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RE: dealing with money
Can someone tell me what is wrong with cash? Twenty thousand in $100's is less than six inches thick, is good anywhere, easily concealed, often results in discounts, and a fire-proof safe bolted in the motor home can be bought for less than a hundred bucks.
Somehow banks have convinced people carrying and using cash is old fashioned, unsafe, semi-illegal, and fool hardy. In the meantime, they invent a piece of plastic that allows them to either make you an instant loan or tap your bank account and makes them the middle man collecting 3% of all transactions even if you can avoid the myriad of other charges they come up with.
I will bet anyone any amount of money that in any given camp ground in America we will find ten people who were victims of credit card fraud or identity theft for every one person who has ever lost a dime in cash to a robbery! Take your cash, a fuel card, and a credit card for major emergencies and quit worrying about what never happens.
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JALLEN4
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03/16/10 07:11am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Used Class A Dealer Pricing
Once again we find the classic mistake of the amateur buyer trying to purchase a "deal" rather than a motor home. Any buyer should be looking for the very best unit available in his price range rather than the lowest price in his imagination.
Have you even seen the unit or just read a description? Does it have 30,000 miles or a hundred thousand? Is it a stripped model or does it have all the factory options available? Does it have maintenance records or is it a mystery coach? Does it look and smell brand new or is it a little ragged?
There are a million questions to be answered and they only can be answered by inspecting the unit in person. They are asking 77K when approached on-line and you think it should be closer to 65K. Based on what? By the NADA, they are at least in range and finding a really nice ten year old coach regardless of the times is not that easy. There is no "rule of thumb" on what they should discount a used unit. If they asked a 100K it would be too much and if they asked 45K for a nice unit you should be standing there with a check waiting to pay full price.
Having spent more than four decades doing this for a living, here is my advice. What the dealer is or is not making has nothing to do with your decision. Always rationalize quality with the price and never confuse discount with value.
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JALLEN4
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03/16/10 06:49am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: RV Price Shopping
Low retail, without adding any options, minus 20% would be vey close to wholesale value.
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JALLEN4
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03/05/10 09:31am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: New 2010 Wrangler tow Question
I OWN AND TOW A 2010 WRANGLER SPORT. PUT TRANSFER IN NEUTRAL AND LEAVE TRANNY IN PARK STEERING WHEEL DOESNT LOCK SO NO NEED TO LEAVE KEY ON. SORRY not yelling just didnt look up. i ran taillite wires through the frame to rear hitch where i put my lites and jeep is so lite i didnt put on the brakeing wires. i pull with a 37000pound class a. hope this helps
You might want to re-check your vehicle's weight. A Wrangler is going to start at 3,800 pounds and with full fuel and any cargo usually goes over 4,000. Hardly a light weight vehicle not needing brakes.
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JALLEN4
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03/01/10 05:47am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Out of State New Motor Home Purchase
The transaction you describe is pretty much standard operating procedure and has been for years. Unfortunately we live in abnormal times. With the number of dealerships defaulting, giving cash for the purchase without a title or at least the MSO has become more risky. While ultimately you would receive clear title in most all situations, the time and trouble could become enormous if the dealer doesn't pay the floor plan lender. I would agree with the wire transfer of funds with the immediate exchange of a MSO.
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JALLEN4
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02/26/10 01:02pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Paying more than NADA retail.?.?.?
You guys are really funny!
The "Book" is the Gospel. It knows all and is only written after a select group of experts have inspected the very same coach you are looking at.
But... one should never pay more than the book and in fact should pay less than the book because it is so accurate.
When looking at a used seven-thousand dollar unit twenty years old, the "Book" has already accounted for the new tires and the maintenance recently done and the overall condition.
But... when trading in to the dealer, we all know just how inaccurate the "Book" is. Basically just a guide and a guess and really pretty much trash used to convince the seller his unit is worthless!
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JALLEN4
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02/25/10 05:35pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How much should it cost to replace an engine?
You can buy a re manufactured engine for between $2300-2800. The typical flat rate charge would be between 12-15 hours. You can generally plan on spending around $500 for miscellaneous parts and fluids used during the rebuild. Sales tax would be additional.
You can buy a used engine for around $1,000-1,200. The other charges would be the same. The used engine would probably have some sort of warranty but usually does not cover the r&r in case of a bad engine.
