[Archived]

LOL, Jon alot of good words there. Yea I agree wholheartedly. There hav ebeen imes I have been rough on sellers of something, but MOSTLY in good fun. I get a read on people and go from there. If they are an ass, well that’s a different story. I am honest, and I share honesty. Unfortunately I expect it also. I am old school and just can’t give up on values even though I seem then deleting everyday.

I don’t really have high expectations to start, but that can change as things move forward. Again, it just goes back to don’t hide something, be honest and let’s see how it goes. If a window is broken, don’t tell me everything is good and then watch me fly across the US to see a broken window UNLESS you as the seller are replacing it and jut have not got there yet.

Jon I have had upclose pictures sent to me of tire dates and then go to see the coach and the dates are 3-4 years older than in the pictures. These are the things I am refering to, it is not about the maintenance records or maintenance costs.

I had one I was looking at that I asked questions about and one of the questions were how are wheels/tires…..Do I need to buy new tires and are the wheels ok, or beat to hell……answered with tires are great, date codes in range and wheels are like new…..Had someone look at bus and drive wheels were steel with chrome inserts….really. I asked the dealer and said well yea, but you asked if they were good…..LOL he had me there I guess. Hell I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.

Anyway, most people on here have tlaked me off the cliff. I get spun up from time to time, it happens. Thanks to all that have helped, offered advice or emailed m on the side. I hope to meet you someday.

[Hisham]

This human race has many many flaws. Most are quick to point out others short comings while they are blind to their own. Quick to point out others mistakes , And make excuses for the ones that have made. Brett , I agree with Your thoughts on honesty and values. Seems like they are almost a thing of the past. I can see how a seller not telling You about obvious things like the fogged up windows and dents would piss you off. But the tire date codes and pictures takes the cake ! Dont give up , The right coach will find You if it is meant to be.

Safe travels,

Rocky

[Harry]

That’s where we part company Brett. I ask for photos or copy of important documents. I don’t want conversation because we both know any conversation is intended to convince me to buy a coach.

From the photos I get a general idea, but those that have shopped know photos are only going to reveal big stuff like the floor plan or features like a 60 inch TV. They won’t show the crack in the counter top or floor tile. They won’t show where the dog scratched the wood trim and photos certainly will not show the stench from a smoker.

But the photos do give a great sense of the overall coach. If the seller has not even taken the trouble to pick up the underwear which shows in the photos or empty his personal crap out of the bay it sends a clear message about how well the coach is maintained.

I looked at a coach for a PC member and one of the things that was repeated by both the seller and the buyer is the tires were new. The tires had so much tire dressing it was filling the cracks on the 10 year old tires and the tires had to be scraped to even see the date code the dressing was so thick. So another example of the lies that make me want to not have any conversation.

If you are true to yourself, you have to recognize nobody wants a conventional RV if they are selling a Prevost. Owners don’t want one, and if a dealer is forced to take one in trade you are going to end up with wholesale at best, usually lower. So you as a buyer should start by understanding you are either going to be a two coach owner until you sell your present coach, or you accept the fact you are going to get a serious hit on value if you want the deal to involve a trade. That is the start. Step two is when you talk to sellers don’t give them the opportunity to make fools of themselves by lying to you. You have the burden to check out the coach and anything the buyers say is nothing more than background noise unless they say and then prove they have records and books from day one.

If you don’t want to run all over the country chasing leads try to find fellow PC members who live near the coach and who can do a preliminary check. The responsibility of making sure the coach they examine is viewed as though you were viewing it is yours. Remember however that not everyone has the same standards so when somone is willing to help they need to understand the smell of cat urine is a deal breaker, but dog hair is not. It is amazing how fast stuff is noticed. Dents, paint chips, fogged glass, scratches in the counter top, and noisy A/C units are going to be noticed within seconds and a person helping you can do the walk around while you are on the phone talking to them as they do that.

It also will not hurt you to understand if the coaches you are looking at are all aproximately XX years old, then there is going to be some seriously lousy coaches, some really nice coaches and then the vst number in the middle that are not abused, but also are not pristine. You have to adjust your expectations enough so you are willing to accept what is typical in the market, and then adjust your wallet size by getting the coach to meet your standards.