New (but 3 yrs old) RV Sitting on Dealer's Lot

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
G

gawelsh

Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2006
Posts
10
Here's a question - we're looking at a NEW, still in the "wrapper" Teton RV....but it's a 2004, so it's been sitting at the dealers for 2 - 3 years, unused.  What are the
potential problems with this type of RV - dried up, dusty infrastructure that won't hold up as well as it should ??  Or not a big deal , with proper maintenance once we
take ownership ??    Any advice would be appreciated !!
 
With a trailer you have an advantage -- it is a simple box filled with appliances covered by their own guarantees and resting on a horse cart suspension with 2 or 3 dead axles.? No engine, transmission, differentials, etc..

Treat the trailer as if it were used.? See the topic? above here that covers buying used trailers.

Make the dealer operate all appliances:? furnace, fridge, water pumps, water heater, A/C, and work the tank valves.? ? Repacking the wheel bearings should be a part of the deal.? They likely have dried out a bit and in any case, a repacking should be done annually.    Could not hurt to get a manometer test on the propane system.

Your tires will probably last only a couple more years -- trailer tires are good for 5 to 7 years regardless of mileage or treadwear.

Screw a good price out of him, he has to be tired of staring at that unit. ;)
 
Carl Lundquist said:
Screw a good price out of him, he has to be tired of staring at that unit. ;)
Click to expand...

Not that tired to have had it for three years. ;D ;D
 
gawelsh said:
Here's a question - we're looking at a NEW, still in the "wrapper" Teton RV....but it's a 2004, so it's been sitting at the dealers for 2 - 3 years, unused.  What are the
potential problems with this type of RV - dried up, dusty infrastructure that won't hold up as well as it should ??  Or not a big deal , with proper maintenance once we
take ownership ??    Any advice would be appreciated !!
Click to expand...

I bought a new 2004 (built in summer 2003) in 2005. Here's the good part about buying a brand new older year model...you can get it at a great price and the warranty on the unit and all the appliances starts the day you buy it. Good price and full warranty, can't beat that. As someone mentioned, be sure to do a thorough walkthru and purchase inspection....look under and behind everywhere and make them fix every gliytch you find..
 
Carl Lundquist said:
Your tires will probably last only a couple more years -- trailer tires are good for 5 to 7 years regardless of mileage or treadwear.
Click to expand...

Excellent point.....think of the tires as half way worn out, because that's what they are.  Point that out as a negotiating tool when making the deal.  If the dealer tells you that the tires will be just fine for another 6-7 years, he's lying.  They won't be....at least not safely.

The more I read on here about unsavory dealers, the happier I am that I've bought my trailers used.

This unit all comes down to price.  Like MFD480 pointed out....once it leaves the lot, it's a 3 year old trailer.  Not a bad thing if you paid the right price and plan on hanging on to it for a while.....a real bummer if you pay too much and plan on trading in a couple of years.
 
The more I read on here about unsavory dealers, the happier I am that I've bought my trailers used
Click to expand...
.

They are no worse than automobile dealers.  But then I use credit union affiliated brokers myself, so what can I say.  I guess you just have to assume that most all dogs bark and just deal with them for price on a unit that you have determined is ok for your requirements. 

BTW, I like small town dealers, real small towns and not suburban dealers.  They have to live more closely with their customers, and meet them in grocery stores and at church.  Screwing over customers for short term profit can lead to long term bankruptcy and strained relations in the community they live in.  I especially like dealing with their service units -- except in tourist towns.
 
Good point about the tires. When I bought my new old RV I had them put all new tires on it, including the spare. The tires had to have been manufactured within the 3-6 month period prior to the sale. I got all brand new tires manufactured 2 months before I closed. So include new tires (make sure you specify date of manufacture or you may get "new" tires that had been sitting on a shelf for a year or two) in your sales agreement.
 
This is a very good brand from all the research I did before buying the one I did recently.

Now I'm pretty sure there's at least 25% to 30% mark-up on it and the dealer might not want to take much of a loss.  But, he sure doesn't need to make any profit either.

