RV Deal Falls Through, Lessons Learned

We were scheduled to pick up our 2009 Thor Chateau Citation 24A today. Unfortunately, we decided not to go through with that deal. Or maybe that's the most fortunate thing to happen for our travels. We're scheduled to pick up a different RV from a private seller later this week, pending inspection. I'll write about that soon.

Here are some lessons I learned while trying to buy the Citation 24A.

1. Don't rush. Once our house closed, I went ga ga for a Sprinter-based RV. I didn't really notice it in the moment, but in hindsight, I couldn't see straight. I really put this one thing above everything else, and that was a mistake.
2. Be aware of high pressure sales. The sales guy had me hooked from the moment we spoke on the phone. Once we were at the dealership, it was a whirlwind of seeing the coach, going through paperwork, and not really getting all the answers to my questions. There were a few red flags along the way, including dead batteries on the RV and a change in the terms we discussed on the phone. It was a well orchestrated process to get us to put down a deposit and sign paperwork. It worked, but the more time we had to think, the more I realized it didn't feel right.
3. Research maintenance costs. In the long run, diesels cost an average of $1,203 more per year to maintain over gasoline engines. Diesel is also more expensive than gas and can be difficult to find in more remote areas. The diesel engine on a Sprinter chassis was the big selling point for me. It's more fuel efficient, has better longevity, and more powerful than a gasoline engine. I can do some of the maintenance on a gasoline engine myself, but all diesel maintenance must be done in a shop. Read "Gas vs. Diesel: The Bad Investment Only Fleet Managers Know About." While it's in the context of government fleet management, I saw many parallels with full-time RVing, particularly where it mentions the Dodge diesel engine, the equivalent of what the Citation 24A has.
4. Stay in your budget. This should have never been an issue and it wound up costing us a week. The Citation 24A was just out of my price range from the start, but I thought I could negotiate the price down. The dealership wouldn't budge. Add to that tax, title, license, and hidden fees (inspection fee, document fee, etc.), I was nearly $10,000 over budget.
5. Consider your partner. The layout and height of the Citation wasn't exactly what Denise wanted, but what really bothered her was the extra money we'd spend on the purchase and maintenance of the diesel coach. Happy wife, happy life. Maybe that's why nothing rhymes with husband -- always getting into trouble.
6. You have the power. When I told the dealership my concerns and told them I wanted to back out of the deal, they magically lowered the price a few thousand dollars. It was tempting to reconsider, but ultimately, this wasn't the deal for us. It also gave me a lot of confidence to be able to get our deposit back.