Good Honest Dealer To Purchase A Used Diesel Pusher

[vtdave]

I am looking to upgrade from a 2002 Journey to something bigger. I would like to be able to comfortably tow 10,000. 3 slides would be nice. I would like to buy from a dealer, as I would like to trade in my current coach.

I am finding a lot of coaches that I like and that fit the bill, (price and size) but I am having trouble narrowing it down and I really would like to find a dealer I could trust that has a lot of inventory. I have found some big dealers out there, (like Lazy Days) just not sure who to trust.

Looking for wisdom.

Thanks so much.

David

[hermanmullins]

David,

Welcome to the Forum. Give Paul Davis a look. His company is Mr Olivers. Check out his web site: http://mrolivers.com/ He has quite a few coaches to view.

Also check out Motor Homes of Texas: http://motorhomesoftexas.com. David has some really nice coaches. Your will have a hard time finding two better dealers.

Paul or David.

Herman

[wolfe10]

David,

No matter how honest a dealer is, it is always good to keep in mind that it is still YOUR responsibility to check all systems on the coach and negotiate in writing and upgrades or repairs that are needed.

It is also important to know the difference between an "as is" coach and a "please camp with us for a couple of days and we will be happy to fix anything that you find wrong". That does not separate a good from bad dealer, most dealerships have BOTH categories of coaches.

[wildebill308]

David, welcome to the forum.

There are many levels of dealers out there. The more you know the more of the right questions you know to ask the better your experience will be.

The people I bought from were at least honest enough when I asked a question they didn’t try to BS me. I asked if they did any kind of check out on new stock when they got it in. They told me they just checked the oil to see if it was full and basically just tried all the appliances. Yet when I found a couple of things they jumped in and fixed them.

Don’t be shy about trying out EVERYTHING. Once you hand them the check and sign the papers they have a hard time hearing you. Don’t be so in love with it that you can’t say when you get this fixed/ working call me.

Bill

[vtdave]

Fantastic advise. I've been reading the forum for a few weeks. I am so glad I joined. I tell my children all of the time..."get wisdom from someone who has been there before" whether it's about buying a new RV or the best place to eat, or dating...wisdom from someone who has been there before will minimize wrong choices.

Thank you again for the advice and the links.

David

[AprilWhine]

We certainly agree with the recomendation of Paul Davis. We bought used from him, stayed on the lot in the coach for almost a week, and anything we found wrong was fixed on the spot. We rolled out with the coach, and have had no problems in 3 years. Batteries and tires do not count.

Not a large dealer by any means, buys good coaches at a good price, and passes the savings to the customer.

[RSchleder]

You won't beat these folks. 1 mile from the Winnebago Factory in Forest city, Ia.

http://www.lichtsinn.com

[tbutler]

We were full time on the road for almost 10 years. During those 10 years we occasionally needed repairs and contacted a number of different dealers for assistance as we were never near the dealer we purchased our motor home from. Our original dealer cleared their books in a bankruptcy filing and made it clear that all previous obligations no longer applied. We never went back to them for anything. In all those years, one dealer stands out in our minds as being willing and helpful to a traveler who hasn't purchased a coach from them. If they are willing to take care of us under those circumstances, we'll go to them for our next coach.

It is a long way from Vermont but we would highly recommend Paul Everet's RV Country. We have visited the shop in Fresno, CA several times and always been treated fairly. They also have facilities in Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona. You can find them on the web at http://www.rvcountry.com/

That said, if you live in Vermont and travel mostly locally, choosing a dealer so far away that you would likely never get back to them for follow up work would not be wise. We have a daughter in California and travel through CA each fall. For us, an annual visit to take care of problems would be workable. Your challenge then would be to find a dealer in the New England area with a good inventory and a good reputation among their customers.

As mentioned above, dealerships do change. Sometimes they are sold, sometimes they go bankrupt, times change and they have to deal with the reality of making a business work. The dealer who is excellent today may vanish tomorrow. Our own manufacturer, Monaco, is going through it's second change of hands in five years. At least the company still exists in some form, many manufacturers simply ceased to exist after the economy crashed at the end of 2008.

There is great advice from previous posters. Good luck.

[whiteeagle]

Another great dealer would be Kings Campers in Wausau WI .. Noth Central WI area but many folks from around the country are repeat customers... we swithched to them for current coach - many satisfied customers for many years.I

[vtdave]

Fantastic! I'm checking these leads out now.

[rhettseagle]

We traded with www.daybrosrvsales.com in London Ky. Good selection of Used DP, trade was best we found.

Family owned dealer great service after the sell.

