Buying a RV for 6mths

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I ignored the ads and everything but the lists of dealers. Thought it might be useful for Paul & Annie, especially since they're not familiar with where dealers might be located. Having dealer web site addresses linked is an added bonus. There are more dealers in Oregon and California than I remembered.
 
Good luck with your trip  8)

As Tom has already said the NADA price guide is an invaluable tool in negotiating a deal.

I found the advice and support of this forum invaluable, without there help we wouldn't have felt confident in buying our motorhome.

The most important thing is have fun and remember there is no such thing as a stupid question - I've asked plenty , this forum has been there to answer all my questions  and helped me all the way.  ;D

All the very best in your journey,

Andy
 
Thank you very much for the useful links and advise posted.

We've also read some of the posts started by other people. One of them was by an Aussie couple who were talking about going to Oregon. Ned made them aware that to register and insure a RV there you need to be a resident and provide proof of this instead of just an address... If that is the case then it wouldn't be a good idea for us to fly into Portland and start looking for a RV in Oregon.

We've been in touch with a man called Don who ran Auto Tour USA from Seattle. He has packed up his business but used to help foreign visitors purchase, licence and insure cars and RVs. He said Washington State is one of the few states which allows non-residents to register and insure a RV.

Would we be best to fly into Seattle and try to buy, register and insure our RV there?
Thanks for your help!
Paul and Annie
 
We have several members who either live or previously lived in Washington, and maybe they'll jump in with some 'local knowledge'. Meanwhile, here's the WA Department of Licensing web site: http://www.dol.wa.gov/

Most of the other links, tools & advice apply.

You mentioned Phoenix in one of your messages. A number of our members either live or own a winter base in Arizona, and they'd be best to advise you on RV dealers there. Weather wise, you should be OK in May but, in case you decide to arrive later, be aware that it will start to get toasty. Here's the Phoenix climate: http://www.rssweather.com/climate/Arizona/Phoenix/

We've been in touch with a man...

Is this the same guy who said you had to send all your cash before arriving in the US and before seeing any RVs?
 
Don from Auto Tour USA didn't want all the money up front in a Swiss bank account: He would find two samples and provide photos and information. The client then decides which one to have and sends half the money. The rest is handed over when you go to pick up the keys. He would have all paperwork etc sorted the day after arriving. He was recommended by the Lonely Planet. He has however, packed up but still offers to help with insurance by providing the number of the person he used to deal with.
 
Thanks, just curious. I can't comment beyond saying that, when we bought our first vehicle here as non-immigrant visitors, we kept our money in our own bank accounts until we'd finished shopping and decided which one we'd buy and from whom.

Most of the advice you get here is from folks who are or were RVers &/or who have RV'd for many years. Many of us have met in person &/or have known each other online for some time, and have a good feel for the reliability of what each other posts. If one of us inadvertently posts erroneous information, others will jump in and correct it. Where appropriate, we'll direct you to an 'official' source. If we don't know the answer we'll say so &/or do some research before responding.

Some of us have personally navigated the somewhat rocky road of US immigration on many occasions over the years, as visitors (including from the UK), as residents, as citizens, and as sponsors of immigrants. But we'd still recommend reading information from the official source. Immigration laws do change, and world events do change the mood of border agents.

But, as we always say, any advice you get here is worth what you paid for it.
 
Absent a really reliable, third-party, licensed and bonded escrow company, you take a big chance when you send money before getting hands-on with the coach, seeing the title and registration, etc.
 
Paul & Annie,

Please be sure to keep us updated on your plans, your research, and your trip.

Apologies if I appeared "heavy handed" in my prior message, but I come from the "school of hard knocks", i.e. I've been around the block a few times. I've dealt with US immigration for 40 years, visited the US (from the UK) numerous times over the years, immigrated to the US in the 80's, and subsequently became a naturalized US citizen. I've sponsored several family members to become US citizens.

If you prefer to rely on this unknown entity called xxx, recommended by some unkown source xxxx, be my guest, but we can't comment on the individual, since he's unknown to us. Caveat emptor!

Good luck.
 
Hi all,

The amount of useful information and helpful people on this forum has bee amazing when planning an RV trip in the states.

