RV inspections before you buy

[ceejay]

I am so bummed today .... was going to close on my used class B this week  ... my first RV ... I set up inspection with an RV place locally and the guy selling it said it is in great shape and it is too much of an inconvenience for him to take it in Wednesdy to be  inspected .... he suggested I pay for it ...  do the deal and if I take it in and then I am not satisfied he would return my money. I just got off the phone with the seller...  I said it gets inspected or no deal .... I am so bummed ...   

What do you experienced RV folks think???

 

[jonsun]

lots and bulk dealers dont care but many people are very leary about letting some person who they dont know is actually going to buy their baby take it to some shop that might be a bunch of hacks and let them tear into it.

I've had it happen to me. guy wanted to take vehicle (newish sportbike) to this ratty hood shop in one of the worst parts of town and they wanted to take spark plugs out....as if that means shit. and to take them out at all 1/4 of the bike had to come apart just to tell them 'yep it's fuel injected and runs great so the plugs look fine.' I said hell no.

 

[DuneElliot]

I think you did the right thing...if someone isn't willing to have it inspected before the sale I would feel like they were hiding something. I would never give money to someone and hope for a "refund" if it didn't work out with the inspection...there's no guarantee he'd give you your money back. Offer to take it yourself. Have you driven it yet?

It's a bummer that happened but hopefully he caves and takes it for inspection while you are present!

 

[ceejay]

lots and bulk dealers dont care but many people are very leary about letting some person who you dont know is going to buy your baby take it to some shop that might be a bunch of hacks and let them tear into it.

I do understand what you are saying ... but being a gal and knowing nothing about engines or RVs ... I wanted to take it to local RV guys that have a great reputation.... before I hand over thousands of dollars ...

 

[jonsun]

well in that case he apparently didn't want to sell it too bad

if he calls you back tell him the price has been lowered by a thousand lmao

 

[ceejay]

I think you did the right thing...if someone isn't willing to have it inspected before the sale I would feel like they were hiding something. I would never give money to someone and hope for a "refund" if it didn't work out with the inspection...there's no guarantee he'd give you your money back. Offer to take it yourself. Have you driven it yet?

It's a bummer that happened but hopefully he caves and takes it for inspection while you are present!

He drove it ... saying his insurance did not cover me ... he wanted me to pay for it before driving it ....  after which I said .. would you buy something without driving it?  and then he said ok .. you can drive it .... it was small enough I could handle ..  even drove it down a few smaller local streets ... off the main 3 lane road ...

 

[Queen]

He sounds like a bit of a dick. If he really wants to sell it, he'll call back and work with you, if not, it sounds like you dodged a bullet.

 

[DuneElliot]

He drove it ... saying his insurance did not cover me ... he wanted me to pay for it before driving it ....  after which I said .. would you buy something without driving it?  and then he said ok .. you can drive it .... it was small enough I could handle ..  even drove it down a few smaller local streets ... off the main 3 lane road ...

Everyone's insurance covers someone else driving their vehicle so that's bogus to start with, unless it requires a specific license which RVs don't.

I would really be concerned about this whole situation if he isn't willing to work with you...people avoid those things often because they are hiding stuff.

 

[jonsun]

is it a craigslist ad?

if so selling on there gets tons of people wanting to bs and drive it around. plenty wont let you drive it until you at least show them the money.

 

[bullfrog]

A 13 year old stick build with fiberglass motor home your paying thousands for needs looked at by a professional that is bonded and their findings in writing. Seller pays if something bad is found, buyer pays if all good. Doesn't matter who drives as long as they are insured and doesn't matter where it goes as long as they are a recognized bonded inspector. If you can have a trusted mechanic that can go later as a buyer or see service records at a dealership where it was serviced I would still want to see every thing work. 13 years is a long time for water gas and electrical systems to stay in working order without maintenance. I've had a newly built motor set in a heated garage for a year and rust internally to a point it would not turnover.

 

[ceejay]

is it a craigslist ad?

if so selling on there gets tons of people wanting to bs and drive it around. plenty wont let you drive it until you at least show them the money.

I understand and agree ... I had put down 175 as a deposit ... so I was planning on buying it ... I was not yanking his chain  :blush:

 

[SoulRaven]

Generally, with an RV inspection and even an inspection of a house, the buyer pays for it. If I were the seller, I would want to be there when they were doing the inspection. Often, a mobile RV tech will come onsite, but again, the buyer pays.

 

[ceejay]

Generally, with an RV inspection and even an inspection of a house, the buyer pays for it.  If I were the seller, I would want to be there when they were doing the inspection.  Often, a mobile RV tech will come onsite, but again, the buyer pays.

yes ... agree... I was planning on paying for it ... thanks

 

[StrayCat]

You may have dodged a bullet
Hope you got your deposit back!
Something similar happened to us.
We looked at an RV we liked, it had some issues, but the price was good.
We agreed with the guy that he would drive it to a place to get it inspected and we would pay for the inspection.
I even offered to drive him somewhere in my car, during the inspection if he did not want to wait.

He messaged the evening before the inspection to cancel, saying it's too much hassle to drive it there.

