I shouldn't have looked...

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GeorgeandTheBear

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Posts
58
Location
SW Indiana melon fields.
I just registered last week, posting about my retirement plans and buying a used class C within the next couple of years. I just want to learn and make a good decision when we finally get ready to buy.

As fate would have it, the very next morning as I look to pull out of my driveway, I see a nice 35' class A with a for sale sign, parked about 200 yards from my house. I wasn't looking for an A, just because of the intimidation factor of it's size, but I pulled down there and gave it a look anyway. It was buttoned up like Fort Knox so I couldn't tell much about it, other than it looked great from the outside and priced at 28K. Of course I am driving by it every day and looking over at it. I finally thought, maybe I'll call one of the phone #s listed to learn more. Much to my amazement both of the #s are already in my phone. I've known this family all my life and the owner lives just a couple hundred yards away on a parallel street, same one that I grew up on. He and his son remodeled my bathroom just a couple of years ago, spending almost a month in my house. I didn't call, but the next day I saw the son showing it to someone and curiosity got the best of me. I went down there and he showed me everything about it, all of it good. This thing is immaculate, other than changing out the front TV I wouldn't do a thing to it.

I don't know what to do. My wife is a psycho tight-wad and will panic. We were planning this about 2 years from now. I know others will come along, but this one is owned by someone I know and trust. I have no reason to doubt anything they would tell me about it. They are the second owners and have a binder full of documentation from the day it was born. Money is not a problem, we can pay cash for it. I just don't know if it makes a lot of sense to buy it now, knowing that it may not get used hardly at all for two years.

It's a 2001 Georgie Boy Cruise Master 3515 DS. Ford V-10, 26K miles. It is pretty well optioned, 2 slides, 50A electric, most everything power except awning. It does not have W/D.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do? It's a Georgie Boy, that's gotta be a sign.
 
I'm impulsive so I would buy it. You're saving yourself getting another used one inspected and maybe not knowing where it came from. If the guy is your neighbor, then if you ever had a question about something you could probably call him up. I am not big on used RVs, but I would buy one from a friend with no problem. It offers a lot of peace of mind.

Can you store it in your yard or would you have to pay a storage fee? That's a big factor. Paying storage for two years wouldn't make sense.

You may also benefit from owning it before retirement because you can take it out on some trips before you actually retire and would figure out if it's a good fit for you. If it's not, and you paid cash, then you can sell and get something more suited to you when the time comes.

 
Depending on price, it could be a good place to start. I haven't looked at what that coach is selling for but 28K may be a fair price. This would let you get some experience and give you a better idea of what you want/need when you retire.
Check the date codes on the tiers. They need to be replaced at 7 years old.  Check all the systems, operate everything and take it for a good test drive. See if you can get to everything you need on the road with the slides in. Test the slides. Run the generator (under load) Air conditioners. Refrigerator on propane and electric.
Let us know and if you have any questions just ask.
Bill
 
Take it for a test drive and bring your check book. You will not regret the purchase. Class As are way better than class Cs. I have owned several of both.
 
Don't forget the old saying; "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."  While you may be the man of the house, momma will have to be in on the decision. Before you even let her know how interested you are in buying it, wait and see what she says after she looks at it. Use some reverse psychology. If you tell her you like it and want to buy it, I am almost sure she will say, "hell" no!! But if you allow her to make the decision, and you just happen to agree with her, she will think she made a great decision and a great deal and thank you for being so supportive.
 
cgmartin said:
Don't forget the old saying; "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."  While you may be the man of the house, momma will have to be in on the decision. Before you even let her know how interested you are in buying it, wait and see what she says after she looks at it. Use some reverse psychology. If you tell her you like it and want to buy it, I am almost sure she will say, "hell" no!! But if you allow her to make the decision, and you just happen to agree with her, she will think she made a great decision and a great deal and thank you for being so supportive.
^^^^ :)) :))
 
I have said that saying before, and my wife may fuss at me a good bit. If someone didn't really know us, they would think I'm henpecked to death. Yes, she's involved in making decisions, and we discuss everything extra we spend, I mean even for a $5.00 tourist cup, but in the end I have the final say, cut and dried. I often go with what she wants, but not all the time. If I make a decision she doesn't like, she just goes with it and gets on with life. And no, I don't get it thrown up in my face if it's a bad decision. She knows I'll beat myself up enough for both of us.
If the coach checks out, and that's what you guys want, and get it a an agreeable price, go for it.
 
