Taking the Plunge!

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by RivetsforRon

pre-delivery inspection- which add up...

well there isn't much a vehicle dealer can do about YOUR taxes or tags or insurance or parking or maintenance expenses...

BUT charging for a 'pre-delivery inspection' on a USED trailer?

that's bologna!

very few dealers charge for the pdi on NEW units...

but doing so on a used unit is just tacking on.

they have a responsibility and obligation to inspect all used trailers for issues, defects and road worthiness.

they can sell it "as is" without repairing those things, but they do have an obligation to inspect it, disclose issues...

and offer assurance that the unit is safe for use and roadworthy...

don't know who this dealer is or where they are, but i can suggest that there are MANY dealers who will NOT operate this way.

forget the unit and start looking for a better dealer/buying experience.

cheers
2air'

[RivetsforRon]

So it looks like we are going to jump in
I got a bit upset when the bank came up with an NADA value less then the asking price of the bambi. I wouldn't walk into a car dealership and say- hey I'll give you 2k over the bluebook value of that used car . But this is the model we like and it is in GREAT shape so we are gonna go for it!
I talked to the dealer, after my wife tried- but she was too upset to make any sense, and they will not charge us for a "pre-delivery" inspection or walk-through. We will pay for the hitch and give them the same price we discussed last week.

Thanks for all the advise along the way! We'll make sure to take some pictures of our trips and post em.

YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEE

We pick 'er up tomorrow!!!!

RON

[2airishuman]

good follow up ron

buying is a contact sport and so long as no blood is shed...

it reads like u aren't excited much about this new toy....

enjoy!

2air'

[TBRich]

Congratulatsions, Ron! Let the good times roll! Have a blast picking up your new toy this weekend!

Hope to see you down the road...

[Foiled Again]

Saving money is sometimes NOT an obvious thing.

I rarely boondock, and never look for the $9 per night campgrounds - and I pay to have a lot of maintenance done that I COULD do myself. Work I'll pay for? Install a 2nd fantastic, even having the thing washed and detailed now and then, having the hubs lubed, etc. Next time I go to Ohio I'll have JC reseal all of the roof seams as good preventative maintenance. I am lucky to spend most of my time at a condo campground which has obscenely low costs ($1500 per year with the ability to stay on-site 30 weeks per year).

In spite of all of that, what the average homeowner or renter spends $1500 to $3000 per month to live... It takes me four to six months to go through that amount! That being said, If you pay $2000 too much for your twinkie and full time in it for two months, voila, you're at break even time. Fulltime for six months and you're ahead of the game.

Now don't even get me started at the number of RV's you see sitting in storage for years.... arrrgh... just made someone else very happy by selling my 22 CCD... making me happy by (a) knowing it's gone to a good home and (b) making me happy that I'm not letting it waste away as an occasional "guest house"

Paula

[RivetsforRon]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Saving money is sometimes NOT an obvious thing.

I rarely boondock, and never look for the $9 per night campgrounds - and I pay to have a lot of maintenance done that I COULD do myself. Work I'll pay for? Install a 2nd fantastic, even having the thing washed and detailed now and then, having the hubs lubed, etc. Next time I go to Ohio I'll have JC reseal all of the roof seams as good preventative maintenance. I am lucky to spend most of my time at a condo campground which has obscenely low costs ($1500 per year with the ability to stay on-site 30 weeks per year).

In spite of all of that, what the average homeowner or renter spends $1500 to $3000 per month to live... It takes me four to six months to go through that amount! That being said, If you pay $2000 too much for your twinkie and full time in it for two months, voila, you're at break even time. Fulltime for six months and you're ahead of the game.

Now don't even get me started at the number of RV's you see sitting in storage for years.... arrrgh... just made someone else very happy by selling my 22 CCD... making me happy by (a) knowing it's gone to a good home and (b) making me happy that I'm not letting it waste away as an occasional "guest house"

Paula

Thanks Paula,

We try to save money but emphasize quality over qantity- which is why we went with the airstream to begin with. And we plan to use it!!!!!!!!!
This isn't some collector's item to sit in the drive-way (first of all we don't have a drive-way b/c we live in a tiny condo complex). And second of all we travel so much for our jobs, that after thinking about it, it just seemed to make good sense to have a home that could travel with us.
We decided not to worry about a few dinges here and there, and even the little corrosion on the door handle- we're just gonna enjoy our new Bambi and all the beauty and wonder of nature in the outdoor places we will be.

Thanks for all the advise along the way--Ps. The dealer did come through- we didn't pay the PDI but we did pay for the break controller. We stuck to the original price negotiated and feel pretty good about it. We looked all over the web and coulddn't find anything in that's a 2005 with a fantastic fan and solar panels for less. So I do think we got a great deal.


See ya' down the road or in the forest!

Ron

Pss. Southwest Coaches does an EXTRAORDINARY job with the walk-through. Aaron, the mechanic is a wealth of knowledge. He literally grew up at Travelland. His whole family works there and he knows these aristreams inside and out. If you have a maintenance issue or need repairs in the SoCal area- check them out!