https://madison.craigslist.org...home/6592982331.html

VIN: S78012348MC25S300

see pics


This odometer reads 11,000 miles which I do not know if it is correct (but I can say that it has not been driven much since 1999).
A brand-new high powered battery was purchased for this motorhome this year.

It is being sold AS-IS. Again, it works, as I drove it to my house from another city and to the storage facility where it was removed. It runs well but needs a tuneup and TLC, as well as some minor cosmetic fixes.

That said, you will be getting an RV that has a DMV Bonded + KBB value of $9,000 and you are getting it for less than I paid for it and less than I have put into it.

If you put some TLC into this (i.e. paint, tune up, minor repairs, and get it buff out the exterior, you will have a RV that will be worth between $15,000-$20,000. I know this because I have done my research since I purchased it in 2016. I have watched the market for these motorhomes since then and nationwide I have only seen about 10-15 of them for sale in two years. There is a Barth community that is very passionate out there and helpful with tips and tricks.

I am not willing to negotiate on the price because I am going to sell it to you at exactly what is owed for towing + battery. Right now this is $1198.00 (storage fees) + $300 for the battery.

ABOUT THE BARTH

These RV were made in the 1970s through 1983 I believe. You are not going to find a lot of them around as there were not many of them made and they are now a collector RV. This RV was called the Airstream Toaster because it is made of aluminum, like the Airstream, but a toaster shape.

DETAILS ABOUT THE SALE

You will have to present your driver's license to pick up the vehicle, it's at Schmidt's Towing (I will go with you to Schmidt's);

I will give you a notorized statement allowing you to take/remove the RV/Motor home out of Schmidt's parking lot and a release given to me by the Madison Police Department.

I will sign the title over to you on the spot (I own the Motorhome free & clear)

You will have to sign a statement that you are not a Schmidt, not related to a Schmidt, not an agent for Schmidt and not involved in this matter (directly or indirectly to the best of your knowledge), and that you are not a straw buyer for any of the people involved with retaining the RV.

You can read the details of the why I am selling this RV so cheap if you care to know the background to this.

You can pay by cash or credit card (Mastercard, Visa, or American Express). The purchase price will be whatever the storage fees are plus the cost of the battery.
WHY I AM SELLING THIS RV SO CHEAP

The bottom line is I would rather give this away than to be ripped off by Schmidt Towing or anyone else.

As background:

I purchased the RV in 2016 with the intention of redoing it and taking my kids on a family trip to California for a family wedding this year.

When I purchased the RV in 2016, the person who I bought it from could not find the title (at the time of purchase) but gave me a bill of sale. The vehicle was not stolen, it had all its original paperwork, it had not had an ACTIVE registration since 1999 and it appeared to have not been moved in decades. I purchased it and after getting it road ready, drove it home.

I found a paid parking space to store the motorhome since I purchased it.

In February this year, the owner of the lot where I was renting sold the business and the vehicle had to be moved. Since we were planning on taking the RV to California and we needed to do some minor work on it, and we had people who were interested in renting it from us, I wanted to find a place to store it nearby where I could have quick access to it and I could easily get to it after work, so I rented and paid for a parking space nearby. At this same time, I started the process of applying for a bonded title.

In March, I took my daughter and some of her classmates to March for Our Lives in D.C. After we got back home, I drove past the lot (where I had paid to park the RV) and it was gone. After verifying it really was gone I called the police (Madison Police Department). They said they were not dealing with repossessions this day. I said it wasn't repossessed as I owned it out right. They said I should check with Schmidt Towing.

I called Schmidt Towing and told them I was looking for a Barth RV, a 24' RV that was square, aluminumn, looked like a toasted airstream (i.e. an airstream shaped like a toaster).

Schmidt Towing said they did not have it. That it had not been towed to their lot.

I gave them the full description of the vehicle, the license plate number on the vehicle, the vin number. Again they said, nope they didn't have it.

The next day, before calling the cops, I called again just to check. Again I was told the same thing. No vehicle. No RV. No Motorhome. So, since it was fully insured and had been since 2016, I called it in stolen.

Two police officers came. I showed them where I had parked it (on the private parking lot) I went over who I paid the money to, how I paid it, when I paid it, how I found the parking space, how long had I had it, all of the details.

I showed them pictures of the RV parked at the lot (I had to take them onsite for insurance purposes), showed them my registration application, gave them so many details I'm sure they were like WTF. I told them I had already checked with Schmidt's and they said they did not have it.

We (the two cops & I) called them anyway (on speaker phone) and again asked Schmidt if they had it (again, giving them the full details) No RV.

We asked Schmidt if it could be anywhere else, with any other tow yards, and they told me us to check with Sun Prairie Towing but that they were the only ones who towed for the City of Madison. We talked to Sun Prairie Towing and the did not have it but told us that there is a database of all cars towed in Madison at any time from everyplace and both companies have it (Schmidt uses TRACKER, BTW).

About this time, (it had now been about about a half hour), a woman appears out of nowhere and inquires if we were looking for the RV that was towed. She had all the dates, times, people, etc. All of the information. It was really bizarre. One of the officers goes back to his squad car and comes back and now says the vehicle IS at SCHMIDT'S, of all places, towed in by ALEX SCHMIDT (go figure). He said that, apparently, Schmidt said it the VIN was keyed in wrong (the VIN number is S78012348MC25S3; apparently Schmidt keyed it in as $780122348MC$3 or whatever they did. Jody Schmidt, the owner, said the reason the RV didn't show in their system was that it wasn't listed in their system as a "Barth." She said that when she put in the VIN number it came up as a Baronet (no one else seems to have had this experience).

