I've been informed that Josh has been making a concerted effort to take advantage of present owners of Lazy Daze motorhomes, by trying to buy at a lower price by pointing out that the factory is 'out of business' and that prices will go down.
If you have contact with him, pay attention, He hasn't been very truthful, or in my estimate 'honest', in dealing wth buyers or sellers. RonB
Actually I’d expect prices to remain strong based on the price histories for Born Free and Bigfoot Class C’s after they were discontinued. Similarly some higher end Class A’s like Country Coach have maintained their value against other high end A’s of similar aged Foretravel’s and Newmar’s which are still in production. And that’s my opinion on this matter.
Whoever this person is, he doesn’t have a fundamental concept of supply and demand economics……IMO
Actually I think he tries to convince owners into selling at lower prices, when actually the values are likely to rise even higher. As always the sellers need to do the homework. The quality of the Lazy Daze was high enough that I've never needed any repairs or parts, except for 'enhancements' that I wanted to make. Warranties on appliances were handled by those manufacturers, and Ford (or Chevy) were responsible for the chassis anyway..
I'm not sure if he is online, or what state he is in. RonB.
He has a (poorly done) YouTube channel called JoshnAround if you need to put a face to the name. He’s a flipper/scammer and anyone dealing with him should run far far away.
In light of current events I’d say as LD owners the value of our beloved LD has gained in value 🚐✨🤩
LD Friends
Just returned from a good, but challenging RV trip - From Vegas to North Fork Idaho and return.
In Cedar City last evening in the RV Park, a young gentlemen walked over and told Dianne and I that his whole family owned a Lazy Daze in the past.
Said they owned '85 to late ,90's LD, (all at once) and when they camped usually gaggles of people would stop by and view the "foursome".
He currently own's a beautiful class A. Said he can only take it in level RV Parks, and he misses the fact that their old LD units could Boondock anywhere they played. He stayed awhile and reminisced while viewing our 2010.
This has been the story around the country about our wonderful LD RV's. Let's hope that the Lazy Daze story doesn't end. It's up to us - and whoever survives the Mothership I presume. We are hopeful.
Cheers!
Tony R. (aka codefour)
He runs the Facebook group “Lazy Daze RV’s Premier Buyers and Sellers”, a spoof of a legitimate group there that helps folks find Lazy Daze.
For those that don’t know what Josh looks like, I was able to find this picture of him!
For those that don’t know what Josh looks like, I was able to find this picture of him!
😂
Here is his facebook link, let's all be careful and watchful of this guy. Do not fall into his trap:
Redirecting... (https://www.facebook.com/groups/169968881629511/)
For those that don’t know what Josh looks like, I was able to find this picture of him!
Greg, you’re evil… I read your post this morning and then drove 3 1/2 hours with that stupid song in my head 🤪
- John
Sorry, John. Probably not the best “road tune” huh?
Sorry, John. Probably not the best “road tune” huh?
That’s ok… at least it wasn’t “It’s a Small World” 😉
- John
I saw this on irv and was shocked like everyone else.
https://youtu.be/qttvxbXxrBI
I understand that the company could no longer continue given the current market conditions. But what explanation is there for taking their website down so abruptly with no acknowledgement of their loyal customer base and no information on how to obtain parts and service in the future?
We had a great ride after we bought our '99 RB in Oct 2012 in LA. (That was the only time I visited the mothership).
We sold the LD in 2017 and bought a Minnie Winnie (2017 31D)...it has worked out very well for us. No regrets.
Thanks for the memories.
Todd & Steve
I saw this on irv and was shocked like everyone else.
https://youtu.be/qttvxbXxrBI
Disclaimer: This has been a sponsored video by Josh the Flipper. I'm sure he is sad for different reasons than the rest of us . . .
::)
And please note that every person who watches that video puts money in Josh's pocket, due to the way YouTube monetizes videos. You can post utter nonsense or outright lies to YouTube and make money, as long as enough people watch your video. YouTube doesn't care, because more views equal more advertising revenue.
