Buying used has the same problem for me, whether it's from a private party or a dealer. You have no idea what the previous owner did or didn't do to it that is not readily visible. So many RV'ers do their own repairs or have their trusted Brother-in-law do it. A lot like campgrounds electrical wiring jobs...
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Ivylog wrote: Let me guess: you bought new, fianced for 15 years, put very little down and are so upside down you'll have to put in $20K to unload. GOOD LUCK.
Oh yea, I'd buy from a private seller first, one that paid cash and has some idea of what these toys are worth.
ahhhh, the american way!
before folks jump on ivy for making a general assumption...
1)bought my current coach last year.
the private seller had to cough up a $21,000.00+ check to his bank on top of my purchase price (cash) to get out of it
2)EVERY single potential buyer for my fifth wheel recently "had to sell" their current RV "before buying" mine and every one talked financing...meaning, they still were making payments on it or at a minimum they needed that cash for down money
either way, the buyer pool is clearly heavily reliant on credit it seems
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I bought our first motorhome from a private seller and was very pleased, even though the brakes froze up on the way home. Seller footed the bill. However, my reason for going to a dealer for #2 & #3 was simple - trade. I had no luck trying to sell mine. Dealer offered my exactly what I was asking and still took 5K off the used unit we purchased. Second time around I didn't bother trying to sell myself, just spent a lot of time looking and haggling with dealers till I got what I felt was a good deal.
zaitzcj wrote: Did you (would you) buy a used motorhome from a dealer rather than a private party, and why? I'm having no luck selling mine, and wonder if this is the reason. I suspect many are reluctant to go the private-party route.
I like buying from a private party, but you have to be lucky enough to find exactly what you want. The other problem nowadays is that they may owe money on it and are underwater pretty deep, so they have it over priced in an attempt to recoup their losses.
The biggest problem with selling what you have outright is that interested parties either don't have the cash or can't get a loan on their own, so they go to a dealer and usually pay much more. Buying from a Dealer usually comes with more expense along with the sell price, too.
We always bought from individuals in the past, but went with a dealer on the present one. Can't say it was as an enjoyable experience by comparison and will be the first RV we ever had that we won't make money on. In fact it's going to cost plenty in losses when it comes time to sell, but still it's been the best overall and we will get plenty of use from it in the meantime.
Let's face it, it's a highly depreciating asset, so that's makes it tough from the get go, so I can't even imagine buying one new and especially if there's finance charges on top of it. I mean what's it cost to even get a high end model off the lot?
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I prefer private sellers. The last used one I purchased I called and told them I would make the trip to look at it if they were willing to lower the price quite a bit, they did not. Two weeks later they called and lowered their price to what I had asked and thought the unit would be worth. I drove down, bought it, and drove it home. All negtiations were done before I looked at it. I also once looked at one, called him a week later and said I have looked at three almost identical units and that I was going to make all three of them the same offer and I would buy from the first one to take my offer. He fell for it and I got it at my price.
LongWeekends wrote: I gotta say, I am surprised that more people don't buy from private sellers just due to the sales tax difference. Maybe it was just me??
You got that right and I've bought more than one vehicle for a dollar and 6 cents tax, but then these were from good friends that owed me tons of favors...
Then there's all the other charges that Dealers stay up at night dreaming about. The only thing one has going for themselves is tax on the difference when trading, rather than on the whole sales price.
LongWeekends wrote: I gotta say, I am surprised that more people don't buy from private sellers just due to the sales tax difference. Maybe it was just me??
You got that right and I've bought more than one vehicle for a dollar and 6 cents tax, but then these were from good friends that owed me tons of favors...
Then there's all the other charges that Dealers stay up at night dreaming about. The only thing one has going for themselves is tax on the difference when trading, rather than on the whole sales price.
friend of mine just bought a motorcycle from a private owner.
on the title put down $2500 purchase price.
went to regsiter it at and was told "Um, the book value on this unit comes up as $6500 sir"
...states are looking for "their" money any way they can get it!
I would love to buy my next MH from the owner so that I can get a history on the coach and look at all of the maintenance records. The big problem is that most owners want more then the RV Dealers. If a dealer is loaded with units, he will cut the prices to move them out. A home owner can sit on it and wait for their price.
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