SieraSam
Gold Country
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Joined: 10/29/2002
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I suggest you make sure that they will negotiate the so called "discount price". If they do and you have made sure that the coach has absolutely everything that you want and it has passed your through inspection and test drive, offer them $75K to start. After a counter offer and several more exchanges of offers you should settle at about $90K or better.Oh, and don't let the sales guys get the idea that you are emotionally attached to this thing. Remeber it is better to walk than to loose $20 or $30K at the table.
Class A, FMCA #F269745
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SieraSam
Gold Country
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Joined: 10/29/2002
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T GAL, MSRPs are just another name for a"asking price" they have lots of negotiation room built in.
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ElecMoHwk
California
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Joined: 04/04/2005
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I found this to be a very good read. Thanks much for taking the time to write it out and post it. As me and my girlfriend are working through our decisions, and narrowing down to what we want (we think we found it!), these questions and thoughts have been in our head and will continue to be.
Speaking from past experience in a similar situation, having the questions and foresight before handing over the check or signing your name to something is worth every penny you end up spending, 10 fold over! I purchased a sports car ... my dream car infact, with very little research into it other than it's close, available, and I have the money. I don't regret owning it, or even putting an additional 50% of the initial cost into bringing it back up to better working condition (was not a new car). I do regret however missing the chance to avoid that, enjoy it more, and find that there were subtle differences that I would have enjoyed incorporating into my final decision.
This time around, with a purchase about 4x that size and responsibility, we're going to ask so many questions it's not even funny. We're also going to insist once we do pick it up, on a VERY long and in depth walk through for both of us and our children.
The absolute BEST thing a consumer can have in their pocket is knowledge, from research and asking themselves as many questions as possible.
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Bordercollie
Garden Grove, CA, USA
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Joined: 03/07/2002
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On RC Groups ( model airplane) forums there is provision for "stickies", i,e, articles like yours and others that make it easier for new users to find and to read up on popular recurring subjects. For example we could have a forum set aside with separate threads titled like: 1.Whether to Buy New Versus Used, 2. Used, How Old Is Too Old? 3. New, How Much to Pay and how to Negotiate, 4. Choosing the Best size and Floor Plan for You 5. Choosing a Brand and Model 6. What to Look for In a Used Motorhome 7. Selecting a Trustworthy Dealer for a New Rig and 8.Pre-Delivery Inspection Checklists. The above could be a consolidation of many previous threads on the various subjects, perhaps subjected to an intial review by the users, updated and presented in final form with necessary disclaimers.
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lee100a
Salt Lake City Utah
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Joined: 04/21/2005
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it takes awhile to get through this post. There is alot of good information here.
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mellowbo
Carlsbad, CA USA
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Joined: 06/30/2002
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I wish we would have gone on your advise instead of emotion.
EJ and Carole
Vinny, Lulu and Gabby (furkids)
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PaulNWAS
Pasco WA
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Joined: 05/03/2003
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I am looking for my second Class A moving up from 90 Southwind to DP. I ahve a very short time frame in which to make decision and buy due to forthcoming business trip that will take me for WA to FL to OH to MO and back to WA. I am considering about 4 different used coaches and would like to know peoples experiences with these units:
98 or 99 Tradewind 38' - Freightliner 300 Cat Allison tranny
99 Sarfari Zanzibar 39 ' Magnum chassis 330 cat
2000 Sarfari Cheetah Ditto
all appear to be comparably equipped similiar miles.
I can find very little about the Safari line and don't see many people on the forums listing them as their coach.
Any help appreciated
Paul
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lkbgsu86
Atlanta
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Joined: 05/13/2005
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This is a great post for first time RV buyers. I would recommend it for anyone buying their first motorhome. I think we just got lucky when we bought ours- we went straight from a tent to a 32' Class A motorhome, and couldn't be happier.
