Finally! Picked up the MH Today!

[motojavaphil]

Good luck with the new MH!  Sounds like you have engaged the learning curve wisely!  I just want to say the two videos were some of the best I have seen regarding tire care and "blowouts".  I wish all new RVist would watch them, sure save some heartaches!

 

[chaajoad]

I've watched them once - I'll watch them again. Forewarned is forearmed ...

Thanks!

 

[mdalli]

chaajoad, your situation is so eerily similar to me that it's almost creepy.  My wife and I live in the south Seattle area and are currently cleaning up our credit to do exactly what you have just done.  And we are looking at a 28' Bounder.

Any suggestions?  You are an old hand compared to me.

 

[chaajoad]

Hi mdalli -

All I can tell you is my limited experience.

I was checking out a few 28' Bounders. Seemed like they might be easier to handle, park, etc. I couldn't get past the fact that the ones I was considering had only a dinette and a few captains chairs - I really wanted a couch. The bigger bathroom is excellent - the tub is nearly full-sized!

And there's always the thing where 28' feels like a battleship - for awhile. Once you get used to it, you might find yourself wanting a bigger rig. It's been that way for me with trucksa, motorcycles and now ... motor homes! Overall, Bounders seem to have solid reputations.

Post any comments, questions or what you decide.

 

[mdalli]

chaajoad:

I wouldn't want to incur the wrath of any admins on here, but if you might recommend to me some online sources to look, I would appreciate it.  Also, during your process of refinancing, if you have any nuggets of wisdom gleaned from that, that would be great.

 

[chaajoad]

Hi mdalli -

I don't think I'd incur wrath by suggesting ebay as a good place to start looking for a MH. To me, their $20,000 fraud guarantee was important. If you buy a rig and the mileage was misrepresent or similar stuff, you at least have a basis to try and get some $$ back. Good luck getting that anywhere else. But there are other online sources that I thought were fairly reliable. I think an important point might be to determine the exact unit you want (year, price, etc) and Google away. If the price was right, I had no problem flying someplace to pick the rig up. There's a big online RV dealer in AZ that will pick you up at the airport - many private sellers said they would do the same.

The only new thing I learned during this refinancing was - always expect delays. I was told I'd have $$ in hand on the 15th a few months back and it was closer to the end of the month. I had to tap dance a bit with the seller but all ended well. Don't forget that there are tax advantages to a MH as well - the second home deduction can help!

 

[mdalli]

May I ask exactly where you spotted the coach you eventually purchased?  I've been looking on rvtrader.com and rvtraderonline.com and have seen a few good deals.  I'm very willing to fly halfway across the country to get a well-priced RV.

Also, what lender did you go with?  How does the 2nd home tax break work exactly?

We go up to Bremerton to church every Sunday and Wednesday; that's the main reason we want a coach in the 1st place.  Beautiful town, Poulsbo.

 

[Woody]

>>I don't think I'd incur wrath by suggesting ebay as a good place to start looking for a MH. To me, their $20,000 fraud guarantee was important. If you buy a rig and the mileage was misrepresent or similar stuff, you at least have a basis to try and get some $$ back. <<

I bought my 93 Pace Arrow from an ad on ebay. BUT, I drove the 200 miles to see it and make a careful inspection before making an offer. I saved about $8,000 under the NADA price and about $4,000 under Blue Book.

Woody

 

[mdalli]

I was definitely less than impressed by the layout on eBay.  Unless you have a very specific model/ year in mind, and know the NADA guides by heart. 

 

[Woody]

Ebay is very good for is finding out what certain RV's actually sell for. NADA, Bluebook, and all the rest of the pricing guides can say something is worth xxx$$ but it is really only worth what someone will pay for it. I haunted ebay, dealerships, and individuals for over a year until I finally made an offer on an RV. I bid on several and got overbid or didn't make the minimum price set until I finally got mine. Funny thing is that I found out individuals seem to have the highest prices and they seem to be fixed in their opinion of what it is worth. Dealers run a close second.

One thing I did find out from all those months of checking the ads is that some of the best prices from dealers seemed to be located in Arizona and Texas. Not quite sure why this is but that seemed to be the pattern.Its possible that those two states have a lot of retirees that offer up their RV's because of age or sickness but I would think that Florida would be the same way.

Woody

 

[chaajoad]

mdalli -

The reason ebay worked well for me was precisely because I knew the exact model I was interested in. Ebay has that cool search function that automatically emails you every time an object you're interested in is listed.

We used a banker with Chase Manhattan in Bellevue WA that was recommended to us. I liked the guy and would be happy to email you his name and contact info. And no, we get nothing special for doing that.

As I understand it, the second home deduction allows you to deduct interest if the RV has sleeping quarters, bathroom and dining facilities. In my case, I might try to deduct depreciation and some other costs because I'll be using it for business. BUT - I'm hardly a tax expert ...