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IC2 · 11-25-2014, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmattei

To be clear i would not consider buying at an auction. What i was curious about is buying from someone who fixes up rigs that he purchases at auctions. Are you saying I should avoid any rig that has been through an auction or just that I should not buy at auction myself?

thank you bob

As said, this can be risky but also can be a financially sound decision. If the rig has a salvage title, that would be a wave off for me but other then that, your very good PDI including a good road run are very important. Also ask if he will give you references by other buyers plus do an on-line check and if he has any negative reviews and why (but one disenchanted buyer wont kill a sale though though several would). Warranty - does he offer one?

Many times an auction vehicle is fairly old model wise, or a strange inside arrangement or an 'orphan' make. It also may just have sat on a sales lot too long and the dealership needs to recoup his dollar outlay. Then it might just be a 'clunker'

bmattei · 11-25-2014, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IC2

As said, this can be risky but also can be a financially sound decision. If the rig has a salvage title, that would be a wave off for me but other then that, your very good PDI including a good road run are very important. Also ask if he will give you references by other buyers plus do an on-line check and if he has any negative reviews and why (but one disenchanted buyer wont kill a sale though though several would). Warranty - does he offer one?

Many times an auction vehicle is fairly old model wise, or a strange inside arrangement or an 'orphan' make. It also may just have sat on a sales lot too long and the dealership needs to recoup his dollar outlay. Then it might just be a 'clunker'

He offers 6 months/6000 miles "bumper to bumper" - but I haven't seen it in writing yet. Work would need to be done at his shop - so won't do me much good in a road emergency (his shop is about 1.5 hrs from my home). The RV work is a side business - mostly done by his dad. They usually only have 2 or 3 RVs at a time. Main business is selling cars they buy at auction and restore.

Rigs looked in pretty good shape but that's to my untrained eye.

Few things make be cautious:
> His dad is the one who knows and does most of the work on RVs - he's got one on the lot he's fixing up for himself. Dad does not speak a lot of english and I don't speak any Polish. Son claimed ignorance about some of the things I asked him about in the cab.

> RV is a side business and they provide the warranty - do they know enough to fix any and all problems?

They've been in business since 1996 and the better business bureau gives them an A+ rating but I have not seen any reviews from someone who has bought an RV from them. If I precede I'll ask for references.

We did a quick walk thru of the rig we're interested in. Planning to go back when we have more time to give it a better look. Thinking I might want to hire an RV inspector if it gets to the point that I make an offer.

Thanks again - Bob

spritz · 11-25-2014, 06:21 AM

Just a FYI
I bought my last F150 from a auction and it was the biggest piece of junk I have ever bought .

ahicks · 11-25-2014, 06:37 AM

Regarding the earlier comment, I was thinking of buying at auction.

The ability to do a thorough PDI, in a timely manner, is gained through experience. You really don't have time to check it out completely, so you have to have an idea, or the instinct, of where to look for trouble.

No problem buying a coach that's had an extensive PDI done, as long as there were no shortcuts taken in the repair of any issues found.

The deal you're talking about didn't sound bad - until you got to the part regarding the lack of knowledge on the son's part, and the lack of ability to communicate with the father....

If it's an interesting coach, maybe make arrangements to see it with the father present. See how that goes. Maybe he's not good at English, but he may know enough, and be pretty good at getting his ideas across? If you feel good afterward, go for it, the same as you would if it was sitting in somebody's back yard.

The warranty you're describing, manf's won't even give you something like that, and the fact the service must be performed at their shop must be considered carefully. Might be fine for a step that stops working, but I guess I'm thinking of chassis related stuff here. Like sitting on the side of the road half way up a mountain with an overheated engine, or a blown turbo.... what's this warranty worth then? Incidents like those, you're likely going to own yourself. That's part of the buying used decision. Very few used coach "warranties" will help you in those situations, and insurance that might cover you will be expensive....