I've seen multiple listings for things like "I found a box of brand new iPhone 13 Pros in a landfill"--obviously faked (yes, I watched one), "free energy" perpetual motion machines, and the like. The more outrageous the claims, the more views it's likely to attract.
In short, YouTube rewards liars. That's something to keep in mind when you see promos for things like "Navy Reveals New Stealth Submarine"... accompanied by photos of the fictional submarine "Seaview" from the Sixties disaster movie "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." ;-) That one video got a million views, making a pile of dough for the scammer who posted it.
“…every person who watches that video puts money in Josh's pocket, due to the way YouTube monetizes videos”
So, Mister Moderator(s), shall we delete the link to Flipper’s video? I hate to think that we might inadvertently support such an unscrupulous person.
W
Well; We've had an extra opportunity to be notified that Josh makes money every time someone views this video. I certainly don't want to enrich him, but he is serving a useful, legal service here. I'll confer with Chris and the other moderators about this. RonB
“…every person who watches that video puts money in Josh's pocket, due to the way YouTube monetizes videos”
So, Mister Moderator(s), shall we delete the link to Flipper’s video? I hate to think that we might inadvertently support such an unscrupulous person.
W.
.
Why is “Josh” unscrupulous, because he “flips” RV’s? Is he any different from other RV sales people out to make a buck? So what if watching his video makes him some money, if you don’t like him, don’t watch it!
Josh has cheated more than one of our alumni, and I have gotten calls on my IB listed for sale that has told me some really BAD stuff about dealing with him. Buyer beware for sure! He's a shady character ..he called *me* about mine for sale and tried a number of pretty sneaky things-unfortunately for him, I'm an old timer LD owner and his tricks wouldn't work on me. But for those newbies folks, his approach often works and they get shellacked either buying or selling.
As far as I can tell from the accounts that have been posted here, Josh isn't doing anything illegal. At worst, he's behaving deceptively, (for example) by trying to scare people into selling their Lazy Dazes cheaply. That's sleazy, but as Jaxon said, it's no worse than what an RV or used car salesperson does.
So I'm not saying we should delete that link. But I do think that it's good to be aware that by watching his videos, you put money in his pocket. If he's not the kind of person you want to enrich, then as Jaxon said, don't watch.
Andy, I have a first hand account of him cheating a prospective client...they put down $3500 [they are in Florida] and flew to Ca. to pick up the rig. When the gentleman arrived and SAW the rig he was supposedly buying, it was *not* as advertised. Josh refused to refund his deposit, and literally left the man stranded in LA! Drove off and left him! They are trying to get their $ back, but from out of state, it's proving hard. His words to me showed equal deception. I say don't let him post anything on here. There's another story from a long time member here of what happened to her. He's bad news.
Money earned from YouTube views is actually really low, like fractions of a penny per view. If every member of this group watched his video, it would basically earn him enough to buy a gallon of gas.
I would posit it’s worth the “cost” of putting a teenie bit of $ in his pocket if you’re one of those actively looking to purchase a used LD by getting a good idea what he looks like and the sound of his voice so you’ll know if you’re dealing with him in the future; kind of like a video version of one of those FBI “Wanted” posters. Btw, I watched the video and it’s really a nothing burger; basically him crying crocodile tears over the closing of LD.
The moderato(s) agree with me that we'll leave all of this here. I recommend not doing business with him.
Good as you might be at 'dealing' just like with car sales persons; you might do it once every year or so, but they (sales persons) might do it once or twice a day. Practice helps, and they will 'fleece' you and make you 'think' that you got a good deal! They trade methods and timing with other sales persons and it's all a 'science' that impacts their bottom line. They expend effort to to see what they can get away with, and do, to improve their income. RonB
"getting a good idea what he looks like and the sound of his voice so you’ll know if you’re dealing with him"
That's a good point. And yes, I know an individual view of a YouTube video doesn't by itself create a large income for the person who posted it. But they do add up. Bob Wells of "Cheap RV Living" fame makes a very good living from his video, because they typically get hundreds of thousands of views. That phony "stealth sub" video I mentioned got a million views--I'm pretty sure that added up to serious money for the scammer who threw together some stock footage and added a faked-up narrative.
