Question Buying used from dealer

[Dakota1]

We bought used from a dealer.
Carpenter’s Campers is a small, locally owned dealership in Pensacola, FL. They survive on their reputation for sales and service. When we were looking, our salesman spent time with us and learned what we required and desired in a Class A motorhome. He called us when he would find a potential coach that met our specs. We did not get an additional inspection outside of Carpenter’s.
We bought a terrific Georgetown that was five years old. Since then, we’ve had it in for service a few times and are always treated well by the Service Dept.
We learned early in our search to stay away from chain dealerships and that is echoed here every single day. Go local.

Thx for the help. I noticed u have a Georgetown 5 series. We're looking to get a 31L anything good or bad u can tell us about Forest River would be greatly appreciated. The for ur help.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Just completed an inspection this week with a certified inspector in AZ. Two man team and they were onsite with the RV for 8.5 hours, 122 page report with pics. It is worth the expense to know what you are getting yourself into, and I am much more confident in my soon to be purchase.

Does this mean things didn't bode well for your tire blowout repair?

 

[Scotttkd2]

Hi Bigblock....I am going to post an update soon on the original thread, but no it is not going well at all. Getting it stranded in Albuquerque turns out to have been a very bad piece of luck. We are running out of time to stay where we are currently so we are buying a replacement coach (older and beefier) and when our coach finally does get completed I will be putting it on consignment. Should sell quickly with all the upgrades and add ons and pretty much new everything it will have by that time, we just cant afford to wait for the process to work itself out.

 

[Rich W.]

Hi Bigblock....I am going to post an update soon on the original thread, but no it is not going well at all. Getting it stranded in Albuquerque turns out to have been a very bad piece of luck. We are running out of time to stay where we are currently so we are buying a replacement coach (older and beefier) and when our coach finally does get completed I will be putting it on consignment. Should sell quickly with all the upgrades and add ons and pretty much new everything it will have by that time, we just cant afford to wait for the process to work itself out.

More damage than you initially realized or no adequate repair facilities there? Seems like a Freightlienr shop could get it road worthy and you could have the body work done elsewhere. Looking forward to the update.

 

[Scotttkd2]

Short answer, FL shop got it rolling but not cross country drivable yet due to cap damage, only one body shop would take it in, and they have wasted over a month now and still not ordered any parts from Newmar due to fighting with insurance over approving the estimate due to the number of hours they want to do the repairs. More to follow soon in original thread.

 

[Rich W.]

Got it. Veering back on topic, some more benefits to buying from a dealer are that they usually have a significant margin so they can negotiate more. They also have no emotional investment in the coach - its just a number, they have no loan to pay off driving the bottom line, and they typically pay far below “book value” when they take RVs in on trade. So they can usually move more on the price. Also they can offer financing and a warranty if you want or need either, and many have a decent shop on site so they can fix things and/or provide upgrades before the deal closes.

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

Thx for the help. I noticed u have a Georgetown 5 series. We're looking to get a 31L anything good or bad u can tell us about Forest River would be greatly appreciated. The for ur help.

Yep, a 2017 31R5. Same as the L5, but with a slight change in the interior. The L5 (which I initially liked better) has the TV and couch aft of the dinette.
The pleather sucks. We had the driver and navigator seat recovered in cloth. It cost us $1200 in Pensacola, FL. We have replaced both the sleeper sofa and dinette because a) both were uncomfortable and b) they were kinda ugly. We replaced with a big chair from Rooms to go and table and chairs from an unfinished furniture store. It’s only the wife and I, no additional people ever, so losing the sleeping area is not an issue.The windshield wiper assembly had a bearing go bad and needed to be replaced. Weird item to go bad.
Had to put a new thermistor in the fridge and I added exterior fans to the back of the fridge.
No major issues at all. The coach has exceeded all of my expectations and has never let us down.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I've been shopping for a while. For us, this is the next step beyond tent camping and a TT will take a concerted effort to use 6 times a year. For that reason we're looking at a TT that will sleep 6 and 8 in a pinch that has an empty weight of <4500lbs. It's a tall order but there are units that fit the bill, from private sellers and dealerships. I tend to shop A LOT before buying so I do as much research as possible before taking a look especially at a private sale. I want to spend as little of a person's time as possible with a private sale vs. a dealership as the sales folks at the dealership are already there specifically to cater to those shopping.

