Buying a used RV... heed this advice...

jymbee said:

Same here. As I'm not much of a handyman myself I was leaning toward a new RV even though budget-wise a relatively new used model might make more sense. Realizing that there were certified/qualified inspectors out there that one could hire prior to purchase-- as I read on this forum--  has me feeling much more comfortable about searching the pre-owned market.

Definitely worth the price of admission!  ;D

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An inspected and gently used RV, is the best way to go.    All the new RV warranty problems have already been done.

TonyDtorch said:

An inspected and gently used RV, is the best way to go.    All the new RV warranty problems have already been done.

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Tony is right. When buying any RV it is going to have problems, guaranteed. I found that it is much better to have a mobile mechanic come to you rather than taking it in to a dealer for any servicing. It is a lot cheaper to buy a gently used RV a few years old and fix the problems yourself or with a mobile mechanic rather than assume the dealer will fix all the warranty issues. Because if they do fix them, which is doubtful, they will want to keep your RV for days, weeks or months until the parts come in. There are a lot of horror stories I have read of people not being able to use their RV the first six months that they owned it.

Humanaquarian said:

Mainly plumbing leaks. Also a body seal that needs repair. Not much, but would?ve been a real pain to find out on he road. He helped determine the age of the tires as the DOT code was hard to find. The dealer is hot footing to get it done because it?s technically not sold yet. Had we taken it out and found this stuff out, I?m not so sure we?d be top priority.
All in all money well spent.

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Don't plumbing leaks result in rot or rust? 

It can, but none present. Our inspector made sure of that. 
Just went and negotiated with some stout bargaining power and EVERYTHING is getting fixed and got some loot off the asking price too! The asking price was totally reasonable too! So it all ended up a pretty solid deal! Can?t wait for next weekend!!!!

RV world, here we come! Who says you have to be retired to go RVing?

Humanaquarian said:

RV world, here we come! Who says you have to be retired to go RVing?

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You do have to be retired just to have enough time to keep the RV clean and running. ;D

I?m a teacher.... I have a few months off a year... it works out. Practicing for my retirement in nine years.

Sun2Retire said:

When I checked that link it does seem as if there aren't a lot of inspectors in some areas. ......

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Well the closest inspector to us is Corning NY. (150+miles).  I sent a note asking if he was interested, no response yet. It was strange there were no other inspectors in middle/western PA.  Ohio, Va, Md, and Philadelphia area covered but no Punxsutawney 

Did you try the mobile tech repairman suggestion?

Humanaquarian said:

$300 for the inspection, they?re fixing everything.

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Thanks for sharing!

You are lucky the dealer is willing to fix everything and negotiate on the price.  ;D

As I understand it, if you had been unhappy with the inspection or unable to negotiate a final price, then you're out the $300 but still better to lose a little than to lose a lot.

I bought mine without an inspection due to the cost and the fact the people selling it were so desperate to sell, they wouldn't wait for anything. They were grown kids (non RV-ers) of the dying owner and just wanted it gone. They could have probably sold it for more money had they put a bit more elbow grease into the effort. Oddly enough, they wanted to back out of the deal the next day, but I plowed forward with the final purchase. Yeah, I've had to *gulp* deal with some surprises but adding up cost plus repairs (in my case) still left me with a huge bargain. This is rare, I got lucky.

However, I had been searching off and on for 2 years. You can't find a bargain if you don't hunt them down and have a ton of patience.

Just curious...

Once the dealer makers the required repairs, will it be you or the inspector checking behind them?

Good luck, sound like you made a sound investment and were fortunate to have a terrific inspector! Sounds like you are off to a great start in adventures in RVing!  8)

They actually fixed most of them while he was there. The work they do is gursnteed. I would not want to buy from a private seller( no recourse, repairs or guarantees). I think what you really want to do is find a reputable dealer, they?re out there.

DearMissMermaid said:

However, I had been searching off and on for 2 years. You can't find a bargain if you don't hunt them down and have a ton of patience.

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^^ There is it.    The good, used rigs are out there, but it takes time, research, and patience.  Like MissMermaid, I bought both of my RV's without any formal inspections, but I had studied and learned about all things RV (mostly here on this forum) for a year+ on our first purchase, and many months on our second.  I had communicated with the seller(s) a ton before traveling to look & buy, and felt pretty confident about what I was getting.  Both of my purchases have worked out great.  But, I certainly support the idea of having pre-purchase inspections done by a 3rd party when time and circumstances allow.

_Rusty_ said:

Well the closest inspector to us is Corning NY. (150+miles).  I sent a note asking if he was interested, no response yet.

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I did get a very professional response from an inspector on the web-site above.  Unfortunately, the distance traveled and overall cost was prohibitive for my current situation.  We were able to get a better price on the RV because the seller was in a pinch to move and couldn't wait for the inspection process.  I hope we did the right thing, so far no worries!

I would think any kind of "long distance" purchase would certainly be worth having the inspection done by a reputable party as you would not be close enough to your local resources to find issues and solutions economically.

tried to add quote.....figured it out. See next post.
How does one delete a post?

Humanaquarian said:

They actually fixed most of them while he was there. The work they do is gursnteed. I would not want to buy from a private seller( no recourse, repairs or guarantees). I think what you really want to do is find a reputable dealer, they’re out there.

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I actually prefer to buy from private parties. I've bought many this way.
My experience with used RV's on dealer lots has been basically a waste of time for me.
For me most of the guarantees and warranties aren't worth the paper they are written on.
I find it almost absurd that damaged items such as glass, trim, drawers that don't work, worn out tires are not fixed prior to a sale. (we will fix it of you buy it)
Usually prior owners make their coaches pristine to sell them.