Well if this video is the same as one I watched, it is depressingly enough a real view of the factory. I haven't been by since Covid hit the scene, and with the way purchasers and suppliers dried up, I can see why it looks so bad. L.A. County does have a moratorium on using water for non essential purposes, and landscaping is in that category. People from rainier parts of the country won't appreciate that part of the southern California experience. RonB
I split the Josh discussion into it's own topic so as not to take away from the LD closing discussion
Well if this video is the same as one I watched, it is depressingly enough a real view of the factory. I haven't been by since Covid hit the scene, and with the way purchasers and suppliers dried up, I can see why it looks so bad.
Disappointed I never got to visit the Mothership, planned on stopping by on the way to Tucson for Thanksgiving 2020, but they never reopened the showroom after I got on the list earlier that year.
Josh is annoying and shady but I must admit this video is very interesting to see the complete abandonment of the business. As a “YouTuber” myself on the side for fun, I have about 1.6 million total views and I’ve only made a few thousand bucks. Don’t worry, he’s made about 4 cents off of this video. :D
Honestly, I think it’s complete crap that Steve just completely left the customers out to dry. Up and closed and didn’t look back. Thank goodness Todd has a heart.
"Don’t worry, he’s made about 4 cents off of this video."
Thanks for putting it in dollars and cents terms. :-)
"Steve just completely left the customers out to dry."
It's water under the bridge, of course, but I have to agree that the company's closure was not handled well. It's really unfortunate for an old, family-owned business with such a close-knit group of customers to end its run in what seems such like a casual, thoughtless manner.
I posted pictures (and videos if the moderator will do that) of the Lazy Daze headquarters so you can see it without watching Josh’s video.
RE: "As far as I can tell from the accounts that have been posted here, Josh isn't doing anything illegal."
It is my understanding (based upon several reports from Josh's buyers) that Josh sells his RVs with an "open title" to avoid paying CA sales tax. This practice is called "title jumping", or "title skipping" or "title floating". Title jumping is illegal, and is a felony in some states.
I was warned about Josh but wanted the LD he advertised on Facebook. I paid a certified RV inspector to check everything. Got a detailed report including photos. Flew from Central Texas to LA. Josh picked me up. I paid his price without question. It was a fraught transaction but I have my LD and love it. Btw, Josh refused to accept a deposit. Thanks everyone for contributing to this forum. Really helps me.
I was warned about Josh but wanted the LD he advertised on Facebook. I paid a certified RV inspector to check everything. Got a detailed report including photos. Flew from Central Texas to LA. Josh picked me up. I paid his price without question. It was a fraught transaction but I have my LD and love it. Btw, Josh refused to accept a deposit. Thanks everyone for contributing to this forum. Really helps me.
Just out of curiosity, was "Josh the Flipper" able to provide information about the history of your LD and give instruction on how to operate everything? If anyone thinks this question is inappropriate, please let me know, and I will delete the post.
It was a fraught transaction but I have my LD and love it.
First of all welcome to this Neighborhood and secondly congratulations on your new to you LD. More LDs in Texas is a good trend. And it sounds like you approached this transaction with your eyes wide open. So good for you.
If you have a chance can you please explain the quote in this post? Btw, we live in Fort Worth and if in the area and you need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us.
We sold the LD in 2017 and bought a Minnie Winnie (2017 31D)...it has worked out very well for us. No regrets.
Did you notice a significant difference in the road handling and the build quality of your Winnebago Minnie Winnie compared to your previous LD RB? Thank you in advance for any input.
Hello and congradulations on your new lazy daze you will love it what model did you buy.
