Johnny: I forgot to add that our next purchase will surely be a used DP. I am not going the new route. So how will I qualify our purchase ? Research, and lots of it. I want to make sure it completely fits our needs. I have been actively researching DP's and have nailed the list down to three. When we go camping, I make it a point to visit with anyone who has one of the three coaches we are considering.
When I see a member here who has one of the brands we want, I PM them and ask them for their input. Some are very candid and the majority honest. If they own problem coaches they say so and I appreciate their input.
I also go off the general feeling everyone has about their coach. One brand I am really impressed with is the Discovery. I just have had a very hard time finding disatisfied owners. The other is the Endeavor, their owners seem to love their coaches. And the third, the Dutch Star I am presently researching also seems to have a good following. But I have found at least one thing I dont care about on each coach. Once we find the right coach for us we will begin to search in earnest for a good deal.
There is one other little tool I will surely use and thats Carfax. If I find a coach I want to buy, I will gladly pay the 20 bucks and get the carfax report and the history on the coach. I can then contact the previous owner/owners to find out if the one I am looking at on a dealers lot is a lemon or not.
When your spending $ 100 K you should dig to the bottom of whatever your considering on buying to eliminate as many possibilities as to NOT get a lemon. And even then there is no guarantees but you surely can reduce your risks.
Chris
2005 Ambassador 40 PLQ
Chevy Tracker
2006 20 ft Haulmark Enclosed Car Hauler
Two Motorcycles for enjoyment
Fulltimers
I'm a happy camper. We bought the MH because my son has terrible health issues, and with the MH we can take the controlled environment with us. Nothing beats my son telling his friends that he spent the coolest best ever vacation with his parents by the fire.
What would I change? I bought the MH without too much knowledge, so I went to a respectable dealer (yeah, right). They sold me a coach with terrible delamination, a broken manifold bolt and the brake calipers gone. So I wouldn't realize that the calipers where shot, they disconected the brake light from the instrument pannel, reason for which I burned the parking brake. I took it back to show them the delamination, and they told me they didn see it before, even though that now that I know, it is quite noticeable even in the picture used in the website to advertise it.
I don't have too much money to put in the MH, so I'm fixing stuff as it goes, and enjoing the MH as my kidsare able to take a couple of days with us without getting sick.
In regards to the dealer, I was told when groing up not to judge. They have to sell those bad MH to somebody, I guess they just chose an easy prey, that was buying a not a toy, but more of a mode of transportation for his kids.
Even with all of that, with no money left and working my a** of while fixing the coach, I wouldn't change it for the world!!!!
2007 Four Winds 31F Life rocks when your home rolls
John, I'm going to answer your question in four (4) different ways: 1) I'm a happy camper when we are on a long trip/vacation in our MH and I'm talking 3-6 weeks in duration. 2) I'm an unhappy camper when I'm back in the Detroit area working and have to see our MH parked out back behind the building just sitting there. Motor homes were made to drive and take on trips and when our sits, its like a Cardinal Sin. 3) I'm unhappy about all the little things that have gone wrong, but 4) very pleased with the excellent customer service that we have received from both Workhorse Custom Chassis and Tiffin Motor homes. In conclusion, for me its a split decision, if that makes any sense at all! Regards, Chuck.
From a personal point of view, I have experience in heavy mechanical along with RV repair and until my retirement, carried a Michigan state license. I feel that put me just a tad above other new MH owners. True I have owned TT's and truck “slide-in units”, but the jump to a Class "A" is really different. Also, I had been out of the trade for over 13 years when I started looking.
The best recommendation that I can give is to do as much research … research … research as possible. For most, they will want a unit that will not need very many repairs before they will be ready to use it for its intended purpose. Of course, this will increase the initial cost of the unit.
For some that have more technical expertise, they might look for a lower priced unit that will need some repairs. I of course took the later route. Knowing that the units that I was looking at and eventually purchased would need some work, I still did some considerable research. This included watching forums like RV.net and others and reading as much as I could as sucking up all the information like a sponge to update myself from what I used to work with.
I found that there were many changes that had come over the last 13 years. I also took some marine experience and applied it to some of the things that I was looking for in my land yacht were similar to the last 33 footer steel hull that I previously had. That too was a rebuild project, so intensive projects are not new to our family.
The other thing that needs to be considered by those that are new to the RV world, or even upgrading, would be to find a competent person that can go over the unit to see if there are any problems that might not be disclosed either accidentally or on purpose. This will save in the cost of unexpected money outlay.
Rudimentary items that need to be looked at are all the systems of the coach, and this would also be good for any RV unit. People have to be aware that ‘time’ is the greatest problem for the majority of the units that are for sale. Something as simple as tires could leave one with a $1000.00 bill or better.
Other things that might need to be checked out are the legalities. Licensing, taxes and insurance are some of the things that should be investigated. I did get some information off of the forums that gave me some less than credible information. It was only after I delved into many phone calls that I finally got the right information.
Check out all information and then double check the same information with other sources. It will save money in the long run. This will also keep the buyer more satisfied with the end purchase result or even turning down a unit that might not be as good as it looked initially.
The final thing is not to be ashamed to ask a question on this or other forums. There is no such thing as a stupid question … except the unasked question that will cause one a problem later. With all the mechanical, electrical and component expertise that I have from ‘back in the day’ I still have need to ask many questions. This can be seen from the number of posts that I have made since I enrolled in January.
HTH:
“Doc”
Combat Vietnam VeteranSupport our troops for serving our great country.
CLass "A"='90, SunBus, Oshkosh, 460, C6, 5.12 gears, 8R19.5.
New TV='02, K3500, CC, DRW, 8.1L, Allison, 4.1 gears.
Pace 8518TA2 Trailer. Looking for a side entry T/C with no slides.
Put me down as a happy camper but sad that I still have to work. We just got back from 9 days at the beach and have a couple more longer trips planned. No problems and the MH runs great.
John
2001 42' Foretravel U320
2007 Bornfree 24 Painted
2001 Jeep Wrangler
2007 Burgman 650 Executive
Susie and Dolly (Cavalier King Charles Spaniels)
Dolly now in our hearts and thoughts 8-27-05
Doodle a Black and Tan Cavalier
Lolly a Ruby Cavalier
Chalk us up as happy campers. We are basically satisfied with our purchase. Like everyone else we have our little problems but they have been well handled by those that were responsible. One main thing my wife is unhappy about is no bath tub in our unit. She is a serious tub user.
I be happy. Been East to West three times and North to South four times. Minor problems that always seem to get fixed and life goes on wonderfully. Best thing that happened is I found a great service center that actually takes me in on short notice and I have never had to be there over a day yet. Had to come back to complete a job but have never been without the MH. I did have a salesmen that like all salesmen are in it for the money and after it is sold they forget you all together, but like I said I looked around for the service center that I felt good with and found it. As to floorplan we too looked for two years. Thought we had found it now and then but something always said no. When we found this one we went back four times, we knew it was it but we didn't let on to the salesmen until we got the price that we wanted. The downside is not being to use it as much as I want to for a couple of years yet.
YosemiteBobR (Bob) GoodSam Club Life Member
Dolphin LX 03, 37, W22 Workhorse
24' Sea Ray bow rider, 91 Jeep Wrangler (rock crawler)
Yellow Lab and Border Collie
My DW the co-pilot/navigator
GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL
So far I would say we are happy campers. We love the floorplan, we werent as concerned about the chassis and what not, but found a floor plan we liked, and dealer we liked as well, service has been excellent, only small issues, nothing major, mostly cosmetic stuff. We've had a TC, PU, TT, and now a class A. Best part of it all, is time with the family, they don't really care what we camp in, they have fun no matter what. Just wish I could spend more time doing it, and less time working.
I would fall into the happy camper. My longest trip so far has been 5800 miles/three weeks. Just one minor problem. But even the weekend trips are so worth wild. Nothing like "getting out of the house". Having a MH was something we looked forward to for many years. We would always say "that will be us someday". Our someday is now. Having been involved in a tragic incident a few years back changed my outlook on live. I live for today...the end may come sooner then you expect/planned.
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