Looking at Thor Axis 25.1 - Few Questions - Page 2

maximusdecimus · 05-04-2016, 05:06 PM

So an interesting development. I did speak with a local dealer about purchasing their used 25.1. It only has around 2,000 miles on it however their price was a bit high. They just emailed me today saying they have reduced their price if I want it. It would only be $8500 more from a local RV dealer to buy this one vs the other one that has around 17,500 miles (I would add about 1000 more miles driving it back home since it is in another state). So I guess the question is, would it be worth it to buy one that has 2000 miles for $8500 more vs one that has 17,500 miles?

**fhenn** · 05-04-2016, 05:39 PM

8500 pays for a lot of camping todays motors and transmission are design real well not unheard of 250000 miles to 300000 miles. But would have either unit inspected by a outside inspector before I purchased.

maximusdecimus · 05-04-2016, 05:42 PM

So the price for the one with 17,500 miles I have negotiated to is $49,000. The one with only 2000 miles would be $57,500, and it would be local.

Feeling a bit conflicted now. Not sure if I should pay more to get lower miles. Both are otherwise the same, same year, floor plan, etc

JamieGeek · 05-04-2016, 05:58 PM

That is a tough call to make.

You are talking about $0.54/mile ($8500/15,500). Car leases charge far less than that for overage miles--yeah its a camper not a car.

Have you personally inspected each? To make that decision I'd want to look at either (e.g. if the one with 17k miles is perfect I'd go with that, but if its showing obvious wear compared to the 2k one. Likewise if the 2k miles one has had a hard life..). If they both look clean then your choice isn't as clear.

Since you have two available and you've already negotiated one of them to a price you're familiar with you can use that to your advantage and try to negotiate the 2k one down: "Look I already have one I'm about to purchase so if you want me to buy this one you have to do something for me and an $8500 difference is far too much."

maximusdecimus · 05-04-2016, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

That is a tough call to make.

You are talking about $0.54/mile ($8500/15,500). Car leases charge far less than that for overage miles--yeah its a camper not a car.

Have you personally inspected each? To make that decision I'd want to look at either (e.g. if the one with 17k miles is perfect I'd go with that, but if its showing obvious wear compared to the 2k one. Likewise if the 2k miles one has had a hard life..). If they both look clean then your choice isn't as clear.

Since you have two available and you've already negotiated one of them to a price you're familiar with you can use that to your advantage and try to negotiate the 2k one down: "Look I already have one I'm about to purchase so if you want me to buy this one you have to do something for me and an $8500 difference is far too much."

So my brother who lives in Dallas area looked at the one that has higher mileage. He said it looked almost new inside and out. I saw the one at the dealer and it also looked good as well.

for the Dallas one I am going to have it inspected for sure. I found a few places that will go out, they charge around $500 but they don't drive it (which I thought was strange). I am leaning towards the higher mileage one because of the savings but I think I'll throw it back to the local dealer as you suggest to see what they say. I would take the local one of they came down to $55,000 but I already asked and they said no.

Larry · 05-04-2016, 06:45 PM

I would be curious in knowing why the previous owner decided to give it up with only 2k miles on it. (If it was previously owned and not driven to RV shows by a dealer or whatever.) Don't suppose they would be willing to give you the previous RV owner's contact info? On second thought, they may not be allowed to share that info.

TyCreek · 05-04-2016, 11:46 PM

Last VIN report I got had previous owners name. My "odds" guess is the rig with 17Kmi would be less likely to have handling issues. The one with just 2Kmi could be due to it being just too wild of a drive for the previous owners. I remember the first outing with ours prior to getting a crowned highway tuned alignment and there's no way I'd put up with that!

Certainly other reasons someone might only put on 2Kmi ... but that would concern me as it's likely whatever caused the short ownership didn't get resolved.

Oneilkeys · 05-05-2016, 07:15 AM

How far are you from the factory? Mine had over 1500 miles when I bought it new. My first RV, someone bought it, drove it home and realized that it would not pull his boat. So he brought it back and traded it in and the dealer had to sell it as used. The first owner got screwed and I got a great deal for a new RV. I'd look hard at the 2k one - especially if you can get the dealer down to the $55k range or get him to throw in other adds that you want. Will Thor still honor the year warrantee? PleasureWay did on my first RV and that was a great plus. If you have a year to get all the bugs ironed out, that would be a big incentive. It could save you thousands and give you peace of mind - especially if the dealer is any good.

Mr Sunshine · 05-05-2016, 11:57 AM

I agree with Oneilkeys. Have seen friends trade after one trip.

Did you check New Car Prices and Used Car Book Values - NADAguides for values? That may or may not be helpful. Dealers use a different reference, the black book which factors in auction sales, a truer value.

Do you perceive value in buying from a local dealer? Would they throw in an extended warranty with the deal? Remember, their profit is somewhere around half the cost on those. Am generally not a fan of ext warranties, but would advise one here.

Ben Franklin had a method for decisions, pluses on the left, minuses on the right. Repeat for the second cohere. This always helps clarify conundrums!

**EA37TS** · 05-05-2016, 01:05 PM

Looking at the NADA Guide for RV Values a 2015 Axis 25.1 with 2000 miles gets a $560.00 premium. For my area (based on zip code) the low retail for a 2015 Axis 25.1, regardless of mileage, is approx 57K and average retail is approx 68K. There is no reduction in value for a 2015 with 17K miles.

The questions on the one with 2000 miles becomes why was it traded in, is it on a consignment sale with the dealer, was it a repossession that they bank turned back over to the selling dealer for resale, or was it a trade in after one trip.

Unfortunately even with only 2000 miles other than the chassis there is no factory warranty and possibly no customer service from Thor since it is classified a used unit. Keep in mind that the Thor warranty, regardless of mileage, only applies to the first retail purchaser.

maximusdecimus · 05-05-2016, 04:02 PM

So the local dealer will not budge with their price. They said that a family of 6 bought it but felt it wasn't big enough so they traded it in and got a larger unit.

I think I am leaning towards the one with higher mileage. The dealer there said they would be willing to take it to Coach Specialists of Dallas for a pre-purchase inspection. I thought that was good of them and shows they are being honest and upfront about the motorhome if they are willing to take it to a place of my choosing for an inspection.

Chance · 05-08-2016, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Interesting: The 25.1 still shows up on both the Axis and Vegas websites. Typically Thor removes them when they are discontinued..perhaps its only a matter of time.

Conversely to your idea about them being hard to sell because they are discontinued; it is also possible that there is a set of people who really like that floorplan and since they would be discontinued would sell quickly because it actually was popular. I usually don't worry about the resale value of any RV I purchase because they depreciate so much..it really is not an investment! LOL

Funny that the sales person said older clientele are the people purchasing Axis/Vega units when Thor markets them to younger people (RUV for using in an "active lifestyle"--like us taking ours to a baseball tournament). Just take a look at this.

For 2017 Thor no longer shows the 25.1 floorplan. I guess it's official now.

I hope they replace it with a new floorplan before too long.

jackdog · 06-15-2016, 11:31 PM

The 25.1 is by far the most versatile unit of them all. I would get the recall fixed or checked before you purchase. The alignment is a big issue but with a safety bar it drives like a Suv . The coach and generator should have oil changes.

We paid $65,500 for a 2016. Our unit was only a few 25.1 built for 2016. It also came with a factory safety T bar and sway bar. The dealer did not even check there loss. I would also get the best satellite or in motion system you could afford as the model is more like a party hangout bus . We attended on football game and we had a nice crowd wanting to join.

Good luck.

You may also like: