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Crad09's avatar
Crad09
Explorer
Feb 24, 2017

Buying a used motorhome

I am almost ready to purchase a 2013 Thor Freedom Elite 21c motorhome. It has 55,000 miles and seems to be in really good condition. Since it is from a personal owner I can't get a pdi. I looked for some obvious problems and it didn't seem to have any, but what do you guys recommend I make sure to check thoroughly before purchasing it. I am a newbie in the rv world and need some advice. Thanks!

15 Replies

  • Thank you I will for sure do that. It is in Utah and has been winterized. Could I still hook it up to water?
  • Turn on everything on, operate everything to make sure it works. Start with the big ticket items and work down:
    1. Generator, does it start and does everything work off of it
    2. Air conditioners, are they cold
    3. Dash air - is it cold
    4. When was the last time the radiator & cooling system were flushed
    5. When was the last time the transmission was flushed and looked at
    6. Does the 12V water system work
    7. Does the refer and freezer work well on 110VAC and 12V/propane
    8. Does the TV antenna and system work
    9. Look for water leaks
    10. How old are the tires
    11. Run the furnace
    12. How old are the starting batteries
    13. How old are the house batteries, what's the water level and are the terminals clean. If the battery water level is down to the plate or the terminals have lot of corrosion, then the owner didn't take very good care of it. There could well be other things wrong, but this is a good quick simple test.
    14. Unless they could be frozen, run the awnings in and out to make sure they work and to see what condition they're in.

    After that there's still a million little things, but the above are the high dollar items.

    Bill
  • The PDI is something you have to do. Go there and test every RV system, hook it up to shore power, hook it up to city water make sure everything works. Then take it and do a test drive. Spend a couple of hours. All before any money changes hands...
  • Hire a Mobile RV Tech to inspect the unit BEFORE you give the seller any money or sign any agreements.

    If it is in good condition, the seller should have no problem with the inspection.
    If the seller refuses the inspection, that should be a red flag.