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I want to buy my first RV. Someone very close by has a ’90 Cobra Malibu for sale. From the pictures, the interior corridor looks pretty narrow so not totally sure about that but… What I plan to do is go see it myself first and inspect what I can myself. If it’s in REALLY bad shape, I’ll be able to tell. But I’m no expert.
So considering if it were to pass my own initial inspection and walk-through, I feel I should have an expert check everything before I make an offer. A local search for “RV inspection” brings up local mechanics I’m familiar with but none I would really trust to have enough thorough knowledge of RVs. The best place (on the Net) I have found is a site called lemonsquad.com. They seem to offer a check of just about everything including electrical systems, appliances, mechanics, for $279. They also include a 5-mile road test for the inspector to get a feel for if the vehicle is driving as it should.
Normal automobile inspections in my experience… I think I paid like $65 once when I was looking at an SUV or something. $279 seems like a pretty good deal considering all the details one must consider with an RV. Another site was charging upwards of $1,000 for their “premium inspection” or whatever they were calling it.
So anyhoo~~ $279? Company seems legit as far as I can tell. Thoughts? Appreciated! I’m ready for a new life. I want to own my own home flat-out and not deal with rent/mortgage/etc. And escaping the midwest before winter sure sounds great to me! 😉
Woah, woah, woah…. No deal. Just saw this on their website: “We do not allow customers to be present during this inspection.”
WHAT???
So I can’t be present during the inspection I’m paying for? How would I know the inspection was ever done at all? OK….. Guess I *will* need to go with a local inspector. Luckily… ha ha ha… I live rather close to Elkhart, Indiana, the great grand-daddy of RV manufacturing so I should be able to easily find someone.
An inspection takes much longer if the Customer is present because of chatting, the inevitable questions and so on. So, if they let customers be present during the inspection, they would have to charge much more. Ask if their waiting room has a window onto the garage floor.
I agree with Roger. As a flat fee, they want to get in and get out. The customer would want to ask questions about this and that and maybe just get in the way.
However, I just searched their reviews on Yelp and they don’t seem to be motorhome/RV specialists. I would not trust a non motorhome person to test appliances.
Will they make sure the fridge works on electric and propane, will they test the automatic door steps, all burners on the stove, the water heater tank and if it leaks or not, the battery shut off switches…
Since you live in an area that may have a lot of knowledge about RVs, personally, I would search out an individual that could do it. There are a lot of good people out there. Often better than these big chains that hire teenagers that don’t really care about the customer.
If you found a great, trustworthy, do-gooder you could ask them why the coach electric doesn’t work (for example) and they could tell you, “it’s probably one of these solenoids”… whereas the shop would probably tell you you need to pay for a further inspection on an issue.
Either way, feel good about your decision and trust you’ll get all the knowledge you need. Congratulations on your new lifestyle choice!!!
Thank you, Roger and Pippi, for responding and I am absorbing your valid points. I think the guy must have sold the RV I mentioned pretty quick because I looked up the average value for that one and it was about double what he wanted and seemed to be in at least decent shape….. also, he never returned my call, LOL. So I think it was probably some guy who didn’t really care about the money and just wanted to sell it.
But at least I learned something through this experience and hopefully, you know, people who are considering similar things can read these threads we make or contribute to and get something out of them. I appreciate the feedback. I just was really surprised that a person wouldn’t be able to even be PRESENT at an inspection. Seems really ludicrous. To Pippi directly, yeah, I live very close to Elkhart so in retrospect, I was thinking… “This is like the birthplace of 90% of RV’s in the country probably so…. I am sure there are people around here who are worthy to do inspection.” LOL.
Well, anyway…….. XD
Greg,
if you are patient, another good motorhome deal will come around. A lot of people don’t care about getting the maximum amount of cash for their goods, including me.
You may also want to consider buying a used motorhome from a dealer where it will come with a guarantee. Also, motorhomes that used to belong to smokers are usually much cheaper than others on a dealer’s lot.
Happy hunting!
If you have a camping world in your area they can do a 45 point inspection for 229.00 and if you look on craigslist you can find some as low as $100 not sure if i would trust a stranger or someone of Craigslist.
Just for future – when we have bought our house(s) (thru the years) and have had an inspection, we were never present for the inspection, but then the inspector would walk us through and let us know what he found. House inspections were always between $350 to $400 each. Worth the price – lets you know what you’re in for. One house we walked away from before we even got in the door, and the one we’re in now, we use the inspection reports to slowly work on areas that needed to be updated.
Your first inspection is mileage!!! Locate a low mileage used coach, same with generator, low hours. Many folks get the RV bug at the RV show. They buy this beautiful coach at the show and have it delivered. Then they notice that they have to care for it and find a place to park it etc..or after the first big trip they decide its too much work etc….many older rigs have very few miles. Last week I found a 1992 Tioga with 6500 miles on it!!!!! 24 years old and it looked new from original owner. I have a friend looking and an hour later we were on the road home with his new coach which cost him 7200.00. I personally am in the market for a Newmar, Foretravel or Bluebird Diesel so I handed off the lotto strike. Keep looking. Every rig, new or old, will have bugs to work out and stuff to fix. This is part of the fun.
In 2007 I was towing my new-used Tango trailer into Saline Hot springs in Death Valley and the washboard roads were getting on my nerves so I increased the speed a tad bit too much. When I arrived I found the front of the Reefer door gone…in fact the oak cover was under the dinner table and the lock tabs broke right off!!! Repair time. Gorilla tape was the solution to get me home..in fact that cover is still fast in place 9 years later..still holding just fine. Fun to fix stuff.
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