Things to Look for when Buying a New or Used RV

Buying a new RV can be a fun yet daunting task, especially if you are planning to full time in it. It isn’t always easy finding something that fits your needs and budget at the same time. There are a number of brands, layouts and even types of RVs on the market to choose from. The following was our method to purchasing our home on wheels. Hopefully this process will make things a little easier for others.

What Type of RV

When it comes to types of RVs, there are about four major styles. The cheapest RV is a travel trailer which pulls behind a truck on a hitch. The next step up by price usually is a fifth wheel. These attach to a special hitch in the bed of the truck and are larger than travel trailers. Class Cs are the drivable motorhome RVs that look like trucks in the front. The most expensive, by comparison, are the Class A motorhomes, the bus style.

The majority of full time RVers opt for a Class A motorhome or a fifth wheel. As far as living space goes, these two provide the most. There are those that live in Class C motorhomes, but from our experience, that isn’t as common.

Related Read: Buying a New RV: Where to Start

There are numerous reasons a person picks one RV type over the other. For many, it comes down to price versus living space. We personally fell to a Class A motorhome because we felt it offered the room we needed and kept our pets in a climate controlled environment while traveling.

Look at RVs Until you are Sick of Them

One of the best pieces of advice I can offer when deciding upon an RV is to go look at RVs. Check out all the RV dealers in your area and go to as many RV shows as possible. Bring a notepad, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to let the people at these locations know you are new. For one, many RV sales people enjoy RVing themselves. They are not all full timers, but they generally know a thing or two about the subject.

It may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with RV floor plans. Many RV dealerships and shows have magazines or brochures with floor plans in them. Compare each floor plan to the actual rig as you walk through it. Eventually, you will be able to get a pretty good idea of how a rig looks by just looking at the floor plan itself.

Look at Reviews

Once you have narrowed your search to a few styles and/or brands, search for reviews on the RVs you like. If you are getting a used RV, depending on the age, you may not be able to find many reviews. RV forums are a good resource. If you know the make, model, and year of a used RV, you can pose a question on an RV forum such as http://www.irv2.com/forums/. Usually RVers are more than happy to share the pros and cons of the riggs they own. Once you find a rig that you like and the reviews are sufficient for you, it is time to move to the next step.

Check the Market Value

It’s a given that if you’re wanting a new RV, the price will be higher than a used one. Either way, you will want to check the NADA price quotes. NADA stands for National Automobile Dealership Association. It’s equivalent to the Kelly Bluebook, but it gives RV prices.

If You are Getting a New RV

If you are getting a new RV, chances are you will be going through an RV dealer. You have at this point narrowed down the rigs you are interested in and you know the fair market value for them. The next thing you should do is take a long walk through of the rig.

Sit in the living area, look in all the cupboards, and imagine putting you’re the stuff you need to store in all of the compartments. Try to simulate daily tasks and activities you will have to do in the rig to see if the area is comfortable. This may mean sitting on the toilet and standing in the shower (with your clothes on preferably).

Ask the sales people to list or give you a list of the amenities on board. Sometimes the manual will be on board. Ask yourself if it has everything you need or if you will need the dealership to add anything to it.
The dealership is going to ask for a higher price than the NADA stated, most likely. Once you have found an RV you want, show the NADA sheet to the sales person to see how close they can come to that. Sometimes a rig in a dealership will have options that you didn’t account for which may raise the price. In the end you have to decide if those options are worth it to you.

Make sure that the dealership offers a training on the systems of the RV. Some dealerships allow buyers to stay a couple of nights in their lot for a trail run once you have purchased an RV from them. Many times you can iron out a few bugs with a new RV during these initial days.

If you are Getting a Used RV

If you are getting a used RV from a dealership, the information above applies just as well. The dealership should be more than happy to go over all of the systems with you and confirm they are in working order. If, however, you are getting a used RV from a private seller, you will have to check these systems yourself. If the individual doesn’t have hookups on their property you should still be able to check most of the systems on the rig.

Have the seller show you the manual for the rig and test the electric systems. The person selling the rig should have no problem allowing you to hook their water system to the rig to make sure there are no leaks. You can check to see if the outlets work by plugging the RV into a house socket with an adapter.

Related Read: Buying a Used RV: What to Look For

For many RVs, you can download the manual off of the internet. So if you really are interested in a used one from a private seller, it may be a good idea to get it and read through it before meeting with the seller so you know a little bit about their rig ahead of time.

In my opinion, you have a little bit more comfort in the guarantee that the rig works buying a used rig at a dealership than a private seller. You probably have more haggling room from a private sale though.

Conclusion

Buying an RV to full time in can be stressful but also very fun if you take it one step at a time. In a nutshell, finding an RV is not too difficult in the end. Find out what kind of rig you want. Decide on the floorplan and amenities you need. Do your research so you don’t pay too much for it. Finally, make sure it works before you drive away.