Are these dealer costs reasonable? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

Are these dealer costs reasonable?

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

SnowGypsy, Thank you! They give you a two week warranty. He said that after we leave, if anything breaks, I could go to a nearby repair shop and get it fixed and they would reimburse us for that, since we are so far from them. I hope that they have something like that in writing!

Yikes!! I just read about the 15 day warranty in the first complaint!! So, that is nonexistent!! : ( They do NOT sound like good people to deal with!!

-- Edited by two 4 the road on Wednesday 30th of October 2013 08:10:54 PM

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

SnowGypsy, thanks a million!! I am so glad that I posted this thread!! I kept having a nagging feeling that something just was not right!!

I am wondering if they specialize in buying and selling lemons, since their prices are lower than others.

-- Edited by two 4 the road on Wednesday 30th of October 2013 10:29:26 PM

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

This will be our first RV purchase....a MS fifth wheel, if we like what we see. We will be traveling 6 hours to take a look, hopefully this weekend.

This is what the salesman told me. In order for them to hold it for us, there would be a $5,000 non-refundable deposit. We decided to pass on that, since it is our belief that if something is meant to be for us, it will be there when we get there.

For the final purchase, he said it would be the "purchase price plus our dealer fee of $395 to cover propane, new waste hoses, water hoses, water pressure regulator, cords etc. plus a 3 hour walk thru with a registered RV tech plus $425 for tag fee which you will get back whatever it costs less than that."

Does this sound reasonable? I can't see being charged that much for new hoses, etc. OR being charged for the "walk through," which I think might be also called "PDI." It also sounds strange about the tag fee...which we we "will get back whatever it costs less than that." That sounds complicated.

We would surely appreciate your help with this!

Thank you for all your help so far!

jrzygrl64 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have never actually bought a RV from a dealer, but I can tell you this: sounds like a bunch of B...S... to me! Non-refundable deposit? I know you said you didn't go for it, but REALLY? I wouldn't waste my time driving that far. Maybe someone who has bought one with a dealer will have better info, but it just sounds crazy to me!

Dog Folks · RV-Dreams Family Member

If a dealer wants to sell me a unit, and then charge for a PDI to shew me how everything works, (Which limits possible warranty claims) , I would run away.

Tell him you will get your own hoses, etc. and refund the $395.00. That is outrageous.

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

This is a used unit...no warranty.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Still wouldn't pay the PDI, we bought a used MS from Rolling Retreats in Elk City OK and they didn't charge us anything and when we gave them a list of a few things we noticed as we went through the unit, Slade fixed every single one of those, no charge. Then when we picked it up and the landing gear wasn't working correctly, Slade fixed it, no charge.

Regarding the tag fee, if it's out of state, just tell them you'll take care of that yourselves. Get the temporary permit, drive it home and go to your local DMV to get your rig licensed, that's what we did and that way we knew we were paying the correct amount.

We are on our 4th trailer, have never been charged for propane, although they haven't always come totally full. Regarding new hoses, water regulator, etc, our 2nd and 3rd purchase the dealer either included those items or gave us a gift certificate for their on site store to be spent however we chose. Our last purchase we didn't really need any of that, since it was our 4th trailer. Depending on what you want, my guess is you can either buy it cheaper yourself or spend the same amount and get a higher quality product. Dale is really picky about waste hoses, after having a dealer supplied one not work as advertised, so we would rather spend our own money and make our own decisions than just "taking" whatever the dealer thinks we need.

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

Good thoughts. NWescapee, I had the same thoughts myself. These people seems to sound shady. I wonder if we should even bother to go look at the 5er? It is priced 10K below NADA so I wonder if something is wrong with it....

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we lived in AZ, we went to look at used units at La Mesa so I recognized the name. We did not purchase from them since the units we were looking at were not in good condition and seemed overpriced and we had choices with other dealers there. I found this: www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/la-mesa-rv.html as I was aware there were some issues and a lot of dealers have issues but with La Mesa, well, I was somewhat familiar since we were living in an RV park at the time and chatted with a lot of people. Dealerships could vary. Since you understand that you won't have any warranty, you wouldn't have any warranty issues to deal with so most of this wouldn't apply. In KS, when we purchased, we had to pay sales tax before we left the dealer since it was a requirement and he said if it were too much or too little, our county would charge us the difference but not refund anything overpaid but he charged the right amount and I am guessing that is your $425.00 charge. They often charge a document and processing fee but I can't remember how much that usually is. I did see a paragraph at the bottom of their website that stated there is such a charge and in AZ, it is $395.00 but no mention of what other states would be or not. You might want to google "La Mesa RV and Better Business Bureau" also for more comments. Good luck in your decision.

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well....after seeing those bad reviews, there may not be a trip after all!!

