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The Brand-New Vehicle Many Shoppers Don’t Realize They Are Buying As-Is

Can a brand-new vehicle really be legally sold as-is without the protections new vehicle owners expect? Here’s a lesson many new vehicle owners learn the hard way and how you can avoid this trap.
Not All New Vehicle Sales Agreements Offer Protection for the Buyer

Great Expectations of New Car Ownership

One of the expectations of buying a new car or truck is that even if something happens to go wrong with your new vehicle shortly after buying it, there is the typical 5-year, 60,000-mile warranty that protects you from a vehicle that turns out to be a lemon. Sometimes, even with used cars past their warranty period.

In most cases you either drive or have the vehicle towed (if you dare taking the risk of hiring a tow truck) to the dealership you bought it from, and they will take care of the rest and see to it that repairs are done at no cost to you except for the time and aggravation of seeing your new car in a garage so soon.

Big Disappointments of New RV Ownership

However, if that brand-new vehicle you just bought is an RV you will likely have signed away your rights involving dealership responsibility; All because of a no-warranty clause you may have missed during the sale of the RV.

As it turns out, many new RV owners discover too late that their sales agreement made with the dealership is not the same as the ones they’ve signed over the years when buying a new car or truck. With RV sales, terms can be set by the dealer that include the RV is sold "as-is" or with limited warranties that exclude certain components or issues.

The biggest problem is trying to find someone (like the dealership or the manufacturer) to take some responsibility and offer some assistance―even if the RV breaks down just days after leaving the dealership lot as happened to this retired couple who sold their home to live the “RV Life on the Road” dream.

Lehto’s Law

RVs that breakdown as soon as they are bought is one of the worst-kept secrets of RV life. Shoddy construction, cheap materials, and difficulties in getting help when something goes wrong is the dark side of what many newbies formerly envisioned would be a life of adventure and freedom when taking the plunge emotionally and financially while purchasing an RV that can easily cost over $100,000.

That was the warning message in a Steve Lehto YouTube channel episode where Steve tells viewers that anyone who buys a new RV today is insane due to the lack of legal protection new RV owners have when their RV turns out to be a lemon.

One example the host provides is that the sales agreement may include things like “forum selection” clauses which means if you have a grievance with the dealership, you have to physically go to a place of their choosing (like Indiana where RV dealerships have a legal advantage) even though you bought the lemon RV in another state. In other words, the sales agreements are rigged to make compensation as difficult as possible.

Despite the fact that these sales agreement terms are not hidden in the fine print (enforced by law), the sad fact is that many shoppers do not really understand what the language used is all about and unknowingly agree to terms they would otherwise never agree to.

For more about just how bad RV sales agreements are and why they are legal, here is video presented below for more details.

Here is Why You Must be Insane to buy an RV These Days

A Follow-Up Video on How to Buy an RV the Genius Way

As a follow-up to his video warning viewers about the risks of buying a new RV today, Steve provides viewers with the smart way to buy an RV if you decide that you just have to have one… but would like to avoid the expense and most of the problems of buying a new RV.

In short, Steve recommends:

  • Buying an RV only if it is used and has depreciated a lot in a short time with little use.
  • Has been inspected by an RV Inspection Service prior to buying.
  • Try renting an RV before deciding to buy one (used).
  • Go to RV campgrounds and ask questions about RVs from owners who are experts and more than willing to share what they know about all sorts of RVs.

For more details about how to buy an RV the smart way, here is the video posted below that is a sensible solution to a really bad problem.

Here is the Genius Way to Buy an RV

For additional articles related to protecting yourself, here are three for your consideration:

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on  “Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair” website, the Zen Mechanic blog and on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites  and Facebook for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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Image source: Deposit Photos

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