I was looking at an ATV from a semi-local dealer and the machine looked good, seemed to ride okay and the price was decent, but when I went to buy it and was filling out the paperwork, I discovered the ATV had been repossessed by the bank for non-payment. The dealer never disclosed this information upfront. I walked away.

Good move or bad? Would you buy an ATV that was repo'd?

 

It is hard to tell if that was a good move or not, but i think the dealer does not have to you. i would go back and discuss it with the dealer and see what happen.

 

I would only go for it if you can have an independent ATV mechanic give a good look.

 

Bad times fall upon good people sometimes. Just because it's a repo doesn't mean there is something wrong with it or the owner didn't care for it. Just inspect carefully, as I hope you would before making any large purchase.

 

I think you meant that the dealer does not have to disclose that info which may be true, but wouldn't it be the right thing to do? Yes, many good people have had items repossesed recently, but there is still a large number of people who beat the crud out of the machines because they either don't care since they're losing the machine anyway, or are mad at the world and have the atitude 'if i can't have it no one can'.

 

Well look at it this way. If you buy a used car from a dealer, does he tell you where the car came from?? Nope. Alot of used cars come from auto auctions that were repo cars. I think if you are getting a good deal and the bike is in good shape...What's the problem?

 

It just seemed to me that info should have been mentioned beforehand. I appreciate the different viewpoints which is why I posted the question.

I personally would not buy a repossesed machine, but that's just me. Maybe it's partly because I'm not much of a mechanic so I would not be able to tell if something was wrong with it. To me, the dealer's integrity came into question over the repo info so no matter how much he swore the machine was in good shape, I was really leery.

Taking it to a third party mechanic just gives me more work to do. One of the reasons I went to a dealer to buy a machine was to get one that had been gone over and serviced. The dealer's price is higher because of this but for me it's worth it.

 

I don't think that DEALERS do much more than maybe change the oil and wash them. they want to get the most money they can for them with the least amount of money invested. Spending a few bucks on a third party mechanic would be the best thing to do if you are really interested in that machine. JMO.

 

If it looks good go for it, I never bought a new recreational toy before and have bought many, never regreted any of them and save thousands.

 

If you were looking at a used machine in the first place, you REALLY have no idea what you're getting. Like said before, just because it is a repo doesn't mean it wasn't taken care of.