DWM wrote: ...
From the buyers perspective, there is a benefit because once you put an offer on a unit and it is accepted by the seller, they inspect it throughout and then report back to the buyer and seller about all issues found with appliances, mechanics etc. Then the seller has an option of fixing them, or reducing the cost to cover the fix.
So basically, it is a piece of mind from the buyer standpoint.
Not sure I agree. I bought my first C from them in March. Dealing with Sales/Bus office was smooth. Now I am upgrading to an A and they tell me they can't send me the inspection report due to policy. I pay for a service and while they do an inspection I have no clue what passes/fails/might fail. I just think it is odd that you don't get a print out of the inspection report like you would a emissions test/alignmnet/etc. Seems like hiding something to me.
Don't get me wrong, they found some expensive issues that the owner took care of which does give me piece of mind, but I question the business practice of providing a service that records data and then not giving you a copy of that report. What is there to hide?
But this inspection just covers the coach, nothing to do with the chasis, i.e., brakes, engine, tranny: stuff that costs way to much to fix. I know cuz that C I bought cost me some green on those things listed above. You can't bring your own inpector in there and they use their own appraisers. Hard to know if you have an exhaust leak or your calipers are about to go, shocks are leaking, blah blah.
Also consider if you insurance covers your RV when you put it on the lot. I have to ask PPL if they insure it and prospective buyers, but my guess is no. My insurance company will not insure on consignment lots. PPL had 6+ diesels burn up a few months back and there are still 3 or so on the lot just sitting there while the insurance companies duke it out, won't let PPl move them is what I was told. SOunds like it is the seller's insurance company taking care of it not PPL. I bet the owners are still making payments....
Good luck. I hope to close on my 2nd PPL purchase just as soon as I get a peek at that pesky inpection report!
I, too, find their limitations on inspection troubling. I tried to buy through them last year. They would not allow me to have a third party inspection. Period. They would not allow me to gain permission from the seller to have a class A coach taken to the manufacturer's dealership for a thorough inspection, and that is when I thanked them for their time and left.
Don't get me wrong, they found some expensive issues that the owner took care of which does give me piece of mind, but I question the business practice of providing a service that records data and then not giving you a copy of that report. What is there to hide?
But this inspection just covers the coach, nothing to do with the chasis, i.e., brakes, engine, tranny: stuff that costs way to much to fix. I know cuz that C I bought cost me some green on those things listed above. You can't bring your own inpector in there and they use their own appraisers. Hard to know if you have an exhaust leak or your calipers are about to go, shocks are leaking, blah blah.
hmm 2 questions:
1) Is there any recourse in the contract you sign if they fail to find/disclose something about the coach section? Say the fridge isn't cold or the dish doesn't aim?
2) Is the chassis sold "as is" then? Is there some sort of state level DMV inspection that covers that?
Earlier this year we were in the Galveston area and considering a visit to PPL with the thought of upgrading our Class "A" with no slides. We heard about the fire two days before our planned visit and decided to take a pass as things were probably in a state of disarray just after the fire.
Have enjoyed reading all of the posts including the questions about inspections and reports. Don't understand why they won't allow the RV to be inspected by a qualified third party especially the chassis?
Would like to stop by PPL sometime in the future but need a few more questions answered first.
Bob and Sue
I had a friend with a Class C Freelander he had to sell in a hurry..He drove from NJ to TX and it was gone within two weeks...he did take a hit--but it wasn't super catastrophic...this place holds its own--it seems.
Stuart and Stella Denning
2006 Coachmen Aurora (workhorse chassis with Konis)
the 4 Bulldogs (Summer, Sully, Sierra and Great-Grandma Demi)
2007 Saturn VUE AWD (Our Toad)
One worn out Debit Card
I am fairly certain their policies regarding third party inspections, has something to do with insurance liabilities. Not releasing an inspection report performed by their own people, however is troubling, don't understand that.
I sold my '91 Pace Arrow thru them last year. I was pleased. They asked me to disclose what was wrong. I did. Some thing I payed to have fixed, new batteries, reseal roof, service generator. Other I reported as 'not going to repair' like dash AC, rear main leak.
I am satisfied with the sale. I think the buyer new what they were buying. I think it worked well for us.
I wonder if you could make an offer subject to viewing the inspection report. Shows your serious and really if it will be your new MH I feel you deserve to know the good and bad.
2008 Itasca Sunova 35J Class A
1997 TJ Sahara, hard and soft tops and AC
Held together via Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow bar and stopped by US Gear Unified Brake system.
I sold my TT thru them 2 years ago. It cost me 10%, but they got more for it than I could of. It was gone in 2 weeks too. I was a pleased seller, and would use them again.
zsr22 wrote: If I was to purchase a rig from PPL, would I be purchasing from a private seller or from a dealer? Basically, would I be paying sales tax?
Some of the rv's at PPL are owned by PPL as they take some trade-ins. We looked at one at PPL and it was a trade-in, so we were dealing with PPL. They wouldn't budge on their price. They didn't even have the courtesy to counter my offer, they only said NO. Had they been willing to deal with us we were prepared to pay more than they eventually got for the mh. They wanted offers faxed to them, so I was expecting a counter-offer faxed back, but that didn't happen. I had to call to find out if they were accepting my offer. Salesmen do not work on commission. The salesmen are super nice and very helpful. Then they assign the hard sell people to close the deal. When I called back the salesman I dealt with was never there. In 2 weeks he was never back in the office for one reason or another. Hmmm... We are not in Houston so we were trying to negotiate a deal on a mh via telephone and fax. I'm not bitter over this because we love the rv we eventually bought. The one at PPL needed a new floor. I'm just relating my experience with them.
ETA - In my offer I declined the $230 check-out fee. This particular rv was under contract for several months after we let it go. There's no telling how many times they collected that $230 fee from other potential buyers. After the first time it was checked, they knew what was wrong with it, so charging someone $230 for that service was pure profit. If they do this for all the rv's they sell they make a lot of money off the check-out fees!
* This post was
edited 07/24/08 11:14am by Scrapz *
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