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JALLEN4
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02/23/10 10:25am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Do dealers not check their email???
From the consumer's perspective, shopping on the Internet is wonderful. There is a minimum of time invested, almost unlimited choices of people to correspond with, almost total anonymity, and you can just disappear at any given time never to be heard from again.
From the dealer's perspective, it is a royal pain. Each inquiry takes a substantial amount of time. Specs have to be gathered, prices calculated, responses typed in a business like format, and then the inquires need to be logged and followed up on. Statistically one to two percent will ever lead to a sale. From a salesperson's perspective, these are very short odds when actual walk-in traffic runs 20-25% ultimate sales.
The average dealer spends millions of dollars on land, equipment,and facilities and stocks millions in inventory. Via the Internet, he is put into competition with any dealer in the country who very well may sell a unit he will never see or need to service ever again.
As a result, a high percentage of dealers have little real enthusiasm for Internet sales efforts although they are pushed very hard by the manufacturing people into this area. The manufacturing people, who have never sold a unit at retail, are not the folks who have to figure out how to successfully motivate the salespeople in this area. Salespeople are generally people persons with limited tech skills and limited abilities for writing cogent correspondences.
Buying on the Internet is very handy for office supplies and other commodities. The actual selling of a luxury product without hands on exposure is somewhat more difficult. The general scenario for the shopper is doing their investigation on-line, visiting a dealership in person to actually see the unit they are interested in, and then returning to the Internet to shop the world for the best price. Many dealers choose to stay out of that market and concentrate on the person to person method that still sells 98% of the product. Maybe some day when $300,000 motor homes become so common as to be just another commodity, the paradigm will change.
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JALLEN4
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02/13/10 01:17pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: MSRP DISCOUNT--NEED REAL ADVICE
Ah...if life were only so easy! Let me understand this fully. All you need to do is call some guy who works in a bank who most likely has never been in a motor home. He can though read and he gets out a magic book that was printed six months ago and can tell you exactly what your vehicle is worth without seeing it? I suppose one size fits all and every coach made in the same year and the same model is worth the same a few years down the road? Doesn't make any difference how it was treated, how many miles it has on it, what color it is, or whether it has ever been serviced or wrecked? Yeah, right!
How do these dealers ever go broke? Sounds like the easiest business in the world to me. All you need is a phone and someone on the other end to read the magic book.
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JALLEN4
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02/10/10 08:37pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Dealer recommended services-what's going on here ?
I quit going to my dealer, except for warranty work. When the dealer says they know more about the maintenance requirements than the manufacturer, RUN.
That's what's happening here. I'm getting my track shoes on. I plan to contact GM and see if I have to get maintenance from a GM dealer, or can I get it at a private garage and keep my invoices/bills. Don't know what the deal is in Canada.
I absolutely agree with you guys! Who wants to listen to those guys who work on the junk those manufacturers build and never see again after they are used?
Besides, that would take all the fun out of tearing down engines at fifty thousand miles to de-sludge them because the oil was only changed when the light went on at 10-15,000 miles. Or, who wants to miss trying to change plugs at a hundred thousand miles that are practically "welded" in?
I'm sure those engineers who design those things so the manufacturer can brag they never need serviced have a lot of real world experience and its not just a theory when they build it! They never miscalculate. Just look at the number of recalls we don't have. ROFLMAO!
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JALLEN4
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02/09/10 09:16pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: The customer is NOT always right........
There is an old saying in the automobile business "Most of the best deals you ever make are the ones you don't make". It is so true!
I have to laugh when I read people on the Forum complaining about and trying to force dealers to service units they didn't buy there. Who in their right mind wants to do business with people who don't want to do business with you?
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JALLEN4
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02/09/10 09:01pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: MSRP DISCOUNT--NEED REAL ADVICE
After four decades of being an automobile dealer, I can assure you there is no magic "negotiation ploy" you or anyone else is going to come up with. The dealer first of all wants to sell the unit. He wants to make the most money possible doing it since that is his job and why he is in business. On the other hand, your job is to get the best price possible. He has already heard all the amateur magic bullets someone is going to suggest.
