Purchasing RV from Craigslist

[faye]

has anyone had any experience in purchasing a used rv from someone on craiglist.

[RV Wizard]

Craigslist is just another means to advertise products and services for sale. You will want to have done your homework on what you are looking for. You will be dealing with a private party or business and you may or may not have a warranty. I would recommend that if you are not very familiar with an RV and the systems as to how they should work, that you have a qualified technician inspect the condition of the unit you are interested in. Your bank can give you an idea as to the value of a unit in good condition. Take your time and check it out very closely. There are some tremendous buys out there if you are patient and look for them. Good luck and keep us posted.

[RedneckExpress]

Yup, found my truck camper in an ad on Craigslist. It was #145, all the previous ones were chock full of rot or completely trashed on the inside. It was the only one without pictures, ironically, turned out to be the nicest and wound up getting my dollars .

[craziecritte]

Yes, we bought and sold our Bantam on CraigsList. We also bought our Gulfstream Innsbruck on CraigsList. Just be carefull and do your homework before you buy. Ours being a model year 2000 we knew it didn't have a warranty.

[StevePav]

Craigslist is indeed a good place to get a good deal on an RV, or anything for that matter.

However, some unscrupulous people place ads on CLthat are invitations to a ripoff. Usually these ads are easy to spot. In the case of an RV, it might be a 36', 2003 model Fleetwood for $4780 or some such ridiculously low amount. These ad are usually flagged very quickly by those who know better, just be careful.

Steve

[blacktie.shooter]

Originally Posted by faye

has anyone had any experience in purchasing a used rv from someone on craiglist.

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress

. . . It was the only one without pictures, ironically, turned out to be the nicest and wound up getting my dollars .

Unusual, but good for you. I have bought and sold several items on CL, including an '89 Itasca Suncruiser, with good pix and descriptions of upgrades, maintenance, etc.

No pix? I don't even look, unless there is something in particular that I am looking for. I take the position that if the seller doesn't include pix in the ad, for something as expensive as an RV, he is either not real serious, can't be bothered, or has a pretty warped idea about how much demand there is for his unit - and what it might be worth.

Do your research, ask your questions, know what you're looking at, get a clear title, and you should be fine.

Recent events have shown that you need to be careful when selling small items on CL, and people come to your house, but I doubt that would be the case here. IMHO, of course.

Good luck, and have a ball!

[EngineerMike]

Most important to be careful managing the finances if the coach is mortgaged. You'll need to contact their bank for the current payoff amount & include that in a checklist for "closing" a sale. I.e. don't rely on a seller to pay their bank or you may not get clear title. This is even an important caveat for rigs off dealer lots these days. BofA has shut more than one outfit down for not paying off their flooring loans when taking customer money & doing paperwork. Really bad when you have to buy the rig twice.

[MotorhomeMan]

Haven't bought but sold plenty of things on it.
Best part is that its FREE!

[lostone65]

craigs list is as good as a place to buy as ebay. the difference is you don't have to pay till you actually see the item, but fleabay you will hae to pay a fee ranging around 500.00 then go see what you bought. just my 2 cents, lostone65

[deandec]

Yep, bought my Ski Boat on Criagslist. Seller had clear title and we exchanged funds for papers in the lobby of his bank.

[CoCoDave]

Yes, we got what we think is a good deal on a 2001 Diplomat in suburban Seattle. As has been said, be cautious. One thing to keep in mind in today's market is that a lot of people are upside down on their coach loan. We might have gotten a better deal on a newer coach if people did not have to lay out so much money to get out from underneath their loan. Most folks would rather hang on than pay someone thousands to take something like a motor home off their hands. If you do make a deal for one that has a lien on the title make sure you do the transaction at the lien holder's office and make your check out to them not the seller.

FWIW

[faye]

Originally Posted by DiplomatDave

Yes, we got what we think is a good deal on a 2001 Diplomat in suburban Seattle. As has been said, be cautious. One thing to keep in mind in today's market is that a lot of people are upside down on their coach loan. We might have gotten a better deal on a newer coach if people did not have to lay out so much money to get out from underneath their loan. Most folks would rather hang on than pay someone thousands to take something like a motor home off their hands. If you do make a deal for one that has a lien on the title make sure you do the transaction at the lien holder's office and make your check out to them not the seller.

FWIW

if you go to bank to pay this lien off and owner has to pay a portion to satisfy the total loan, both parties are giving cashiers check, but bank says due to fraud with cashiers check they will not release title until the cashiers check clears...what advice do you have??? thanks

[jeffinsalida]

Have your bank info with you and do ELT, Electronic Funds Transfer. You will still have a tracking vehicle and the bank has what it likes most, Cyber money.

[mythplaced]

Originally Posted by RV Wizard

Craigslist is just another means to advertise products and services for sale.

Used property is used propety,

Regardless of "where" you find it advertised..

Check it out with care, as you would with ANY used expensive purchase
(car,house,boat, wife....did I say that???)