Old owners are liars - Page 2

530ktm · 01-13-2017, 01:29 PM

wstalker · 01-13-2017, 02:39 PM

Just got the mistake I made with the title. Hey, I'm old too. Should have been "previous owner". Didn't mean to hurt any old timers feelings.

behillman · 01-13-2017, 03:07 PM

I can agree that old owners are liars. My daughter bought a Springdale , 2000 for $4500. Owners said,as far as we know, everything works. O.K. It had no License Plate, nor a holder for it. It was registered in another state(Lousiana) Battery bad, hot water pump, rusted, breaker tripping when air is on, slow leak in tire,(bad tire). Some of the running lites don't work, roof leaks ,refreigertor leaks at the bottom. I now have to fix it all before I can re-sell it. She doesn't want it nor i... I feel like we were taken.

4x4van · 01-13-2017, 03:28 PM

"Previous owners lie" would not have made any difference to what many of we respondents are saying. We are all "previous owners" if we are currently using anything other than our first coach. So we asked; what did the previous owner lie about? And even then, we still got vague answers from you on most of it. Don't go away, mad or otherwise; we are simply trying to get a clearer picture of the issues you ran into during (and after) the purchase of your RV, so that we may be able to help you address them. What about the "flat TV conversion, sleep number bed, sliding doors, entertainment issues"? And I'm not sure how "where it's been for the past 5 years" is relevant, but OK.

I don't really believe that previous RV owners are any different than previous car owners when it comes to selling their vehicles. They will all try to down-play any negatives and up-play any positives, including maintenance history. Purchasing ANY used vehicle, especially from a private party, is a leap of faith, and requires due diligence. Even then, buyer beware. Unfortunately, an RV is much more complex than a car and requires much more inspection. Think "house ON a car"; not only do you want to test drive it, you also want to do a full "house inspection and walk thru". Many of the things mentioned would have easily been noticed had you done that.

Easyrider · 01-13-2017, 03:59 PM

Certainly there are a lot of inaccurately advertised RVs out there. Through the years we've purchased used and new RVs, and I can't remember the number of times when we were in the used market that we'd read an add about an RV that was in "like new" condition, only to find when we visited the owner for an inspection that the RV was used, abused, and in terrible shape. This was always after calling to make an appointment to look at it and asking the owner for details on the condition. And I'm talking about the easy stuff to fix if you're selling an RV, like vacuuming, cleaning the table and countertops, making the bed. After seeing things like that not being taken care of I didn't even try to determine the mechanical condition of those RVs. As they say, "buyer beware"!

wa8yxm · 01-13-2017, 04:43 PM

I will say only this: Old Owners,,,, are Sales people.

And nothing more.. Now I bought two trailers from "Prior Owners" both were basically truthful Save one of them did not tell me he messed up a plug and extension cord.. but I figure that out at no cost... (He hooked the WHITE wire to the COPPER screw... Twice) (HINT, that's not how it should be).. But otherwise they were fine.

I gave the first trailer to a scrap yard and the 2nd to the dealer.

Jimbow · 01-13-2017, 04:44 PM

Trust but verify. Is old times remember that line.

tmw188 · 01-13-2017, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike and Cha

I do pretty much all my own maintenance so the only "records" I have is of course what I write down and document and any receipts for things purchased such as oil/filters ect. So that doesn't mean it wasn't done just because I have nothing from a dealership, if that is what you are concerned about. Even though I probably didn't need to I went up on the roof and touched up any areas that looked like they could use some sealant even though I have no leaks. I used the self leveling sealant around some of the vents ect, where some really minor cracks in the original sealant were. So would that make you suspect I was hiding something, or just maybe I was doing something precautionary. My MH is maintained meticulously and still looks better than the day I bought it, inside and out. If someone accused me of not taking care of it or questioned my own documentation, I would just tell them to go buy some other MH and see what they get.

Like others I don't see anything in your post that indicates anybody lied to you or misled you. If I was buying a used MH I would do all the regular maintenance, including tires if needed, anyway just to have a base to start my future maintenance from. That is a part of buying used and being able to have peace of mind that everything has been maintained the best you can since you took ownership. Good Luck

X2 I thought I wrote that.👏

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nothermark · 01-13-2017, 08:13 PM

FWIW given a newbie purchaser of an older machine it might be worth running a list of the problems maybe with some pictures. The OP might get some good fixit information as well as finding out a lot of what you bought is normal. RV's are not built like houses or fine furniture for good reasons.

RCCFleetwood · 01-13-2017, 08:31 PM

It's funny how the truth can be different, depending on what side you're on. We bought our used RV early last summer. The people were nice, he was a mechanic, did all his own work. Told me that "Everything works, and it's registered, inspected and on the road."

Well, in Vermont, you must register each year or two, and vehicles must be inspected EACH year.

In the state we bought it in, apparently, inspections are only required every THREE years or more!!

15 miles from their place, on our 3 hour trip home, one rear brake locked up and overheated our brake fluid, causing me to lose the brakes almost completely (luckily, no accident)! He drove out, jacked it up and fixed it for us in a parking lot.