Here is the simple way that works. You know what you want for the trade and what you want to pay. Subtract the two and that is the only number that counts. Go to the dealer, make the offer on the coach you want and lay down a sizable amount of real cash. After the third dealer tells you no, you probably need to re-think your numbers. If they tell you yes, be happy with your new unit and don't look back!
p.s....Don't get greedy and expect him to pay the tax also on your purchase. Dealers can't negotiate tax, the State sets that amount.
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JALLEN4
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02/09/10 08:50pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Unheard of Honesty
The "rebate" thing is somewhat out of control. There can be as many as a dozen different potential rebates on any given model with different manufacturers. There are three different categories. There are dealer rebates given directly to the dealer and not generally disclosed to the public. There are customer rebates that are disclosed and there are affinity rebates. Affinity rebates are given to customers based on membership in certain organizations or other criteria such as certain trades on certain models or repeat purchases.
These rebates are very complicated and change from week to week. There are a lot of vehicles sold where in the confusion customers often do and do not get rebates they qualify for. In many cases the customer is given a rebate they do not qualify for and the dealer ultimately is charged back for it by the manufacturer. Most manufacturers have a website where dealers can cross check individual serial numbers of units to see what rebates are potential. Even in those cases the manufacturer does not guarantee the accuracy and dealers must do the research to verify eligibility.
Most manufacturers require dealers to disclose on the purchase agreement any customer rebates so the consumer acknowledges receipt. If they are not documented, they are not paid and the dealer cannot just keep them. At any given time a larger dealership can have several hundred thousand dollars in rebates owed to it by the manufacturer awaiting payment. The manufacturers have the right to inspect the paperwork on every transaction and actually have audit teams who verify the accuracy of the claims.
While it is nice the dealer actually found an additional $750 in rebates, the odds are there was no way he could have kept the money for himself if not passed on to you.
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JALLEN4
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02/08/10 06:31am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: I don't know WHAT to think -- may lose my trailer!!!
Very bad advise.
A "dealer" is not a bank or "lending institution" and cannot legally "carry the note". The manufacture or the bank holding the floor plan will not release the C of O if the rig is not paid in full (which the bank doing the financing will do, and no way the dealer will do) so the rig cannot be legally resistered or have ownership transfered...
If needed, the dealer can a loan license and set up his own shop. Happens all of the time in the car business.
The "bank" usually doesn't hold the MCO's. Only on problem dealers. The "bank" does need to be paid by the dealer when a unit is delivered.
Whether the lender actually holds the MSO or not, the floor plan agreement will have a stipulated time period when a sold unit has to be paid off. Normally that is within 24 business hours. The lender is going to do a floor plan check, normally monthly, at which time all units are accounted for. If the dealer is going to finance the unit, he would have to pay it off. A better option if the dealer is so inclined would be to sign full recourse with the bank and they service the loan.
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JALLEN4
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02/05/10 08:45am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Toyota Recall..
If you think there is a conspiracy to cause Toyota grief, wait till the Prius brake problem gains traction. Not only are they building cars that go on their own, now they are building cars that won't stop either.
If it is all a "plot", Toyota sure is helping make it easy!
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JALLEN4
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02/03/10 11:03am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Beware
Although I have never seen an extended warranty that I like, in this case Good Sam Warranty had nothing at all to do with your situation. It would be erroneous to report they did. No repair after a diagnosis that found no problem would not be a covered expense under any warranty.
An "occasional" problem is the nightmare of most any shop. If the problem cannot be recreated while the vehicle is there and there are no codes in the on-board diagnostic system, anything else done is purely a guess from past experience. You can look at the system for obvious problems, corroded electrical connections would be one, but after that it is hit or miss.
All the shop and the employee have to sell is time and experience. Once the tech is on the job of your vehicle, he is going to be paid for his time. Looking for a phantom problem is time consuming and often not rewarded. The people in the shop are looking to make a living and not playing the lottery where finding the elusive "occasional" problem is the winning ticket. If it were my vehicle and I had already invested $400 with the shop, I would drive the seventy miles back and have them look at both the problems they created and to explain in detail what they did during the diagnosis. Any reputable shop will have copious notes on the testing they did and the results.
Although most of us assume when we take a vehicle to a shop they simply connect it to a machine that tells them what to do next. That is far from the truth. Many repairs take a lot of time and effort and the cost is the responsibility of the owner. Part of the benefits of owning an expensive toy.
