Can a used Class A be too new?

We got a good offer from a dealer in VA for a used Class A gas. The story is that the original owner wanted to upgrade to a larger unit. It's a 2017 with only around 2.5k miles. Given that the new warranty is non-transferable I'm left to wonder if a motorhome with such low mileage has even had enough drive time to work through all the "bugs". Issues that from reading here it seems virtually all new motor homes go through regardless of price. I'd hate to commit to an RV and find we're the ones that need to address all the break-in issues without any kind of warranty protection. The dealer took it in trade and this is a model they don't even carry. They said they'd go through it but...

Who told you that the chassis and house warranty were not transferable?

John Beard said:

Who told you that the chassis and house warranty were not transferable?

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Well, I'm the first to admit I have a lot to learn about RV warranties in general (although starting to learn more here fortunately). However speaking to a private seller who had a similar Class A of the same vintage, he had returned it 2x to the factory since he purchased it to address a long list of issues and all were taken care of under the original warranty.

The dealer said that while they would go over it, the sale would basically be an "as is" transaction-- unless of course we wanted to purchase an extended warranty of some kind directly from them. But the original factory warranty is valid for up to 24 months or 24k miles but only for the original purchaser. It's not transferable. Were we to purchase this RV, not being the original purchaser we'd be responsible for for any repairs going forward.

I'm left wondering if the original owner ever kept a punch list and resolved any issues found that would be covered by the original factory warranty.

I have to ask about the chassis and house warranties you referenced? Would these be items apart from the basic factory warranty?

I think at the very least if we were to go with this RV the terms would include a private inspection with the understanding that any issues discovered would need to be addressed before closing. Obviously this dealer would not have done any warranty work given they don't carry RVs from this manufacturer.

Something smells fishy here, especially with the dealer offering for you to buy an extended warranty on a less than 1 year old rig with 2500 miles. I?d need something on the order of 30+% off list and he buys the warranty.

Curious as to the make and model. Seems strange the new warranty isn't transferable.

And, I'd be looking for a lot more than 30% off MSRP. From posts here you should be able to get close to that brand new.

There's always a deductible on the Warranty plans I've seen.

Good Luck,
Tom

Taking odds it?s a Thor. LOL

So five minutes of looking around:

Forest River - original owner covered
Thor - first two owners covered
Winnebago - transferrable

Those are all for the 12 month "box" warranty.

ennored said:

Forest River - original owner covered
Thor - first two owners covered

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Amazing

Sounds like the dealer had to buy back under the lemon law

My Jayco warranty clearly states that it is for the original purchaser only.

Heli_av8tor said:

Curious as to the make and model. Seems strange the new warranty isn't transferable.

And, I'd be looking for a lot more than 30% off MSRP. From posts here you should be able to get close to that brand new.

There's always a deductible on the Warranty plans I've seen.

Good Luck,
Tom

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Tom,

It's a Jayco Precept.

From their warranty page:

Each Jayco is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship to the original purchaser for twenty-four (24) months or twenty-four thousand (24,000) miles (mileage limitation applies to motorized products only), whichever occurs first, from the original date of purchase.

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I don't think I'm naive and I don't find anything much suspicious about this coach being on the market. It is quite common for newcomers to buy the wrong RV and realize it fairly quickly once they travel in it and/or spend a week or two. If they can afford it, they trade.
Whether the original owner followed up on repairs is a tougher question, but many problems show up in the first few trips. If the fridge, toilet, water heater or a/c isn't working right, you probably know early-on. Longer term failures are possible, of course, but that's true of any purchase.  A good PDI should find most things, though getting a "good PDI" isn't always easy. You might make your own list of items to be checked and make that part of the purchase agreement. They might just check the items off without looking hard, but at least you have a record if there is a subsequent issue.
A relatively short term extended warranty might be negotiable as well, if that would give you a warmer feeling.
The Ford F53 chassis, engine and transmission warranties are independent of Jayco and should be applicable regardless.  The serate Ford F53 chassis manual has warranty info.

My erroneous suspicions were based on my belief that a factory warranty almost certainly had to be transferable. Little did I know that most RV manufacturers would use sale during the original warranty period as yet another excuse to not stand behind their unit.

We bought our class C at only a year old. It rolled over 1800 miles on the way home, 750 of which was delivery miles. The folks that bought it new and traded at a year wanted recliners instead of a couch. They bought a sister model that is the same length. I would have pulled the couch and spent the $1600 or so for recliners. I'm sure they took more than a $1600 beating trading that early.

Thanks much for the input Gary. I asked them it they would have any problem with an independent, certified (NRVIA) inspector going over it but haven't heard back yet. Rightly or wrongly I look at dealer trade-ins the same way I do car trade-ins. When all the math is done that high value they put on our trade is more than offset at the other end. For that reason I never tell a dealer I might trade something in until the very last back & forth negotiations.

Assuming that dealers really would like to clear out the used RVs models they took in trade, that might work to my advantage when it comes to negotiating price in this case. A good enough price with the possibility of a short-term warranty might work.

Gary RV_Wizard said:

I don't think I'm naive and I don't find anything much suspicious about this coach being on the market. It is quite common for newcomers to buy the wrong RV and realize it fairly quickly once they travel in it and/or spend a week or two. If they can afford it, they trade.
Whether the original owner followed up on repairs is a tougher question, but many problems show up in the first few trips. If the fridge, toilet, water heater or a/c isn't working right, you probably know early-on. Longer term failures are possible, of course, but that's true of any purchase.  A good PDI should find most things, though getting a "good PDI" isn't always easy. You might make your own list of items to be checked and make that part of the purchase agreement. They might just check the items off without looking hard, but at least you have a record if there is a subsequent issue.
A relatively short term extended warranty might be negotiable as well, if that would give you a warmer feeling.
The Ford F53 chassis, engine and transmission warranties are independent of Jayco and should be applicable regardless.  The serate Ford F53 chassis manual has warranty info.

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Obviously a dealer likes to sell units quickly, but he isn't "clearing them out". He expects to make a profit on each & every sale, new or used.  And I would think a late model used coach with an attractive price (relative to a new one) would be an easy sale, so he probably has few worries about getting stuck with it when its still early in the season.

Best of luck with your transaction! Let is know what happens.