Used RV owners who want to sell often do overprice their rigs, then a few months later, reality sets in and the rig becomes reasonably priced.
That being said, if you look hard, far and wide, there are plenty of used bargains out there under $10,000 that will definitely give you big bang for the small buck.
I bought my 15 year old Class C rig for cash to see if I liked RV-ing with a view towards trading up if I did and selling out if I didn't. I forgot to factor in option 3...
Option 3 being customize it and keep it! I've been living and traveling in it for 4 years now full time, I have no other home anywhere and I am thrilled with the end result. While many folks can't live in such a small space with a minimalist attitude, it has worked for me and I am plenty happy about it too.
Doing more with less!
I've actually only done small customizing projects, but I love my rig and everything works on it because I toil to maintain that goal for the sheer enjoyment. My opinion is the manufacturers of many RV rigs have no idea what the end consumer wants and they don't plan accordingly. But everyone has their own idea of what's fun and comfy and affordable.
All my little customization projects have made it far more livable and efficient for me to enjoy in my day to day life. When I add up my cost plus repairs and upgrades whether I divide it by number of months using it or number of miles put on it, either way the cost per mile or per month is amazingly low. The bankers haven't made one penny off me in payments and loans, so that's just more money for the gas kitty. An older rig has cheaper taxes and cheaper insurance, again more money for the campground kitty.
When I have to repair something, I look at whether I want to repair with used or rebuilt parts or whether there is an attractive upgrade that would benefit me. Some money spent is of course, money down the drain, like re-attaching my poop tank or the expensive gasoline hose replacement that took forever to find a willing mechanic to even do the project! I say money down the drain, because it was funds spent to keep me functional but nothing I can really enjoy like a new bed.
New upgrades or parts mean I am now in a hybrid RV, it may be old, but there are a lot of new parts without the new rig costs. Astonishingly many owners sell their rigs after making numerous repairs because they are disgusted with the upkeep. The new owner of their old rig, gets the benefit of all their hard money spent that they didn't take time to enjoy. The owner before me, paid a fortune to fix certain things, that I am enjoying the full benefit of now.
As I write this, I am sitting in sunny Florida (72F today) in the dead of winter in a lovely park, right along side folks who spent 20 to 40 times what I did to get here.
Every time I go look at slightly newer or larger rigs, I become disgusted with the price and the lack of accouterments that make mine so fun and comfy.
I am getting ready to travel again soon, and I am stoked with happiness at the thought of wandering around this big beautiful world. I don't need something flashy and overpriced to show off to the Jone's.
I just want to wake up alive and enjoy this gorgeous planet.
I figured a realistic, reasonable price for the then-18-year-old RV would be the best way to sell quickly and fairly... and by golly, it worked! ;D
