We are rapidly sliding down to full timing in the next 45 days or so and we have been motorhome shopping online all over the USA. My biggest question is how does one actually make the purchase from a private party that is all the way across the country. We have found the coach that we like but I'm a little more than uncomfortable with sending an individual who I don't know, a "substantial" deposit of $5K or more without some sort of security. Eventually, when our house closes in mid June we'll fly to his location to complete the purchase and pick up the coach. I just don't want to fly to Alabama and find the coach has been sold or never even existed in the first place. The seller seems earnest and honest over the phone but who knows.
Has anyone else had this dilemma and if so how did you solve the problems. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Lucky Mike said
10:24 AM May 20, 2014
your going to have to either work something out with the owner or find a dealer who will secure the coach and allow storage until you arrive. long distance purchases require alot of homework and making sure protections are in place.....another way to protect your money would be to use a purchase contract and the deposit placed in an escrow account. Safety first !!! or sign the title into lien against the deposit...
Vstarrider1946 said
11:30 AM May 20, 2014
Thanks Mike, I appreciate the reply. I wonder if there is an Earnest Money agreement for RV like in real estate?
cherylbrv said
11:40 AM May 20, 2014
I agree it really is risky and scary. Although not quite across the country, we are also buying our rig and truck from quite a distance away. We saw the ad on a website of a very reputable dealer, as well as on an owner's forum; I'm not sure how much I would trust Craigslist or even Ebay.
Of course, buying sight unseen is not very smart. We're arranging to have a certified RV technician inspect the vehicles first (he's also a certified diesel mechanic so is also able to inspect the truck) before heading down to buy it.
Good luck!
ON EDIT: I didn't read carefully enough and there is the issue of the deposit. I guess I am fortunate that my seller is not asking me for a deposit and is trusting me that I will proceed with the purchase, pending the results of the inspections.
-- Edited by cherylbrv on Tuesday 20th of May 2014 01:27:55 PM
Lucky Mike said
11:59 AM May 20, 2014
Dave you could use the same agreement other than that the title must have you written in as lien holder ..if not it would become a very drawn out civil matter.
with you signed in as lienholder they cannot sell it without you signing off on it.......I've done it this way a few times when large deposits were required. You also want to check the title to make sure there isnt a lien on it already or if it was salvaged.
Never take someones word.....and a handshake has no value anymore....
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Tuesday 20th of May 2014 12:00:40 PM
WendysPhotos said
01:21 PM May 20, 2014
I would see about an escrow account at an bank. They hold the money until both parties sign to have it released. If the person is honest (which 99.9% are) he will go for some sort of escrow account. That way he will know you are serious about the purchase and you know he is not going to abscond with the money. Ask a bank like CitiBank, it may be around 50.00 to do it, but peace of mind is worth that.
Wendy
manycats said
02:19 PM May 20, 2014
Here's the lawyer rearing up her head again. Paper is only worth as much as the money that backs it up. You may have an airtight contract but no one to collect from if something goes wrong. There are many scammers and thieves that seem to have all the right answers and can bamboozle the savviest person. Your seller may be completely trustworthy but you are risking quite a bit of money. My advice is the same as has been posted - escrow account through your bank (not the seller's bank) and money transferred only when your are satisfied with the purchase. Remember the old Roman saying: Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware).
Vstarrider1946 said
02:20 PM May 20, 2014
Great Idea. Thanks
dewwood said
05:07 PM May 20, 2014
If you have not physically seen the coach, I would recommend spending the money to fly to look at it and to meet the seller. I don't think I could purchase something that large without actually seeing it and meeting the seller to get a feel for his honesty.
tigercx1 said
05:31 PM May 20, 2014
The same goes for selling a vehicle to a person long distance. I sold an older RV for $8000 and requested the person bring cash but they did not want to since they were taking the bus and didn't want to carry that much cash. We worked out a deal that he put send a deposit first. Then he was to bring a cashiers check from the same bank where deposit check was issued from. I called his bank while he was on his way here and they said check will be good.
Everything went good but it was a relief that the check cleared with no problem. I worried he could stop payment on the check and have Camper and title in hand. Not sure I would go through the long distance sale hassle again.