Jody
I was warned about Josh but wanted the LD he advertised on Facebook. I paid a certified RV inspector to check everything. Got a detailed report including photos. Flew from Central Texas to LA. Josh picked me up. I paid his price without question. It was a fraught transaction but I have my LD and love it. Btw, Josh refused to accept a deposit. Thanks everyone for contributing to this forum. Really helps me.
I'm supposed to be down at Inks lake Aug 12 & 13. Would be glad to give you a tour and the few tips I've learned over the last 5 years if you want to drive out. Or I live in Mansfield now if you are up this way.
RE: "As far as I can tell from the accounts that have been posted here, Josh isn't doing anything illegal."
It is my understanding (based upon several reports from Josh's buyers) that Josh sells his RVs with an "open title" to avoid paying CA sales tax. This practice is called "title jumping", or "title skipping" or "title floating". Title jumping is illegal, and is a felony in some states.
This can be a real problem.
We had a car dealer try to sell us a car in CA and though they knew we lived out of state before we even made our appointment all was fine until hour 3 when they just found out they didn't have a title for this car [yet]. I checked, they didn't have titles for any of their vehicles (all in the old owners name).
They started wheedling us to give them an address in CA (did we know anyone in CA to give their address).
When we didn't give them a CA address, they said they could not sell it to us. They said they could sell to a CA resident with no title but not to someone from out of state.
Without the title you will likely run into problems - e.g. unable to or big problems trying to refinance it or get insurance to pay out on claims, etc.
IMO, this dealership tried to get the person to accept their financing while you were waiting for the check from your bank/credit union, so you could drive it off the lot. But they admitted if we had given them a CA address it would have increased the interest (already twice what our credit union charge) much higher because we had not lived there for 2 years [they were using it as our current residential address even though they knew it was not]. But would say things like why should we care, we will pay it off in a couple days. In reality, our lender likely would not have issued a check for a car that was not held by the dealer.
Note: In AZ, the same car dealership owns titles for their vehicles, it was only the CA dealership that didn't own the title.
I do sales at the DMV office, so I confirm the person really owns it and can transfer title right there and then. Otherwise how do you know they really owned that vehicle at all and that it was free of liens.
I've been informed that Josh has been making a concerted effort to take advantage of present owners of Lazy Daze motorhomes, by trying to buy at a lower price by pointing out that the factory is 'out of business' and that prices will go down.
If you have contact with him, pay attention, He hasn't been very truthful, or in my estimate 'honest', in dealing wth buyers or sellers. RonB
Ron, funny. I think I just talked to him but he gave a different name.
But I was looking to buy something and he was telling me how the factory closing would make prices go up (I said that is unproven as orphans drop in price).
Flippers will say anything to get you to lower your selling price, raise your buying price, disregard the things you think are important, either make themselves out to be an expert so you believe what they say even if it is not true OR make themselves out to be helpless so you feel sorry for them and help them out (by over paying or selling for less).
I just spoke to someone that had a facebook add for a 2008 LD.
I strongly think it was a flipper, I watched the Josh video and it could be him (hard to tell with traffic) though I think the guy said his name was Frank.
Phone number started with 858-668 (La Mesa, CA in the San Diego area).
Indicators I was dealing with a flipper.
A woman placed the add but a guy called and never referred to her (we say hey, you sent messages to my wife on Facebook...., then start talking).
He didn't talk like any other LD owner I have spoken to over the years that wanted to sell their LD.
No voice mails were left when they called and both calls prior to this afternoon were outside the times I said I was available in my voice mails.
He claimed he was a master mechanic early on and did all his own work. However, he said he didn't know electrical at all and then said that a back up camera he paid a shop to do installed it in a bad location yet he apparently didn't figure that out up front and 8 months later "is gonna get it fixed".
Later he said he was in the construction industry.
Flippers will either be an expert so you trust them and let down your guard OR they will be helpless so you step in and take care of them (good ones play the role that seems to fit to pull in the caller the best).
