Buying A Used Motorhome - Dont Make These Mistakes

Learn What to look for when Buying a Used Motorhome. Dont make the Mistakes that So many People have made.

When Buying a Used Motorhome Class A Class B or Class C There is ALOT you have to be concerned about. I have put together a list of my TOP 5 thing to Look for when buying a Used RV.

[douglasrodrigues]

I won a bid on a 10 year old Class A. The photos made it look like brand new condition. I told the seller that I would be flying to Boston, Mass. the very next day. He kept insisting that I put 50% down so he would "hold" the motorhome for me. I repeated that he would see me in person the very next day, so i wouldn't be making a 50% down payment. I got to Boston the next day and took a cab the 45 miles west to the seller's town. He wouldn't give me his residence address, but he said that he'd pick me up at a local McDonalds restaurant, which he did. We drove to a sort of unofficial storage lot next to an old apartment house. There it was, the Class A, but it didn't look even remotely like the advertisement photos. It had faded paint, body damage, missing parts obviously from hitting something. Inside looked like an oil drilling crew never cleaned their boots off before coming inside. Everything was dirty, a real pig pen. I commented that the photos didn't represent the true condition of the vehicle, and that I wouldn't be purchasing the vehicle. He commented that "it wouldn't take much to fix it up, " which was a lie. I commented that if it wouldn't take much, why didn't he do it? I flew back to Reno, Nv the next day, and filed a complaint with EBay. A week later that same Class A was being advertised on EBay again with the same photos that were probably taken when the motorhome was brand new. The ad disappeared the next day. I've always wondered if a sucker paid in advance and bought it sight unseen, or if EBay pulled the ad?

[danjones]

Dan Jones
I have had 3 RV over 40yrs of RVing and all your recommendations are spot on. I sold my 20 yr old Itasca 31T late 2018 after looking for 2+ years for a specific floorplan and a newer unit, wanted something 3-5 years old. I found three, missed out on 2 of them and the third one i worked a deal. I flew down to the RV dealer in Louisianan and spent 3+ hours looking over the rig VERY CAREFULLY, (without the sales or tech person) and driving it prior to any paperwork. They ever offered me let me stay in the RV overnight to make sure i loved it prior to actually paying for it. It's helpful that i have been in RV's all my life. So it turned out perfect for me. Price was within the NADA you noted, miles were low for the year, had all the maintenance records and the exact floorplan i demanded.
So if you do your homework there are quality RV out there but you need to take your time, know what your looking for.
Thanks for the video and the great chuck the music..

[randomspirit]

THANK YOU for explaining how to read the code on the tires!!! I've been watching RV videos for over a year now and you're the first one to do that. They all say it's doable, but no one ever explains HOW. LOL

[MrTimerider]

I enjoyed your video and you brought up a number of very important points indeed. However, I would personally have emphasized more on another VERY IMPORTANT aspect of purchasing a motorhome that I see so many dealers and private sellers simply don't want to discuss. that would be the " MECHANICAL CONDITION " . Bad (ball joints, torque twisted drive shafts, bad brakes systems, rear ends and wheel bearings, just to mention a few of the things that can add up to thousands of to repair if they need to be replaced. I would demand either the seller produce paper work showing the mechanical condition is in good condition or I would demand the motorhome be put on a hoist and a qualified mechanic inspect everything possible. A test drive that showed vibrations present at any speed could be a lot more than just a tire out of balance. Bottom line is the MECHANICAL CONDITION is an absolute must that must be determined before buying!! Thank you

[karenwollman]

I flew to Phoenix from Tulsa for a Class B. All looked good until I was on the road. Had to buy a new generator battery and get the generator fixed. They propane stopped working and the canapy is broken. I also needed new tires, tune up and oil change. Oh, and I had trouble with the title. But all in I have it 3 months and it probably will be needing a transmission within a year. Learned my lesson BIG time.

[joevicente]

Great video.

I live in the Northeast and was looking at a 2016 Class A in the mid West.

I hired an NRVIA certified inspector who did a very brief but thorough inspection of the motorhome to rule out first any water intrusion. If that passed, I asked the inspector to perform a fluid analysis of the engine, transmission, generator and coolant. If that passed, I was going to fly down to look at the motorhome myself. If I liked it, I was going to hire the NRVIA inspector again to perform a complete inspection. If that passed, I would purchase and drive home.

Well it turned out that the motorhome was a repo first off and it had many areas of water intrusion!

It was the best $100.00 I spent in a long time and this NRVIA inspector saved me a ton on money and time!