Mark
-- Edited by tigercx1 on Tuesday 20th of May 2014 05:34:00 PM
French Bikers said
06:41 PM May 20, 2014
I don't really have good advise for you but I would not buy any type of RV without having a good look at it with a proper inspection. If it is really what you have been looking for you should go first. Sometime things look too good and easy to be right.
Good luck
TRAILERKING said
10:22 PM May 20, 2014
Best to fly down and have a look at it, whether it's dealer or private sale. The most you could be out is the cost of a plane ticket..........There are way too many scammers in this days economy.
Vstarrider1946 said
10:25 PM May 20, 2014
Living in Moscow, Idaho, we're used to long distance. Our nearest " major" city is 300 miles away. I.e. Seattle, Portland or Boise. You learn to deal with it living in Idaho. Spokane, Wa is closer but no major RV dealers. Just selling campers.
Vstarrider1946 said
10:57 PM May 20, 2014
Agreed! I was thinking of setting up an escrow account in the location of the coach with both buyer and seller as required signers on the account. I could deposit a refundable earnest money into the account and upon acceptance of the inspection and approval of the sale, after flying in to do a personal look and test drive, I would wire the remaining balance into the account for his withdrawal.
Movin-on said
12:16 AM May 21, 2014
How did you find an Certified RV Inspector in the area where the RV is located? I have also found an RV in another state, but I don't know who to call to find a certified RV Inspector.
Aurora Borealis said
01:02 AM May 21, 2014
I checked some eBay ads and they are all asking for $500 as a deposit.
$5000 seems way too high of a deposit to me. Maybe $1000 as a deposit.
The bank escrow account and using the RV technician to check it out before you give them the deposit seem like excellent ideas.
Do let us know how it works out in the end. I have wondered how to handle this myself, glad you asked.
cherylbrv said
06:49 AM May 21, 2014
Movin-on wrote:
How did you find an Certified RV Inspector in the area where the RV is located? I have also found an RV in another state, but I don't know who to call to find a certified RV Inspector.
I first checked with the RVIA and did a Google search for "certified RV inspector" in the area I was looking. I was fortunate to find one.
Movin-on said
10:41 AM May 21, 2014
Thank you!
Vstarrider1946 said
11:34 PM May 22, 2014
I'm still searching for an inspector in the Mobile, AL area. I have contacted all of the RV dealers around Mobile but so far I've struck out.
DEWhit said
11:48 PM May 25, 2014
I would not consider setting up any type escrow or wire account or buying anything until I could physically put my hands on it and test drive and then inspect it. I think some time and travel expenses for preinspection would be cheap insurance for a purchase of your new home.
-- Edited by DEWhit on Sunday 25th of May 2014 11:49:26 PM
Vstarrider1946 said
08:58 AM May 26, 2014
Thanks DEWhit. That,s exactly what we have decided too.
mpierce said
07:18 AM Jun 6, 2014
Vstarrider1946 wrote:
I'm still searching for an inspector in the Mobile, AL area. I have contacted all of the RV dealers around Mobile but so far I've struck out.
Paid 1k for him to drive from IN to GA to inspect a 25 year old Blubird. He owns an older Blubird, and does a lot of RV appraisals. Check him out.
Vstarrider1946 said
10:33 AM Jun 6, 2014
I found a company called Pinnacle Automobile Appraisers. The do appraisals and inspections on all types of vehicles and RV's. They are a nationwide company with offices in 47 states. Lucky for me, they have a guy in Mobile who did the inspection for me. I paid $350 for the inspection and $75 for an appraisal. He did the inspection on 6/3 including a test drive, and yesterday I received a 30 page written report with color pictures. Now it's time to fly to Mobile and do my own visual and test drive and if I'm satisfied I'll close the deal
Offtosmelltheroses said
12:25 PM May 30, 2015
I know this is an older thread, but rather than start a new one with my question, thought I'd post it here. We're also shopping for a used DP, (right now leaning toward Tiffin Phateon or Allegro Bus, and have been closely watching all the national sales sites, so we're thinking we may end up wanting to purchase long distance. (Seems as though there's way more Tiffins east of the Rockies than on the West Coast.) The advice already posted here was very useful to me, but I'm also wondering what I can expect regarding long distance price negotiations. Is that part of the routine? Are dealers and private sellers willing to negotiate sales price over the phone or email, or would I expect to do any negotiating "face to face"? I'd sure like to get the price set before I buy the plane ticket!
