need to watch website daily and be ready to act.

Most units at PPL are a good sample of what you will find after a visit to many dealer lots. I sold a one year old through them and have purchased an eight year old coach from them. Advantage of watching PPL is the huge inventory and regular turnover of coaches. Everything at PPL is buyer beware as at most places.

You can also shop online places like rvtrader.com and a few other sites. Good luck and have fun in your search.

jd956jd956 · 04-01-2014, 07:39 AM

I got VERY LUCKY three and half years ago and purchased a one-owner 1997 American Eagle diesel pusher - my first ever rv. I live about 50 miles north of Houston and found it in the small south Texas town of Mission about 400 miles away. Here is my suggestion to you based upon how I found my awesome one-owner. Once you figure out exactly what you want, GOOGLE it daily in very specific and multiple ways. In my case, I kept goggling "1997 American Eagle", "1997 American Eagle for sale" and variations thereof. Google finally found mine listed in an obscure magazine listing. My owner did not put it up on any of the typical, popular, and highly watched websites. If you were wondering why I specifically wanted the 1997 American Eagle, it was because a friend, who can work on literally ANYTHING, bought the exact same make and model because 1997 was the last year the Cummins C8.3 came from the factory with no electronics - mine is what is commonly referred to as a purely mechanical engine. It is pre-government emissions and is significantly more reliable and simple. Also, around that time, the American Eagle was at or near the very top of the industry in quality interior materials and workmanship, plus they used the Spartan Mountain Master chassis. One final comment, no matter what you buy, be sure you have and are willing to spend from a few to several thousand dollars getting it updated and road ready. You may not have to spend much at all if it has been maintained, but all coaches need repairs and if you cannot do the vast majority of them yourself, it can cost a lot. GOOD LUCK IN YOUR SEARCH

jcthorne · 04-01-2014, 12:32 PM

One other thing I learned about PPL. Do not be afraid to look slightly above your maximum price. For units that have been there awhile, they will indeed call the owner with offers lower than posted. Sometimes significantly lower. I offered and was accepted a price WELL below market with a list of fix-it items to the owners account. PPL did the repairs (slowly) and billed the owner as agreed. But I got a great coach that was only 18months old for less than half what the original owner paid for it. It was an odd duck. Bottom of the line model (Daybreak) with top model floorplan and options. Heck, it was optioned out better than most of the Challengers. And it was a one year model, floor plan went to Challenger the next year as it was simply too big and heavy to be in the Daybreak model line.

But I know what it was and was paying cash. Condition was pretty darn good and the fix-it items brought it to near new and the prior owner had done some nice upgrades too.

**NLOVNIT** · 04-01-2014, 01:07 PM

Have you looked through the iRV2 Classifieds? I see several recent listings there in your price range.

Lori-

noserider · 04-01-2014, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

Have you looked through the iRV2 Classifieds? I see several recent listings there in your price range.

Lori-

I generally check it out every week. I have not looked this week so thanks for the heads up

AggieDad · 04-01-2014, 03:56 PM

I have posted on iRV2 before about PPL. I am a fan, having bought and sold two RV's each. This past month I sold my 2003 Trail-Lite B+ in just days and bought a 2006 Winnebago Voyage in excellent condition. I offered less than was asked for the Winnie and ended up buying at below the price I have seen anywhere for a similar one.

The best thing about PPL is you go out on the lot and look at everything with no one hanging over your shoulder - something I hate.

But as someone else said, you have to constantly be vigilant. I strongly advise you check the website daily (not weekly). For example, by the time my Trail-Lite was listed, it was already "sale pending."

noserider · 04-01-2014, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AggieDad

I have posted on iRV2 before about PPL. I am a fan, having bought and sold two RV's each. This past month I sold my 2003 Trail-Lite B+ in just days and bought a 2006 Winnebago Voyage in excellent condition. I offered less than was asked for the Winnie and ended up buying at below the price I have seen anywhere for a similar one.

The best thing about PPL is you go out on the lot and look at everything with no one hanging over your shoulder - something I hate.

But as someone else said, you have to constantly be vigilant. I strongly advise you check the website daily (not weekly). For example, by the time my Trail-Lite was listed, it was already "sale pending."

Good advice. Glad you had success!

Ray,IN · 04-01-2014, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

Have you looked through the iRV2 Classifieds? I see several recent listings there in your price range.

Lori-

Lori, I gave up on irv2.com classifieds last year while MH shopping. Little attention is paid to removing sold or expired listings, and when I inquired, I was poo-pooed away- to other sources.

**NLOVNIT** · 04-02-2014, 09:43 AM

@Ray,

It's not that we don't pay attention to sold listings, the software is 3rd party & it willy-nilly marks items sold on its own. There's no way to know if the sold was put there by the member or the software. In the past I used to remove sold items once a month. I ended up removing items that really weren't sold..much to the distress of members who took a lot of time entering text & posting photos. Once an ad is removed, it cannot be restored.

This program is outdated & flawed in several ways but it's all we've got for now. We're working towards an upgrade. But until that happens, I still encourage members to check there as well as with large dealers like PPL for RV sources. All it takes is a message to the seller to determine if the item is still available or not.

Lori-

Bfmorgan · 04-02-2014, 10:51 AM

Another way to search is to use "Google Alerts". You create the search phrase that you want to use and whenever Google finds a match you receive an email.

kwseeger · 04-02-2014, 01:24 PM

I just bought a 2003 Mountain Aire from the Houston PPL lot. I negotiated what I consider a fair deal for the particuliar unit I wanted. At a fee of 10% of sale price, their motivation is to move units so it's your responsiblity to determine what you think is a fair price and actual condition of unit. PPL offers a service to test all systems which helps, but you better know what you're looking at or bring in someone who does to inspect.

The big advantage of PPL is they weed out sellers who are way upside down in thier loans and are trying to unload thier loan, a waste of time. They require units to be priced within fair market value, you can always further negotiate with the seller. They have a good selection and no pressure sales, a big plus.

noserider · 04-02-2014, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwseeger

I just bought a 2003 Mountain Aire from the Houston PPL lot. I negotiated what I consider a fair deal for the particuliar unit I wanted. At a fee of 10% of sale price, their motivation is to move units so it's your responsiblity to determine what you think is a fair price and actual condition of unit. PPL offers a service to test all systems which helps, but you better know what you're looking at or bring in someone who does to inspect.

The big advantage of PPL is they weed out sellers who are way upside down in thier loans and are trying to unload thier loan, a waste of time. They require units to be priced within fair market value, you can always further negotiate with the seller. They have a good selection and no pressure sales, a big plus.

Great job and congrats on your coach. I love the MA. Post a pic if you can. That unit is high on my list. Since it's my thread I think I can hijack it and ask for a couple pics