Found an RV - enable me or talk me down?

I was surfing Facebook the other day and an RV popped into my feed: 2002 Dynamax Isata Sports Sedan - 4x4 - based on an E350 with a V10. Onan 4KW generator.  $16,300 firm.  Pictures here.

While it doesn't quite hit all of my wants, it's pretty damn close (no RV short of one custom built will ever entirely meet my needs). And the idea of it being a 4x4 is intriguing, although I'm torn on whether or not it's worth the extra weight and complexity for how I plan to use an RV. So I sent an email asking where it is located. Anyway, this morning I recieved a reply:

Hello ,

Thank You for your interest in my 2002 Dynamax Corp Isata Sport Sedan that I have for sale. It is in perfect condition, with only 49,987 miles, Sleeping Capacity: 2, Air Conditioners: 2, Length: 22, Awnings: 1, Ford Triton V10, Onan 4000 MicroQuiet generator (72 hours).

The interior is in very good condition, also the exterior. This Dynamax is top of the line. Fully Equipped. I have a clear title, free of any liens or loans. The price is firm, $16,300. I am selling it because my husband died a month ago (he suffered a heart attack) and it brings me bad memories, so I want to sell it as soon as possible. My daughter and I decided to sell the house and we moved with my parents in Vancouver, WA trying to start a new life. Here is a link to the Dynamax photo gallery: https://ibb.co/album/nsYHiv .Just let me know if you are interested and where are you located.

P.S. Please contact me only if you have cash in hand. This is a fast sale! Thanks!

Hope to hear from you soon!
Monica

Naturally, all of the scam flags came up.  She didn't really answer my question, so I responded back repeating it.  I think it's in Washington state, but I'd like to know for sure.  I'd rather not fly all the way out there to find out it isn't ready to make a drive back east.

The ad seems legit and the pictures look good.  I dug up some info on them and it looks like they have a GCWR of 20K lbs, so it should be able to tow a decent sized trailer.  If purchased, this would replace my currently waiting E-350 diesel project - that would likely cost considerably more than the price of this rig to build.  I've looked at enough used RV ads to know the price isn't bad for what is more or less a Class B+, which is somewhat uncommon.

Looks like a scam and the images were pulled from an eBay ad:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-DYNAMAX-CORP-ISATA-SPORT-SEDAN-4X4-E-350-CLASS-B-Camper-Van-ONLY-49k-Miles/254389980409?hash=item3b3ad30cf9:g:~k4AAOSwV25dioAD

Google reverse image search for the win!

-Rob

In reply to rob_lewis :

You know, I saw that listing in the search results when I went looking for info, but didn't think to check it - good catch - I figured it was too good to be true.  $35K is a more realistic value for this.

I'd immediately start stringing that scammer along. Waste as much of their time as possible. 
Because doing that stuff makes me happy

Soo many scams in RV listings.  My local Clist is basically all RV scams.  Which sucks as I have a pop-up to sell.

nocones said:

Soo many scams in RV listings.  My local Clist is basically all RV scams.  Which sucks as I have a pop-up to sell.

Or, you'll get better results because you're not a scam.  Make sure to mention your town or something specific about it when yo post the ad (in addition to "I'm not a scammer"). 

Ian:

I don't know that it'll make a difference, but at least on FB, you can contact FB to ban their username.  I can't imagine they've been on FB very long.

-Rob

Oh yeah... it's a scam.  Got this a few minutes ago:

Hi again,

Thanks for the reply. So our current situation is that my daughter and I decided to go for fresh start so we sold the house and moved to my parents in Vancouver, WA. We are trying to start a new life. I am in US Army and soon our unit will be sent back oversea to replace and help the troops scheduled to come home. This is the reason why I left the RV stored with all the paperwork at the shipping company (Newman Transport International, you can find them here on google https://g.page/newman-transport-international?gm ) in Vancouver, WA ready to be delivered. I will take care of the shipping. I want to use their escrow and transport services as they offer 100% protection and insurance to both buyers and sellers. I will try to explain you in a few words how it works. The payment must be sent to them and they will offer you a benefit of 5 days inspection period and then I will get the payment. SO...ONLY AFTER you receive the Motorhome and agree to keep it, they will release the payment to me, in this way we are both protected.

