Community Forums

nancie_usa · 10-15-2013, 03:11 PM

Hello out there! California Sierra Foothills here! Hubby and I have decided to buy a used class A motor home

. First we thought 15,500-20,000...wrong! Decided on gas instead of diesel...wrong! We have driven hours to check out private seller RV's. Can't seem to get two to check out in the same area! Always a little problem here, there....no big deal they say. These are obvious to the eye problems and out of our budget if we have to fix them! We are getting

. Now we are thinking of going to a

DEALERSHIP

. Will most likely have to finance a portion.... ugh!

Any recommendations...

. Thank you all in advance! All advice welcomed.

Ranger Smith · 10-15-2013, 03:17 PM

There are alot of good deals on Ebay. That is where we got our current rig for around 50k with low mileage.

Jimooo · 10-15-2013, 03:23 PM

I would recommend :
Check for service records.
Hire RV tech to check for any problems that might happen.
Take your time.
Get correct floor plan .

Good luck,

James

RickO · 10-15-2013, 03:25 PM

Hi and welcome to the forum.

It can sure be frustrating but hang in there. You might check out our classifieds... eBay... Craigslist... RVtrader.com... and PPL in Houston.

You might also say a bit more about what your needs are. From your post, it almost sounds like you're looking for a diesel pusher with nothing wrong with it for $20K and that will certainly be a frustrating search.

Rick

Fred1609 · 10-15-2013, 03:26 PM

Be patient. The right rig will turn up. DW and I looked for over a year before settling on our rig.

RickO · 10-15-2013, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred1609

Be patient. The right rig will turn up. DW and I looked for over a year before settling on our rig.

This is a great point. You'll read from others here on the forum who look for a year or more and then find the unit they feel is just right for them. The option is to get frustrated and go to a dealer and buy new... or settle for something used that you don't feel quite right about. Also, don't feel that going to a dealer for a used unit assures that there aren't problems with the unit.

Rick

Toyduck · 10-15-2013, 03:36 PM

The only real advantage to a dealer - are they willing to give you any type of warranty in writing?

Next:

Do they have a shop to do repairs in?
What is their reputation locally?

We've never bought from a private person, we have had good luck with our dealerships here, and they usually will give you at least a 30 to 90 day warranty if you insist.

Winnebeater · 10-15-2013, 03:39 PM

We're are not to far from you, we live in the valley. My wife and Iooked for almost a year as well. We combed through hundreds of Rv's online and narrowed it down to 5-6 we liked. We then were serious about one. I personally performed thorough inspections of everything (2-3 hours at least). NEVER trust a seller! It is in there best interest to manipulate the situation. Our final choice wasn't even one that we found online. We just happened to drive by it on our way back from looking at another one in Reno. Be patient and don't make any decisions on emotion, it's just a piece of machinery.

Stan.Birch · 10-15-2013, 03:46 PM

Buying from a dealer is probably your best option.

While a private seller is going to get every last penny he can from the sale of his rig; dealers have a whole back lot full of trade-ins they are motivated to rid themselves as quickly as possible to recover the deduction they had to make on the sale of a new rig to accomodate the buyer by deducting the cost of accepting their old relic in order to make a sale. The sale is not really complete until they can free themselves from the old relic being stored in the back lot. You would be surprised at how motivated a dealer is to talk price on one of these units.

becks · 10-15-2013, 05:03 PM

As those above state, don't give up. There are a bunch of good clean DP's out there, and some great prices as well. Just be patient. Good luck.

R2Home · 10-15-2013, 06:51 PM

We looked for almost a year, before getting our last MH. While getting one from a private party might work out OK if you do not need to finance. Dealers not only want/need to move used MH's but they have a better selection for finance options.
Good luck and take your time, there is lots of 'candy in the window'!

TXiceman · 10-15-2013, 08:03 PM

There are a lot of good used rigs out there, but in your price range, you will find a lot of well worn units that are going to need work. keep looking and you will find one that will work for you. Come up in price a bit and you will find newer units and fewer problems.

But realize any RV in the price range you are looking at is older and will require maintenance and repairs. So be prepared for brakes, suspension, tires and such.

Ken

VanDiemen23 · 10-15-2013, 08:52 PM

look @ RVOnline.com lots of units in one place with an easy interface. You have to decide what you want as far as powerplant, length, luxury level, and age, and then start looking for those models to determine a market value.

Took us over a year as well. The unit we found was originally listed by the owner and we started talking with them but didn't buy it right away. They moved it to Beaver coach sales on consignment. We eventually bought it off the lot just like from the seller - no warranty, inspection, etc. first trip was to the tire store to replace the 11 year old skins.

Had we paid the dealer markup I think the experience would have been the same. the coach has had a few issues but none that would have been found or fixed in the dealer's pre-inspection. They just get the obvious stuff that doesn't work. If you have decent mechanical ability and a checklist you can pick that stuff off at the seller's in a pre-inspection and go from there.

No mechanical ability - that's where the dealer comes in - and newer coaches.

baraff · 10-15-2013, 09:40 PM

Curious as to why diesel instead of gas. IN MY OPINION, unless you're going to full-time, a diesel coach is much more expensive, in intital cost and maintenance. If you're a weekend/2-3 week a year RVer, than financially a gas coach makes much more sense.
Diesels are meant to be driven, a lot. They typically do not do well sitting around for weeks and months on end. I would be extremely leery of any diesel motorhome in your price range.
We will consider a diesel rig when we retire, but until then our V10 powered Ford does just fine.