lheiberger
New member
Hello - I am an AZ resident who recently sold my RV to a buyer from CO ($70K transaction) and bought from a seller in FL ($240K+$10K transaction). Both were done in cash which made it easier. First the sale, they wanted me to hold it for four weeks so they put down a 5% deposit via my PayPal account and we completed an RV intent to purchase form signed via Docusign. There was communication so they could line up insurance. They arrived, inspected, test drove, and confirmed they wanted to purchase. I had lined up a traveling notary at our house. I signed the AZ title over to them and the notary signed too. This is required in AZ. They gave me a cashier's check. I also did a bill of sale for them (search RV Bill of Sale for forms) that was also notarized. Not necessary, but it is a good idea as you can never have too much documentation. We went to the AZ MVD together (I did not need to be there). They got temporary plates for a small fee (cannot recall the amount) to drive to CO where they will be able to register the RV.
Now the purchase. See the attached as this was more complicated as the seller had a lien (loan from the bank). First, I had a relative living in FL do an inspection. Then, my husband and I went down. There were repairs that needed to be completed but we definitely wanted to purchase. I did an amendment to a Bill of Sale where the sale was contingent on those being completed (you can always waive those if it takes too long). We also did an Odometer Attestation. We had both notarized with all of our signatures and original copies for both of us. The Bill of Sale serves as a contractual agreement whereby if either party does not follow through, the other party may pursue damages. I did not put down a deposit.
I went down to FL again - repairs complete. But had to return home as there was no way the small county office was going to be able to provide the printed FL title in a reasonable timeframe. I did go through the process of buying their trailer where they owned that outright. Process was - go to Wells Fargo, get cashier's check, notarized the title (not required for FL but again peace of mind), call the AZ MVD 602-255-0072, upload your scanned documents to your AZ ADOT account, and they walk you through signing the AZ forms and paying for the registration via a credit card. Then the temporary registration and plates are in your account to be printed out. I also did the very nerve racking transaction at Wells Fargo to transfer funds from my checking to BofA. Wells Fargo has a long and deep paper trail when you do this size transfer whereby it is very evident what the purpose of the transfer is.
The title was released to the FL DMV three days after the wire was sent. It was available in electronic format but a printed copy is needed to transfer between states. At this time, no states can do interstate electronic transactions. They can only do intrastate - within state - title transfers. Due to COVID, the buyer had to make an appointment at a county tax collectors office in the county they live in. That was two weeks out. But they finally got the printed title.
Trip #3 - Did the exact same process as the trailer where I had a cashier's check for the balance they had paid of the loan. Did the exact same process with the AZ MVD to get the temporary plates to drive home.
All forms are easily found online - do some digging to get the free forms.
You should line up insurance two weeks prior to purchasing the vehicle and/or trailer - you can always cancel if the deal falls through. Insurance is not required for 30 days for AZ but no one should ever drive without insurance.
If you do the above, you avoid sales tax. That is a serious chunk of change. And do not be fooled by brokerages, escrow services, etc. I almost paid for services that would have resulted in paying sales tax.
Finally, both the buyers and sellers are fantastic, honorable, and trust-worthy people. If you do not feel right about who you are transacting with, WALK AWAY. It is not worth dealing with difficult or dangerous people in an RV transaction - this is supposed to be the fun part of life!
If you are doing a transaction in AZ, I am happy to answer any questions so you can learn from our experiences.
Now the purchase. See the attached as this was more complicated as the seller had a lien (loan from the bank). First, I had a relative living in FL do an inspection. Then, my husband and I went down. There were repairs that needed to be completed but we definitely wanted to purchase. I did an amendment to a Bill of Sale where the sale was contingent on those being completed (you can always waive those if it takes too long). We also did an Odometer Attestation. We had both notarized with all of our signatures and original copies for both of us. The Bill of Sale serves as a contractual agreement whereby if either party does not follow through, the other party may pursue damages. I did not put down a deposit.
I went down to FL again - repairs complete. But had to return home as there was no way the small county office was going to be able to provide the printed FL title in a reasonable timeframe. I did go through the process of buying their trailer where they owned that outright. Process was - go to Wells Fargo, get cashier's check, notarized the title (not required for FL but again peace of mind), call the AZ MVD 602-255-0072, upload your scanned documents to your AZ ADOT account, and they walk you through signing the AZ forms and paying for the registration via a credit card. Then the temporary registration and plates are in your account to be printed out. I also did the very nerve racking transaction at Wells Fargo to transfer funds from my checking to BofA. Wells Fargo has a long and deep paper trail when you do this size transfer whereby it is very evident what the purpose of the transfer is.
The title was released to the FL DMV three days after the wire was sent. It was available in electronic format but a printed copy is needed to transfer between states. At this time, no states can do interstate electronic transactions. They can only do intrastate - within state - title transfers. Due to COVID, the buyer had to make an appointment at a county tax collectors office in the county they live in. That was two weeks out. But they finally got the printed title.
Trip #3 - Did the exact same process as the trailer where I had a cashier's check for the balance they had paid of the loan. Did the exact same process with the AZ MVD to get the temporary plates to drive home.
All forms are easily found online - do some digging to get the free forms.
You should line up insurance two weeks prior to purchasing the vehicle and/or trailer - you can always cancel if the deal falls through. Insurance is not required for 30 days for AZ but no one should ever drive without insurance.
If you do the above, you avoid sales tax. That is a serious chunk of change. And do not be fooled by brokerages, escrow services, etc. I almost paid for services that would have resulted in paying sales tax.
Finally, both the buyers and sellers are fantastic, honorable, and trust-worthy people. If you do not feel right about who you are transacting with, WALK AWAY. It is not worth dealing with difficult or dangerous people in an RV transaction - this is supposed to be the fun part of life!
If you are doing a transaction in AZ, I am happy to answer any questions so you can learn from our experiences.