Regarding the F150 - there are people that are VERY good at covering up issues with "fixes" intended to last not much longer than it takes the vehicle across the auction block or be sold. They know the rules, and use them to their advantage.

bmattei · 11-28-2014, 04:25 PM

I plan on making another visit on Monday to checkout the class C I mentioned earlier in the thread. Things I'd like to do or know more about:

1) Would like to see the Warranty in writing.
2) Inspect the roof. They added support under where the air conditioner is. The roof had been sagging a little at that spot. They specified the coach has never leaked - and I saw no indication that it has. I know from some on line research that sagging under the air conditioner does sometimes occur. I want to find out more about how they reinforced it.
3) Run everything. With the one constraint being that the coach has already been winterized.
4) Inspect under the rig for rust. Any particular areas I should be more concerned with?
5) Take the rig for a test drive.

Any hints anyone give me on inspecting the rig (roof, rust ,systems etc.) and things to try while test driving will be greatly appreciated.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Thanks - Bob

ahicks · 11-29-2014, 06:46 AM

HUGE RED FLAG -

"They added support under where the air conditioner is. The roof had been sagging a little at that spot."

IC2 · 11-29-2014, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahicks

HUGE RED FLAG -

"They added support under where the air conditioner is. The roof had been sagging a little at that spot."

I absolutely agree. There are just too many great preowned RV's to take this kind of chance unless the price is a total giveaway and you are a very strong DIY'er that can rebuild that roof.

bmattei · 11-29-2014, 12:21 PM

Price is good. They are promising a 6 month/ 6000 mi bumper to bumper warranty - would not do deal if I do not get warranty. I am thinking of getting a professional rv inspector to take a look. In sellers favor they told me about the issue up front. On the other hand there are plenty of rvs out there - though it's hard to find one with no issues and a reasonable price.

David Hay · 11-29-2014, 12:42 PM

My wife and I talked briefly about upgrading our motor home once or twice but never got real serious about it. Then one day coming home from an out of town business trip I came across what looked like a nice unit at a residence on the side of the road. I got a real good feeling about the unit and the seller, and surprised my wife with our new RV. Boy Oh Boy, am I ever glad she likes my taste in RV's since we couldn't be happier with it.

bmattei · 11-29-2014, 01:36 PM

David,
Nice. Glad that worked out for you.
Bob

ahicks · 11-29-2014, 08:03 PM

Bob, you're going to look through a lot of tu*ds to find the diamond you're after. Be patient, and keep looking.

Regarding being up front with you, something like a "reinforced" ceiling will be pretty obvious to anyone that sees it. No professional would endorse anything like that, for any reason. It's clearly a patch that's pointing to issues within the roof. To me, if this is typical of the type work that might be applied to repair a "warranty" issue, it stands out as another reason to not get involved.

bmattei · 11-29-2014, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahicks

Bob, you're going to look through a lot of tu*ds to find the diamond you're after. Be patient, and keep looking.

Regarding being up front with you, something like a "reinforced" ceiling will be pretty obvious to anyone that sees it. No professional would endorse anything like that, for any reason. It's clearly a patch that's pointing to issues within the roof. To me, if this is typical of the type work that might be applied to repair a "warranty" issue, it stands out as another reason to not get involved.

Thanks. Still learning and it takes time.

MSHappyCampers · 11-30-2014, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmattei

Looking for an RV and would like to know how you went about it. New? Used? Dealer? Private Seller? What worked? What didn't? How was your experience? What would you do differently?

Thank you - Bob

Bob, we found our MH on RVTrader.com from a private seller. We also sold our 5th wheel there! I would take their deal of running the ad until it sells!

terry735001 · 11-30-2014, 07:24 PM

mine story is more out there

walking in a RV you pull it junk yard and see it had a good title and home it came

same place i got 3 RVs from there nice 2005 TT 1200$ .. 2013 5er fro a firend not sure what he payed but i know it was around 5000$ in the end and my 2005/6 class A for under 3000$ but my unit needed alot of work the others not so much