How to Buy a Used RV

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How to Buy a Used RV

We have a huge selection of used RV's for sale by owner.
Used RV's are a great way to save money. Many will have very low miles. When a buyer drives a new RV off a dealers lot, the RV loses about 40% in it's worth. This means a $100,000 RV is worth $60,000. The buyer of this used RV saves $40,000 and gets what is essentially a 'new' RV for almost half price that's only 2 years old. This used RV will probably only have 20K miles... at the most. The RV will still be shiny and the engine just barely broken in. Even better, most RV's 'from the factory' will have 'bugs' that the original owner would have delt with by now. NO RV comes from the factory without bugs. Even the tires on this used RV will have another 20K miles left on them. It will probably still smell new.
Now, you might be looking for an even better deal. You might be looking at RV's that are 15 years old because that's your budget. With SnapRV.com you can sign up to get notifications when people list the RV you are looking for. This means, the second someone adds an RV with your specs, you'll get an email notice and you can be 'the first up to batt' to make an offer on your perfect RV. This feature can save you thousands of dollars and thousands of hours of 'looking'.

SIZE: Size a space requirements are probably the number one concern. If you need to sleep 5: there's not much negotiation there. If it's just the 2 of you, you just want to determine how much 'extra space' you'll want and then decide how much RV you want to park and maneuver in traffic. Big RV's are not hard to drive.

CONDITION: Please understand that an RV that sits for long periods can be in much worse shape than an RV that has been 'exercised'. It's Much like the human body, exercise is good for it. We encourage you to see the RV in person and take it for a test drive. Also, highway miles are much different than city miles. You can determine if an RV has city or highway miles simply by looking at the brake pedal and drivers cock pit. If it's worn out, the RV probably has city miles. Most RV's will only have highway miles. If an RV has been maintained physically and aesthetically you can be relatively sure that it's also been maintained mechanically. Of course, 'Fixer Uppers' can be good deals.

As with any RV, water damage is probably the most common issue.

Water damage can always be fixed, but unless you are handy, it can be very expensive. You want to inspect lower compartments as water runs down hill and will eventually accumulate in these areas. Also, you want to inspect the ceiling especially in all the cabinets.

BRAND: Which Manufacturers are the best? Generally, all RV's are built the same. With the exception of budget RV's compared to $900K luxury units. They all have the same essential components. The luxury units may have more bells and whistles and real wood compared to laminate. But they all work the same way.

There are 2 water heater makers and 2 fridge manufacturers. They both are good.

Fiberglass VS aluminum siding and wood frame VS aluminum frame: As a very experience RV'er, I prefer wood frame and aluminum siding. Fiberglass siding looks great from the factory but it deteriorates much quicker and tends to leak quicker. Aluminum framing is ridging and tends to fall apart quicker than wood. RV's are going down bumpy roads. They actually need to be flexible.

MECHANICS: If you have mechanical concerns, you can always have it inspected by a mechanic. As for the RV portion, ask the owner to light the fridge, water heater and furnace before you arrive to inspect it. Fridges can cost as much as $1500. Use a thermometer to check it.

GAS VS DIESEL: Everybody knows, diesels will go further, but if you look at commercial diesel vehicles, you'll see companies selling them off at 200K miles. Like: they don't expect them to go much further. I bought a gas super C. because gas is cheaper and cleaner. I don't want to deal with the mess.

SEARCH: You can narrow the search with SnapRV.com Advanced Search to find exactly what you're looking for.
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