The only research we did ahead of time was looking at floor plans and pictures on manufacturer web sites and we went to only one dealership. We did know it needed to be smaller than 35' because that is the limit in many of the state parks we go to on weekends, but we wanted it to be comfortable enough for 2 week trips. We started out thinking we wanted a Class C about 6 ft smaller than the Class A we bought- the salesperson really wanted us to look at a Class A for comparison and we really liked them much better. He really explained a lot of the features of the various models and let us spend lots of time checking everything out- we were on the lot several hours and narrowed it down to 2 models. The salesperson also gave us great prices on both without any prompting from us (although we really didn't know it at the time- I found out from reading this forum that the discount we got was what we should have gotten). The dealership also let us test drive both and told us that they would want us to spend a night in the one we purchased in their "campground" on the lot- this was invaluable for us since we really didn't know anything about how things worked in an RV when we bought it. They spent a lot of time before they left us for the night walking us through the operation of everything and were very patient.
I certainly don't recommend our approach as ideal, I think we were extremely lucky to end up with a great dealership. If we had seen this post before we bought we would have been a lot more prepared and not had to depend on dumb luck!
Laura
2004 Itasca Suncruiser 31Y
Husband John
Dog Auggie- bassett/german shepherd mix
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dllfo2
Sacramento, CA USA
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Joined: 09/10/2004
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I have a hot one. I have asthma. We bought a used 2002 Monaco Diplomat from DeMartini's in Grass Valley, Ca. Let me say up front, I think they are best RV dealership in the world. Let me continue with our problem.
IF YOU HAVE ANY BREATHING PROBLEMS, MAKE SURE THE PREVIOUS OWNER OF THE USED COACH WAS NOT A SMOKER.
My wife and I test drove the coach and she complained of a cigarette
smell. I did not smell it and told her it was probably the chemicals
they used to clean it. Timmy DeMartini was with us (Tim's son) and he
said he did not know.
Making a long story short, I am "new" to asthma, just having been
diagnosed about 6 months ago. Things in the air, cigarette smoke,
whatever...I don't always recognize what it is that makes it so hard
to breathe. My mistake.
I LOOKED AT THE AD, IT DOES NOT SAY "NON SMOKER". THAT IS YOUR CLUE
TO AVOIDING THE SITUATION WE ARE IN. Not only do you need to pay
attention to what the unit has, but look for what it doesn't say.
I did not pay attention to that part and the dealership put plastic
over the carpets to protect them. DeMartini was not hiding anything
from the public, they are better than that...and they will work with
me if I can't use the coach. My wife has cleaned it 3 times now, with
the 6 brush carpet cleaner thing. It is supposed to clean everything
out of your carpet, especially allergens. We hope we can get all the
smell, etc. out.
Something I learned buying large boats...take the ad with you and look
at every single thing advertised on the unit. Make sure it works.
Buy from a good dealer. We had a dealer in Sacramento in the late
80s or early 90s who was convicted of fraud, etc. He went to jail for
a year or two and is now in business again, under a different name.
I want to emphasize again that DeMartini's are the best dealership I
have ever had the pleasure to deal with. They have offered to work
with us on resolving the problem. Even if we have to sell this coach
and get another one, they will try to "make it right".
Take care and read the ads carefully.......Dave
2002 Monaco Diplomat 38PST
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Skip and Norine
Fulltiming since Oct 2006
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Joined: 05/07/2005
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This forum is an awesome source of information for my wife and I, both age 49, who will soon be "cashing out" and going fulltime. We're looking primarily at Class A coaches, but our interest has been drawn lately to Class C.
We're fairly sure we want a coach about 35' in length and we MUST have a full-sized bed (which seems to rule out many Class C's); yet we're undecided about the gas vs diesel matter. While we know that diesel coaches seem to pull better (our toad will be a 2004 Scion), we also know that they tend to be more expensive in terms of repairs and maintenance and seem to require more fuel care. We believe that the workhorse chassis with a V10 may be a viable gas option.
Would any of you be kind enough to offer us your opinions and experiences (if any) regarding the "Class A vs Class B" and the "Gas vs Diesel" issues? I'm sure that we aren't the first ones to touch on these issues, and I apologize if we've "revived" a dead thread, but we'd REALLY appreciate your help!
We've visited a local (Tampa Bay area of Florida) dealer (Lazy Days RV Center), test driven a 35' Class A, and have done extensive reading on the internet.
Thanks!
Traveling our country and seeing the sights, enjoying fun-filled days and campfire nights
See our travel pics
The rig: 2006 SportsCoach Cross Country SE
The toad: 2006 Saturn Vue
The Captain: Skip
The Co-Captain: Norine
Furry passengers: Penny & Biscuit
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