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JALLEN4
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02/02/10 12:51pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Toyota Stops All US Sales
At least Toyota is stepping up and doing the right thing. In the past Ford, GM, and Chrysler have tried sweeping safety issues under the carpet.
Doing the right thing! How?
They are instructing their dealers to flat lie to the consumer about the severity of the problem as quoted by the Automotive News. They tried to throw reporters off a public sidewalk in Japan when they asked for an explanation of the problem from company officials. They are denying our Government asked them to suspend production and sales and acting like it was all their idea.
This is a company that with the Japanese Government backing practically destroyed an American industry and people stand back and say "Thank you Sir...Can I have another?". Wow, talk about being naive!
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JALLEN4
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01/28/10 07:09am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Toyota Stops All US Sales
LMAO
I think the laughing is based not on the seriousness of the situation but rather the irony. After years of a calculated brainwashing of the American public to believe that the Toyota product is somehow infallible and after we have watched the utter devastation of the American auto industry, suddenly the Emperor has no clothes.
This is not the first example of a serious lack of quality control coming from Toyota in the last few years. Go back and research the recall record for a vast number of their vehicles. It started with the engine sludging problem and has done nothing but go downhill from there. Somewhere in their race to become the World's largest auto manufacturer and to unseat GM, they have lost their way.
Those who study the industry have been saying this for sometime and even their new management has publicly stated this as a fact. While the public ridicules the bailout of the American auto industry, they ignore the exacerbating factor of a competitor propped up financially by the Japanese Government and even the taxpayers donations through several state governments in our own country for decades.
While many may choose to be apologists for Toyota and say they are doing "the right thing", the bigger question has to be how did it happen to begin with? We have an entirely unprecedented situation involving an unprecedented number of vehicles with very serious safety problems so far unannounced as to why. We were first told it was because of faulty floor mats. When that proved to be a bald faced lie, now they shut down production and sales until the real problem is found.
Maybe, just maybe, this latest action will bring into question the veracity of unwarranted adulation of a foreign product that has served to bankrupt American companies and possibly the entire nation. Sometimes when things appear too good to be true, there is a deeper question at the root of the matter.
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JALLEN4
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01/27/10 06:38am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: The Villages
Owning properties just a few miles from there, and utilizing some of their amenities and shopping, all I will say is, I hope you have lots of money and are part of the elite upper class socially. There must be a reason that WalMart built the largest WalMart in the world at The Villages, every Boutique known from Rodeo Dr in Beverly Hills is there, and every bank in the US has a branch there. It is a nice location and has some very interesting villages with shopping areas and restaurants, but I will pass on ever living there.
If retired school teachers, police officers, and truck drivers are part of the "elite upper class", then the Villages qualifies. You can purchase housing from the low 100's up to several hundred thousands and that is part of the charm of the area. It is a somewhat diverse community with shared community amenities open to all. While some residents may well enjoy shopping at Gucci, many others shop at Wallmart which is far from "elite" or "upper class".
Living at the Villages allows everyone to pick and choose what they wish to be involved in and what fits their retirement budget. They can play Executive style golf courses free or belong to a Country Club. They can move about the area in a Limo or drive a golf cart most anywhere. It is very similar to real life anywhere only it is populated mainly by a certain age group that no longer works full time. Although I do not live there, I know folks who do. None of them are really very "elite".
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JALLEN4
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01/24/10 07:10am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: New RV is being delivered. What do I tip the delivery guy?
The point is tipping $20 bucks to a guy who is delivering a $100k + unit to you should not be a big deal. If you can afford to pay a $600 or more per month RV note (Or pay cash) you tip the guy that delivers it in one piece.
A "tip" is supposed to be for doing an exemplary job -- something over and above what is expected.
Since when is a tip based on being able to "afford" something? That's like saying you shouldn't overnight at Walmart because you can "afford" to go to a campground.
"Doing an exemplary job" would be your definition or criteria. The actual definition would be a voluntary gratuity. Whether they do a good...poor...indifferent job would be a subjective analysis and while it might influence the amount of the tip would have nothing to do with what a Tip is by definition.
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JALLEN4
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01/22/10 10:41am |
General RVing Issues
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