Buying from a dealer or private owner?

[Bigblockyeti]

I've been shopping for everything under the sun that I can tow with my current truck and will allow all of us to sleep comfortably in. Prices are all over the place, quality is all over the place and so are amenities offered by different makes and models. I'm still not yet set on anything but I am doing more research on what's come up locally that looks like it could be a good fit. We a couple hours last Saturday poking around the new and used lot at the local Camping World, a sales person was unavailable so we were let to our own accord allowing us to peruse a little bit of everything. I didn't realize what a blessing being able to check everything out on our own was. Yesterday I went to another large, local dealership with an appointment with a specific sales person and a specific TT. The experience was unpleasant to say the least, my sleeping accomodations and max weight are highly inflexible but I was promised before my arrival they had several TT that would fit my criteria, they did not. They had only the one that I initially found that was close then I was shown several more that I can't safely pull with my rig and were not the close to the floorplan I was looking for. Then came the issue of price, I'm not concerned with spending good money for well built TT that fits our family and I haven't the need nor desire to finance it. The closest thing we could come up with was $35.9K which I was comfortable with (maybe, if this will fit us) and I was immediately pushed about financing and what I'd like to put down. I told them I'd like to put down $35.9K and finance it for ~15 seconds. I don't know if it's more about the money aspect than actually selling RV's & TT's but it seemed far more important than the camper itself. I was told "What if you just put down $10K then financed the rest with a zero penalty early payoff?" "Sure" I said, giving him my credit score from my last "check up" as I didn't trust them with a "soft pull" or anything else they could damage with my SS#. He came back with "great news, you should be $349 - $399/month" again this would be theoretically financing $25.9K and I asked for how long, kind of an important question in my book. They actually had to go check and get this - 144 months, 12 years! That would require an intereste rate of between 12.6% with total interest charges of $24,450 and 15.7% with total interest charges of $31,760. This is absolutely ludacris to me that anyone would offer this or even moreso that someone would actually agree to this. Is it just me or is this a real thing that actually happens?

FWIW, I'm not a money person, that's my wife, I'm just an engineer but basic interest coming or going is something I've got a pretty good understanding of.

 

[Rosy]

I couldn't exactly figure out what your question is but I would recommend at least looking for something used from a private party. If you can get something well maintained that was built before 2020, I think you'll be golden.

 

[Jireh Financial]

Good morning Bigblockyeti,
We do financing for private buyers every day.
Sounds like you are getting a mixed bag of information. The credit pull we do here is truly a "soft pull". We see the full bureau and there is ZERO trace. I can't vouch for anyone else and what they do. We pay additional for the service and have done it for 15 years. The reason we do it is so we know what one of our lenders has a taste for each buyer and deal.
For someone to quote a payment without KNOWING the score is odd to me. Knowing means actually pulling a bureau and making an educated estimate. As for the term of the loan, nobody in RV loan history has made 180 or 144 minimum payments. None of the lenders we use charge a penalty or fee for paying additional. Again, I can't vouch for anyone else's business.
Sometimes dealership F & I people get laser focused on big profits.
Let me knowhow we can help.
Thank you,
Ken

 

[widdershins]

Look at both, no sense restricting your search. We ended up getting a nice deal from a local RV repair shop that had a unit on consignment.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

There's a screaming deal on a TT not too far from me with a "certificate of destruction" due to water damage but it looks fine. Apparently it can't be registered due to the COD. This would obviously be a cash deal, as anything else would be I'm interested in buying. This COD thing I find odd though, it seems it could be inspected if need be and recertified? At any rate, my other option would be to separate the camper body from the chassis and have the chassis weighed & register it as a utility trailer, a utility trailer that just happens to have a removable (not easily) camper body on it all the time. This would allow legal (but iffy) registration and a one time plate fee of ~$78 vs. ~$170/yr. with registration & property taxes.

The question I was posing in my original post was whether or not people really accept such outrageous terms resulting in huge interested paid? The rest of the fluff was just a babbling backstory.

 

[Rosy]

There's a screaming deal on a TT not too far from me with a "certificate of destruction" due to water damage but it looks fine. Apparently it can't be registered due to the COD. This would obviously be a cash deal, as anything else would be I'm interested in buying. This COD thing I find odd though, it seems it could be inspected if need be and recertified? At any rate, my other option would be to separate the camper body from the chassis and have the chassis weighed & register it as a utility trailer, a utility trailer that just happens to have a removable (not easily) camper body on it all the time. This would allow legal (but iffy) registration and a one time plate fee of ~$78 vs. ~$170/yr. with registration & property taxes.

The question I was posing in my original post was whether or not people really accept such outrageous terms resulting in huge interested paid? The rest of the fluff was just a babbling backstory.

Run away.

 

[Rosy]

The question I was posing in my original post was whether or not people really accept such outrageous terms resulting in huge interested paid? The rest of the fluff was just a babbling backstory.

We paid cash for our RV but I recognize that not everyone has the ability to do that. Interest rates are also ridiculously high in general right now.