When we got the vehicle home, and found that the tires would not pass inspection because they were too old (I know MY fault for not KNOWING that tires could be THAT old and have a TON of tread on them), I called the seller and said "You told me the RV was inspected and on the road! The sticker on the RV is from 2013!" He said "Yes, that's when it was inspected last!"

The vehicle had SAT for three years, UNUSED, but in HIS mind, it was "Registered, inspected and 'on the road' " as I had asked him! (That statement would be untrue in Vermont!)

Luckily for us, 8 tires for our RV were not as expensive as I thought they'd be, and aside from the Inverter, which blew out the FIRST day we used it, we've been able to patch a small leak and fix everything else ourselves (including nothing on propane working), and NOW have a nice RV, with everything working!

I did ask for, and get, back $500 for the inverter replacement, however.

sam-3 · 01-13-2017, 08:40 PM

I would encourage you to continue to post in this forum. Post pictures of problem areas. We will all try to answer your questions and help you. Many great helpful people with years of experience. Many of us have bought used units. Sometimes the older rigs are very sturdy and hold up for many years.

Hit_the_Rhod · 01-13-2017, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

Brings up a great question.

Is the omission of information a lie ?

How about not knowing of a defect ?

If it's intentional, then yes. . . . It's called a lie of omission!

Hit_the_Rhod · 01-13-2017, 08:55 PM

I sold our last TT, the perspective buyers came out, I asked "what do you want to know first, the GOOD, or the BAD?" "Bad, they said" I told them everything that was wrong with the Trailer. Wasn't a lot, but I didn't want them to find it later, and think I had lied to them. The trailer was priced fairly for the condition it was in. (which was pretty darn good). They they asked "what is the good?" I proceeded to show/tell them about the upgrades, and new tires batteries, flat screen tv on swivel arm, etc. If someone buys something from me, it will be with a pretty good understanding of what is WRONG as well as what is RIGHT. Like someone posted here, I got a few calls from them after the fact on things. I helped them as much as I could. Even found some extra parts I had forgotten about and got them to them. I treat the buyer like I would like to be treated as a buyer. It's a Karma thing. Anyway, the best advice yet given is "Trust, but verify" I think that is attributed to Ronald Regan. Maybe not the first time it was said famously, but one that I am aware of! Good luck getting the stuff fixed that needs fixin, and GET OUT THERE and USE THE THING!

kb2ztx · 01-14-2017, 05:21 AM

Sadly this happens when buying from a dealer also regardless of what they tell you. I think the only way to know what your buying and what works or doesn't i to go over the RV yourself. In NY most older Motor homes get no warranty at all once you leave the parking lot.

Jimbow · 01-14-2017, 05:34 AM

I sold an old SUV a number of years ago for $1,000. I disclosed everything I knew to be wrong at the time. A couple weeks later the buyer's son came by my house demanding I pay him for the cost of fixing the 4WD, ($1,200) because I did disclose that it wasn't working.

I hadn't used the 4WD in years. How was I to know parts of it were corroded or rusted?

wstalker · 01-14-2017, 09:26 AM

I will post pictures as necessary. People on this forum have been very helpful. When someone buys something from me they will know the good and the bad to the best of my knowledge. The price will also reflect that. When I started this post you will notice that I immediately took responsibility for my own ineptness and anxiety. I am not particularly a salesman, but I ran my own contracting business for many years and tried my best to weed out the dishonest customers and deal with those that were honest, best I could tell. It always seemed to me that if I was honest, even if I was wrong, my customers would come back knowing I was a person of my word. As someone in this post mentioned it is a Karma thing. I am off to direct my sleep number bed issues and probably will need some help. I know where to look.

RCCFleetwood · 01-14-2017, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod

I sold our last TT, the perspective buyers came out, I asked "what do you want to know first, the GOOD, or the BAD?" "Bad, they said" I told them everything that was wrong with the Trailer. Wasn't a lot, but I didn't want them to find it later, and think I had lied to them. The trailer was priced fairly for the condition it was in. (which was pretty darn good). They they asked "what is the good?" I proceeded to show/tell them about the upgrades, and new tires batteries, flat screen tv on swivel arm, etc. If someone buys something from me, it will be with a pretty good understanding of what is WRONG as well as what is RIGHT. Like someone posted here, I got a few calls from them after the fact on things. I helped them as much as I could. Even found some extra parts I had forgotten about and got them to them. I treat the buyer like I would like to be treated as a buyer. It's a Karma thing. Anyway, the best advice yet given is "Trust, but verify" I think that is attributed to Ronald Regan. Maybe not the first time it was said famously, but one that I am aware of! Good luck getting the stuff fixed that needs fixin, and GET OUT THERE and USE THE THING!

Sounds just like me when I put our pop-up for sale last fall. There's not much wrong with it, but I make sure to tell them everything I know isn't working FIRST, then tell them all the things I've fixed and upgraded! I've never want to sell someone something used and have it come back to haunt me! Unfortunately, I put it up for sale too late in the year, and didn't sell it before I had to winterize it, but it'll be listed again as soon as the weather breaks this spring!