What paperwork to sign...and when

[redeagle313]

A little background, we ordered a 28' CCD at the end of February which has arrived at the dealer. This is our first RV of any type, ever. We will be picking it up in about 2 weeks due to my husband's work schedule...he couldn't take off a Friday until April 15th. We plan to spend the night at the dealer to check things out as they advised us to do.

At the time of the order, we put down a 2K deposit and signed nothing at that time because we ordered it over the phone and gave them our credit card (for the deposit). Yesterday, we received an expedited package from the dealer with several documents to sign and a return envelope to expedite it back to them.

Here is a list of the items that require signatures: retail buyer's order, note to cosigner (?), application for certificate of title, optional credit insurance (we would opt to not have this), the loan application, a "WE OWE" form (?)(which looks like a place to list problems with the Airstream...the dealer has typed at the bottom, "nothing else-no damage"...this form also says "I understand that I must make an advance appointment for service", the packet included an agreement to provide insurance form, and finally, the simple interest note and security agreement.

We understand the need to have us sign the buyer's retail order and the loan application. What about all those other documents? They seem like items we would sign AFTER we accept the condition of the new trailer and have found no serious problems with the unit.

We want to avoid any errors that could come back to bite us. Does this seem reasonable? If we sign all of these now, what paperwork would there be left to sign?

I must add, we have no reason to doubt the dealer's integrity, we just want to make sure of what we are signing. We will be calling them obviously but wondered what this forum would have to say about the scenario. Thanks!

Randi

[ctdair]

I would wait until a complete walk thru/around inspection. Airstream will stand behind any problems in my experience , but signing the no problems paper work in advance just isn't right. Dealer integriy is not really an issue , they are just trying to expidite the paperwork to make your pick up quicker so they aren't tied up as long and you can enjoy your trailer sooner. If you find problems , document them and then make your own decision to accept delivery and have repaired later or put off acceptance until repairs complete.

[markdoane]

I would appreciate seeing the paperwork in advance and at my leisure.
I don't think they meant you to sign the acceptance document until you saw the unit; they just wanted to make you aware of the paperwork.

Sign the ones that you're ok with, hold the others.

Maybe you should tell them you want to make an "advance appointment for service" the day of pickup, so they can fix immediately all the things that will not meet your approval. At least you've tipped them off that you will be doing a full stem-to-stern inspection.

[dmac]

If you have any doubt about the paperwork, spend $100 and have a lawyer help you with it.

Check with your local bank for loan rates... I would be surprised if the dealer has the best rate. With the dealer be carefull of wierd loan terms - excessive fees, prepayment penalty, or who-knows-what.

[Mike Lewis]

I would not sign anything until I did an inspection and walk through. The dealer wants signatures so he can proceed with getting paid for the unit from the lender. Keep in mind once you sign it's pretty much yours. There are reasons you might want to reject the unit , dents or body damage for one. I would not accept a unit that had ANY damage no matter what they promise in terms of repair.
If you sign and then find they "overlooked something or some damage occured while on the lot IT'S YOUR'S. The $2k you gave them for retainer is enough proff that your intentions are to buy this trailer. DON'T RUSH THIS LAST STEP!!!!!
Pieman

[fireflyinva]

I hope 53FlyingCloud pipes in on this soon. Vern works part time for a dealer and will give you the straight scoop.

Mary

[cosmotini]

If possible, if your dealer is not too far away, perhaps you could go sooner just to look the trailer over and make a "punch list" of problems before signing anything. Our dealer was very cooperative last year when we bought ours (plug for Bill Thomas). Because of my travel schedule and lack of tow vehicle, they let us keep it on their lot until we were ready for it. We did all of the paperwork ahead of time along with our list of items needing attention. When we finally were able to pick the trailer up, all of the items were addressed and we were good to go. We probably made 3 or 4 trips (140 miles) in the process but that's what worked for us. Also, when you finally do get to pick it up and stay the night at the dealer's, test everything at least twice. I found some loose cabinet hardware that wasn't obvious until I opened and closed the kitche drawers several times. The service tech was able to fix it immediately.

Good luck,

Dennis

[Condoluminum]

It may be that dealer is wanting loan and paperwork before Friday aft pickup, since not much happens in banking world after 4 on a Friday..