 

[BGMAC]

Sometimes when you finance through a dealer they get a kickback from the bank for giving them business. This give the dealer “wiggle room” if you’re really trying to knock down the price.
I did that a couple times to get the deal then 15-30 days later paid off the loan. Sometimes the dealer gets a bit made because the bank won’t give them the kickback because of the quick payoff.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

That's kinda of what the salesperson was eluding to. Didn't mention any dealership penalties with an early payoff be it a day, week or month. If I do end up buying new and this gets me a lower price, it's something I will consider.

 

[TheLooks]

I would go back before 2020, quality was suffering from about 17 on. Covid just put the finishing touches on it.

 

[Bwk]

There's a screaming deal on a TT not too far from me with a "certificate of destruction" due to water damage but it looks fine. Apparently it can't be registered due to the COD. This would obviously be a cash deal, as anything else would be I'm interested in buying. This COD thing I find odd though, it seems it could be inspected if need be and recertified? At any rate, my other option would be to separate the camper body from the chassis and have the chassis weighed & register it as a utility trailer, a utility trailer that just happens to have a removable (not easily) camper body on it all the time. This would allow legal (but iffy) registration and a one time plate fee of ~$78 vs. ~$170/yr. with registration & property taxes.

The question I was posing in my original post was whether or not people really accept such outrageous terms resulting in huge interested paid? The rest of the fluff was just a babbling backstory.

Run away screaming or you will regret the buy for the rest of your life.
If you want to buy a totaled unit, find one that's been wrecked and not flooded with saltwater.

Also, if financing an rv never through a dealer. Spend a day on utube and see how they screw your brains out.
If you are paying cash, never tell them up front, as the real money is made in the closing of the deal.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

This COD unit allegedly only had a roof leak, so yeah, something with saltwater I wouldn't want to mess with. This thing is cheap enough that after scraping the body from the frame, I'd still have a long utility trailer I could use.

I don't think the financing thing is any different from anyone else marketing an asset (or liability) that carries enough residual value to be financed, then quickly repossessed and liquidated should the buyer be unable to pay. The car, truck, RV, TT, etc. is just a vessel to get the financing involved, the fincancing is the product the physical asset is just a necessary byproduct required to push the financing.

 

[TheLooks]

The frames under campers are not worth anything. They are made of sheet metal. Even the frames of 5th wheels are thin. Run away.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I had one previously from under a tandem axle 25' something or other and it served me well after cutting it down to 20'. Tube steel starts as sheet metal, when I was consulting with Freightliner, the frame rails for class 8 trucks are sheet metal, they seem to hold up reasonably well. It's part of managing expectations, fortunately for me BTDTGTTS.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I won't turn down a good deal!

Forget saving money on the unit,it has to be a labor of love, to create something!!

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I think the whole RV/TT thing has to be a labor of love to some extent. I too have trouble turning down a good deal! The last camper chassis I bought and used as a trailer, I even considered build my own camper on top of.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I think the whole RV/TT thing has to be a labor of love to some extent. I too have trouble turning down a good deal! The last camper chassis I bought and used as a trailer, I even considered build my own camper on top of.

I have built 4 campers, the last build, a slide in that was no higher than the PT, but had 6'2" standing room when setup. I pulled it across country with a PT Cruser. Like I said, it has to be a labor of love.

 

[Knobs]

This COD unit allegedly only had a roof leak

Obviously, IDK, but my reaction would be "yeah, right "

Can you get a copy of the insurance report or other official paperwork on the damage assessment?

As to financing, the last time I bought a vehicle (not my travel trailer), I got my credit union and the dealer to compete on loan terms. They went back and forth (through me) several times. They competed on all terms, interest, term of the loan, etc. Everything kept ratcheting down until the changes got so small I knew I was at the end. I ended up financing through the dealer and then immediately refinanced through the credit union. Of course, that was before [mod edit: inflation] hit and the Fed started increasing interest rates.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I know what you mean about the inflation. My truck is worth a little more as a result but a new, bigger replacement tow vehicle is up ~40% not just from inflation but lack of deals and more mandatory packages now than ever. I tried to spec out a new F250 CCLB 4×2 with the 7.3L gas engine and it mandated 4×4 and a $7500 appearance package, WTF!

 

[Bob K4TAX]

We opted to purchase from a private owner. I did my own very detailed inspection, made lots of pictures, and determined what would be required to make it 100% usable. I negotiated the price from there. I do my own work. We financed, obtaining an excellent loan from our bank.

We spent a bit more on repairs and updates than originally anticipated from the initial inspection, but only about 10%. That was largely $300 for a new Dometic toilet. Replaced the original plastic Dometic 300 with a Dometic 310. They said the warranty period and replacement program had ended.

As to buying from the dealer, they are in the business to make money at every turn of the deal. Oh, one may get a warranty, but in reading the headaches posted getting warranty work done, I'd prefer to save the money and do the work on my time. At least I know it is done right, what's done, and it doesn't take 3 months. Maybe 3 hours. Of course, I know everyone doesn't have the time, knowledge, and facilities to perform much maintenance. In that case, expect to pay and pay dearly, and wait and wait until it's done. Nothing moves fast these days.

Bob