Buying from dealer vs private party - RV-Dreams Community Forum

gypsy97 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Buying from dealer vs private party

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

On any given unit, you will always pay more from a dealer than you would if you bought from the "owner". That said, in your situation it might be wise to buy form a dealer if -

A. You can find a reputable one you can trust.

B. you can get some kind of guarantee, or warranty for a real amount of time, at NO additional cost to you.

A good dealer will completely inspect and repair anything wrong before putting a unit up for sale on his lot. After all, his reputation is on the line, and he wants satisfied customers.

If you follow the RV Consumer Group guidelines and look for a relatively newer unit, you shouldn't be too concerned with the details. The average RV is only used about 30 days a year and a 2 or 3 year old unit shouldn't really have that much wear and tear on it and probably hasn't been towed that far. Ask a lot of questions, can you speak to the owner? A nice retired couple that's selling because of death or sickness, or a young family with 5 kids.

Look at some new units, so that you can judge if the older unit your interested in looks new or worn. You can also hire an RV tech for probably a few hundred dollars, to inspect the unit independently for another opinion.

BTW, shock absorbers in trailers are like curtain rods in a house, no big expense to change.

Keep asking questions of us as you go through the process, you'll come out just fine.

Fred

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Dealer is the way to go along with an extended warranty if you plan to keep the RV longer than the regular warranty period.

Since you aren't mechanically inclined, you need the dealer for servicing and the warranty so it won't cost you an arm & leg.

I am mechanically inclined and I've been glad we had bought from a dealer to repair a few of the things that have failed along the way. It's nice to just pay the $50 deductible when the bill was actually $2500. The price of the RV from a dealer vs private party doesn't seem so much different when you're saved from a high repair bill due to the warranty.

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

I know this thread is a bit old, but the questions are still relevant. I'm wondering 2 things:

1) how/where does one find a certified RV tech? Are there many around?

2) do you need to buy from a dealer in order to get a warranty? I know some may have trial periods (10 days, 30 days, etc), but

a) if the RV is still under manufacturer warranty, isn't it transferable between owners?

b) If it's out of mfgr warranty, can't you purchase an extended warranty from a third party (such as the one Howard/Linda advocate or other such companies)?

gypsy97 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I bought my 5th wheel and truck from a private owner, and it wasn't a very good experience. She didn't know much about it and couldn't even tell me how to hitch it up! She had bought it in Nebraska and driven it back to the east coast where she left it in a storage lot in NJ for 2 years. Everything looked brand new, but the systems were not so good. I lived in it for about 2 years and then sold the 5ver, but kept the truck for a couple more years. I loved that truck! My advice would be to find a reliable dealer and make sure you have someone who can teach you how all the systems work, how to hitch and unhitch safely, etc.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

Good Rv Techs. can be found at any reliable RV service Center.

yes you would have to buy from a dealer to get a written warranty.....most private sales are considered as is.

some manufacturer warranties are transferable but not all..

if its out of mfg warranty you can purchase an extended warranty.......I am not positive , but normally up to 10 yrs of mfg.

Dont be afraid to buy from a private party , Just be careful and do your home work.....dont rely on what the seller tells you....their selling it !!

those that buy and complain later didnt look it over thoroughly Before they bought it.......A dealer/ Salesman can and will sell you the same piece of crap for double the money of a private sale........and there are horror shows that come straight out of the factory and all a warranty is good for is to give you the rules of how your going to do it their way....

so whether you buy New and spend all the money
make a deal at the dealer and buy used for half the money
or buy a private sale for a 1/4 of the money

Do your homework and try to learn how all the systems in an RV , most are pretty basic and simple......if you know what to look for going in.....you can count your savings going out without paying for asprin!!

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Is it tacky to bring an RV tech to a dealership?

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

only to the dealership!!!.......it makes you look good!!!

and who cares whether you look tacky.....it's your money.........better to look tacky in the beginning, than look like a fool in the end!!

gjmiller138 · RV-Dreams Family Member

This has been very helpful information. My budget when and if Im able to leave is about 10 to 12 grand. Plans, have someone who knows what they are doing to look it over. I have a fear of leaving the security of my under the water home but dream of a beautiful park to wake up in each day. Thanks for the questions and answers

scindapsus · RV-Dreams Community Member

the only thing i care is whether the product i bought have warranty and they can provide wafter-sale service for me.

Roz · RV-Dreams Family Member

There have been some very good considerations mentioned. A couple of others to consider are:

Being able to get service from a dealer you purchase fropm is totally dependant on whether you are near this dealer when service is required.

The second, and possibly the more important of the two, is who backs the warranty. If it is strictly a warranty with that dealer, you are tied geographically to that area. If it is an independant warranty, it is vital information as to who delivers on the warranty. Equally important is "what is covered". In many instances, a warranty has more exclusions than coverages.

Lucky Mike is quite knowledgeable on this subject. There are good companies and less than good companies.

We have purchased two motorhomes used (in very good condition). We purchased an extended warranty on each. That was an expensive decision. Yes, it brought us peace of mind, but the small repairs required never came close to making the warranty purchase viable. Others on the forum have wisely said, set aside some of what you are willing to spend for your rig up front and add to that a small percentage of what the warranty payments would be, and the odds are strongly in your favor you will come out far ahead.

Remeber, a warranty is a piece of paper. (Even on a new unit) Its value is totally determined by how the manufacturer or warranty company backs the warranty. Dealers often make as much profit in selling a warranty as they do the RV.

In hind sight, our peace of mind was terribly expensive. Everyone needs to tend their own garden on this one. God Bless.

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we started out we were firmly convinced that we would buy from PPL. In fact, I checked their site nearly every day for a year for coaches that were on our list of possibles. Once we decided on a 'Bird, a Foretravel, or a Newell, though, PPL was not consulted as much since they have few of those brands. Motorhomes of Texas, though, has lots of Foretravels and some Newells, so we expected to buy from them. As it happened, though, the coach we bought was offered by a private party and was only about six hours away from us. When we met the sellers we were convinced that it would be a good experience for us, and it was.

Since you are asking the question, I assume that you are looking at used coaches. The warranty, if any, is going to be minimal. Most likely there won't be any factory warranty. An RV isn't warrantied by the manufacture as by their dealers. If you buy a new coach and find a warranty issue, your selling dealer will quickly take care of it. That same issue on the other side of the country may not be handled as quickly. With an automobile, though, if you have a warranty issue you simply go to the nearest dealer and it will be taken care of. For some reason, though, the RV industry seems to think that people who buy vehicles intended for traveling never go very far from where they bought it.