Thanks for the help everybody!
Vstarrider1946 said
10:14 PM May 31, 2015
We bought our 2012 45' Allegro bus and have been full timing for 11 months now. We made the "deal" through email and over the phone with the seller in Mobile, AL. I hired the Pinnacle Automobile Appraisers which I mentioned in a post above for $400.00 . They went to Mobile and did the appraisal, sent me a printed report showing the interior, exterior, a driving report, comparable sales and any deficiencies that they could find. There were very few things that they could find wrong. At that point we agreed and a sales price that turned out to be about $50K LESS than the the agreed sale price. So I flew with a friend of mine to Mobile and did a personal inspection of the rig. It was like new. The seller had it professionally detailed before our arrival so we met at his house and where he stored the bus and consummated the deal with a wire transfer of the selling money from my bank account into his. Within 15 minutes he checked with his bank and he gave me the signed title and a bill of sale. We took of and drove the bus from Mobile, AL to Moscow, Idaho in 4 days. And so on July 1, 2014, the journey into the full-time life style began. We've never looked back. As I write this we're in Pahrump, NV, after visiting our grand kids in Ft Worth, TX for a month. we're heading for Canyonville, OR for a week long Allegro bus rally. Then back to Idaho for a month or so and then who knows. We spend winter at the Palms RV Resort in Yuma, AZ.
Ckerr said
02:22 PM Jun 1, 2015
We're finding ourselves in the same boat. We live in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and while there are tons of Winter Texans and beautiful RVs during the winter, it is definitely not the place to buy one...
We drove to Austin and San Antonio this past weekend and looked at several. And we're about 6 hours from PPL in Houston. Still we can't run there everytime something looks like a maybe... On top of that many of the units we are interested in are LONG distances away, like Florida and Oregon...
Wondering how people narrow down what they are looking for when there are not many options to look at locally? Since we're looking at used, an RV show is not the best option for browsing.
Thoughts and suggestions are welcome.
Offtosmelltheroses said
06:26 PM Jun 1, 2015
Ckerr wrote:
We're finding ourselves in the same boat. We live in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and while there are tons of Winter Texans and beautiful RVs during the winter, it is definitely not the place to buy one...
Carol - Conversely, we're in Oregon and have been watching the ads in Texas and Florida among other states, - your comment caught my eye...can I ask why you feel Texas isn't the place to buy one? Wondering if I should be taking all those Tx dealers off my list of watchables?
Jim
Vstarrider1946 said
06:35 PM Jun 1, 2015
Personally, I wouldn't take anyone off your list of possible sellers. You;re looking for the best deal where ever it is. We almost bought one from PPL in Houston until we suddenly happened across an ad for the one in Mobile which we ended up buying.
Tonight were in Bishop, CA for one night at the Highlands RV Park. Heading for Susanville, CA tomorrow AM. Then off to Oregon via the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Ckerr said
07:03 PM Jun 1, 2015
Offtosmelltheroses wrote:
Ckerr wrote:
We're finding ourselves in the same boat. We live in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and while there are tons of Winter Texans and beautiful RVs during the winter, it is definitely not the place to buy one...
Carol - Conversely, we're in Oregon and have been watching the ads in Texas and Florida among other states, - your comment caught my eye...can I ask why you feel Texas isn't the place to buy one? Wondering if I should be taking all those Tx dealers off my list of watchables?
Jim
jim, I would not take the Texas dealers off your list at all. PPL is one of the largest, MHSRV up near Ft. worth has tons and there are a lot of others. At the moment I'm just seeing more units that catch my eye in other area. Not to say one won't show up in Texas at any minute. Just a matter of how long we want to wait...
Offtosmelltheroses said
07:08 PM Jun 1, 2015
Ckerr wrote:
Offtosmelltheroses wrote:
Ckerr wrote:
We're finding ourselves in the same boat. We live in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and while there are tons of Winter Texans and beautiful RVs during the winter, it is definitely not the place to buy one...
Carol - Conversely, we're in Oregon and have been watching the ads in Texas and Florida among other states, - your comment caught my eye...can I ask why you feel Texas isn't the place to buy one? Wondering if I should be taking all those Tx dealers off my list of watchables?