Do your homework and have an NRVIA inspector look it over. It is worth the

Our search continues!

Happy New Year!

[riwoof]

A very informative vid. However, why do people think they always have to have all that annoying music in the background? If your doing a video on how-to or to inform, can the music.

[rexrexford]

Your stuff is always short, sweet and informative. I never feel like I waste my time viewing your videos.

[jamesedwards]

Had one class c r I was interested in about 3 hours from me. The pics were awesome...they were of the same model but not that RV itself. Didn't know that until I got there. Guy got mad at me when I brought the pic discrepancies with to his attention. He said, "everyone does that"...bs. It had leaks with floor damage. Really, that trip costed me about $230.00 with gas and hotel. Could've cost me a lot more buying it 2sight unseen. Be carefu, scammers and crooks come in all shapes and sizes.

[levak]

First on rv i look engine compartment, if air filter is 8 years old like one that i just see couple days a go, fuel filter, oil filter, if you see rust on base where filter touching frame don't buy, engine suffer tremendously if is not up to date mantinance can take you to many spend, learn to reed dates on tires, over4 years old not aseptable . Roof is next, look for sign of water damage, use same device they using for checking boats moisture in the walls !

[imreplica]

A very informative video-I gave it a 'thumbs up', but as mentioned by others, on your next video leave out the music.

[howardbessette]

We found our 2014 Winnebago Sightseer 35G at a large dealer in Ocala, Florida last summer. After several phone calls discussing purchase price and receiving a guarantee via fax, we put down a 100% refundable deposit and flew to Florida from Illinois. The salesman kept telling us what a clean, well maintained unit it was, "the nicest rig on the lot, everything works". I spoke with the salesman prior to boarding the plane to ensure the unit would be ready for pick up the next day, assuming we completed the purchase. He stated he was coming in on his day off to make sure it was "polished up and ready to go". Arriving at the dealership the MH was plugged in and still wet from being washed. The slides were extended, every light was on, an thankfully, both air conditioners were on. The fridge was cool, the stove and water heater worked. All the basement compartments were open and very clean. But, the interior had not been cleaned. There was dog fur in every corner, something that looked like ketchup splattered on the back splash and wall next to the sink. Two of the day/night shades were all the way down and would not retract. The bathroom sink had a huge defect from a curling iron. Inside the dryer was someones sock. I asked to speak to Fred, the salesman we had dealt with by phone, and who promised to be there that day. I was told it was his day off. I asked to speak to the manager. He appeared within minutes and promised to have his crew clean the interior and guaranteed, in writing, to have a new sink and 2 new day/night shades "drop shipped" to us in Illinois. I have owned multiple campers and motorhomes and felt comfortable replacing the sink and shades. In compensation the manager filled the gas tank ($150) on our test drive. While completing the paperwork I noticed it was a consignment sale. I asked if the owners lived locally and was told it was a repossession and was being sold for the bank. That bothered me a little, but explained the condition of the interior. It had less than 12000 miles on the odometer and only 60 hours on the generator and drive great. It seemed like they were trying to hide the repossession issue. We stayed 2 nights in Destin on the way home and another in Kentucky. The only issue we had was discovering the house batteries were toast. We got a sink delivered 3 weeks later, wrong size and thin plastic. I called and asked for a factory replacement. I got another thin plastic sink that barely fit. I installed it anyway. Eight months and many, many calls later we have not gotten our shades, despite having it in writing in our contract. All we hear is promises to follow up by whichever manager is working that day. We got a great price on the unit and are very happy with it. If I ever did this again I would take the time to have repairs done before leaving the lot. Once your gone, they don't care.

[KathieGross]

I live in WI and flew myself out to Florida. I had the MH inspected by a third party and was sent pictures and a report before I decided to purchase (500 deposit to hold with written agreement of refund if I did not purchase). I had spent 6 months looking and I decided on a diesel Foretravel. The dealer in Florida had made many videos on this same subject as this one so I felt somewhat comfortable. They stress tested the MH and found my refrigerator needed to be replaced, oil leaking in the transfer case, transfer switch wasn't transferring the 110 properly. They replaced the refrigerator with a 2 year old refrigerator they had, tuned up the Onan generator, replaced the transfer switch with a rebuilt, and replaced the transfer case. They also sent me off with a full tank of diesel fuel. I drove it back 1200 miles and everything went fine except the windshield wipers were bad so I replaced those on the way home. I put it in storage for the winter (no oil leaks!) but my first time to run the generator to charge the batteries I noticed my TSwitch was not kicking in the 110. Had to get this looked at and found that I needed the contacts de-corroded and rechecked then in the inspection found the rebuilt transfer switch was not working properly. I had put aside a large bit of money for repairs due to it being a 1991 but $898 now into repairs. Over all, I felt the dealer did everything to make sure I had a safe and worry free trip. I believe if you purchase an older MH, make sure you put aside at least $6, 000 for any issues.

