MHSRV in TX won't allow Professional inspections?

[Open Road]

It would be a deal breaker for me. I would walk away.

[formerFR]

two things I'll throw in the pot, here:

Having an independent inspection on a brand new factory built RV or motorhome is a little bit confusing. Yes, I understand the desire to pick apart ahead of time any problem that could cause you to balk, but the fact is - the unit is under warranty - for anything and everything, whether you find it right there on the lot, or 9 months later. No independent inspector is going to find 100% o.k., as no rig is. You could have him/her inspect every one of the 600 units on their lot, and you'll find some issue with every one.
I think you're over thinking this. Conversations on these forums about having an independent inspection are for USED rigs.

MHSRV is a stand-up dealership. We've traded with them twice. Both times everything was smooth, they applied no pressure, they allowed us to stay and use our new unit for several nights, they sent us a tech to make sure that EVERYTHING we questioned was taken care of, and they were all around just a pleasant group of people to deal with.
They are the single largest single-location dealership in the U.S., and have an abundance of different Makes, and many different models for each, sometimes quite a few of each floorplan.
Back in August of 2014, we had the choice of 4) 2014 and 2) Palazzo 33.3 models to choose from, all almost identical. The only real difference between any of these was the color scheme, 3Trax slide, or year model.
We chose the 3Trax and the 2014, built in March 2014, and saved considerably over the almost identical 2015 sitting next to it.

[Rancher Rob]

We ended up walking away.
The inspection shouldn't be a problem. We have very busy lives and don't have a lot of extra time to hassle with repairs that could and should be taken care of before we take possession.
But there was more. They also made a mistake on the delivery date. So our family Spring Break vacation to go pick it up got cancelled and now the kids will be sitting at home as it's too late to schedule something else. Not that it is MHSRV's fault that it was "delayed at the factory", if true, but they should have said that it will "probably" be there or it's "estimated" delivery date.
Lastly, they also play games in their contracts. They have vague and ambiguous clauses in their contracts that would allow them to keep our down payment no matter what. Their contracts are written by their lawyers totally for their benefit with no fairness or protections for the buyer.
Found this too and think it very worth the watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP_u2JR51_Y

All of this was just over the down payment and preliminary agreement. I can't imagine how bad the rest of it would be.
So, we're giving up on the RV search for this year. We'll take a cruise this summer instead.
Hopefully this thread will serve as a warning to other potential MHSRV customers. If MHSRV worked out for you, great. But for me there is more to deals than just the lowest price.
You'd think, somewhere in this great nation, there would be one honest, upstanding RV dealership that wouldn't try taking advantage of people and weren't completely greedy. We'll keep looking for it if it exists...

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by Rancher Rob

We ended up walking away.

Walking away from that deal was the correct thing to do. The dealer knew a professional would find things for them to fix and they didn't want to fix anything before you signed. They wanted you in the warranty service queue instead, this way they get their money, the sale stops the flooring costs on that unit, and the sales guy gets his commission. You get the shaft. However, I also don't think you're really into the idea of an RV in the first place. How you equate taking cruises in place of an RV I don't know, let us know how that cruise to Mt Rushmore or the Grand Canyon was. Whole different experience with an RV vs a Fly and Drive, or Cruise. Yes you can buy a whole lot of cruises for what you might spend on an RV, no doubt. You can spend $3K to $6K on a 7 day cruise many times and at the end of that string of cash you have a lot of photos and not much more. At very least with the RV you can go when you want, still have a whole lot of photos and at the end of the payments you still have an RV. We've take more than a dozen cruises over the past 15 years and we've had our RV, I'll take the RV any day of the week over those 12+ cruises. But I also do almost 100% of my own RV maintenance and repairs so I don't need a dealer once the warranty runs out and even before, if it's minor I buy the part and fix it myself or I work directly with the manufacturer for parts. You should think long and hard if an RV is really for you given that your life is very busy. You just may not have the time to use it or maintain it and then it would really be a waste of your money.

[Rancher Rob]

Originally Posted by Daycruiser

However, I also don't think you're really into the idea of an RV in the first place. How you equate taking cruises in place of an RV I don't know, let us know how that cruise to Mt Rushmore or the Grand Canyon was.

I used to love RV'ing. My wife and I, 3 months after we met, quit our jobs and bought a fifth wheel and spent a year together traveling the US and Canada. Now however, it's about spending time with the kids and we only have the oldest kid for a few more years before he goes off to college. While maybe not as good as an RV, at least a cruise is somewhat confined family time, with less electronics and friends, together enjoying a trip. Still, you have a point that it is different. But I can't drive the RV to Hawaii either!

[spock123]

Originally Posted by Rancher Rob

We ended up walking away.