Jim
jim, I would not take the Texas dealers off your list at all. PPL is one of the largest, MHSRV up near Ft. worth has tons and there are a lot of others. At the moment I'm just seeing more units that catch my eye in other area. Not to say one won't show up in Texas at any minute. Just a matter of how long we want to wait...
That's good to hear, thanks so much. Good luck with your search. If you spot something in the Portland area, and need someone to give it a quick look, let us know!
We are rapidly sliding down to full timing in the next 45 days or so and we have been motorhome shopping online all over the USA. My biggest question is how does one actually make the purchase from a private party that is all the way across the country. We have found the coach that we like but I'm a little more than uncomfortable with sending an individual who I don't know, a "substantial" deposit of $5K or more without some sort of security. Eventually, when our house closes in mid June we'll fly to his location to complete the purchase and pick up the coach. I just don't want to fly to Alabama and find the coach has been sold or never even existed in the first place. The seller seems earnest and honest over the phone but who knows.
Has anyone else had this dilemma and if so how did you solve the problems. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Mike, I appreciate the reply. I wonder if there is an Earnest Money agreement for RV like in real estate?
I agree it really is risky and scary. Although not quite across the country, we are also buying our rig and truck from quite a distance away. We saw the ad on a website of a very reputable dealer, as well as on an owner's forum; I'm not sure how much I would trust Craigslist or even Ebay.
Of course, buying sight unseen is not very smart. We're arranging to have a certified RV technician inspect the vehicles first (he's also a certified diesel mechanic so is also able to inspect the truck) before heading down to buy it.
Good luck!
ON EDIT: I didn't read carefully enough and there is the issue of the deposit. I guess I am fortunate that my seller is not asking me for a deposit and is trusting me that I will proceed with the purchase, pending the results of the inspections.
-- Edited by cherylbrv on Tuesday 20th of May 2014 01:27:55 PM
Dave you could use the same agreement other than that the title must have you written in as lien holder ..if not it would become a very drawn out civil matter.
with you signed in as lienholder they cannot sell it without you signing off on it.......I've done it this way a few times when large deposits were required. You also want to check the title to make sure there isnt a lien on it already or if it was salvaged.
Never take someones word.....and a handshake has no value anymore....
-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Tuesday 20th of May 2014 12:00:40 PM
Wendy
Great Idea. Thanks
If you have not physically seen the coach, I would recommend spending the money to fly to look at it and to meet the seller. I don't think I could purchase something that large without actually seeing it and meeting the seller to get a feel for his honesty.
The same goes for selling a vehicle to a person long distance. I sold an older RV for $8000 and requested the person bring cash but they did not want to since they were taking the bus and didn't want to carry that much cash. We worked out a deal that he put send a deposit first. Then he was to bring a cashiers check from the same bank where deposit check was issued from. I called his bank while he was on his way here and they said check will be good.
Everything went good but it was a relief that the check cleared with no problem. I worried he could stop payment on the check and have Camper and title in hand. Not sure I would go through the long distance sale hassle again.
Mark
-- Edited by tigercx1 on Tuesday 20th of May 2014 05:34:00 PM
Good luck
Best to fly down and have a look at it, whether it's dealer or private sale. The most you could be out is the cost of a plane ticket..........There are way too many scammers in this days economy.
Living in Moscow, Idaho, we're used to long distance. Our nearest " major" city is 300 miles away. I.e. Seattle, Portland or Boise. You learn to deal with it living in Idaho. Spokane, Wa is closer but no major RV dealers. Just selling campers.
Agreed! I was thinking of setting up an escrow account in the location of the coach with both buyer and seller as required signers on the account. I could deposit a refundable earnest money into the account and upon acceptance of the inspection and approval of the sale, after flying in to do a personal look and test drive, I would wire the remaining balance into the account for his withdrawal.
How did you find an Certified RV Inspector in the area where the RV is located? I have also found an RV in another state, but I don't know who to call to find a certified RV Inspector.
I first checked with the RVIA and did a Google search for "certified RV inspector" in the area I was looking. I was fortunate to find one.
Thank you!
I'm still searching for an inspector in the Mobile, AL area. I have contacted all of the RV dealers around Mobile but so far I've struck out.
I would not consider setting up any type escrow or wire account or buying anything until I could physically put my hands on it and test drive and then inspect it. I think some time and travel expenses for preinspection would be cheap insurance for a purchase of your new home.
