HELP....SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT.....

[Scoundrel]

GEORGETOWN

I was in the process of purchasing the above MH. Financing was in place and inspections were done along with about $600 in repairs before I would take delivery. However I was showing my wife how to check VIN numbers on-line and coincidentally found that the MH I'm purchasing is actually a 2003.

My questions are, is it typical for a chassis to be one year and the house to be another? meaning, if Forest River purchased the chassis from Ford in 8/2003 but didn't finish the assembly ship it to the dealer until 2004 is it considered a 2004?

My next question is what legal action can I take if any?  ???

 

[Marsha/CA]

When we bought our 2003 Allegro Bus new, we signed a paper stating that we were aware the freightliner chassis was a 2002, while the coach was a 2003.  I don't think it's illegal.  I would bet coach manufactures buy several chassis and it takes a while to get the coach built making it next year's model.

I don't think there is anything illegal about it. 

Marsha~

 

[John From Detroit]

My MH is a 2005 but the chassis was made in 2004.  This is not  uncommon in the industry.  The VIN is set at the time the chassis is made

I should add mine was made in LATE 2005 (it is a 2005.5 model) so the chassis was 10 months old when I got it.

I would call the discrepency to the seller  The financial folks likely knwo it already.  but your seller may be acting in good faith.

Or you could contact Georgetown customer service and see what they have to say.

 

[Ned]

That's quite common in the RV industry.  Our chassis was made in 1996 and the coach was actually assembled in 1996, but it's a 1997 model.  It's nothing to be concerned about.

 

[Scoundrel]

Thanks everyone...I had a knot in my gut thinking the dealer was trying to pull a fast one....I feel much better finalizing the deal.

 

[Ron]

Look at the automobile industry.  They started sellling 2007 cars in late 2006 and they didn't wait till 2007 to begin building them.

 

[Jeff]

Ron:

This is a little different, the VIN says it is a 2003 while the Motorhome is 1 2004.  A car built in September 2004  will still show the 2005 model year in its VIN.

But as everyone has stated it is quite common in the industry. If you go to Gaffney and look at the line of Freightliner chassis waiting for shipment you understand the difference in model years.

 

[Ron]

You are correct Jeff but in the case of motorhomes the chassis is frequently built bu a different manufacurer.  As you said it is very common the chassis may have been built earlier than the motorhome.  This year will really have a lot of this since many MH manufacturers ordered an additional number of chassis to get the 2006 diesel engines instead of the 2007 engines.  They will still be 2007 coaches.

 

[ArdraF]

Ron is right about manufacturers preordering a chassis that's going out of production.  It happens a lot.  When we bought our Lazy Daze 23-footer we wanted the Dodge 440 engine which was going to be replaced with something else from another manufacturer.  Lazy Daze had a whole bunch of 440s that they ordered as soon as they found out it was soon going to be obsolete.  In their case, engine replacement meant they had to reconfigure their floorplans to accomodate a new engine by another manufacturer and they weren't too happy about that dilemma.  Just one of things manufacturers have to contend with that goes on in the background and of which we consumers are blissfully unaware.  That Lazy Daze had a chassis with one year and another year for the house part.  Buying all the 440s they could gave Lazy Daze a chance to reconfigure their floorplans.  Motorhome purchasers also have to remember that manufacturers buy components in bulk so they get price breaks.  This is another reason for the year of production and year of chassis discrepancy.  As others have said, it's quite common in this industry.

ArdraF

 

[KodiakRV]

Same story -- At the end of the 2006 model year, I bought a 2006 Gulfstream made early in the model year and it is on a 2005 Chevy Kodiak chassis.  Part of the closing paperwork was to fill out a "Delayed Warranty Start" request which was sent into GM for approval.

 

[allmuxedup]

Same story here, but I'll take it one farther.
My Lazy Daze is a 2004 model, on a 2004 chassis, built in 2003, registered as a 2005.

It was a floor model.  The owner of Lazy Daze said that they were the manufacturer & it was whatever they said it was.  He said it was a 2005 & sent the paperwork in showing that.  And folks... that is indeed what it is!  One crazy, mixed up coach!!!