The inspection shouldn't be a problem. We have very busy lives and don't have a lot of extra time to hassle with repairs that could and should be taken care of before we take possession.

But there was more. They also made a mistake on the delivery date. So our family Spring Break vacation to go pick it up got cancelled and now the kids will be sitting at home as it's too late to schedule something else. Not that it is MHSRV's fault that it was "delayed at the factory", if true, but they should have said that it will "probably" be there or it's "estimated" delivery date.

Lastly, they also play games in their contracts. They have vague and ambiguous clauses in their contracts that would allow them to keep our down payment no matter what. Their contracts are written by their lawyers totally for their benefit with no fairness or protections for the buyer.

Found this too and think it very worth the watch:

All of this was just over the down payment and preliminary agreement. I can't imagine how bad the rest of it would be.

So, we're giving up on the RV search for this year. We'll take a cruise this summer instead.

Hopefully this thread will serve as a warning to other potential MHSRV customers. If MHSRV worked out for you, great. But for me there is more to deals than just the lowest price.

You'd think, somewhere in this great nation, there would be one honest, upstanding RV dealership that wouldn't try taking advantage of people and weren't completely greedy. We'll keep looking for it if it exists...

I plan on taking a cruise to Yellowstone, maybe Amish country in Pennsylvania and hopefully in Goshen Indiana. It’s the dealership camper. There is always another dealership, some good some bad.

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by Rancher Rob

You'd think, somewhere in this great nation, there would be one honest, upstanding RV dealership that wouldn't try taking advantage of people and weren't completely greedy. We'll keep looking for it if it exists...

It won't help you much, but Robert's RV Sales in Denver was/is a great family-owned dealership.

They only sell Flagstaff PUPs and A-Frames, and rent Flagstaff PUPs. I don't believe they take any trade-ins. They also don't do financing - you have to bring your own. They have a single, out-the-door, discounted, all inclusive price (except for sales tax). No add-ons for freight or documentation.

Robert's RV did knock a few hundred more off our A-frame price because of the extensive nicks and scratches in the inside cabinetry as delivered from Forest River. And they did a nice job of filling and coloring the nicks and scratches as part of their dealer prep. They even vacuumed the saw dust out of all the cabinets and voids as part of the dealer prep.

Because Robert's RV rents out the stuff they sell, they have a real stock of parts, and they know the PUPs and A-frames they sell inside and out.

At the 9 month point, I have had not one warranty issue. No, not true. I forgot the stock WFCO converter did not go into trickle mode. And the fridge was not installed in accordance with Dometic instructions. But I didn't want a replacement WFCO 8735P converter; this is the 2nd one I have owned that never went into trickle mode. So I replaced the converter myself with a PI unit. And I insulated around the fridge and rebuilt the baffle to match Dometic instructions, even though the fridge did technically work before my fixes. It just works a lot better now. Everything else was taken care before or during the PDI.

Those kinds of dealers do exist. I've seen them in the PUP and A-frame world, but not so many with TTs and MHs and 5ers.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[bikendan]

RVW is a standup dealer. The co-owner, Dave Durnell, is a Forum member.

[Tundra 2014]

My DW and I were looking at a used Class A there and were told, "No Test Drives Ever". We were serious about it, offered deposit. I told them forget it.

[DKRITTER]

MHSRV is a sales organization by business model, high volume and low margin. If they change the model for some of the customers they would no longer be able to have high volume and hence would need higher margin. So dealing with an organization is always a trade off. Almost always exceptional service comes at a higher price.

Coming half way across the country to buy something blows my mind, but I've always been on the exceptional service side of the model.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by Rancher Rob

I used to love RV'ing. My wife and I, 3 months after we met, quit our jobs and bought a fifth wheel and spent a year together traveling the US and Canada. Now however, it's about spending time with the kids and we only have the oldest kid for a few more years before he goes off to college. While maybe not as good as an RV, at least a cruise is somewhat confined family time, with less electronics and friends, together enjoying a trip. Still, you have a point that it is different. But I can't drive the RV to Hawaii either!

Like how you think Bob. Our kids and now the G-kids love the camping experience, but as the kids got older, their interest changes. Wife and I set up a Bahama cruise a years back with the kids and spouses. We cover the trip, they had to cover their bar bills... Like you said, less electronics, more together time, and 6 years later...they still sit and talk about the trip and the fun we had. One thing i've learned about deals, every time I've found a "Great" deal.....later on...a even better one seems to come along. We almost bought property 4 different times and each time we were ready to pull the trigger...a better one popped up. Think you did the right thing and don't even think about second guessing your decision.