He didn't seem to know much about LDs nor repairs.
He knew some had 3 gears and overdrive and others like this had 4 gears and overdrive but LD owners of two different LDs say a lot more than just that.
He never talked about maintenance (I don't know anyone who takes care of their LD who doesn't talk about maintenance because they know how important that is).
He took several minutes to write/update his notes of who I was, my "partner", Jody (who contacted the woman on facebook for me when facebook quit talking to me), to get people straight.
For individual sellers they have a few notes somewhere on the handful of people they talked to before selling the item. Flippers are selling lots of items so they have to keep a detailed notebook on the information.
He tried to tell me what I cared about didn't matter e.g. I wanted a 2008 chassis, not just a 2008 LD (coach 2008 but chassis 2007).
That is what flippers and sales people do. They are taught when you have an objection (e.g. want a specific feature or have a concern), they need to counter it (e.g. you say you want, or don't want something.. they give reasons why that is not important.)
He must have given 5 reasons why I should not care about the chassis year. He didn't understand anything about CCC or what would increase this (actually stated that he didn't believe a chassis change could increase CCC) - Larry, that doesn't sound like a master mechanic that has worked on his own LD for years to me, what about to you?
He was very interested in my current LD, e.g. was I going to sell it (the only question/statement when his voice sounded animated). Note: Why did a family who was heartbroken to sell their LD show strong interest in me selling mine (wanting to know year/model etc.)
He made vague references implying there was other interest in the LD while taking days to contact me.
He didn't tell me much about the LD for sale (I had no questions other than Chassis year as I said there was no point going forward if it was not a 2008 chassis). But he made sure I knew the factory had closed and that prices were rising.
Typical salesman thing, get it now or someone else will, prices are rising so buy now at a high price (as it will just go up).
Flippers often throw things out to see how much you care, e.g. will you take the item as is with some known flaws (poorly installed backup camera).
Flippers often want to get the more more motivated buyers/sellers so waiting for someone to try and reach you multiple times means you are more motivate than someone who tries only once.
If you are willing to put aside your concerns or accept something with an issue, they know they can push you on other things also.
About the 3rd or 4th time that I said I was only interested if it was a 2008 chassis and told him how to find this out (typically door sticker and/or original purchase info). He made a comment on how that would be good for him to know this (after implying it was not important as no one else asked this question). Again, someone selling many LDs would want to know, an individual would not say something like that.
I didn't expect to hear back from the person as I am pretty sure they want an uninformed buyer. But I did just get a text of the door lables, it was a 2007 chassis so I said thanks but not interested.
Update: here is an interesting link on open titles: https://www.autolist.com/guides/what-is-open-title
A big problem I see (besides legal issues and if you actually own the vehicle o and was it a salvage vehicle that is not being disclosed), is with a dealer you expect to not get accurate info and to be pressured to give them (not you) the best deal with used car salesman tactics.
If you are dealing with an owner you do not expect to be lied to about use, about problems, or about if it is a salvage unit. You might not get accurate info about everything but you don’t get totally made up info either.
You do not expect to have an owner use used car salesman tactics to get more money from you (sell for less or buy for more). And with a salesman if they give you a sob story about how they have been looking for this vehicle for years to take their family member on a last trip before they die - you know they are full of garbage. But a halfway good flipper flipper knows how to pull heart strings and , push your buttons, etc. and will gladly do so to get more of your money.
I always do a cargax (or equivalent) to confirm I am dealing with the owner and check for problems, but note all information is not on the car fax (eg accidents can be missing).
)I always do my buy of a used vehicle at the DMV/MVD to confirm I am buying the vehicle from the actual owner, all liens are paid off, and there is no surprises (like vehicle is salvaged).
If someone would not give me a vin I would be concerned.
