Years ago, I wished to sell wife's (really nice) car. "Responsible" guy said he wanted it contingent on a test drive: took it into the neighborhood, turned left onto boulevard, floored it, spun, frightened the h*** out of the suicide seat passenger -yours truly- and ruined the right rear fender/wheel/axle. He decided he didn't want it. His insurance paid, but then I had a "wrecked car", looks were never as good as before, and value went waaayy down.
NOW: We may have to sell Black Beauty later this summer. I envision a buyer inexperienced with a 38' coach driving on normal streets and the freeway. What if he hits (or scrapes) another car, tree, overhead, etc.? Repairs can be expensive, not to mention just finding someone to do the repair. Aaaand (I know this!) his insurance company will balk at the money involved.
Question: Is there any way to arrange "You broke it, you bought it"; some sort of contract with the sale done but contingent on a test drive and, if so, how does one enforce it? Would someone who wants it part with, say, a $10,000 damage escrow for a test drive?
I'm not expressing this well, but y'all probably understand what I'm asking. I welcome any and all comments or criticisms. Be candid; this is a very real question for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Gunner:
I'm not expressing this well, but y'all probably understand what I'm asking. I welcome any and all comments or criticisms. Be candid; this is a very real question for me.

I think you are expressing it very well. I would not let a stranger drive such a big coach. Drive it yourself and let him ride. Or go to a straight section of uncrowded road and let him drive there.

Heck, I call myself experienced, but I wouldn't blame any large coach owner who didn't trust my driving.

I think bill's advice is dead on. You take the prospect on a test drive, and when he wants to drive it's when and where you choose. It should take about 30 seconds to figure out if he knows how to handle a big coach or not. If not, STOP, lose the sale, but not the coach.
As for a pre-sale contract, maybe one of our legal eagles could figure out if this can be done. It sure sounds logical.
In any case, I hope you don't have to sell her, she's really a Black Beauty.

quote:

Originally posted by Danny Z:
As for a pre-sale contract, maybe one of our legal eagles could figure out if this can be done. It sure sounds logical.

You can write up anything you want... get a signature and it's legally binding. But good luck enforcing it, if there were a problem. That would likely come down to small claims court, and would be waaaay more trouble and expense than it was worth (compared to filing a claim with your insurance, which of course is not ideal either).

Selling to an inexperienced RV driver is a calculated risk. While not wanting to lose a potential sale, you are the ultimate person to decide who is allowed to drive Black Beauty. You can implement "pre qualifying" measures, for instance. Ask them a few questions that you think are important to gauge the amount of risk that would be involved in letting them drive. Or consider meeting a potential buyer in a big empty parking lot somewhere and letting them drive/inspect it there, rather than having them come to your house and have to negotiate small/unfamiliar residential streets. That would probably be viewed as much more reasonable, compared to handing the interested person a contract and saying "sign here!" before they set foot in the rig.

I remember the Dynamax dealer letting Tere drive the biggest thing they had, a 40'er as I recall, through downtown Tarpon Springs. Biggest thing she had ever driven was a 25' Trek. It took 10 washings to get the stain out of my drawers. God protects '______'.

I sold a Georgie Boy without a test drive, but the buyer had been with us on several trips. I also bought and sold a GMC bus with no test drives. I just rode in it before I bought it and I sold it to a guy who just rode in it.

Gunner, are you selling your rig? I am looking for a unit now but I can be flexible? Tomloughney@mac.com

There are facets of any vehicle which MUST be experienced by a DRIVER. Soft brakes, dead on-center feel are just an example. I would never buy a vehicle without a test drive. But I would put my performance on the line without hesitation and back it up with cash to put the seller at ease.

Therefore, it would seem reasonable that anyone who drives your coach would find it acceptable to put up a 'deposit' or good faith money prior to them getting the key.

It could be simply the deductable to your own insurance policy, or a base amount such as $1500.

Face it, anyone looking to buy a motor coach should be able to put their hands on $1500 cash, and if they can't I would suspect that their ability to follow through on the sale as being weak.

At the very most you will have hard cash to repair most damages, and at the very least you will filter out the time wasters and tire kickers.