[davidschmidt]

We bought a 22 year old Class A motorhome in 11/20 from the previous owner of the RV. Bought it out of state, but only 1-2 hour drive. Went and inspected it, 34 foot Holiday Rambler diesel pusher. I had a great experience solely due to the previous owner, he had all receipts of what he did, and from previous owners before him, and he walked me around and all thru the motorhome and explained to me everything he worked on or repaired/replaced in the 5 years he owned it. To my advantage the diesel motor was replaced with a brand new motor just before he bought it, so the coach has 60k miles on it, but the motor only has 25k. I was also informed that the next project would be if he were to keep it - replace/update engine cooling system. I did replace the radiator (which was needed and I was informed) my self which cost me approx $1, 100 ( I understand having that job done cost approx $5, 000 ).

So far everything I was told has been right on the money and we are going to go on our first trip the end of May.

I agree with your 5 things and also agree with what others have said about mechanical condition of the unit. My wife's requirement list was short: clean, not tore up, and walk around bed. My requirement list was: diesel, built on truck frame, and mechanical condition of the unit.

[jamesrobinson]

I learned the hard way about soft spots and leaking roofs. On my first preowned class A. I fixed it all and enjoyed it for many years. I will definitely look closely at my next purchase.

[kennethhurst]

yes I went out of state and bought my first RV, and I can tell you that I didn't know what I was doing, I had to replace all the contaminated emergency brake fluid and new pads, luckily I wasn't far from a repair shop that actually had a motor coach lift. then I found my self replacing the circuit braker box and then I discovered that I had to replace the inverter and the relay switch box. later I had to replace the air conditioning covers and on and on and on.

[Grambo]

Matt, I haven't found my used Class C yet, but when I'm looking I feel confident that I can check it out to find anything wrong and to make sure a mechanic looks for the right things, as much as possible. You are the man. Thanks Grambo

[LaceTomus]

I bought a 2020 Keystone travel trailer from a RV dealer here in San Antonio. Signed and thought the deal was done. We did the walkthrough and all was great. Beautiful inside and out. As the lot was not ready yet, they said I could leave it there at no charge and so I was glad about that. so I made a deal with them at the time of purchase. The day came for delivery, I called them up and asked if I needed to be there when the transport guy was to hook up. They said NO and that everything was fine that the transport was set for delivery. So, I said ok. About 4 hours later my RV had arrived at lot that I had rented. As I was getting out of my car I looked and I'm like OMG! You've got to be kidding me? The RV had holes in it. Front to back on both sides. The front awing was broken off and holes on the front door latch area. At the top by the awning was holes. The light on side was broken off. The back rear on the other side was scratched from top to bottom. The light where the scrapes were was broken off. And I could go on.. I called the dealership and told them what I had just received. and that I was taking pictures of all the damages. They said to send them the pictures and see what I was talking about. Luckily I took pictures when I did my 1st walkthrough and after as well. The driver was smart too because he took film before he left the dealership. Anyway, I went straight back to the dealership and it turns out when talking to the salesmen, he admitted that him and another salesmen knew about the damage to the back light and they tried to fix it with black tar. They NEVER admitted to anything about any of the other damages they had done while it was sitting on their lot. It took them about 8 days to pick it back up. I have been calling and nothing yet. It has been months now and nothing has been done yet. They did call last week and said they did NOT have an ETA when the parts were even coming in. I am in a stump mode and am paying monthly payments for something that I don't even have. I don't have my RV and NOW I don't have the lot. They couldn't hold it! I also found out that when I DO get it back, I will only have a few months IF ANY to have a warrantee left on it. I wish I knew what to do without spending more money out of pocket.. I am wondering if when I do get it back will the Title be a salvage title?

[rudystone]

A family member gave me an older used motor that looked very good. It was registered in a state that had no safety inspection requirements. Once I drove back to my state that does have a required safety inspection, it cost me thousands to get it to pass the safety inspection before I could register it.

[jamesbarone]

Been through a lot of dealers. No used mh dealer makes needed repairs prior to purchase. Only items found prior to purchase (inspection) may be repaired. None after. Make sure you find faults before the signature.