I offered to have a mobile service come to his place and he first agreed.
Then he backed out of this as well shortly after.

We were pretty bummed at the time.
Blessing in disguise, let me tell you!
We are so happy with the rig we ended up getting.

 

[ceejay]

You may have dodged a bullet

thanks ...   I read your blog ...  congrats on all your milestones ... becoming a US citizen ... that is wonderful ... I became a citizen while in college .. my parents never did ...

 

[Ballenxj]

I am so bummed today 
<---snip--->
I just got off the phone with the seller...  I said it gets inspected or no deal .... I am so bummed ...   

What do you experienced RV folks think???

I think you did the right thing too, if he doesn't want to get it inspected by an independent, what might he be trying to hide?
However, if he let you take it to an independent mechanic to have it inspected, it's only right that you be the one to pay.
If he were paying, there is always the possibility the inspector lean in his favor in the hopes of repeat business. That, and he would stand to lose a lot of money if he had to pay this out frequently.
IMO, it's in your best interest that you take it, and pay for the inspection.

 

[GotSmart]

If I am told "As is, where is" and no chance of getting it inspected?     It stays "where is" and so does my money.

I once was looking at a 1981 Cadallac El Dorado.  Complete dealer service records.  I drove it to the dealer to get checked out.  The service manager came out, and told me not to bother.  The 8~6~4 electronic engine was a nightmare.  Do not even accept it as a gift. .  

It pays to get something checked out.

 

[ceejay]

If I am told "As is, where is" and no chance of getting it inspected?     It stays "where is" and so does my money.

I once was looking at a 1981 Cadallac El Dorado.  Complete dealer service records.  I drove it to the dealer to get checked out.  The service manager came out, and told me not to bother.  The 8~6~4 electronic engine was a nightmare.  Do not even accept it as a gift. .  

It pays to get something checked out.

thank you ....  yes  .. money has stayed where it is ...

 

[AngryVanMan]

I always let anyone perform a visual and functional inspection when I'm selling an expensive personal item, car, or whatnot. If someone wants to pay for an detailed inspection, I as a seller of course am not incentivized to shoulder the increased risk - so the inspection can be performed on site by a licensed, bonded and qualified inspector at my discretion. I have a few caveats that I've adapted from high value markets where inspections actually make sense:

• The potential buyer must sign a contract and put up a surety bond in escrow equal to the asking price of the vehicle to cover any incidental damages that should occur during inspections that require removal of components, opening sealed systems, load testing, or any other active, "non-destructive" inspection processes.
• Upon any damage, the full amount of the asking price in escrow will be contractually released immediately to the seller. The balance, minus cost of repairs and compensation for any decrease in book value, will be contractually returned to the buyer once the repairs are affected. (This protects the seller's time preference, as the car must be taken off the market during repair)
• They must also replace, at their cost, with new OEM factory components, any factory-specified one time use bolts, seals or other components that are removed or tampered during the inspection process.
• They must bear the full cost of either laboratory fluid analysis or factory specified fluid replacement for any sealed systems opened, to ensure that contamination did not occur during inspection.

I have never had a buyer follow through with inspection on these types of low value purchases. Buyers are put off at the thought of having to shoulder the entire risk and costs of their inspection, oddly enough.

Realistically, there are three problems with inspection advice for these low value, high turnover purchases. There is no real incentive for a seller to allow inspection, as most buyers do not ask for, or are willing to pay for, an inspection - especially in these types of markets. Why?

1. Allowing detailed inspection does not alter the final sale price of a vehicle in any meaningful way. There will never be a majority of buyers who will seek an inspection in low value consumer markets (most used RVs and automobiles qualify as low value purchases). The seller is usually a 1) bulk dealer or 2) a private seller who has already lost a large percentage of the sales price to depreciation - high hassle customers are not worth the trouble for either zero or very marginal returns on the sale. The relative value you bring to the table is not nearly enough to justify wasting time on the concession.
   
2. Inspections suffer the same problem as most other mechanical service dealings with RVs and automobiles - the people (certified or otherwise) performing the service have dismal diagnostic skills on average. This is clearly demonstrated by the trouble with finding reliable, trustworthy mechanical services outside ones you may already be familiar with or have used in the past, a widespread and well known problem.
   
3. There is no available independent data for inspectors (and likewise mechanics) that demonstrates the failure rate of inspected sales relative to non-inspected sales. This makes inspection services utterly worthless, in actuarial terms.

The likely outcome of this shopping behavior is that you will pass up vehicles with no obvious or unexpected faults, while the seller and the next-in-line buyer will happily take their money to the bank and their new RV on vacation. Class B's in particular are a fairly supply limited market - getting a seller concession is highly unlikely as it simply isn't necessary on their part to sell the vehicle for similar profit.

Apologies in advance for this particularly contrarian advice, just the facts as I see them, unfortunately.

 

[GotSmart]

You also do not get suckered by a shady used junk salesman.  

No inspection. no sale.  A honest dealer is not scared by a careful buyer. 

My Daddy always said, "Never buy a pig in a poke." 

You have an attitude, Go ahead and keep it and the pig.