[vtdave]

We traded with www.daybrosrvsales.com in London Ky. Good selection of Used DP, trade was best we found.

Family owned dealer great service after the sell.

thank you

I will check out their site

[vtdave]

David,

Welcome to the Forum. Give Paul Davis a look. His company is Mr Olivers. Check out his web site: http://mrolivers.com/ He has quite a few coaches to view.

Also check out Motor Homes of Texas: http://motorhomesoftexas.com. David has some really nice coaches. Your will have a hard time finding two better dealers.

Paul or David.

Herman

Hi Herman,

Thank you for the welcome. This "Newbie" just learned how to reply to a post. I'll get it.......

Your info is most helpful.

David

[vtdave]

David,

No matter how honest a dealer is, it is always good to keep in mind that it is still YOUR responsibility to check all systems on the coach and negotiate in writing and upgrades or repairs that are needed.

It is also important to know the difference between an "as is" coach and a "please camp with us for a couple of days and we will be happy to fix anything that you find wrong". That does not separate a good from bad dealer, most dealerships have BOTH categories of coaches.

Thanks Brett,

Thanks for the info.

This "Newbi" just learned how to reply to a post.

David

[vtdave]

We were full time on the road for almost 10 years. During those 10 years we occasionally needed repairs and contacted a number of different dealers for assistance as we were never near the dealer we purchased our motor home from. Our original dealer cleared their books in a bankruptcy filing and made it clear that all previous obligations no longer applied. We never went back to them for anything. In all those years, one dealer stands out in our minds as being willing and helpful to a traveler who hasn't purchased a coach from them. If they are willing to take care of us under those circumstances, we'll go to them for our next coach.

It is a long way from Vermont but we would highly recommend Paul Everet's RV Country. We have visited the shop in Fresno, CA several times and always been treated fairly. They also have facilities in Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona. You can find them on the web at http://www.rvcountry.com/

That said, if you live in Vermont and travel mostly locally, choosing a dealer so far away that you would likely never get back to them for follow up work would not be wise. We have a daughter in California and travel through CA each fall. For us, an annual visit to take care of problems would be workable. Your challenge then would be to find a dealer in the New England area with a good inventory and a good reputation among their customers.

As mentioned above, dealerships do change. Sometimes they are sold, sometimes they go bankrupt, times change and they have to deal with the reality of making a business work. The dealer who is excellent today may vanish tomorrow. Our own manufacturer, Monaco, is going through it's second change of hands in five years. At least the company still exists in some form, many manufacturers simply ceased to exist after the economy crashed at the end of 2008.

There is great advice from previous posters. Good luck.

Sorry for the delayed reply, This "Newbi" just learned how to reply to a post. Yes, it seems I am finding, what I would call, a fair amount of honest dealers out their. I'm on the hunt for the right coach. It seems there are too many to choose from.

I do have many requirements but I am finding many I like, but waiting for the one that really fits the bill and that we love.

David

[vtdave]

Another great dealer would be Kings Campers in Wausau WI .. Noth Central WI area but many folks from around the country are repeat customers... we swithched to them for current coach - many satisfied customers for many years.I

Sorry for the delayed reply, This "Newbi" just learned how to reply to a post.

Checked their site yesterday. I will keep it on the list.

Thank you

David

[vtdave]

David, welcome to the forum.

There are many levels of dealers out there. The more you know the more of the right questions you know to ask the better your experience will be.

The people I bought from were at least honest enough when I asked a question they didn’t try to BS me. I asked if they did any kind of check out on new stock when they got it in. They told me they just checked the oil to see if it was full and basically just tried all the appliances. Yet when I found a couple of things they jumped in and fixed them.

Don’t be shy about trying out EVERYTHING. Once you hand them the check and sign the papers they have a hard time hearing you. Don’t be so in love with it that you can’t say when you get this fixed/ working call me.

Bill

Bill,

Sorry for the delayed reply, This "Newbi" just learned how to reply to a post. Fantastic advise. I've been reading the forum for a few weeks. I am so glad I joined. I tell my children all of the time..."get wisdom from someone who has been there before" whether it's about buying a new RV or the best place to eat, or dating...wisdom from someone who has been there before will minimize wrong choices.

Thank you again for the advice and the links.

David

[vtdave]

We certainly agree with the recomendation of Paul Davis. We bought used from him, stayed on the lot in the coach for almost a week, and anything we found wrong was fixed on the spot. We rolled out with the coach, and have had no problems in 3 years. Batteries and tires do not count.

Not a large dealer by any means, buys good coaches at a good price, and passes the savings to the customer.