My wife and I are in the same boat, we are heading to states from Australia on April 28th, and are also looking to purchase a used RV to travel around in for 6 to 12 months.
The only difference to Paul and Annie is that my wife has her US passport and Social security number (Her father is American). She has not lived there and doesn't have residence or a permanent address. Not sure if this will make a difference with insurance or registration. (She doesn't have a US drivers license or history).
We are landing in LA, but I was planning of heading south or east to Arizona to purchase an RV (probably privately through Craigslist or alike.)

I have been researching the process of registering a vehicle and have even setup a mail forwarding address through USA2me that is based in Texas.
I figured I could use this for an address when registering  the RV. However on further reading, I'm thinking Texas might not be a good place as it seems there are some hoops to jump through to buy a car from out of state. (ie it must have insurance first, and a few other things).

The other option would be to "somehow" get across to Texas and buy an RV there, although I'm not sure if Texas is a good place to buy an RV.

Any advice on our current plan would be appreciated.

Brad
 
The end of April is a good time to buy a RV in Arizona.  Most if not all of the winter snowbirds have departed for cooler climates, so dealers are looking at either holding on to their remaining stock until next winter or transporting it to another market.  In other words, you'll likely find some very good deals.

A few years back I was looking for a Class C and didn't find anything I really liked where I was living in San Francisco.  So on a whim I booked a flight to Phoenix, took the Metro phone book and a map and marked a trail from one RV dealership to the next.  Spent the better part of 2 days looking at what was available, then went back and bought the one I liked best.
 
Hey Lou,

What are the rules about buying an RV in Arizona, then driving it out of state to register it? Or does this depend on the state you are going to?

Brad
 
When you take an out of state delivery, the seller will drive the RV to the other state and that's where the actual purchase is made.  You are then responsible for for registering it in your intended state.  If it's a new RV, you will receive a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, or if used, a title, that you'll need for registration.  You don't drive the vehicle in AZ at the time of purchase or it's considered an AZ purchase.
 
You need to consider your future plans.  If you're going to forever stay in a state that doesn't impose their own tax on the purchase, it might be beneficial to avoid paying sales tax to the selling state.  But if you're going to a state that imposes their own tax, most of them will credit any sales tax already paid to another state so there's no advantage to avoiding the initial hit.

In my case, I was living and working in CA.  So I just paid the AZ sales tax, and CA credited me that amount against their sales tax when I registered it there.

A couple of years later, I moved to WA state and changed the registration to there.  WA collects an excise tax on used RVs coming in from other states.  But they likewise gave me full credit for the sales tax I had already paid to AZ.

So it was a wash either way.  If I had gone through the motions and avoided paying the sales tax on the initial purchase, I still would have paid an equivalent amount further down the line to one of the other states.

AZ will issue a short term trip permit after you pay their sales tax, if you're taking the motorhome to another state.  Saves having to pay AZ a full year's registration fee if you're going to register it somewhere else.
 
We don't plan to stay in any particular state for very long, we will be traveling from state to state and even up to  canada. We just need to register and get plates in "a state", but I'm told most states need a permanent address to register, whilst others have even stricter rules such as needing a state drivers license..

I have a forwarding address setup in texas but if I can avoid having to travel there that would be good as we're landing in LA.
 
Dear Tom and helpful others,

Thank you once again for all your useful posts and website links. You do not have to apologise at all, I think you are just trying to warn us and we are grateful for that!!
Sorry we haven't replied or been on the forum for a few weeks. We have been busy sorting things out regarding our house and have said goodbye to some friends and family already.

We have booked our flights and will fly to Seattle on the 12th April. We had to make a decision and although we are not sure this is the best state to buy and register we think we are able to register a RV there as non-residents. We have been keeping an eye on available class C RV's there (most of them seem to have gone over the last few days/week!).

We have decided more or less on our route which will take us to the desert asap. From Seattle we want to go down the west-coast and then into the desert to Yosemite and other national parks, then via a part of route 66 back to the west coast, then up to San Francisco and via part of the 'loneliest road' up to Yellow stone and then towards Chicago. We are hoping to go into Canada from there and then via Niagara Falls to the Appalachian mountains.

