Buying an RV on Craig's List

There are scams on Craigslist same as with eBay and lots of other places including RV dealers. Usually it is someone selling something at a price that is much too low compared to similar items being sold and so people will take a chance when they should walk or run in the other direction.

If someone wants a deposit that should set off alarm bells that the seller is running a scam. This includes RV dealers as many have shut their doors in past years and when they go out of business the deposits that they have taken for RV's are seldom returned to their customers.

If they want to meet you at some location that is out of the way like a Wal-Mart parking lot that too should be taken as a sign that something is wrong. If they will not let you take it to a place to have it professionally inspected it is also a sign that it is a deal you do not want to make.

darsben wrote:
WE exchanged money at the DMV and registered/titled the vehicle while the seller was still there. He went through the DMV line with us and when we got the paperwork done he got the money.

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!

CraigsList is bad if you allow it to be.

If they have clear title to the RV and it shows the same address as where you are meeting them there is not going to be a problem. The risk is more on the side of the seller in terms of a buyer bringing a cashier's check and the seller not knowing if it is legit.

There are also escrow services available that are not terribly expensive and a good way to protect both the buyer and the seller, especially if they are not in the same state.

I would worry most about an undisclosed defect with a used RV and some states have great laws to protect the buyer and others, like New Jersey provide no protection at all. So it would pay to research the consumer protection under the law in your state and to have an independent inspector go over the RV.

I would trust my gut (and experience) in evaluating a seller or a buyer as to their trustworthiness and if I had any doubts at all I would walk away in a heartbeat.

PAThwacker --- Where were you with that info 4 yrs ago when we bought our "useless" non'titled Pa boat trailer...lol...one heck of a headache

I bought a Ford Excursion from a private party in Denver on Ebay and had a great time doing it. Yes,I was s'posed to be able to inspect when I met at the airport,but airport security made it too difficult to do so. Everything was done on bank transfers between his bank and mine. Mine sent the wire transfer and his sent them the title. I figgered that if I got it home and something was wrong,within reason, that I had gotten a good enuff deal that I could iether fix it or sell it. Well,I fell in love with the big PSD beast and there were no problems.
I sold the Excursion and my TT on CL and made good money on the package. 10 actual lookers and no scams,but the RV Trader ad drew 5 replies and 4 were scams.
We bought our Tradewinds off of CL and did alright.I got it for 20K underbook and the guy was an auto dealer that sold rvs on the side and told me so. The whole deal went very well and quickly as the guy worked directly with my CU. I have also bought and sold other small things on CL and not had a problem.

boats and boat trailers are easy money loosing cl transactions. Tons of "boat anchor" boats and non titled "useless"trailers on craigslist.

I bought a pontoon boat last winter off Craigslist, everything looked proper until I went to register it into my name to find the scumbag I bought it from immediately re-titled the boat making my signed over title void! I returned the next day with a few of my co-horts and "convinced" him to return my money, a real fun experience to say the least. Shortly after I found another and this time we both went to the D.O.T. and transferred the boat into my name before he got one sheckle!! I can assume this could happen with a trailer as well.

Pay attention.
If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
Look the person over and if he seems iffy, be extra careful.
Make him go to the DMV to transfer the title before handing over the money.

Not much different than the want adds.

X2, Do your due diligence, know the product, it's value, etc. It isn't much different than buying from an ad in the paper. Knowing who you are dealing with is important.
If you feel you need a sales man, general manager or warranty, CL is not for you.
I have bought and sold from it with no issues, however, I live in the country. If I sell something from there, the buyer knows where I live and that can help with peace of mind.

It's no different than buying anywhere else.