RV Shopping/Buying tips
A few years ago I posted a similar forum, but I think it's long since expired or pushed off the back end. I would like to pass on some tips to help those contemplating making a purchase......because it's that time of year.
We just sealed the deal on our 3rd camper purchase, and this one went much more smoothly than the other two. First off, if you have an RV already and you're looking to move up or just on to something different, it's Well Worth it to sell it outright, even if you still owe money and the bank holds the title. I know Craig's list can be a HUGE Pain in the butt.....but it's free, and as long as you use some common sense and can weed through the fakes and flakes, you'll do fine. Take a look at NADA values and price your RV accordingly. Remember, you're trying to sell it, not get it's weight in gold. And no matter what you've done to improve it, they still loose value over time, not increase in value. You likely won't get what a dealer would sitting on the lot, but you'll get a Heck of a lot more than they will give you as a trade in. In our case, we sold the old one for about $4000 less than the dealer would have sold it for, but about $5000 more than they would give us in trade in. If you think about it....that's $9000 negotiating room. An awesome deal for both parties. And while I would have gladly taken that extra $4k, anything over the trade in price was money ahead. His bank and mine worked out all the details, wired the money and sent out the title. Neither of us had to worry about fake checks or any bogus behavior.
Now for your purchase. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Research EXACTLY what you're looking for, and see what price dealers around the country are selling the one you want. Print out the lowest couple of ads to take to your local dealer. DO NOT IMPULSE BUY. And if there's more than one dealer within a days drive of you, get a price quote from any/all of them. If you have to finance, have them include the interest rate in their quote and get one from your personal bank as well. RVs depreciate pretty quickly, so the more $$ you can put down and the fewer years you finance for, the more likely you won't be upside down on the loan. And don't let them forget any "Dealer fees". In our case, the dealer 6 hours away came in more than $2000.00 cheaper for EXACTLY the same thing. I have No Problem spending a couple hundred on gas and a weekend road trip to save a couple thousand.
As for what to buy......This is something different for everyone. Different styles of camping, family needs, tow vehicles.....etc. YOU are the only one who knows what will suit your needs. Asking a bunch of opinionated forum lurkers what you should buy is a loaded question. Everyone will have their favorite, least favorite and everywhere in between. And none of them for the same reasons as you. KNOW YOUR VEHICLE. Know what the tow capacity is and NEVER let a dealer tell you "It'll pull it." They're out to make a sale.....period. Talk it over with your S.O. in the privacy of your home what kind of features and options you're looking for. Break it down into "Must Have," "Nice to have," and "Don't want, don't need." When you're at the dealer, BE STRONG. Don't let a dealer talk you into something you have already determined you don't want or need. All those little extras can add up quickly. Purchasing an RV is right up there with buying a home. If you don't do it right and get what you're looking for the first time, it'll be quite a while before you can likely do it again and correct the mistakes you make.
Feel free to add your experiences and tips on what worked well.....or not so much for you.
We just sealed the deal on our 3rd camper purchase, and this one went much more smoothly than the other two. First off, if you have an RV already and you're looking to move up or just on to something different, it's Well Worth it to sell it outright, even if you still owe money and the bank holds the title. I know Craig's list can be a HUGE Pain in the butt.....but it's free, and as long as you use some common sense and can weed through the fakes and flakes, you'll do fine. Take a look at NADA values and price your RV accordingly. Remember, you're trying to sell it, not get it's weight in gold. And no matter what you've done to improve it, they still loose value over time, not increase in value. You likely won't get what a dealer would sitting on the lot, but you'll get a Heck of a lot more than they will give you as a trade in. In our case, we sold the old one for about $4000 less than the dealer would have sold it for, but about $5000 more than they would give us in trade in. If you think about it....that's $9000 negotiating room. An awesome deal for both parties. And while I would have gladly taken that extra $4k, anything over the trade in price was money ahead. His bank and mine worked out all the details, wired the money and sent out the title. Neither of us had to worry about fake checks or any bogus behavior.
Now for your purchase. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Research EXACTLY what you're looking for, and see what price dealers around the country are selling the one you want. Print out the lowest couple of ads to take to your local dealer. DO NOT IMPULSE BUY. And if there's more than one dealer within a days drive of you, get a price quote from any/all of them. If you have to finance, have them include the interest rate in their quote and get one from your personal bank as well. RVs depreciate pretty quickly, so the more $$ you can put down and the fewer years you finance for, the more likely you won't be upside down on the loan. And don't let them forget any "Dealer fees". In our case, the dealer 6 hours away came in more than $2000.00 cheaper for EXACTLY the same thing. I have No Problem spending a couple hundred on gas and a weekend road trip to save a couple thousand.
As for what to buy......This is something different for everyone. Different styles of camping, family needs, tow vehicles.....etc. YOU are the only one who knows what will suit your needs. Asking a bunch of opinionated forum lurkers what you should buy is a loaded question. Everyone will have their favorite, least favorite and everywhere in between. And none of them for the same reasons as you. KNOW YOUR VEHICLE. Know what the tow capacity is and NEVER let a dealer tell you "It'll pull it." They're out to make a sale.....period. Talk it over with your S.O. in the privacy of your home what kind of features and options you're looking for. Break it down into "Must Have," "Nice to have," and "Don't want, don't need." When you're at the dealer, BE STRONG. Don't let a dealer talk you into something you have already determined you don't want or need. All those little extras can add up quickly. Purchasing an RV is right up there with buying a home. If you don't do it right and get what you're looking for the first time, it'll be quite a while before you can likely do it again and correct the mistakes you make.
Feel free to add your experiences and tips on what worked well.....or not so much for you.