So, this is not a blind transaction, you can physically see the RV before committing to buy and to eliminate any concerns. In case you won`t be satisfied, you can cancel the transaction and ship it back on my expense. If you are interested, please include in the next email your contact information (full name, shipping address and phone number), so we can get the ball rolling.

Thank you!

Ian F said:

In reply to rob_lewis :

You know, I saw that listing in the search results when I went looking for info, but didn't think to check it - good catch - I figured it was too good to be true.  $35K is a more realistic value for this.

I was about to post that the price was waaaay too good for a Class B of this condition.

And then I saw the newest reply. Too bad.

See now that's just pathetic. The scammer didn't even bother googling Newman Transport in Vancouver WA. If they had, they mighta noticed that Newman specialises in transporting petroleum products. This is rather a large hole in the narrative if you ask me. It's a few step below the "peace be unto you and my brother owns a large shipping firm so you can easily rest knowing all will go well" schtick.

I know of this scammer they did the same thing with a class B I was looking at. The price is way to good or of a deal.

Wait- so we have regular multi-page heated exchanges of what constitutes a hatch back, but we’re just gonna let it slide that they call this thing a sports sedan? 

In reply to Boost_Crazy :

When I first started searching for info about it, that caught my attention as well.  But that is what the model is called. RV manufacturers can be weird... 

Jay_W said:

See now that's just pathetic. The scammer didn't even bother googling Newman Transport in Vancouver WA. If they had, they mighta noticed that Newman specialises in transporting petroleum products. This is rather a large hole in the narrative if you ask me. It's a few step below the "peace be unto you and my brother owns a large shipping firm so you can easily rest knowing all will go well" schtick.

https://www.newmantransportinternational.com/#

it does appear to have vehicle transport but the whole reply sounds very shady and like a scam.

I inquired about this exact same RV. They sent me the exact same email's.  I did ask for a vin and they sent me 1FDWE35S42HB22982.  I also called the transport company. The man of middle eastern descent told me that they do transport RV's and I have 5 days to decide if I want the RV. If not they will transport back and refund my money.  Very convincing.  The price is really good. Monica keeps insisting on me sending my name, mailing address and phone number. I have not done that.  I looked up the VIN and it seems leggit.  350 diesel and 17 years old.  I am surprised that it is not sold and if hubby died a month ago why havn't they tried an easier way to sell it rather than paying to ship it across the country. I live in Tennessee and this is in Vancouver WA.  I say SCAM!!

I wonder if they are going to hang out in Tennessee to make sure I like the RV or not.

I sent her an email asking her if I can fly to WA, look at it and test drive and if I like it I'll drive it back to Tennessee.  I'm waiting for a reply.

https://www.bbb.org/us/wa/vancouver/profile/motor-freight-trucking/newman-transport-intl-1296-22950943

Or maybe this is the transport company in question. Says out of business.

Jeanne said:

I inquired about this exact same RV. They sent me the exact same email's.  I did ask for a vin and they sent me 1FDWE35S42HB22982.  I also called the transport company. The man of middle eastern descent told me that they do transport RV's and I have 5 days to decide if I want the RV. If not they will transport back and refund my money.  Very convincing.  The price is really good. Monica keeps insisting on me sending my name, mailing address and phone number. I have not done that.  I looked up the VIN and it seems leggit.  350 diesel and 17 years old.  I am surprised that it is not sold and if hubby died a month ago why havn't they tried an easier way to sell it rather than paying to ship it across the country. I live in Tennessee and this is in Vancouver WA.  I say SCAM!!

I'm betting that the man you spoke with was in on the scam. (How did you get their number?)

This is absolutely a scam, it's textbook by the numbers no question about it. The same scam is run thousands of times every day in online listings across the country. Do not give them your info. And for god's sake don't send them any money.

Didn't even need to read the text. That thing is worth 30k+. 

Jeanne said:

I sent her an email asking her if I can fly to WA, look at it and test drive and if I like it I'll drive it back to Tennessee.  I'm waiting for a reply.

 

That is what I was tempted to do, but never got around to it as work got in the way. 

I don't have a VIN decoder, but if the VIN you received says it's a diesel, that would be a big red flag as well, since the pictured RV is a gas V10.

I'm curious how you found this thread?

Ian F said:

I'm curious how you found this thread?

New reader with only three posts - all in this thread. Surely a Scammer can trace where his website has been linked to? Scammer covering his tracks?