Insurance is condition of loan from lender, and release seems pre-mature.. Most insurance companies have 30 day grace period if you add a vehicle they would insure, so if car insurer will cover trailer, they might issue cert indicating they will provide coverage, or you can execute "commitment to provide insurance" without much risk. "Credit Insurance" is generally bad idea, unless you have solid reason to believe you won't survive as long as the loan (which is also worrisome..).

I'd agree about shopping for loans, though timing could work poorly, as you can sometimes get into frustrating loop with independent financer where they want all papers to cut check, and seller wants check to release papers... Cars are less confusing, somehow, than RV's.. Some banks better than others, many credit unions better still, and dealers loans probably go really smooth since dealer might get "loan origination fee" from lender to put the loan through...

In light of many sad stories of quality issues or minimal dealer preps, I'd plan to spend night, test everything, and not sign final acceptance/release until all is well, as leverage is maximum before $$ changes hands...


John McG

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by fireflyinva

I hope 53FlyingCloud pipes in on this soon. Vern works part time for a dealer and will give you the straight scoop.

Mary

Hi Mary...
Just flew back in from Virginia, and...No sooner than after I sat down, I was on the road again, this time for a 3 hr trip to Cape Cod to deliver a new trailer w/presentation for the new owners. (They loved It. and, I may have gotten a huge discount offer for a week at the beach at an excellent rate...
JBMcG

In light of many sad stories of quality issues or minimal dealer preps, I'd plan to spend night, test everything, and not sign final acceptance/release until all is well, as leverage is maximum before $$ changes hands...

I would never sign final acceptance/release until you've had the complete walkthrough with the dealer of the unit that you're buying. You are entitled to see what it is you're buying. I can't imagine any dealer who has accreditation
as an Authorized Airstream Dealer from Airstream as being "shady".
Some are just better at what they do than others but. That’s another whole thread...
Usually, with the deposit, a credit application needs to be filled out, (if you're not paying cash) this is what's called qualify the deal. After all, we don't want to waste your time nor ours, if you're not able to get a loan...
In all cases, we need to have a copy of your driver's license, to make sure you are who you say you are.
Strange twist; If you're paying cash...We need your SSN as well to report the cash transaction to the IRS...required by law for anything over 10k cash

If RVing is something that you're brand new to, and if the dealer has the facilities, then, by all means request an stay overnight...it can't hurt to ask...
We're setup to do whatever the customer wants. From long term storage until they're ready to pick up their unit, overnight stays, long distance deliveries, etc.
As to your papers, etc...If you'd like to send me a fax copy at my work number...I'd be only too happy to review them for you. No names will be mention, nor will any other data given out. Your choice.
Send me a PM first and, I'll get back to you...
My gut feeling, the dealer just wants to make this a smooth a transaction as possible for you and the Mrs...
ciao
53FC
__________________

[53flyingcloud]

Additionally,
As always, a certain amount of trust has to be assumed between the buyer and seller..Somewhere in the transaction, you're gonna have to exchange cash and or papers to that effect in order for the dealer to get a "title" to the unit to you for legal purposes..registrations, insurance coverage, license plate, etc. After all, this is the end results you're seeking.
ciao
53FC

[redeagle313]

After all the valuable input from the forum group, and other resources, we have signed and returned most of the paperwork. Most of it was related to the initial order, which was over the phone, and the loan paperwork. The dealership got us a very competitive rate, much better than our local bank and close to the quoted rates on the internet. There was one sheet that we can not sign until after the PDI, with was entitled "we owe" and was a statement that the unit was delivered undamaged and with all items ordered, and not having seen it yet, it could not be signed.

We talked with our salesman, and he completely understood why we wouldn't sign that document until we are satisfied with the unit. We have also not turned over the last (substantial) portion of the down payment (nor did they request it).

We will be going to the dealer (140 miles away) on the 15th of April (the first Friday I could get off of work) for the PDI, and we will be staying over night at the dealer. They have recently installed 10 pads with complete hookups for customers to over night on.

We plan on videotaping the PDI, our salesman is aware of this and recommended it. We did have to promise him that he would not end up as the star of on an internet site entitled "Salemen Gone Wild!!"

We have had a very satisfying relationship to this point with the dealer, and we expect it to continue. OF the four dealerships we spoke with concerning Airstreams, they were the only ones who really expressed interest in selling us an Airstream. They made several calls to JC to get questions answered for us and always communicated with us as soon as they had the info.

Again, thanks for all the info and answers!

Tim

14 days to go!