Buying An Old Rv

When buying any used or old RV, you should plan and budget for a few repairs and maintenance items immediately to get the RV road-ready. This may be things like cleaning, tank maintenance, or new tires.

buying an old rv

The average lifespan of an RV ranges between 20-30 years. Molded fiberglass travel trailers and fifth wheels can last much longer. From 1984-1992, a subsidiary of Uhaul, Rec-Vee World, produced molded fiberglass travel trailers for the rental equipment giant. Today, people are buying and restoring them. The fiberglass shells are in excellent condition. Most of the restoration deals with replacing the features and cleaning them up.Motorhomes, like all drivable vehicles, have a recommended mileage cap. Gasser RVs will last 200,000 miles, and diesels average 300,000 miles. However, if you keep the engine maintained and tuned up, you could see those motors cruising the highway beyond those limits.

The answer is that RVs deteriorate over time, and their value depreciates to reflect this point. This should serve as a red flag to buyers who think they may be saving money, because the truth is that if the RV industry makes it clear that a coach has seen better days, buyers should beware of buying them!

Thinking that buying one saves you money is a big mistake, because upkeep and repairs will cost you plenty. Furthermore, having to constantly deal with these types of issues during vacations isn't much fun.

Answer: Of course not. Why would I want to do that? I'm simply conveying information based on my own experiences and research. What you don't "get" is that most people do not maintain their RVs properly, so buying an older one, even one of quality, is a crap shoot. I purchased a Country Coach years ago...very high quality...but older...and had nothing but problems with it from day one. I know this happens to many people. Much depends on the RV you choose and your ability and desire to maintain it properly. If yours has worked out well for you, that's great, but many who buy these coaches are novices with few mechanical skills and not enough money to pay to have work done. You can't paint every situation with the same brush. This is not a negative article, even though you interpret it that way. It is an article meant to state facts and apprise readers of potential issues.

If you are thinking about buying an RV there are many questions you are probably asking yourself. What type of RV will fit my lifestyle? Will I need financing? What questions should I ask the salesperson? And of course, Should I buy NEW or USED?

With a wide variety of RV options available to you, buying used can be a smart decision. This option gets you what you are looking for at a cost that's more affordable than the price of a brand-new vehicle. However, there are many factors to consider when looking for a used RV. Asking certain questions pre-purchase can help prevent your exciting purchase from turning into one that leaves you with nothing more than frustration.

So how will you know? Just like buying a used car, you will want to see the maintenance records! These are the holy grail when purchasing a used RV and can clue you into if the RV has a history of damage or known issues.

The pro you select will be able to check the mechanical aspects as well as notice things like water damage on the interior that might signal more significant issues. While it will generally cost you money to have an RV inspected, consider it a cost saver because it could prevent you from inadvertently buying a vehicle that ends up costing you much more down the road.

Everything ended up coming out of the bathroom after the black tank fiasco. By the time the bathroom was done, we had sunk nearly 3 months into researching bathroom layouts, buying a toilet and tub, building out new storage, and replacing the floors.

If I had to do it all over again, I still would choose to renovate instead of buying a new RV. I looked at several new, smaller trailers and realized that I would have had to make a ton of sacrifices from my already dreamt up design.

If you've found an RV you're considering, take it to a dealership for an inspection. It will cost a few hundred dollars, but it's a good investment. Because you're bringing an RV to them, they know you aren't buying from them. So they should give you an unbiased opinion.

Buying a used RV can save you a lot of money. But you have to check it out first. Plan on spending a couple of hours going over it. Pay attention to evidence of water leaks. Don't just kick the tires. Get down and check them for cracks. Get on the roof. Crawl underneath. Inspect then inspect again. Buying the wrong RV can cost you a lot of money and frustration. Take the time to insure you're buying the right one.