Sorry for the delayed reply, This "Newbi" just learned how to reply to a post. Yes I have added their site to my watch list.

Thank you

David

[vtdave]

You won't beat these folks. 1 mile from the Winnebago Factory in Forest city, Ia.

http://www.lichtsinn.com

Sorry for the delayed reply, This "Newbi" just learned how to reply to a post. We almost bought a Vectra from them, but someone got there first. Their on my watchlist

Thank you

David

[andyshane]

David,

Welcome to the Forum. Give Paul Davis a look. His company is Mr Olivers. Check out his web site: http://mrolivers.com/ He has quite a few coaches to view.

Also check out Motor Homes of Texas: http://motorhomesoftexas.com. David has some really nice coaches. Your will have a hard time finding two better dealers.

Paul or David.

Herman

One of my closest friends is a close friend of Paul's. Howard says Paul is the best for finding a good rig.

[vtdave]

One of my closest friends is a close friend of Paul's. Howard says Paul is the best for finding a good rig.

Great Thanks

will check them out

[five]

Your requirement to "comfortably tow 10,000" will narrow the field. Many MHs will only tow 5k, others will tow 10k, but I don't know how comfortably that would happen. If this is a serious need, look for coaches that will tow 15k.

[vtdave]

We were full time on the road for almost 10 years. During those 10 years we occasionally needed repairs and contacted a number of different dealers for assistance as we were never near the dealer we purchased our motor home from. Our original dealer cleared their books in a bankruptcy filing and made it clear that all previous obligations no longer applied. We never went back to them for anything. In all those years, one dealer stands out in our minds as being willing and helpful to a traveler who hasn't purchased a coach from them. If they are willing to take care of us under those circumstances, we'll go to them for our next coach.

It is a long way from Vermont but we would highly recommend Paul Everet's RV Country. We have visited the shop in Fresno, CA several times and always been treated fairly. They also have facilities in Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Arizona. You can find them on the web at http://www.rvcountry.com/

That said, if you live in Vermont and travel mostly locally, choosing a dealer so far away that you would likely never get back to them for follow up work would not be wise. We have a daughter in California and travel through CA each fall. For us, an annual visit to take care of problems would be workable. Your challenge then would be to find a dealer in the New England area with a good inventory and a good reputation among their customers.

As mentioned above, dealerships do change. Sometimes they are sold, sometimes they go bankrupt, times change and they have to deal with the reality of making a business work. The dealer who is excellent today may vanish tomorrow. Our own manufacturer, Monaco, is going through it's second change of hands in five years. At least the company still exists in some form, many manufacturers simply ceased to exist after the economy crashed at the end of 2008.

There is great advice from previous posters. Good luck.

Hi Tom and Louise,

Guess what??? I found a 2004 Monaco Windsor 400 Isl that we love, and have put a down payment on. Mind if I ask you questions on it from time to time?

My direct email is dave7vt@gmail.com (I'm not real good with this forum stuff)

Thanks

David

[ERNIE2006]

Hi ----- Diesel pusher is the way to go I think? I Bought a used pusher from a dealer in Norhwestern Iowa last June. It needed new tires and shocks. But seemed to drive out OK and run great. So $55.000 and we were bringing it home. The unit had 54000 miles the genset 750 hrs very clean I would have to say It does not look lived in. Now I am going to make this short and sweet because I am not very good at typing.

Tires $3,900 Front rims all scratched from the idiot sliding them around on the floor when mounting them!

Shocks, Alignment, Airbag Valves, Ride Height Set $2,200, I was OK with doing these repairs as far as safety and peace of mind.

The air would not work right at first so I called the dealer he said bring it up to him almost 200 Mile 1 way, so I took to a local Dealer here in town $500.00 to tell me that one of the compressors were out. O the mechanic called me at work and said he had it fixed it was the thermostat . About 1/2 hr called back and said he was wrong it was the compressor.

So I drove it back up to where I bought it he put in a new compressor no charge but I noticed that the genset was making alot of noise. And It would just quit running I checked the trouble codes and it was inverter fault take To Onan . I took the motorhome to the Cummins dealer here in my town to check it out, by checking it out I told them front to back.

It was there 2 Weeks I Got It Back Yesterday and The GRAND Total On The Bill For Them Was $9,760.00. O they called me each time they found something wrong-- a lot of phone calls.

SO PLEASE PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU BUY USED The Motorhome run great the 3000 miles I had put on it before this and no the Dealer would not stand behind any of it.

[HenryPatterson]

When buying a used motorhome, you can not use GOOD and HONEST in the same sentence!!! I've had better luck buying from (the good old boy next door) than any dealer..