I will say this about the class A.. THE FIRST time or two you drive it. Yes that mother is BIG. and I mean BIG, even professional over the road Semi drivers who haul thousands of pounds of steel say the first time in a class A it is BIG.

But.. Took me about 3 trips before I was as comfrortable as driving my car.

And once I had a trac bar and steering stablizer put on.. MORE comfortable than driving the car.
 
    We were in the exact position when we bought our Class A.  We were travelling with friends, I was still smoking, and we stopped to let me have a puff.  There was a coach sitting on the grass in from of a park with a for sale sign on it, we called and DW fell in love with it, 4 years before planned retirement.  We bought it, and used it for 11 years, putting about 50,000 miles on it and sold it for over half what we paid for it.
    Best impulsive decision we ever made.

Ed
 
Our last impulse buy cost us about $200 K,,, YIKES !!!!!  But, we love it and haven't had one regret.  We saved all our life and now it's time to spend.
 
Don't pass up a great deal just because you were afraid to look at it. It's free to look, and there may even still be some negotiating room in the price. That would make the DW happy. Just don't go looking with rose colored glasses. Be critical of everything, including the age of the tires and not just how they look.  Look UP, for any signs of water spots on the roof.

Start the search now, it gives you more peace of mind, and yes, you may find a great deal right away.
 
Although my wife can squeeze a nickel until the buffalo craps, she is the most thoughtful and generous person I have ever seen. If I tell her I love it and want it, she will go along with it because it is for me. Money is not an object if she is doing something for someone else, especially me. It can be difficult (sometimes impossible) to separate her feelings. She can love something, but be so consumed with the $$$ signs that I can't get an honest answer out of her. She's been out of town this week, so when she gets home I'll see if I can get her to go look at it and take it from there. I love her too much to try to trick her into giving her seal of approval. If she tells me she loves it and can picture us in it...well, we pretty much know how that will turn out. :)
 
Alfa38User said:
This may (or may not) help in your (her) assessment! : http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2001/Georgie-Boy

Don't add any options, add mileage if requested. This will at least give you a starting point in establishing a value, however it is NOT the bible. Tires are one expensive replacement should they be needed, check as was suggested above.

It does seem highly priced.  We bought ours below low retail from an individual.
 
That sounds like an attractive deal, so take Mama to see it and explain why it's an opportunity.  Assuming you are right about the condition and the present owners, it's may be too good to pass up.

The asking price is above average, but at that age condition is everything. Unlike cars, the market price varies a lot by condition, region, and season, so you can't go solely on NADA values.  If it has been well cared for and lightly used, the price may not too far out of line. I'd negotiate, though, and try to get it for 20k or so.  View the RV Buting checklists in the RVforum library and assess the condition and potential costs if you buy. Tires are a huge expense, so if the tires are several years old, plan on replacing them and figure that into the price.
 
I first saw our current Class A couch for sale in a parking lot not far from our NY cottage and gave it a quick look. The condition and asking price were enough to know that we would likely be interested in seeing more of it, but I then I got busy with other things for a couple of days and forgot about it. Then my wife went shopping with our daughter, and came home with the news that she had found a motorhome for sale that she thought we should go look at. Of course, it turned out to be the same one that I had seen, and after meeting with the owner, liking the floorplan, maintenance records, etc. we said we would discuss it and get back to him. We got in the car to go home, and my wife said to wait a minute. She handed me a slip of paper with a number a few thousand less than the asking price, and said "Lets make him an offer." Well, we did, and after a brief negotiation we made the deal and gave him a deposit. Two days later we completed the deal and brought the coach home. A few weeks later we sold our older coach, and recouped about 2/3's of what we paid for the newer one. My wife still tells people that she was the one that found our current home, and I don't argue the point at all!  ;D
 
cgmartin said:
Don't forget the old saying; "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."  While you may be the man of the house, momma will have to be in on the decision. Before you even let her know how interested you are in buying it, wait and see what she says after she looks at it. Use some reverse psychology. If you tell her you like it and want to buy it, I am almost sure she will say, "hell" no!! But if you allow her to make the decision, and you just happen to agree with her, she will think she made a great decision and a great deal and thank you for being so supportive.


My eyes cannot roll and further back in my head at this comment. George surely your wife is an intelligent and independently thinking woman who would understand your thinking if you explained why this motorhome peaked your interest. I'm sure together, through honest communication, logic, and reason, you guys will come to the right decision together. Seems to me there have been others in your shoes as far as finding the coach of their dreams before their planned purchase and it worked out nicely for them.
 
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