Asking for seller concession

[un1teee]

I'm negotiating with a seller. We had agreed upon a price and the independent inspector report shows that the rear tires are 5 years old, show cracks between the treads and the spare is original from 2018 and this is a life/safety concern.

Seller feels that because he disclosed the age of the tires up front, there's no concession to be made. Photos of tire condition and manufacture date came after we agreed on a price. Tires are 2819.

I'm not very good at negotiating. Do you have any talking points to get the tires replaced as a concession?

Drive is about 1000 miles to bring the van home. Thanks.

[3OnOurWay]

If you think it’s a good fair price originally and the only obstacles $1000 would you have agreed to pay $1000 more and still felt fair price.

We were in a similar situation and I ended up paying $2500 more because after 6-8 months of looking my usage needs were pending and then were not worth the $2500 savings

Sellers always get a little bit less than they want buyers always pay a little bit more even though my tires rolling three years old I still haven’t back my mind that they are aware item and probably will replace them early because that’s just our concerns we don’t want to deal with a blowout

[uncle_bob]

Hi

5 year old tires are "on the edge". There are folks who happily roll down the road on 10 year old tires. Some of them do just fine ....

A spare that's "as old as" the vehicle is pretty typical on a used car / truck / RV / whatever. *Very* few folks replace the spare when they get new tires.

In terms of who said what to who and when, there really aren't "disclosure rules" on an RV. The fact that they did at least let you know the age of the tires pre-inspection is in their favor.

All that said, it's your money. If you feel that this is a deal breaker, walk away. Start shopping for another trailer.

I'd suggest that you are likely to have a couple thousand dollars worth of "surprises" on *any* trailer once you get it home ..... If this breaks the budget, I'd examine that before doing any more shopping.

Bob

[Rich Jenkins]

We just bought a used 2019 25FC. Original tires. I told the seller the price of a set of Goodyear Endurance tires, and we negotiated a price delta from his asking on that basis.

I'll add another anecdote. We were in the market for a 19' SOB MBZ Class B a few years ago. We locate a seemingly good condition unit located outside of Corpus Christie, TX. We flew from Tampa to Texas, ahead of mailing the seller a $1,000 deposit check on the deal. We totally expected to wire the balance, get the title, and drive the van back to Florida.

When we arrived, the seller had not "moved out" of the van. She was also unsure if the black tank was draining. There was corrossion around the awning. The tires were not new. Overall the unit was filthy.

My wife and I had a short discussion outside between ourselves. We told the seller we were not going to be a buyer, and we then received our deposit back. We paid for a second night at a hotel and flew back to Florida the next day.


It does seem to me you've posted several concerning items (the broken faucet, damaged rear bumper) with this Interstate. If I was in your shoes, I'd be wondering what else, exactly, is the seller not disclosing. There are oodles of Class B's on the market these days, as the RV market has cooled significantly.

If it is a discretionary purchase (as I think you've described, it is a van for you to use while Autocrossing) and the seller won't take this into account, then walk away.

[CBWELL]

I would ask to split the cost of new tires, by getting a price for them, installed, and deducting half the cost from the selling price. Tires are "wear items" just like the battery and brakes. If everything else is great. I wouldn't let the tire issue stop the sale.

[ITSNO60]

Any time you have an inspection lots of things will turn up, you would have found them later. The inspector has to earn his keep!

The thing is, for me anyway, is the chassis/power train, especially on a Sprinter. That's the number one thing that could cost a bundle. If the power train/chassis is in good shape with low miles the other stuff is simple.

A couple tires and a faucet & toilet is not a big deal, a blown turbo, leaking oil cooler, stuck swirl valves and and about 2 dozen other things on a Sprinter is a very big deal. If the chassis is in good shape with service records and it fits your needs/wants I'd buy it and fix the rest.

You also have to consider if you move on you'll be paying for another inspection on the next candidate, what are they like $500? That alone will cover the 2 tires.

[Shiny16]

If i was buying a used trailer I would expect used tires.

[ITSNO60]

I guess it's actually 4 tires on a dually

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

I guess it's actually 4 tires on a dually

Hi

4 tires on the back, two on the front, one more if you swap out the spare (as apparently some folks expect you to do). Seven tires to pull off, mount, balance, and re-install. The whole "pull off and put back" on those dually rear tires is a bit of fun ....

I can't ever remember buying a used vehicle that came with new tires. If the tires have enough tread left on them to "be legal" then that's what you get .....

Bob

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

4 tires on the back, two on the front, one more if you swap out the spare (as apparently some folks expect you to do). Seven tires to pull off, mount, balance, and re-install. The whole "pull off and put back" on those dually rear tires is a bit of fun ....

