Did I blow it??

[Rdogsdad]

  Just got home from Arizona where I had planned to purchase and drive home a 97 class A.  Had the checks in hand, and all the details set up for the drive home, along with lots of advice from the RV forum.  Problem was,  one side of the RV had been exposed to the blazing AZ sun,  the decals were cracked and peeled, and the finish on that side was pretty dull.  Other than that, the RV had very low miles on the engine and generator, and the interior was in good shape.  I didn't know what I may be getting into as far as the outside, backed out of the deal,  and flew back home.  Could this have been an easy fix?

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Rdogsdad,

Hard to say if it could be easily fixed. One would have to look very carefully at the side to see what other damage might have occured. This should have been told to you by the sales person. As we know, that won't happen. I guess they figure once you are there you will go through with the deal. I'm sure I would have done just what you did, walk away!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Cracked, faded and peeling decals aren't fixable and chances are that replacements will not be available for a '97.  And it is a lot of work to remove and replace them even if you can find a matching set.  More often, the decals are removed and perhaps some trim painted on. 

As for fading of the sides themselves, it is hard to say. Fiberglass boat polishes are usually pretty good at removing oxidation, but sometimes the damage goes to deep and it simply won't clean up very well. Or it looks OK for a few days while the wax is bright and shiny, but then quickly dulls again.

These are cosmetic things and only you can decide how it affects the value of the rig. I would certainly expect a discount from the average NADA book value if it looks really ugly.  Since you were surprised with this by the seller and not comfortable with what you saw, you were smart to walk away.  You can always go back after you think about it, but once you put your money down you are stuck.

If the agreed upon price was low (I'm thinking near NADA wholesale), and you would be willing to use the rig "as is", then perhaps you missed a good deal. But if the cruddy exterior really bothers you, then no price is likely to be low enough.  There are lots of used motorhomes out there, so just keep looking. The right one for you will turn up.

 

[Rdogsdad]

  Thaanks guys...have been going batty here second guessing myself!  Will try to put the whole thing behind and keep on looking.  Plenty of them out there here in Michigan.

 

[Jim Godward]

If the outside was really bad, you were probably looking at a full paint job, about $10,000+/-  Several of my friends have or are doing this for the reasons you saw.

The price would have to be really good to allow this. 

Also if the ouside was this way, what about the engine and chassis stuff. 

JMO,

 

[Tom]

Another data point to add to Jim's paint prices - a friend of ours received a quote of $25,000 for the Monaco factory service folks to repaint his coach. As Jim says, the price would have to be really low to accomodate the cost of repainting.

 

[Jim Godward]

Tom,

I suggest your frinds do some real searching for paint shops.  The norm sees to be between $10 and 15,000 at most of the shops that I have seen mentioned.  Several in the Elkhart IN area have been highly recommended on both the Newmarowners and Diesel RVs on Yahoo. 

I'm not in the market so don't have ready access to these shops.  Also there is one in Westminster CA that was highly recommended last year while we were at the Garden Grove Elks Lodge.

 

[Tom]

I suggest your frinds do some real searching for paint shops.

They don't need to, Jim because Monaco is painting their coach for free. Maybe your friends need to shop for a better deal  ;D

Here's the rest of the story .....

One of Monaco's suppliers had a materials problem that, on certain years of coach, causes a checking in the paint. It's especially noticeable with black paint. Monaco is re-painting coaches that used this material, but it's not 100% of the coach. In our friends' case it turns out to be 75-80%. Partly because they have some scratches in the unaffected areas, our friends thought they'd ask what it would cost for the entire coach to be painted, assuming that Monaco is paying for 75-80% of the area anyway. Somehow their request got misinterpreted or disconnected from the freebie part and they received a verbal estimate of $25K.

 

[Jim Godward]

Tom,

>>Maybe your friends need to shop for a better deal  <<

Some of them did, newmar had a problem too and those that checked got a free paint job too.  The others were just too old and wanted the paint so ...

 

[Tom]

...newmar had a problem too and those that checked got a free paint job too.

Sounds like there might have been an industry-wide problem. AFAIK none of the manufacturers voluntarily notified customers. Those that complain get put on a waiting list. Our friends got added months ago and their re-paint appointment is scheduled for some time in 2007. Methinks they have a capacity limitation.

 

[Betty Brewer]

? Just got home from Arizona where I had planned to purchase and drive home a 97 class A.? Had the checks in hand, and all the details set up for the drive home, along with lots of advice from the RV forum.? Problem was,? one side of the RV had been exposed to the blazing AZ sun,? the decals were cracked and peeled, and the finish on that side was pretty dull.? Other than that, the RV had very low miles on the engine and generator, and the interior was in good shape.? I didn't know what I may be getting into as far as the outside, backed out of the deal,? and flew back home.? Could this have been an easy fix?

I think you would have always been sorry to have purchased a vehicle that you "thought" had problems.  This  one was not meant to be.  Give yourself credit for  having the courage to to back out of it and then get back in the game to find an RV you  really like!  It's out there! Keep us posted.
Betty Brewer