I have seen c class RVs from 1998 to 2005 with low mileage, some as low as 20,000 miles. Could these be good buys or should I stay away from these oldies just because of age?ANSWER Hi Frank, the answer to your question is not as simple as a Yes or No. Older Used RVs can be an excellent buy, or they can turn into your worst nightmare after you purchase them.There are a lot of factors to consider when buying an older RVs. One of the main ones is how well was the RV maintained by its current owner. Just because an RV only has 20,000 miles on it does not mean that it has not had extraordinary wear and tear.The first thing to remember about buying a used RV, especially from a private seller, is that you are buying it AS-IS. Once you own that RV, the seller is not legally obligated to fix anything. If you drive that RV for 5 minutes and the engine seizes up, you will be responsible for all the costs of the repairs.Good Sam members enjoy instant discounts on fuel. Join Today!

With prices for recreational vehicles (RVs) trending up and many manufacturers unable to keep vehicles in stock, buying a used RV can be an attractive option. And while getting a second-hand camper instead of a new one can save you a lot of money, it comes with some drawbacks and other things to consider.

Buying a used RV comes with different considerations than buying a new RV. Again, campers experience problems at a higher rate than cars do, so you can expect that a pre-owned RV likely has issues that will need attention.

There are a number of other systems to check for proper operation before buying a used travel trailer, fifth wheel, or RV. These include the entertainment center, undercarriage, various safety equipment, and all the nooks and crannies the seller might not have thought about when preparing the RV for sale. Some of those include the sink drains, areas behind access panels, and inside roof and furnace vents.

Obviously an out of date article. Prices started going nuts at the beginning of 2019 and have only gotten crazier. If you can put up with the low initial quality, buying new IS an option now. Especially in the class B market. Current used example: a 2016 Travato has an asking price of $81K. Average retail new price was less than $69K per NADA! (MSRP was $89K) I refuse to pay more than the original owner did. Crazy times.

Thanks so much for this info. Never thought about #2, but it makes perfect sense. Wish you had class Bs in this article, but it still was helpful. Being a woman buying a camper is also a consideration. I know the car dealers are often surprised that I know most of their tricks.

I?m a private buyer considering buying an LTV. I?ve even contacted a dealer over 1,000 miles from me and was willing to go check it out, but he won?t budge off his $109,000 for his 2013 model!!! I did my research. I?m not an idiot! (I will, however, feel sorry for the buyer who pays anywhere near that!) Do you still have yours? If so, please contact me!!! I?d like to know more details about yours! Contact me directly [email protected].

my husband wants to buy a fairly new RV and then buy a trailer to haul five cats. he wants to use the money from a house of ours that he wants to sell. i think that going from buying a house to buying an RV would be a very wrong move. can you comment on this please. and also i do not think that throwing five cats in a trailer and hauling them around without supervision is healthy.

I also felt the depreciation percentage was hard to understand as the percentages would greatly vary depending on what you paid. A way to determine a consistent depreciation factor for the unit would be to determine the actual fair market price of the used unit as compared to the original MSRP. You would then be able to factor out the good or bad buying decision made by the original purchaser. Simply stated compare the used value to MSRP in each year to determine the depreciated value from the original MSRP.

When you are buying an RV or travel trailer from a dealership, regardless of if you are buying a new travel trailer or a used one, always make sure that you know exactly how much you are going to end up paying. Be upfront about it and ask a lot of questions.

If you are buying a used RV or travel trailer, that big chunk of depreciation has already happened. That means you can buy it for cheaper and you can sell it at less of a loss (or no loss at all if you cross your fingers).

When you buy used, you might end up buying a model from a previous owner that smoked. Or maybe the travel trailer has been through a few accidents. Or maybe that rig is super old and has driven too many thousands of miles.

How much is an RV inspection? You might want to get an RV inspection if you are selling or buying a used RV. Depending on the kind of RV you want inspected and the kind of inspection you want, it can cost anywhere from $250 to $1200.

Why is it so important to take your time buying an RV? For starters, buying the right RV means years of wonderful holidays and adventure and not endless, expensive, repairs. It means sleeping comfortably and not packing in the family top to toe. The right RV will be the center of many happy memories but the wrong one could be a source of constant regret. 041b061a72