Wednesday, July 31, 2013

A Slight Wrinkle in Our Plans

Elkhart, IN          High:  91      Low:  71

Wel-l-l-l-l.....the plan was to leave last Monday. We were going to drop our rig off at Total Value RV for consignment. Total Value RV is seriously interested in helping a seller as well as helping themselves. Out of all the people we've talked to about putting our motorhome on a lot and let the dealer handle the sales, Total Value was the most fair and reasonable in their fees and percentage of the sale. They were the dealership where we bought our first motorhome, the Damon Challenger, and we've always had excellent service and salesmanship from them. Jenny, the service manager is terrific. Hank, the owner, is terrific. Ivan, his son,  was very straightforward with us when we went in to talk to him.  Dave Olson, is a terrific sales guy that works for them. They have always done great work for us in a timely manner and at very reasonable prices, and are very friendly and professional to deal with.

The wrinkle was, Sparky decided to call our insurance agent and double check that since we are no longer going to be driving our rig, maybe our insurance needs would change and our rates would drop from "full timers" to "part timers".  Wel-l-l-l...yes and no. Apparently, most specialized RV insurance companies do NOT insure your vehicle while it's sitting on a dealer's lot. No siree....no way, no how.. Everybody thinks you are covered when you are selling your rig on a lot because you have a full timer's insurance policy. YOU ARE NOT COVERED. ALMOST ALL RV AND TOW INSURANCE POLICIES EXCLUDE COVERAGE IF THE UNIT IS HELD FOR SALE ON CONSIGMENT. Sparky repeats--If you want to sell your rig by putting it on somebody's lot, your regular RV insurance does NOT cover this situation..You have to get SPECIAL insurance, an endorsement, or what some in the business call it "consignment" insurance--a special policy to cover the special circumstances the rig finds itself while sitting in a dealership lot. We have to cancel our regular RV insurance and buy a separate, whole entity different policy. It wasn't so easy to find and there weren't a lot of choices. Some companies won't do that "rider" extension or "special insurance" without you being insured with them in the first place. Progressive is one such company. Why your current insurance wouldn't feel more secure with the rig just sitting on a protected lot and offer a sub rider/attachment policy for such a situation is beyond us, but maybe it's because a prospective buyer might take the rig out for a spin and it's riskier to the insurance company even if it is sitting.

So, we get on the phone, do our internet research and we find a couple of places that will write a new policy and cover the consignment situation at the same time. We compared insurance quotes line by line, and TADA! We have our consignment insurance in place.  It's finally time to take our rig over to Total Value. Heading out of the Elkhart Campground this morning....Sniff, sniff.....
Eldy drove it next door to Total Value. It's time to say goodbye to the Tiffin...sniff, sniff.....(Sigh! I'm gonna miss it, too, says E.)  But he just dropped off the keys and was ready to go....BOO-HOO-HOO....

We did the final walk around with Total Value, and we said our goodbyes to our home of three years.....

Hopefully, it's a final goodbye, and we won't be returning to get it at the end of October. We hope it sells by then.....If it doesn't, then we will drive the Phaeton back down to Florida, and park it on consignment early November in Florida, waiting for the snowbirds to arrive and the RV market to pick up in FL. We'll see what happens......

We'll see you on the road in the car! A loaded car!

12 comments:

  1. Very interesting. I bet it is difficult to say goodbye.

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  2. Still sorry to see that you guys are selling the Phaeton, but you need to do what you feel is best for the two of you.

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  3. That's the same dealership we bought our motorhome at and Dave was our sales guy. Great people. Sure hope it sells for you.

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  4. I'm glad you found out about the insurance issue before you left the coach there. I understand why you need a different type of coverage, since there are different risks. Better to know ahead of time, even though it did cause you some trouble.

    Good luck getting it sold. Do they do any online advertising?

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  5. Thanks for the insurance information.
    We have had our coach 8 years now cannot imagine saying goodbye, it is very much a part of our lives.
    Enjoy your new lifestyle!

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  6. I hope for your sake that it sells quickly. Where are you staying now before heading south?

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    1. We are back in FL, Judy, the blog is a few days behind...We stayed at the Elkhart Campground while we were in Elkhart...Great location and centrally located to all kinds of stuff!

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  7. We learned that about leaving the RV on a sales lot, when we thought about selling our last one that way.

    It is sure true that RV sales during the winter here in Florida are very brisk:)

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  8. I had heard the same scenario before about consignment. I guess it's all about risk. Hope it sells soon for you!

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  9. The insurance info is good to know, thanks. It must have been hard to leave the motor home after living in it so long. I'm hoping when I stop full-timing I'll still have my motor home on my property so I can take trips during the year. I'd hate to stop altogether. Of course, that's now. Later things might change. :)

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