Any large purchase can stir up fear and concern. You want to make sure you don’t churn a lot of money into something that provides little return. Or worse, negative returns. It just takes some planning, research, drawing from experts’ experiences and a little gut feeling. So how can you enter the RV purchasing world and buy an RV fearlessly?
There are a lot of positives to buying privately. There are no markups from the rig being prepped or delivered to the dealership. The person you are buying from has already covered all those expenses and they are not ones that can be passed along. They might try, but you will know the rig value. The other bonus – there is plenty of inventory! You are not locked into what the dealerships have. Sometimes they only carry a few brands. Looking through privately owned inventory gives you access to plenty of RVs that match your RV criteria.
Remember the previous owner has paid for the dealership expenses. You don’t have those now. In addition, the depreciation isn’t as steep. You are buying the RV at a used price which should be close to what it’s current market value. So, when you drive it away from the used lot, you are not automatically losing thousands of dollars in just a few short minutes. Also, when you buy used, the vehicle has been put through testing with the previous owner. Kinks, bugs, issues may have already been identified and repaired or at least there may be a list of problems, so you know what you are getting into and how to negotiate based on that information.
You should never walk in to purchase any RV until you have done your research. Here are a few things you should know before you buy used:
You should not rely on the seller to provide you with the value of the RV. There are many ways you can avoid scams when buying and RV – doing your own research is one of those ways.
Rushing into a purchase because they say they have another buyer lined up is not a good reason to buy now. The only reason to buy a used RV is because you have done your research, and this is the best deal for the RV you want. Hasty buying decisions can cost you money. You don’t want to get ripped off on your first RV purchase (or second or third)! Being patient gives you the time to do several key things in your RV search.
Late fall and early winter are the best to buy a new or used RV. This season is considered the off-season for purchases so you can save money here and have more to spend on upgrades or your future RV adventures. October and November are considered a good time to get some pretty good discounts. December and January are even slower, so they are considered the best months to purchase if you are looking to buy used from a dealer because they want to clear old inventory. TIP: Another good time to purchase used RVs is when fuel prices are high and will stay that way for a while.
When you buy used, more of the responsibility falls on you to do your due diligence and put protocols in place to protect yourself. So, follow these tips and you are off to a good start. You can enter the RV world with your own direct purchase of a used RV and come out a winner. What are you waiting for – get out there and start shopping!
Purchase an RV in the fall for…even better travel experiences.