Buying a Used Class A Out of State?

[weretherussos]

What are your opinions on buying a used Class A (or any RV) out of state? We're looking for our first RV and we've realized you can only see so much from pictures and every owner seems to think their RV is in "Excellent Condition!!!" The last one we went to go see had paint blisters and a funky smell inside.

We still work full time and haven't quit our jobs yet, so I am wondering if there is an easier way to shop for used RV's outside of our local area (Los Angeles)? We have found some good ones around here but not the variety we are looking for and we dont want to fly cross country to check out a coach only to find out it has serious issues.

Anyone been successful buying used out of state? 

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Many people do, but you have to be prepared for disappointment. Every seller claims their rig is golden and has pictures to prove it. You have to ask lots of detailed questions, request for photos or videos, etc., but you still have to be prepared to walk away after seeing it. It is imperative to have that mind set when you go there, or you may end up with a "pig in a poke" cause you were reluctant to say "No".
We have RV buying checklists in the Forum Library - use them to formulate detailed questions about the features and working condition. Ask about interior and exterior damage, previous water leakage, state of maintenance (especially for the chassis). Don't accept a simple "Yeah, everything works great" as the answer.

You can also ask if some member here who lives near the RV location can go look at it and give an informal read.  You can buy them dinner or send an Amazon or Walmart Gift Certificate if they help you out.

 

[Sam!]

Since you mentioned L.A California, I would also recommend verifying the vehicle is emissions compliant for California standards.

Also, there are so many things to check in a motorhome at least if inspected properly, that traveling far may make you overlook alot of things. I would venture my search to areas i could drive to withing a weekend outing.

 

[w3ozwizard]

Also if you are in a sales tax state you are going to have to get around paying double sales tax and licenses. It can be done but put one more obstacle in the way.

 

[sswon1]

We have purchased two out of state campers and have not had a problem. We live in west central Illinois and bought one about an hour south of Indianapolis and our last one from Detroit area.  I also bought my car a year ago from the Minneapolis area.

My brother does live by Detroit so we did have a set of eyes on the motorhome prior to going ourselves.

We had the owner send tons of pics and there were multiple phone calls made.  After that we just had to go for it, knowing we may be very disappointed. Haveing lots of close up pics of the camper in question helps. 

I can only speak about Illinois, but we paid sales tax to Illinois only and surprisingly it was cheap.  If you buy a vehicle or camper from an individual here, you only pay a flat rate based on the purchase price.  It is not calculated as a local sales tax percentage like it is from a dealer. HUGE money saver.  We did have to purchase a day tag to get the motor home out of Michagain because the previous owner let the plates lapse.

Worked out very well for us, but we did a lot of leg work.  I was looking for a very particular model each time, and had to search a long way to find what we wanted.