I can't ever remember buying a used vehicle that came with new tires. If the tires have enough tread left on them to "be legal" then that's what you get .....

Bob

Right but the ones in question are the rears, so 4 assuming all NCV3 Interstate Lounges are duallys, which I believe is the case.

[Bill M.]

I sorta side with the seller here. 5 year old tires have no value. Of course you can ask for anything as a buyer. But if I were the seller I would point out how well the trailer passed the inspection. At some point it comes down to the final price and take it or leave it.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

Right but the ones in question are the rears, so 4 assuming all NCV3 Interstate Lounges are duallys, which I believe is the case.

Hi

..... but, the spare is also listed "as a problem", so we're up to at least 5.

I'd bet all the tires on the vehicle are the same age and fundamentally the same condition. The rears are a bit more worn. I can't imagine how the spare needs to be swapped but the front tires are ok.

Bob

[un1teee]

I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you on this forum - you have all been a tremendous sanity check for me and I appreciate it very much. If we meet in person, please allow me to buy you the beverage of your choice.

[Mollysdad]

I'd look at it this way.
You're never going to buy a used trailer with brand new tires.
So let's say they're okay but 4-5 years old.
You'll be replacing them in a year anyway, so what do you save? You postponed a purchase by a year.
Is that worth walking away?

[RamRider]

I agree with Mollysdad, if it's a great purchase putting the tires on that your prefer is not that big of deal, Pick it up and head for the nearest Discount tire store.

[suncoasteng]

You are the BUYER and are in the drivers seat. RV market is soft right now and getting softer. Dont ask for concession, just tell the Seller what your offer is, then walk if they think they can find another buyer

[Shiny16]

Originally Posted by suncoasteng

You are the BUYER and are in the drivers seat. RV market is soft right now and getting softer. Dont ask for concession, just tell the Seller what your offer is, then walk if they think they can find another buyer

What makes you believe the seller is desperate enough to allow a price to be dictated to him? If someone addressed me this way after a price was negotiated that would be the last correspondence.

[Jim J]

Buying an Airstream is an emotional decision for most of us because we are not buying as part of a business. It is a luxury or lifestyle purchase.

Sometimes the emotion is "I am in love with the product so I will pay whatever the seller is asking or make an offer that is close to get the negotiation started and work with the seller to end up with a deal." Result : We buy it and enjoy it.

Other times the emotion is "I found something I like but I think I am paying too much and I feel like an idiot." and we let our pride get in the way of buying something we love. Result: We do not buy it and we do not get to enjoy it and later we regret it.

Which result do you want?

[un1teee]

Originally Posted by Jim J

Buying an Airstream is an emotional decision for most of us because we are not buying as part of a business. It is a luxury or lifestyle purchase.

Sometimes the emotion is "I am in love with the product so I will pay whatever the seller is asking or make an offer that is close to get the negotiation started and work with the seller to end up with a deal." Result : We buy it and enjoy it.

Other times the emotion is "I found something I like but I think I am paying too much and I feel like an idiot." and we let our pride get in the way of buying something we love. Result: We do not buy it and we do not get to enjoy it and later we regret it.

Which result do you want?

LOL - a little of both? I really like the product so the first emotion. First time buying an RV and not sure what I'm getting into, so second emotion.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by un1teee

LOL - a little of both? I really like the product so the first emotion. First time buying an RV and not sure what I'm getting into, so second emotion.

Hi

Understand that part of what you are getting into is a bunch of repairs. That's true if you buy one brand new. It's true if you pull it out of winter storage (yes you need someplace to store it, preferably indoors ....) after fixing everything last year. It will be true pretty much forever and ever.

Next up, a lot of the "repairs" are things you will need to learn to do yourself. If you are out in the middle of nowhere, replacing that fuse on the macerator pump is *way* easier if you do it yourself. Calling a repair guy (and waiting for him and paying him) .... yikes. Being able to do those repairs means learning about a lot of systems. It also means having tools and spares along.

On the flip side, there's a lot to like about doing stuff with a van. They are (relatively) easy to park and drive. Setup and tear down are (typically) quicker than a trailer. The net result is that you can cover a lot of ground in a short time. You can also pull into a whole lot of "cute places" that would be insane with a long bed F350 pulling a 30' trailer.

If there's two of you in "the crew" who have drivers licenses. You may well find that swapping drivers is more likely with a van than that F350 rig. That reduces stress. So does the fact you can find a lot more campsites that will "fit" a van than that big rig.

Is a van ideal for that 9 month trip to somewhere? It might be for some. I'd suggest it's better targeted at doing a whole bunch of short(er) trips. Best to start out with a "voyage" to a local campground. You probably will then head over to the local Target to stock up on this or that. Way easier to work that stuff out if you are close to home.

Fun !!!

Bob