[wmorton46]

We bought a 2014 Berkshire 400QL from MHSRV in July, 2014. It was a "new" unit. 30 miles down the road, it sounded like it was falling apart. Took it back to MHSRV and it took another 5 days to get things fixed. Then we headed back to Utah and MHSRV cared less about further issues like recalls not be applied before delivery. Yes, the price is right but you need to be thorough with the PDI or it is an uphill battle to get things resolved. I like the idea of taking a professional in as a friend. Good luck!

[Acrepairman]

Be sure you are satisfied before leaving MHSRV had problems could not get help from them Forsteriver found out asked me to bring it to them at factory they took care of everything. Great people at factory.

[Acrepairman]

As a additional note to my post MHSRV did finally contact me after the attorney general office for the state of Arkansas sent them a letter

[sunnman]

I would walk away. I am a BIG believer in a local established family dealer. If you travel to buy, local dealers usually won’t do warranty if they didn’t sell it. Ask around locally about dealers nearby. Big lots you’re just a number. When we go where we bought ours, they sometimes don’t remember our name, but they remember what we bought. Needed service for shorted wire and they fixed while we waited. Didn’t even unhook. Won’t get that from a big dealer.

[Papicamper]

Originally Posted by Rancher Rob

Yesterday, We put a deposit down on a new 2019 XL 37BH! We were so excited! That is a tremendous amount of money to us so we made the sales contract conditional on a "satisfactory independent inspection" which we told them ahead of time verbally. Now the next day, they are telling us that it is "No deal" if it has to be independent. They are OK with us inspecting but not a professional inspector! They keep claiming it is new and they inspect it thoroughly.

What have experiences have you guys with MHSRV? Are they total shysters over there trying to rip everybody off?
At this point, I'm totally turned off and not even sure the fun of an RV is worth the hassle of working with a dealership.

Thanks,
Rob

If YOU don't feel right just walk! You may have misgivings for a long time after the fact if you let anyone guide your purchase. It's your money and your RV. Go elsewhere. There are a LOT of RVs out there. It's got yo be "your" deal!

[Ungechbub66]

Get your deposit back and walk away

[Major Oz]

Additionally............


Never.....EVER......sign an arbitration agreement.


Many of the dealers here'bouts -- cars, trucks, and RV's -- have that requirement as a condition of sale.


Don't know how they stay in bidness......even after the local NBC affiliate held a special on what a nasty business practice it is.

[dsklapatch]

Originally Posted by Rancher Rob

Yesterday, We put a deposit down on a new 2019 XL 37BH! We were so excited! That is a tremendous amount of money to us so we made the sales contract conditional on a "satisfactory independent inspection" which we told them ahead of time verbally. Now the next day, they are telling us that it is "No deal" if it has to be independent. They are OK with us inspecting but not a professional inspector! They keep claiming it is new and they inspect it thoroughly.

What have experiences have you guys with MHSRV? Are they total shysters over there trying to rip everybody off?
At this point, I'm totally turned off and not even sure the fun of an RV is worth the hassle of working with a dealership.

Thanks,
Rob

Buy used, you can inspect all you want, usually all the bugs have been taken care of if you find the right unit... I have a 2015 Forest river 38FB2 for sale. no issues, top of the line unit, and just had factory inspection and updating.

[jasonTDI]

Originally Posted by formerFR

two things I'll throw in the pot, here:

Having an independent inspection on a brand new factory built RV or motorhome is a little bit confusing. Yes, I understand the desire to pick apart ahead of time any problem that could cause you to balk, but the fact is - the unit is under warranty - for anything and everything, whether you find it right there on the lot, or 9 months later. No independent inspector is going to find 100% o.k., as no rig is. You could have him/her inspect every one of the 600 units on their lot, and you'll find some issue with every one.
I think you're over thinking this. Conversations on these forums about having an independent inspection are for USED rigs.

MHSRV is a stand-up dealership. We've traded with them twice. Both times everything was smooth, they applied no pressure, they allowed us to stay and use our new unit for several nights, they sent us a tech to make sure that EVERYTHING we questioned was taken care of, and they were all around just a pleasant group of people to deal with.
They are the single largest single-location dealership in the U.S., and have an abundance of different Makes, and many different models for each, sometimes quite a few of each floorplan.
Back in August of 2014, we had the choice of 4) 2014 and 2) Palazzo 33.3 models to choose from, all almost identical. The only real difference between any of these was the color scheme, 3Trax slide, or year model.
We chose the 3Trax and the 2014, built in March 2014, and saved considerably over the almost identical 2015 sitting next to it.

Buying a 100K plus motor home they will work with you. They are less enthusiastic about sub $35K travel trailers. It's all about the $$. I only work with smaller dealers I trust. Best price? Maybe not but they need to eat too and if they are local to me that's what matters.