The two big chains near us are Ultimate RV & Camping World. I looked a several units at CW and dealt with two different sales people (I did ask for the first person we saw on our 2nd trip but they weren't available). I liked how everything was organized neatly, was clean and both lots were paved. Both sales folks did a good job of communicating during and after shopping with no pushy sales tactics. Ultimate RV was the opposite, the place was a dirty, unorganized mess with gravel and mud constituting most of their lot. The first sales guy showed me stuff too heavy for me to pull after I gave him very clear specs. He then went on telling me one more sale and he "earns" a vacation trip his daughter is really looking forward to. That was more that a little scuzzy to me. The second visit to Ultimate RV, I was looking specifically at a used (& overpriced) hybrid they had. The sales woman was pleasant and I also let her know my specs, she was much better at showing me a few other units that I could actually pull. After we sat down, it turned to a poo show, very pushy sales tactics and being used I certainly wanted a full inspection prior to anything resembling a commitment. She asked me what my (non-contingent) buy it now price was and wanted me to sign something to take to her sales manager. That didn't happen and I let her know that based on what I saw, they would need to pay me $500 to haul it away in the event there were serious problems. BTW, this was something they hadn't yet taken the time to inspect or clean prior to shoving it onto the sales dirt. Then comes the sales manager, at this point I'm not wasting their time, they're wasting mine. Got the whole spiel about not knowing about what I really wanted without diving in and shopping perpetually means I'll never actually find something. I did appreciate his insight about the last part but it served only to reaffirm, I'll make a solid investment vs. an implusive mistake at least 100 times out of 100.

Both have their pluses and minuses. If you're more indepentant and able to identify and deal with issues, a private sale can save much $$. A dealership will supposedly check everything out and give you a better idea of the condition of what you're purchasing. Some will stand behind it, some will say they will then fail. If you go the dealership route, hopefully you'll not have to find out.

 

[Dakota1]

I've been shopping for a while. For us, this is the next step beyond tent camping and a TT will take a concerted effort to use 6 times a year. For that reason we're looking at a TT that will sleep 6 and 8 in a pinch that has an empty weight of <4500lbs. It's a tall order but there are units that fit the bill, from private sellers and dealerships. I tend to shop A LOT before buying so I do as much research as possible before taking a look especially at a private sale. I want to spend as little of a person's time as possible with a private sale vs. a dealership as the sales folks at the dealership are already there specifically to cater to those shopping.

The two big chains near us are Ultimate RV & Camping World. I looked a several units at CW and dealt with two different sales people (I did ask for the first person we saw on our 2nd trip but they weren't available). I liked how everything was organized neatly, was clean and both lots were paved. Both sales folks did a good job of communicating during and after shopping with no pushy sales tactics. Ultimate RV was the opposite, the place was a dirty, unorganized mess with gravel and mud constituting most of their lot. The first sales guy showed me stuff too heavy for me to pull after I gave him very clear specs. He then went on telling me one more sale and he "earns" a vacation trip his daughter is really looking forward to. That was more that a little scuzzy to me. The second visit to Ultimate RV, I was looking specifically at a used (& overpriced) hybrid they had. The sales woman was pleasant and I also let her know my specs, she was much better at showing me a few other units that I could actually pull. After we sat down, it turned to a poo show, very pushy sales tactics and being used I certainly wanted a full inspection prior to anything resembling a commitment. She asked me what my (non-contingent) buy it now price was and wanted me to sign something to take to her sales manager. That didn't happen and I let her know that based on what I saw, they would need to pay me $500 to haul it away in the event there were serious problems. BTW, this was something they hadn't yet taken the time to inspect or clean prior to shoving it onto the sales dirt. Then comes the sales manager, at this point I'm not wasting their time, they're wasting mine. Got the whole spiel about not knowing about what I really wanted without diving in and shopping perpetually means I'll never actually find something. I did appreciate his insight about the last part but it served only to reaffirm, I'll make a solid investment vs. an implusive mistake at least 100 times out of 100.

Both have their pluses and minuses. If you're more indepentant and able to identify and deal with issues, a private sale can save much $$. A dealership will supposedly check everything out and give you a better idea of the condition of what you're purchasing. Some will stand behind it, some will say they will then fail. If you go the dealership route, hopefully you'll not have to find out.

Great story and advice. Like to buy private but I haven't come up with many good sites, any advice on that ? Thx

 

[Dakota1]

Yep, a 2017 31R5. Same as the L5, but with a slight change in the interior. The L5 (which I initially liked better) has the TV and couch aft of the dinette.
The pleather sucks. We had the driver and navigator seat recovered in cloth. It cost us $1200 in Pensacola, FL. We have replaced both the sleeper sofa and dinette because a) both were uncomfortable and b) they were kinda ugly. We replaced with a big chair from Rooms to go and table and chairs from an unfinished furniture store. It’s only the wife and I, no additional people ever, so losing the sleeping area is not an issue.The windshield wiper assembly had a bearing go bad and needed to be replaced. Weird item to go bad.
Had to put a new thermistor in the fridge and I added exterior fans to the back of the fridge.
No major issues at all. The coach has exceeded all of my expectations and has never let us down.

I really like the modifications you made. It's reassuring to hear that ur very satisfied with Forest River. How do u feel about the V10 ?