My "fraught" comment was because, before I flew to LA, Josh agreed to a check for $40k from my financial institution and a personal check for $3,500. But when I arrived he required cash instead of my personal check. Getting money wired to him before the weekend was rough. (I'd landed on Thursday about noon.) He insisted on talking to my bank officer who then feared I was being coerced. So the bank drug its feet and I had to stay in a motel overnight. Josh offered to let me stay in the LD I was buying, which was in an industrial area parking lot. I felt his offer was unrealistic and possibly unsafe. Anyway, I received a call from my bank Friday morning and managed to convince them I wasn't in trouble and so they wired him the money. Josh asked me what dollar amount I wanted on the bill of sale. I told him to fill in the amount of money I actually paid him. So I left LA only about 24 hrs. later than planned. (This was in May.) I figure buying from Josh could have been worse. I just spent an enjoyable July at state parks in New Mexico.
And to answer the question about information on my LD from Josh, yes. He gave me the Carfax report and a packet with manuals and maintenance documents. I already knew from the RV inspector that the awning crank and Owners Manual were missing, but I was able to order those from Lazy Daze before they closed. Josh would have given a lengthy intro to my "new" LD but I declined because I wanted to get on the road.
I do sales at the DMV office, so I confirm the person really owns it and can transfer title right there and then. Otherwise how do you know they really owned that vehicle at all and that it was free of liens.
I live in LA County. Typically our DMV will not make an appointment for a title change and appointments are scheduled at least six weeks out. To go to the DMV and stand in line will take anywhere from 45 to 120 minutes. I'm curious, how do you get the seller to be willing to wait so long at the DMV?
Hi; The CA AAA office seems to have a direct pipeline (software wise) into at least some of the government database, and can find insurance coverage, owner ID, violations, ownership and liens. I'm not sure if they can transfer title. Seeing that two people can transfer title without any intervention, I think that AAA can come pretty close to being an official go between. RonB
Hi; The CA AAA office seems to have a direct pipeline...
I've used AAA to register a vehicle purchase. They will only provide a service between two parties if both parties are AAA members.
For registering a vehicle, AAA is great when they do it correctly. But that's a story for around the campfire.
I live in LA County. Typically our DMV will not make an appointment for a title change and appointments are scheduled at least six weeks out. To go to the DMV and stand in line will take anywhere from 45 to 120 minutes. I'm curious, how do you get the seller to be willing to wait so long at the DMV?
We were in AZ, pre Covid both times. So took less than an hour. Maybe find a small town not to far away?
Buying used vehicles…
I have had 2 sellers be funny before, one really tries to talk me into buying sight unseen with no inspection, not even talking to her mechanic (I am sure I was not being told accurate info about anything). [LD purchase before had any LD]
Another waffled about everything (evaded continually when I asked to have the car inspected by my mechanic, or any mechanic).
In my searches for an LD I came across this guy on marketplace. Been seeing his ads and then I sent a question to him. I did not put 2 and 2 together until he told me he owns the former Lazy Daze phone number and that all former customer calls go to him. Then I remembered this post and came back here.
I asked what he is doing for old customers and he said nothing. He is helping all customers by buying and selling LD Rvs.
All I can say is his prices are very high.
Ramon
LD is available new, price would be at least 50% more compared to what I paid in 2021 and fact that it is not available I will put at least 10% premium on it and if I put emotional attachment it is priceless. As for LD is out of business, LD was not in fabrication but quality assembly ... with new technology you can just have a picture of a part and system will tell you the details like name of the part, what it is used for and where you can buy it from, etc. .... lense is available in google for years and available in amazon at least for couple of years. Plus this group have more information than a vendor can ever provide .... Not having LD around for spare part has not impacted me yet.
He is helping all customers by buying and selling LD Rvs.
Such a kind soul 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I've seen some of his posts, he's helping one person and it's not necessarily the customer.
Unfortunate to read that JoshNaround isnt high on the integrity scale. Ive checked out quite a few of his videos over the past year or so. I always wondered where he was finding all these LDs cheap enough to flip. His prices were always a bit much for me though.