Anyone ever buy a Motorhome on ebay with possitive experience?

[Vampirrella]

I have been on the market for a motorhome in the $15-20k max range and have been looking at quite a few on ebay cuz they have some great pictures and descriptions about certain models ect. For example

However, when it comes down to bidding on one, im kinda afraid to actually WIN the bid. lol Sounds silly i know... why bid if you are scared of winning? Well, im scared of scams. Ive never bought anything off ebay that costs more then 400 bucks max. And now we are talking $20k or so on a vehicle.

So thats why i am wondering if any of you here have ever bought a motorhome off ebay and how was the experience and dealings with the seller(s)? Do any of you have tips and pointers about what to look for or what to ask about when dealing with someone from a distance? Most of the motorhomes that are in great condition mostly come from arizona i have noticed, i am in oregon. Is it even wise to buy a vehicle like a motorhome on ebay, or should i try to find a decent one here locally (which is pretty rare for a nice find in oregon thats affordable)

Any opinions on this?

 

[Brackis]

I didn't know a positive experience could get you a motorhome these days. Boy times do change; count me in for about 200.

 

[Kobota]

you might want to ask about autos in general. It really just depends on the seller though.

 

[cyberhap]

Two of my buddies purchased an RV on eBay. We're in PA, and the RV was in TX, so we flew to Houston and picked it up. On the way home we lost the internal electric twice (after realizing that the microwave was messing things up), and had major problems with the generator.

The worst came when we were doing 60mph on a highway in Kentucky when the left-rear wheel blew off the RV. Yes, blew off, the bearings froze, causing the whole wheel to melt right off the axl. We rented a car the next day and drove home.

When the RV finally got to PA a few weeks later, it had even more problems. The entire transmission casing cracked, and there were many other heartbreaking dilemna's (too many to mention).

To this day we call the trip "The RV trip from Hell". Issues I saw in the sale:

1. We never got to "kick the tires" before the auction ended due to distance.
2. The sellers wanted all the money before we flew down there. My friends had nothing to negotiate (no leverage) once we found stuff wrong.
3. The place we bought it from was a hell-hole. Not TX itself, but the shady makeshift dealership we got it in.

They had purchased (and sold) an RV on eBay prior to this one, and had fewer problems with it (but they still had issues with it). On both, they sunk more money into them after the sale then the sale itself.

 

[amdskip]

I would want to inspect an rv before purchasing one. There are so many areas that can have problems and it depends on how they were taken care of before.

Edit: the one you linked is immaculate, looks very nice and it's very reasonable

 

[WW]

check out the rv forums (like woodalls.com)....lots of ebay purchases discussed there...

it's just like any other 'used' purchase...ask a lot of questions, check feedback, etc...is it from an individual or dealer...and so on

probably some good deals out there with gas prices as they are.....

 

[lightpants]

Originally posted by: cyberhap
Two of my buddies purchased an RV on eBay. We're in PA, and the RV was in TX, so we flew to Houston and picked it up. On the way home we lost the internal electric twice (after realizing that the microwave was messing things up), and had major problems with the generator.

The worst came when we were doing 60mph on a highway in Kentucky when the left-rear wheel blew off the RV. Yes, blew off, the bearings froze, causing the whole wheel to melt right off the Axel. We rented a car the next day and drove home.

When the RV finally got to PA a few weeks later, it had even more problems. The entire transmission casing cracked, and there were many other heartbreaking dilemma's (too many to mention).

To this day we call the trip "The RV trip from Hell". Issues I saw in the sale:

1. We never got to "kick the tires" before the auction ended due to distance.
2. The sellers wanted all the money before we flew down there. My friends had nothing to negotiate (no leverage) once we found stuff wrong.
3. The place we bought it from was a hell-hole. Not TX itself, but the shady makeshift dealership we got it in.

They had purchased (and sold) an RV on eBay prior to this one, and had fewer problems with it (but they still had issues with it). On both, they sunk more money into them after the sale then the sale itself.

I am one of the guys that paid for the RV. Let me tell you, If you are interested in reading about the worst road trip ever, PM Cyberhap or myself and we will send you the story.
We had sold the original RV we had on ebay, and when we did, we made sure it was in good condition. The buyer flew in, we picked him up at the airport, spent about 2 hours with him showing him how to work everything, and he was happy with his purchase when he left.
The RV we bought on ebay was a totally different story. I don't want to begin to try to list all the problems we have had with it, and all the money I have put into it.
There are times when I am using it, that I am 100% happy with the purchase. The other 345 days a year, as I look at it parked in my driveway, I wonder what the heck I was thinking.