How to shop for Class B

Similar story to our 2007, the first Pleasureway we bought. Saw one, fell in love, realized it was EXACTLY what we wanted, and mentioned to friends for no reason whatsoever I can remember now that we were looking. They didn't own or plan to own an RV.

At that time, "looking" meant we'd found a used 05 in Michigan we were talking to the owners about. And we live on the northern Washington coast near Vancouver BC--so not even close; it's just that there were very very few for sale. Turned out, of all things, our friends' mother in Yuma owned one, and she had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. A few months later we owned it, and two years later we got trade-in value at five grand over what we'd paid for it (which covered our costs for fixes and upgrades).

You never knows who knows someone who has exactly what you want and is looking for a buyer.

Research can really pay off. We thought it over for a couple of years, went to shows, searched the net, and got familiar with the class B pros, cons and brand names.

I'm now a fan of talking up what you're looking for to friends and those in the business. Because we mentioned our search to an RV repair place, we found out about a low mileage used B a few miles away that had just been put up for sale by owner. We'd never seen that make but already knew the manufacturer had a good quality reputation.

If you do find a good one, don't dilly dally. Later the same day we put a deposit on ours, two other peope who had driven it called the guy saying they were ready to buy.

We liked the layout of the Pleasureway, so we bought another Pleasureway. A custom-build would have been interesting to get a more modern/unique look, but it was easier to just buy off the shelf from a proven manufacturer.

We bought our 2007 used and replaced it with a new 2014. We weren't initially sure we wanted to do that, but just for yucks we contacted several out of state dealers and said "Make it worth it for me to come all that way". Working both ends of the deal (trade-in plus new cost), a dealer in economically depressed Ohio bested the local boys by a whopping $35,000--and that's what made up our minds to trade up. It was too good a deal NOT to do.

Point is: don't be afraid to boldly negotiate. And, working a deal from a distance does have its advantages.

I did a combination of visiting dealers and looking at the online. I came to the conclusion for the money that I was going to spend I wanted a design that fit my needs. I then visited Sportsmobile in Austin and had the opportunity to look at both new vans being converted and used ones that were being resold. I decided at that point I was going to build what I wanted.

A RV show would be the easiest way in person otherwise check stock online and start visiting the dealers closest to you.

Hi Folks,

Here is how I did it. We who shop for class B vans are lucky to have the internet.

1. Spend a lot of time reading about class B's on the internet. You will be able to see which model and layout will fit what you needs. Check out manufacturers sites. For instance Roadtrek has a site that carries older brochures.
2. Go to dealers and spend time in Class B models, hopefully with out the salesman with you. Put together questions, and then invite the salesman in to answer the questions.
3. Try and go around and see models for sale used in area. (Never buy any used RV with out seeing it.)
4. Go to RV shows and check out what is for sale. Check other classes (C, A, Truck Campers, Trailers etc) Maybe the class B isn't for you.
5. Check all the ads for what you want so you can get a good idea what different RV's are worth. (When I was looking a couple of years ago, I figured that a used class B built before 2000 with 100,000 miles could be purchased for $5,000.00 to $10,000.) Chart all of them out. Keep a list of used within 300 miles. I was trying to find one for sale in New England because I live outside of Boston.
6. If you are looking for a used one, try and find which dealers deal in used. Call every week to see if they have a new used unit in. My observation is that RV salesmen are basically lazy and will forget about you ten minutes after you call them.
7. Go to the library and get every book on RVing and study them. You might want to buy a book on all the systems you will find on a RV. These include fresh water, sewer, propane gas, appliances, 110 electrical, 12 volt systems, generator, etc. If you feel that you need to be an Engineer to own an RV, you are right. If you start studying now it will help you to evaluate your purchase and you will become an engineer.
8. After purchasing a new or used unit, hire a RV mechanic and have them go over everything while you ask questions and observe. Make sure you have every manual for every system in your RV. Study the manuals over and over. (I am still trying to understand the fresh water system after a year of ownership.)

This is just some of the ways you can buy your dream RV. Remember, this is an emotional purchase.

Heapie

There are some great deals on used vans by makers such as Pleasure Way, Leisure Travel and many others. They know what they are doing. I agree on being prepared to travel. We had to do 700 miles to buy ours. The cost savings of buying used over new should leave you with enough to make just about any repairs.

We are more than satisfied with our Sportsmobile. It was made to our specs and exactly what we wanted. We liked the Traverse by Pleasureway, but there were features we didn't want and you basically had to take it the way it comes. Sportsmobile was the answer for us. We were able to choose what we wanted and leave out what we didn't. For us storage was a big issue and took precedence over interior stove and fridge. Their quality is only surpassed by the service and attention to detail. WE love ours. Hope this helps!

Limit your choice to a 1 ton or heavier chassis instead of a 3/4 ton. You'll need the heavier drive line, brakes and tires. Been there done that. There may be variables like heavier rated 3/4 ton vehicles but the 1 ton will still be more stout.

Good advice from above posts. The RV shows were yawners in my neck of the woods, with the main attraction being all LED based lights, while last year it was having as many televisions as possible (one fifth wheel had at least seven, one for each bed, one for the middle room, one in the kitchen, and one in an outside compartment.)

If one wants a custom unit, I would look at Sportsmobile or Advanced RV.

RVtrader.coma and PPLmotorhomes.com are good websites to research the Class B market. IMHO you are better off buying a proven model that has been built for at least a few years so they have gotten the bugs out of it, instead of trying to customize something. RV shows can be a disappointment. At this year's show in Houston, there was not much to see in the way of Class B's. Quality of construction and driveability are more important than little wrinkles with the floor plan, etc. Go for simplicity, you may not need a generator or want a macerator for pumping out waste water, gravity is 100% reliable. Good luck with your search.

Jim