Brit coming to the US, buying an A-Class - but not a virgin! ;)

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Dougie Brown

Dougie Brown

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Joined
Nov 16, 2007
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I've posted this under "Newcomers" although that doesn't relate to my RV-owing status - we'd had a 32ft Rexhall Rexair here in the UK for 4 years and use it here & in Europe.  HOWEVER:- we're flying out in May to the US (don't know where yet - depends on the answer to this question ;) ) to buy a second A-Class & toad, then doing a year-long road trip starting in Halifax, NS.  And yes, I know it's absolutely as far as you can get from the phat RV purchasing grounds, but it has to be so.  8)  We'll drive to NS from wherever we buy, and it's no problem

From what research I've done and also from several friends over here who have been over the Pond to look and/or buy, I'm looking to fly out to AZ or FL to buy ours.  I've been following an eBay seller in AZ whose RVs are exactly the right age, condition (as far as I can see) and price range, although he doesn't have a showroom or lot.  I've benefited from a few folks' experiences at LazyDays in FL, but their site never seems to show prices! Really irritating - I don't want to have to complete forms every time I want pricing info!

So the question - can anyone recommend some good, reliable dealers who will have a good selection of stock of gas A-classes up to $25k (maybe $30k if it's utterly stunning..) and who might be able to fix us up with a toad at the same time (the last bit is the bonus ball...)?

Thanks in advance,

Dougie.
 
Hi Dougie, and welcome to The RV Forum. Or, as we say west of the Severn Bridge, hello boyo.

Hopefully, someone will jump in with some suggestions. Meanwhile, be sure to click the Library button above and visit the Checklists section; You'll find some useful stuff for checking out the motorhome before you plonk down your hard earned dosh.
 
Hi Tom,

Hi there.  I have posted before - you may remember I had a problem with my Triton engine which was eventually replaced by a culpable garage.  (I also mentioned Terry & Liliane which sparked a torrent of goodwill from various people  ;D ).

Thanks,

Dougie.
 
Hi Dougie. Sorry, yes, I forgot you'd posted previously. It happens when you get older.

In case you weren't aware, tomorrow (Thursday) is our Thanksgiving holiday, and today is one of the busiest travel days of the year here. So, folks might be a bit sparse for a few days, but keep checking in.
 
asprn said:
you may remember I had a problem with my Triton engine which was eventually replaced by a culpable garage.
Click to expand...

A culpable garage or a capable garage... that makes a huge difference as to if I trust the repairs on not! :D
 
I really don't think you will find any dealer with a good supply of $25k or less class A RVs anywhere in the US. If a class A is only $25k or less that means it is at least 10 probably 15 years old. There isn't much markup in units of that price range so therefore there aren't a lot of dealers interested in stocking units that are old and not in demand. Your best bet is eBay or Craigslist. And in that price range you better not buy it sight unseen. You should plan on flying to either Arizona or Florida and spending the first few weeks of your visit shopping and buying your RV. Arizona and Florida are two of the best places for finding old used RVs. Both places will be obscenely hot in May but that is where the most used RVs are found.
 
We bought our 1996 Southwind last January at AmericanRV in Sacramento, CA.  They were honest, forthcoming and did some reasonable negotiating.  We ended up paying less than $15,000 to buy the unit and have it checked out and new tires put on.  Since then we put 10,000 miles on her without a major problem.  Everything worked when we bought it but I changed out the toilet when it sprung a small fresh water leak.  She's a 34' class A gasser and gets 8.5 mpg at 55.  Yes, you can find good deals here, in Arizona and Florida.  I don't know about the toad, we're just now looking for something small and inexpensive.  Come on over!
 
SoEzzy said:
A culpable garage or a capable garage... that makes a huge difference as to if I trust the repairs on not! :D
Click to expand...
Well indeed.  I did mean culpable, although a capable garage replaced it, and the culpable garage paid.  ;D

seilerbird said:
I really don't think you will find any dealer with a good supply of $25k or less class A RVs anywhere in the US. If a class A is only $25k or less that means it is at least 10 probably 15 years old.
Click to expand...
We have a 1999 Rexair so something along those lines for a 10,000-mile trip won't be a problem (well it won't be provided the vehicle is good!).  10-12 years old is the age bracket I'm looking at.

Bigwheel said:
We bought our 1996 Southwind last January at AmericanRV in Sacramento, CA.  They were honest, forthcoming and did some reasonable negotiating.  We ended up paying less than $15,000 to buy the unit and have it checked out and new tires put on.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the account.  Can I ask what the dealer's asking price was, and how hard you had to work to get it down to $15k?  Also do you have AmericanRV's website URL please?

Bigwheel said:
Yes, you can find good deals here, in Arizona and Florida.  .... Come on over!
Click to expand...
Which is why I'm researching at this stage, trying to build a decent list of dealers to hit when we do arrive.

Thanks everyone for your input so far, and I hope you've all had a great Thanksgiving.

Dougie.
 
Try this: 

http://rvsuperdeals.com/contact_us.htm 

We spoke with Lester, very nice guy.  They were asking $15K.  We talked and got it to $13K and then took it to Mello Truck in Modesto to have the chassis, brakes, shocks and all the other chassis stuff checked out.  We also had them put new firestone tires on since the old ones were over ten years old.  All that cost $2K.  We think we got a really good deal.  Good luck!
 
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