Our biggest worry, of course, is still spending our savings on a good RV, as we have no knowledge regarding engines, RV's etc. We have printed useful information from the forum and stuck this in a book to take with us. We can 'study' this info before we go 'hunting' to try and get a good deal and a good RV.... Are there any forum members who live in the Seattle area and would know where we could get a reliable opinion on a RV that we might consider buying? Or any mechanics we could contact?

Also, could anyone make any recommendations regarding insurance companies?
Once again, thank you so much for your help already and trying so hard to prevent us from making the wrong decisions!

Best wishes, Annie and Paul
 
Phew! Thanks Annie and Paul, I was worried that we (I) might have chased you away.

Exciting times, although I understand what you've been going through getting ready to leave and saying your goodbyes.

Earlier today, I asked fellow Brit Mick to look in on this discussion. Mick and his wife Pat blazed the trail with the immigration form I-539 that supposedly allows you to extend your stay in the US without having to leave and re-enter the country. Hopefully, Mick will share his experience.

Be sure to check into The RV Forum regularly during your trip so that we can keep up to date with your progress and your travels. Also, you'll likely find that, if you plan to be close to any forum members, they'll likely offer to meet up with you and give you a warm welcome.
 
Hi Paul and Annie, Phew what a long thread so far, rather than try and work out your plans let me tell you briefly what we did, the problem of course matters may have changed as we found  from those who advised us back in 2007.

Okay, back in Oct 2007 we also arrived in Florida with our B2, I had already booked a villa for 28 days and we had a hire car as part of our fly/drive only deal. I also had set up using a new account with HSBC in the UK an account also in Florida, this takes a month or two.

We stayed in North America exactly from Oct 2007 to Aug 2009 in this way.

USA from Oct 07 to Apr 08.    1st US visa

Canada Apr 08 to Aug 08

On 6th Aug 08 we flew back to the UK for 6 weeks for the birth of our first grand daughter.

16th Sept 08 returned to Canada.

8th Oct 08 crossed back into the USA.    2nd visa

April 09 was when our 2nd visa expired however we completed and posted our I-539 form along with $300 for a 6 month visa extension, this is completed and sent a month or two before the expiry of your current visa.

On the 27th April received letter from US Customs requesting further details for our application.

About one or two months before we flew home we received our extension to our visa that would have taken us up to October 2009.

Before our arrival in the USA I arranged.

Our address with a company in Kissimmee but you are using a relative I believe?

This company for our Montana LLC http://www.heggenlawoffice.com/  ask for Ron

This is the broker with whom we insured BOTH our RV & toad.  http://www.gardencityins.com/  ask for Keith the actual insurance company is Progressive.


Sorry if this is a bit 'All over the place' but I'm trying to type this at 02.15 in the morning.

My UK driving licence was okay for the insurance company.

We bought our 2005 RV as a private sale from a fellow Brit who owns a villa in Florida, but we bought the Jeep brand new from a Jeep main dealer in Orlando, if you do obtain a Montana LLC then your RV and car if you buy one will BOTH be registered as Montana vehicles and bear Montana number plates or 'tags' as our American cousins call them, these would be sent to you from Heggan Law if you use them.

If you intend to NOT pay import duty and tax when you ship back to the UK you must have owned the vehicle/s for 6 months and been out of the UK or EU for 12 months.

Paul this could take forever could you PM me with your land line phone number or better still do you use Skype? We are currently in Spain. A quick phone call will be far better than trying to second guess exactly what you need, okay?

If you are on Skype my user name is voyager1836

Hope to here from you soon.

Mick :)
 
Thanks for jumping in Mick. I especially appreciated reading about the I-539 as I've had no personal experience with that process, although I was aware of it.

On the 27th April received letter from US Customs requesting further details for our application.

I'm curious what additional details they needed &/or what it took to satisfy them and grant the extension.
 
Tom said:
Thanks for jumping in Mick. I especially appreciated reading about the I-539 as I've had no personal experience with that process, although I was aware of it.

I'm curious what additional details they needed &/or what it took to satisfy them and grant the extension.

Tom, I have asked 'Her in doors' ( you can explain that one if any one asks)  ;) if she recalls what 'extra' information was and neither of us can remember sorry, I do recall having to photo copy EVERY page even the blank ones of our passports and that was for four because during our stay we renewed our passports to the new biometric ones but our B2 visa's were in the old 'expired' ones and still are to this date.

Mick
 
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