Options, Advice, Decisions Part 4 - Shopping and acquisition

[TomC]

FMC is a great motorhome. BUT-try finding the suspension parts.

[piston9]

As a fellow pre-purchase loiterer, I really appreciate the time to document in this thread!

Good luck with the coach, see you on the road in a few years

For those in the hunt, a few other insights might be helpful.

Geography A significant aspect when searching for the best value deal, the broader an area the more chance of finding the best deal. Being in SF, my boundary was set to Colorado and states west. The difficult and costs to visit further add up in a hurry. The trip to get this coach in Denver added at least a thousand to the total acquisition costs. Several days in Denver hotels, food, local travel, etc. Then  fuel costs from Denver to CA, plus several days of food and other supplies.

Time Fortunately my time is flexible and "free" now but it took 9 days to get the coach home. Lost a few days due to missed deadlines for money transfers on Friday and having to wait until Monday morning to complete transaction.

Time to search diligently on a regular basis, make the calls, do the research, stay upbeat and focused, all takes commitment to the goal. There were times it got frustrating and stalled like a boat on the sea in a windless day. There were times I'd make the daily rounds and scrap the crap sites just to see if something new might be there, only to be reminded why I put some sites on the crap list.

Time to get really in tune with the reality of the current bus conversion market and how much it favors buyers. Take enough time to understand how strong you are if you have cash in your pocket. Don't be influenced by all the social media fart fanning posts about what a deal, how cheap, I'd buy it if I had the money, blah, blah. All pointless blather, the real buyers are not in the cheap seats spewing out these comments.

Time to find the diamond in the rough. Mine was in plain sight for months; I kept wondering why no one was biting, it was right there, clear as day. I just kept thinking there was something wrong that I did not see. Started the inquiries and it was several months before actually doing the deal.

Time to really know the buyer. Understand their motives for acquiring the coach and for it being on the market. You learn a lot of how the bus is built based on getting to know the owner's character and value system. Every facet of the bus reflects the owner's motivation, attention to detail, doing things the right way or taking a shortcut, etc.

Professional Bus Inspection Finding qualified two stroke bus mechanics is difficult and almost certainly each new prospect is in a different location, so plan on searching for a mechanic who is local and available and affordable. Don Fairchild was kind enough to make the trip to San Diego to inspect a bus in the timeframe. Plan to write some checks to vetted professionals like Don; search costs add up.

Market value This is quite difficult and takes time and diligence to determine actual SELLING price. List/ask price is more wishful pricing and there is tremendous range in what an owner things their coach is worth. A new seller with a stack of receipts is surely going to price well over the market. Things at 50% of the receipts should be about right, sadly very wrong. The longer the coach is for sale, the more time the seller understands their original wish price is unrealistic, then make a price drop. As the months go by, grudgingly, more price cuts. At some point the seller gets the price into the range where it warrants serious consideration.

Still, no expectation the coach sells at this price but starts getting some bites. What a buyer decides to offer below asking is all based on how confident the buyer has done the homework to know what it is worth today. Once the negotiation begins, skill and experience determine where the final price lands and if there is a deal.