Hello All,
Newbie here, again. If one were to purchase a pre-owned coach from the factory in Nacogdoches, is it standard protocol to have a third party inspect the coach, or does one go with the factory information? This sounds a little strange to me, as the factory is the outfit which manufactured the thing, but, on the other hand, there will be no warranty involved. I am by no means casting aspersions on the factory, just seeking information.
Thanks.
Raleigh
Raleigh,
The resounding word I have heard here is to always try to have a third party inspection. I just went through my purchase of a 2007 Nimbus at MOT, just down the road from FOT. Both have fine reputations, but they are dealers and they are typically contracting with the seller in a consignment situation.
In my case, I could not get a third party inspection due to schedule conflicts. I felt comfortable with the inspections I received through the dealership but I know I would have been far better off with an inspection arranged separately. These inspections can typically inform you of many things you would not normally consider in a pre-purchase transaction. For example, you will likely receive some excellent suggestions on options you may want to consider acquiring after the purchase, how best to perform routine maintenance, what maintenance you can do yourself and what work you should always contract for (and where). The inspections are quite extensive, covering several hours, and you are strongly encouraged to attend with the inspector. I fully intend to have a "post-purchase" inspection performed if I can ever arrange to meet in the near future.
Other posters can provide recommendations. One who was highly recommended to me was Brett Wolfe, whose posts you have probably already seen. Unfortunately, Brett was out of the area when I had to come down to see the Nimbus. Don Hay is also a good source, but his schedule also conflicted. I'm sure there are others.
I think you will get a lot of responses and suggestions.
Don Rickey
A good check list is here: 50 things to check before you buy your used foretravel (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=10866.0)
There are links for more information on the topic in the article cited above. You may want to use the "Search" function on Foreforums with words such as "inspection," or "PDI" (Pre-Delivery Inspection).
I would suggest that unless you are VERY familiar with the unit you are looking at, that you have someone familiar with it look at it WITH (better than FOR) you. That way you can see the issues-- will help determine if this is something you need to do immediately vs down the road. And whether it is something you want/are able to tackle or need to hire out.
As an example, unless you know about the bulkhead issue, you are unlikely to carry an inch-lb torque wrench with you to inspect a coach and test all the bulkhead bolts.
You are unlikely to know that steering box seal leaks are difficult to spot unless you know where to look and that that is not an inexpensive repair.
You may or may not know about diesel coolants and how to tell if the system is contaminated-- not unusual to see one of the excellent OAT-based coolants that "Bubba" contaminated with a coolant filter with SCA in it.
Particularly on consignment units (most of those at MOT and PPL and some at Foretravel) do NOT ASSUME that the dealer has gone through them. It is not their job to do a complete mechanical inspection on consignment units.
To add to Brett's sage advice, think of the dealer's role in a used coach purchase as being that of a realtor in a house purchase. You wouldn't use the realtor to inspect the house on which they're earning a commission from selling....