So this is another reason they supposedly could not find this 24' unique looking, vintage RV on their lot until the cops called them back.

So the next day, I went to Schmidt's to pick up the RV. One of their employees tells me that it's here but I have to get a release from the city (apparently there was a ticket on it).

Now I go down to the City (the Madison Police Department). I tell the front-desk clerk, we will just call her MPD Rhonda for simplicity sake, that I have an RV that has been towed and I have to pay the ticket so I can get a release. MPD Rhonda looks the ticket up on the computer and says the owner has to pay the ticket and I have to get a their "Vehicle Release Authorization" signed by the owner, that the owner has been contacted so I just need to see them.

Again, I say I am the owner and I have a bill of sale. MPD Rhonda says "well anyone can make a bill of sale (stated in a way to suggest that I was trying to pull a fast one). She then asks me when did I purchase it? I told her 2016. She then says (blaming) well you should have had this registered already. I said I was in process of applying for a bonded title and showed her my paperork. After a back and forth and on and on and MPD Rhonda checking with several other people, I am told that I should call the DMV and see if they can speed up the process or get the "owner" to sign a vehicle release authorization because the city cannot be liable for releasing the RV to the wrong person. Further, the RV would continue to accrue daily charges at Schmidts.

A long story shorted

That was on March 30. Today is May 16. In the meantime,

Despite the DMV confirming that all I needed to prove ownership was a bill of sale and my driver's license, despite being told by Schmidt's that they would accept a bill of sale and my driver's license but they needed a release from the city for the ticket, despite immediately paying the ticket back in March (even though I did nothing wrong and dispute owing anything), despite bringing the bill of sale back in, my registration back in, confirming with MPD that the DMV had received and was processing my application, despite the MPD receiving the certified letter back from the "owner" (MPD telling MPD that not only did he no longer own the RV but that he had sold it years ago, despite the fact that the law in Wisconsin and the local law that MPD operates under shows a bill of sale should be an acceptable proof of ownership, I still was not allowed to get my RV back.

By the time the DMV approved my bond and the RV was in their database entitled to me, Schmidt is now charging me $1,600 for storage, and telling me they cannot waive the the storage fees per their contract with the city, and that they have to follow the same protocol with everyone and treat everyone the same.

At this point I am exhausted because I have been working on getting the vehicle back for a month that I had allegedly abandoned, even though I had paid to park it on a private lot, and all I want to do is get my RV back before I couldn't afford to do it.

So I say to Jody Schmidt that that I would be willing to pay for the $221 Schmidt was charging for the the period no one came to claim the RV even though it should have never been towed. And by this time I have already paid $145 for a ticket of which Schmidt gets a cut. No movement on the price.

I tell her, I tell MPD, that I really do not want to lose this to Schmidt so they can auction it off for profit or crush it or use it for their quiet enjoyment. Further, I don't think I should be forced into litigation on this issue. No movement on the price.

However, after I brought it to Jody Schmidt's attention that they told me and the police that they did not have the RV, [when they actually did] and that and it was her Nephew Alex Schmidt that that had towed the vehicle in, etc, on and on, she was willing to break the $1600 they were making off my misery to $1200.

In fact, on that day last week she told her daughter, who was the clerk at Schmidt, to fix up the notes to reflect her willingness and justify this discount if it becomes an issue.

So there you have it. That's why I am selling this and at this price as frankly I do not want Schmidt to get it and I am going to have to end up suing for my loss.

Long story short (too late), I ended up having to apply for a bonded title to the RV and take out a security bond for $9000 through the DMV in order to get a clear title. All of this has been done and paid for already.

Nope, I cannot accept a check, give you cash back and ship it anywhere. Nope, I cannot accept calls via Google Voice (with a code). Nope. Nope. Nope. I have had enough dealing with this and I am not looking to get scammed.

Details of the sale:

It has to be gone by Monday.
You have to pay whatever the current storage fees**

**It is at Schmidt's Towing. Jody Schmidt--The Owner of Schmidt Towing--said she would accept $1198. If she sticks to this your cost would be $1198 plus $190 for the new battery. If you wait and she decides to add on daily fees, then your cost will be that amount. Through Monday, Maximum Schmidt's could charge if they back out on their promise and charge for every day they have held it, is $2030.

Today is your lucky day.

quote:

VIN: S78012348MC25S300

The above is actually a data tag number. Call or text: ☎ (608) 358-3408

quote:

She said that when she put in the VIN number it came up as a Baronet

Yep I had the same trouble with my Barth being a Baronet. You need a good attorney to correct the VIN error.

Wow thats the short story.

Sorry to hear things like this, however it is good to learn from.

Most states will issue a temporary tag while new title or registration is being confirmed.

Also it is important to always check the VIN (vehicle identification number) on the vehicle against any paper work given to you including your insurance card, registration and title.

About the third year of owning my 1985 Barth I received a notice from the Florida Tag office that I was uninsured and the Barth VIN was in-correct.

I went to my local Fl. tag office and they gave me paperwork to fill out and a Deputy Sheriff stopped by the house to check the Barth VIN and my paperwork. Turns out that my Fl. title had the wrong number on it and so my insurance card and registration was also in-correct.

I was issued a new registration, new title and new insurance card.
The Fl. State agent said the letter S and the number 5 is the most common mix up and also the number 1 and the letter I.

I just thought I would pass this along as you never know when a mix up could cause you a serious problem.

I was thankful that this happen at home and not several states away with a police vehicle stop or an accident.

Jim (retired L.E.O.)