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but alarms did go off when I saw "La Mesa" and I know there was more when we were in AZ, things going on but I just don't remember. Looking for a used RV, even a new one, is not an easy task. I can't remember how many times I have been disappointed when looking at an RV from an ad. When you decide to work with someone, read everything and do it where it is quiet and the salesman isn't talking and talking.

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

Gosh....who can you trust? I just Googled Lazy Days and there were some complaints about them....how about Camping World?

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

So...what is one to do? Avoid all the ones that have bad reviews? Or go see them and be really shrewd, hire someone to go over it with a fine tooth comb, or just pass them by?

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

As I mentioned in the other thread, think smaller dealerships and individuals. Most of those big dealerships will be the same. Do you have any kind of dealerships closer to your home? If so, talk with them, tell them what you need and see what they have to say. Best bet is a place that needs a good reputation to stay in business, the bigger ones don't need that with the high volume of sales they do there is always someone next in line to be taken advantage of. Ultimately, you have to make the decision on whether or not to pursue a unit.

Dog Folks · RV-Dreams Family Member

two 4 the road wrote:
Good thoughts. NWescapee, I had the same thoughts myself. These people seems to sound shady. I wonder if we should even bother to go look at the 5er? It is priced 10K below NADA so I wonder if something is wrong with it....

If it sounds too good to be true......It usually is.

Jo And Craig · RV-Dreams Family Member

I agree with everyone here. If the $5,000.00 is NON-refundable, you might has well not even look at it and, instead, pay someone to deliver it to you. Why bother making the drive? In other words, once you place the $5,000.00 down (if that's what you decide to do), you have basically purchased the unit... sight unseen! disbelief JMHO!!!!

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

Mary Sunshine wrote:
I agree with everyone here. If the $5,000.00 is NON-refundable, you might has well not even look at it and, instead, pay someone to deliver it to you. Why bother making the drive? In other words, once you place the $5,000.00 down (if that's what you decide to do), you have basically purchased the unit... sight unseen! JMHO!!!!

No, no....the $5,000 is ONLY if I want them to hold it for us until I get there to see it, which we opted NOT to do. The $5,000 has nothing to do with us at this point or ever, since we would NEVER pay a non-refundable deposit to ANYONE! I just quoted the man's email to show this company's practices, to give a clear picture of their policy.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

T4TR,

Go to Rolling Retreats website and give Alicia a call. They are a dealership for DRV, but they are a mom and pop operation. If you go to their "Inventory" page and scroll down towards the bottom of that page, you will see a list of used units, some DRV models and some not. I can vouch for Alicia and Slade being good folks and Slade will bend over backwards to make sure everything works for you on the trailer. Alicia will do all she can to help you, even if you don't buy from them.

Granted, they are in Elk City, Oklahoma, but they will also deliver, so if you wanted to go out to see what they had and purchase, Slade will haul the trailer to wherever you want it (provided its not Alaska.)

Terry

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thank you Terry, I had looked when you gave me the link before. There were only a few pre-owned and we did not see anything that met our needs.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

T4TR - Rolling Retreat's inventory continues to be updated, their current inventory includes a couple of units with TV's that look fantastic. Wish we would have had that option, looking at their prices, they look very reasonable.

two 4 the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks. Will check back. RVs for Less is much closer to us and they have good prices and a good reputation as well.

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

NADA prices for many coaches seem to be in the category of educated guess. They might be a guide to what a coach is worth, but that's about all. For low volume lines, and I'm guessing that DRV fits that, there simply aren't enough sales to give much of a market trend. I used PPL as a guide to what some coaches were worth, but only to keep me looking at those that we could afford. Even then, since those are consignment coaches, the seller sets the price. Some people want to ask a lot more than what they will eventually take so that the buyer things he/she is getting a good deal. Others want their rigs sold quickly, and therefore set the price as low as possible.

Keep in mind that NADA generally prices the rig as if it was in perfect condition. One that has old/worn out tires, obvious water damage, etc. will be priced lower (or should be).

Whether you buy locally or at a distance is going to be up to you. The farther away you have to go the more money you will have in the trip, and that is money that could be applied to buying locally. When buying used, though, you often have to look farther afield, and you will need to budget for that, too.

As you have learned, dealer reputation is a key element. Also, just because a dealer says there is a charge for something doesn't mean that it is so. I've purchased vehicles from dealers who have a "paperwork fee" or something by the same name. My offer is always $XXX including all fees. I usually get a long face, but I also usually get the vehicle. That "fee" is often also known as additional profit. License fees are something else, though, and vary from state to state. If you are buying out-of-state you will need to read up on what is involved at both ends for sure, and probably for any states that you will pass through on the way home.

Enjoy the hunt.