I'd look at NADA retail on a used one just like it..., deduct 35% off the MSRP and offer somewhere in between on the first offer.

Keep in mind that it will be a three year old used one when you buy it, but, it'll also have a brand new full warranty.

Teton is a great company!
 
Seems to be an opportunity for a great deal or a big head ache.

I am no expert but it reminded me of something I came across while shopping for our TT. I was looking for a certain model/floorplan and the only one they had was a "leftover" '05.? Although it was not the floorplan I was looking for I still asked to see it to get a feel for it quality wise. The sales person said "I can show it to you IF you want but I won't sell it to you" Why? " It has had problems since day one and in the shop constantly with roof leaks and 'delams' etc.." So it is used? I asked. "No it has never been sold for a reason, we sell lots of RV's here and it wasn't a lemon we would have sold it a long time ago" He was honest enough, he could have never mentioned it or just said sorry we don't have that model at the moment.

Something else to think about it is even though it has not been sold or titled doesn't mean it hasn't been used. I saw some of the smaller lots I visited where the some employees slepped in some of the 'odds and ends unit'. I am sure that any of those examples would be VERY apparent.

Just a few things to think about.? ? ? ?GREAT FORUM!! ;D

More D
 
I know you are talking RV and not Motorhome but we bought an 03 the last of the season that had been on the lot since 02 when they brought the new models in.  Trouble from the biginning.  I noticed that the skirt on the couch was a little discolored(from a water leak that we found before we left the lot)  They fixed it.  In AZ. it gets very hot on the lots.  We were in the middle of Utah and the Serpentine belt broke on our way to CO.  There were 7 things that went bad, I could go on but you get the picture.  Was glad to trade it in for a loss just to get rid of it.  They had sent me a card and asked if I was pleased with their service, I wrote so much on it that went wrong, I had to write all along the sides also. LOL
We did turn around and buy an RV that was on the lot for a year, but stayed at the dealer ship for a longer time and made sure everything was working.  So far just a water leak on the road that we were able to fix in Billings, Mt. in an hour, still under warranty.
I am glad you guys said something about tires.  I had said to John that it looked like the tires were wearing a little on the outside.  We checked the tires and they were a little low but looks like they are wearing more than on a truck.
Patty on the road to Canada
 
Let's get a bit pedantic here for a moment. 

<pedant mode on>

An RV, a recreational vehicle, is a general term that includes trailers, motorhomes, van conversions, bus conversions, tent trailers, pick-up campers, and toy haulers.    Generally speaking, they are land vehicles that can be lived in. 

Some folks apply RV to just motorhomes.  Some people apply RV to just trailers.  This  can get confusing at times.  We tend to confuse easily.  Give us a break folks, trailers is trailers, motorhomes is motorhomes.  RVs is the entire forum. 

<pedant mode off>

And I thank you for your kind attention.  ;D

 
Adding to Carl's message, for clarification only, click here for our illustrated explanation of different RV types.
[edit]Link update[/edit]
 
Just to give you a frame of referance, we bought  1994 40'Teton in 1995 for $41,00 and the new price in 94 was $78,000. This will give you an idea how much the value drops in a year.

BTW, the Teton is probably one of the best, if not the best 5th wheel triailer made.

Chet18013
 
gawelsh said:
Here's a question - we're looking at a NEW, still in the "wrapper" Teton RV....but it's a 2004, so it's been sitting at the dealers for 2 - 3 years, unused.? ?What are the
potential problems with this type of RV - dried up, dusty infrastructure that won't hold up as well as it should ??? ?Or not a big deal , with proper maintenance once we
take ownership ??? ? Any advice would be appreciated !!
Click to expand...

Act in same way a bank loan officier would to determine loan value - consult the NADA Guide for the year of the TT (NOT 2006) and determine its fair market value.  You can get the value at  www.nadaguide.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,032 (members: 20, guests: 1,012)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,934
Posts
1,387,761
Members
137,684
Latest member
kstoybox
Back
Top Bottom