joint ownership Brits coming to US

[Tom]

I too am a sailor so if you know anyone looking for crew in SF bay for a day, I will be there!!

We're what is affectionately known by the true sailors on the forum as "stinkpot sailors"; My other half steadfastly refuses to step aboard a sailboat and, since she's at the helm 95% of the time, I just go along for the ride.

Drop us a note if/when you're in the area. We're approx 80 miles northeast of San Francisco. The old tub is moored at the rear of the house, with access to 1200 miles of waterways on the CA Delta, and a clear run down to SF Bay.

Try the Search button above looking for tires (not tyres), and you'll find a number of topics where folks have discussed what they paid. For budgeting purposes, you could also try these folks:

http://www.lesschwab.com/tires/motorhome.asp

 

[The Mehlmanns]

Drop us a note if/when you're in the area. We're approx 80 miles northeast of San Francisco. The old tub is moored at the rear of the house, with access to 1200 miles of waterways on the CA Delta, and a clear run down to SF Bay.

Well Tom, thats most kind of you. But be careful as we may just do that. Stinkpot, rags and sticks, no problem I do them all!! Mind you we might have to keep the SWMBO's apart as mine is of similar thinking to yours except she don't want to go near the water again having sailed with me for nearly 40 years she has had enough and reckons that it is her turn now and RVing suits her just fine. :'( Mind you like you we have our 30 footer moored at the end of our garden on the River Guadiana.

We are looking at something in Sacramento which I am guessing is some where in the right direction although not on the coast of course.

I will certainly look up TIRES and thanks for the link.

Cheers


Cheers

 

[Tom]

We're almost equidistant from San Francisco and Sacramento, out in the sticks (aka in the boonies). There are a number of nearby campgrounds, and there's even a file of them in our forum library.

Sacramento, in addition to being the state capital, has a number of things to see, and is well worth a visit. An hour or so north of there is gold mining country, around the Auburn and Grass Valley areas. Another hour or so north of there is Reno which, being in Nevada, might be the place to take delivery of your motorhome. Reno is also known as "the biggest little city in the world". OK if you like casinos, but there are also some other attractions in the area. The favourite place for "out of state deliveries" is Boomtown, a casino and campground near the town of Verdi, approx 20 minutes west of Reno.

I understand the boys in Twickenham lost to the Aussies over the weekend. I get all the rugby games delayed by a day or two, so I have it set to record. It had been 55 or years since the boys in Cardiff beat the All Blacks, so expectations were high for Saturday's game at the Millennium Stadium. It's now 56+ years  

 

[Tom]

...on a base cost of 15000$...

Just noticed this in your prior message. Don't know if you have any ideas on makes/models and year of motorhome, but you may wish to take a look at the Nada Price Guides. Click on the Recreation Vehicles tab, pick some makes and browse the various years and models. Don't check (tick) any of the options, because many of them are included in the base price. You'll get some of idea of what you can get for your money.

Also be sure to look in the Checklists area of our forum library and grab one or more of the checklists before accepting and paying for the motorhome. Also put one of these in your budget.

 

[The Mehlmanns]

Hi Tom,

Yes Nada prices the RV we are interested in at around 10K the dealer is asking nearly 20K so we feel there could be room for negotiation! At least 1/3rd off I would say. He does need to make a pofit of course. What do you think would be fair.

Again the problem with out of state registry is having a mailing address. Any thoughts?

I like the idea of the toolkit and had planned on getting the odd screw driver and wrench. Maybe not quite so comprehensive as what you suggest but then if you need it you need and can be sure you wont have it.

See you in the spring.

Steve

 

[Tom]

What do you think would be fair.

How long is a piece of string? Without knowing make, model, year and seeing the condition and some of the RV's history, there's no way to answer your question. We used to talk about being able to negotiate maybe 26-30% off the price of a new coach, but that was because we collectively had some idea of what the dealer cost was, and possibly what the factory was prepared to kick in. When it comes to used RVs, there's no way of knowing how much the dealer has to work with. Some folks might make a low offer and see if & by how much the dealer responds.

Is this a reputable dealer? I ask because there are many wholesalers out there. When an older vehicle is traded (in part exchange) for a new or newer vehicle, a dealer will often unload it on a wholesaler; They (the dealer) either doesn't want to be bothered with the old vehicle, or feels it's something they can't sell.

A good example is our last motorhome. I knew there were some issues with it that I did not want to pass along to an unsuspecting buyer. I made it a condition of buying our current coach that the dealer took our old one "as is" and at no cost to the dealer. I had to charge them the obligatory $1 to make it a legal sale, but the bill of sale clearly stated all the issues I knew about with the vehicle.

The dealer didn't want to even see the old motorhome, and told me they'd dump it on a wholesaler. Since the wholesaler was closer to me, they had him drive to my house to pick it up. After seeing how he operated and how he talked, there was no doubt in my mind that this guy would try to sell this RV to some unsuspecting buyer, and wouldn't bat an eyelid. The DMV paperwork listed him as a "dealer".

Again the problem with out of state registry is having a mailing address. Any thoughts?

This is where the LLC would make sense. I don't know if just a PO box would even work. OTOH I know of several forum members who are not residents of CA or NV, and who bought a coach in CA , taking delivery in Boomtown. Maybe they can shed some light.

 

[The Mehlmanns]

Hi Tom,

I of course have no idea whether this company is reputable or not but it all looks OK to me. American Motorhomes are the people and they really do present the RV's beautifully having taken a lot of care to show them well. So we shall see. Of course it may not be available when we actually get there!

Having read all my postings, I have to laugh as anywhere we purchase will be 'out of state' because, of course, we are not residents of the US at all. It is just that we have, nearly, relatives in California who seem prepared to allow us to 'virtually' lodge with them. I guess most States don't mind so long as the owners can be contacted.

Anyway thanks for all your help. I suspect this thread has run it's course but no doubt I will be posting again when something else crops up.

Regards

Steve
p.s. are you on the computer all the time?

 

[Tom]

Here's something else to put into your budget, maybe an alternative to that expensive toolkit:

https://www.coach-net.com/

They're the nearest equivalent of the AA or RAC. There are other alternatives, such as:

http://www.goodsamclub.com/benefits-services/emergency-road-service.aspx

In the latter case, I don't recall if you also have to be a member of the Good San Club in order to be eligible for the emergency roadside assistance plan.

 

[Tom]

I'd never heard of them before reading your message. There's a dealer in Sacramento with a very similar name, but I have no knowledge of them. A few resources you might use to check out companies:

http://www.sacramento.bbb.org/

www.metrochamber.org

However, be aware that a listing or complaint at either site is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of a company; Just use them as an additional tool in your search.

Good luck with your search, the purchase, and your adventure.

are you on the computer all the time?

No, that's just an illusion  ;D