-- Edited by DEWhit on Sunday 25th of May 2014 11:49:26 PM
Thanks DEWhit. That,s exactly what we have decided too.
I used this one: http://www.mcginnisauctions.com/site/home.asp?id=action.content&site=mcginnisauction.com
Paid 1k for him to drive from IN to GA to inspect a 25 year old Blubird. He owns an older Blubird, and does a lot of RV appraisals. Check him out.
I found a company called Pinnacle Automobile Appraisers. The do appraisals and inspections on all types of vehicles and RV's. They are a nationwide company with offices in 47 states. Lucky for me, they have a guy in Mobile who did the inspection for me. I paid $350 for the inspection and $75 for an appraisal. He did the inspection on 6/3 including a test drive, and yesterday I received a 30 page written report with color pictures. Now it's time to fly to Mobile and do my own visual and test drive and if I'm satisfied I'll close the deal
I know this is an older thread, but rather than start a new one with my question, thought I'd post it here. We're also shopping for a used DP, (right now leaning toward Tiffin Phateon or Allegro Bus, and have been closely watching all the national sales sites, so we're thinking we may end up wanting to purchase long distance. (Seems as though there's way more Tiffins east of the Rockies than on the West Coast.) The advice already posted here was very useful to me, but I'm also wondering what I can expect regarding long distance price negotiations. Is that part of the routine? Are dealers and private sellers willing to negotiate sales price over the phone or email, or would I expect to do any negotiating "face to face"? I'd sure like to get the price set before I buy the plane ticket!
Thanks for the help everybody!
We bought our 2012 45' Allegro bus and have been full timing for 11 months now. We made the "deal" through email and over the phone with the seller in Mobile, AL. I hired the Pinnacle Automobile Appraisers which I mentioned in a post above for $400.00 . They went to Mobile and did the appraisal, sent me a printed report showing the interior, exterior, a driving report, comparable sales and any deficiencies that they could find. There were very few things that they could find wrong. At that point we agreed and a sales price that turned out to be about $50K LESS than the the agreed sale price. So I flew with a friend of mine to Mobile and did a personal inspection of the rig. It was like new. The seller had it professionally detailed before our arrival so we met at his house and where he stored the bus and consummated the deal with a wire transfer of the selling money from my bank account into his. Within 15 minutes he checked with his bank and he gave me the signed title and a bill of sale. We took of and drove the bus from Mobile, AL to Moscow, Idaho in 4 days.
And so on July 1, 2014, the journey into the full-time life style began. We've never looked back.
As I write this we're in Pahrump, NV, after visiting our grand kids in Ft Worth, TX for a month. we're heading for Canyonville, OR for a week long Allegro bus rally. Then back to Idaho for a month or so and then who knows.
We spend winter at the Palms RV Resort in Yuma, AZ.
We drove to Austin and San Antonio this past weekend and looked at several. And we're about 6 hours from PPL in Houston. Still we can't run there everytime something looks like a maybe... On top of that many of the units we are interested in are LONG distances away, like Florida and Oregon...
Wondering how people narrow down what they are looking for when there are not many options to look at locally? Since we're looking at used, an RV show is not the best option for browsing.
Thoughts and suggestions are welcome.
Carol - Conversely, we're in Oregon and have been watching the ads in Texas and Florida among other states, - your comment caught my eye...can I ask why you feel Texas isn't the place to buy one? Wondering if I should be taking all those Tx dealers off my list of watchables?
Jim
Personally, I wouldn't take anyone off your list of possible sellers. You;re looking for the best deal where ever it is. We almost bought one from PPL in Houston until we suddenly happened across an ad for the one in Mobile which we ended up buying.
Tonight were in Bishop, CA for one night at the Highlands RV Park. Heading for Susanville, CA tomorrow AM. Then off to Oregon via the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
jim, I would not take the Texas dealers off your list at all. PPL is one of the largest, MHSRV up near Ft. worth has tons and there are a lot of others. At the moment I'm just seeing more units that catch my eye in other area. Not to say one won't show up in Texas at any minute. Just a matter of how long we want to wait...
That's good to hear, thanks so much. Good luck with your search. If you spot something in the Portland area, and need someone to give it a quick look, let us know!
Jim