I drove ours three times before we purchased and the general manager rode with us all three times...no more than five miles on each drive....they did work with me on the purchase, I told them they were not allowed to check my credit and they would get no money down...they had to wait for the sale of our house to close....We told them on Friday afternoon they could put the deal together and we drove away Saturday morning....as long as they had control of the asset there was nothing to lose and they did finally get the sale.
* This post was
edited 08/12/08 09:50am by an administrator/moderator *
And I bet if they, the dealer, let you take it on a 160+ mile ride, when you got back you asked for one with less milage or now wanted a bigger discount, because this one is used. ROTFLMAO
traindriver wrote: Found a nice motorhome with a floorplan we really like. Settled on price, etc. Told dealer would like to drive to my home, about 80 miles, and make sure that it would fit in the place that I made to park my trailer. Dealer says after I give him check for purchase, I could drive motorhome and if I didn't like, he would give check back. Of course, there is no way I would ever agree to do this. My question. Has anyone else run across anything like this?
I think there is a difference between a test drive where a person can get a feel for a motorhome and taking the motorhome on a 160 round trip... If a test drive I would expect to have the salesman along and the test drive to be of sufficient duration to get a feel for the motorhome. I have not encountered any dealer requiring a deposit for a test drive...
In terms of a perspective buyer taking the motorhome on their own to make a 160 round trip to see if it fits.... I can not fault a dealer who would not allow without having a check in hand first.
The OP said dealer, and I don't want to make any assumptions, but there is a very interesting article in this month's FMCA about insurance coverage and consignment vehicles. Bottom line, they are not covered by the owners insurance, and neither are they covered by the consignment lot insurance.
I don't know if that is a factor or not. The only reason I mention it, is that a huge local consignment lot has a policy of not allowing test drives until the deal is agreed upon. That used to tee me off, until I understood that they must do this to protect the seller.
I agree with others that asking for a 160 mile round trip is an awful lot. Surely you can use a tape measure to see if it will fit. On the other hand if you just want to make sure you can drive it, then I bet a salesperson will accompany you on a drive.
On the other hand, you are right not to write the check for the full amount and drive off the lot. At that point, IT'S YOURS !!!
Richard, Rhonda, Ty, and Alex
1995 Newell with 470HP Detroit Diesel
Pulling 2002 Honda CRV with Alexis Towbar
WOW!! What a numbskull that salesman is. RUN...don't walk....away. But then I saw someone buy a new Cadillac like this: "OK, fine, I'll take it, oh yeah, how much"? TOM
Locomotiveman..Yes I am a career cross-country Locomotive Engineer. Wife is an RN. We are CLOSE to retiring and 'downsized' to a Monaco Executive w/450hp Cummins and nice drapes. Locomotiveman
traindriver wrote: Found a nice motorhome with a floorplan we really like. Settled on price, etc. Told dealer would like to drive to my home, about 80 miles, and make sure that it would fit in the place that I made to park my trailer. Dealer says after I give him check for purchase, I could drive motorhome and if I didn't like, he would give check back. Of course, there is no way I would ever agree to do this. My question. Has anyone else run across anything like this?
Now wait a second. You want the Man to give you a $$$$$$ don't the price motorhome to someone he just met and trust to bring back after going 160 miles round trip? I'm sorry but I have to side with him on this one. If you need to see if it will fit, that's what they make a tape measure for.
The Texan wrote: Do a search here and you will find a post from a member who got caught in this trap, within the past month. They took a coach home, with the same deal as you describe and when they returned, the dealer said no deal on returning the check, when they said it would not fit in the driveway. Sorry, but I trust dealers even less than I trust salesmen, when their lips are moving.
Is this the one where he got cold feet and wanted to back out of the contract? In that one he signed the contract, gave them a check and took it home, then decided he didn't want it after all. Not a true comparison
Deen - Vancouver, WA
'02 Dutch Star 4090 (41+', triple slide)
435/1200 ISC Cummins/Banks PowerPak
'08 Honda Civic/dolly
'05 Honda Odyssey/dolly
NRA Benefactor Life Member
FMCA f47302s, Life Member: Good Sam, Newmar DP Owners Group
51st yr of RV'ing
Well I would agree with the tape measure theory, however, there is more than just measured feet in the equation. There is also a sloped driveway and if the motorhome will negotiate the slope without scraping, and also a little red fire plug involved that I think the city would not like to get damaged. Anyway, I don't object to buying gas, or even a damage deposit, and would encourage the salesman or owner to ride along. But there is no way that I am going to write a check for boo koo thousand dollars on the word of anybody that it will be returned no questions asked at my convienience. But anyway, thanks for your replies.
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