The RV Buyer’s Checklist: What to Look for Before You Purchase

When you start shopping for an RV there are dozens of things to think about and the process can be overwhelming and confusing.  Unfortunately, this confusion often leads people in the wrong direction and results in poor decisions.  Some people get so hung up on comparing prices that they ignore all the weightier considerations, like brand integrity, engineering, manufacturer support, intended use, and value vs price.  Here you’ll find an RV Buyer’s Checklist to remind you of all the important considerations of buying, owning, and using an RV. 

The whole process goes far beyond simply buying the right RV (that act alone is daunting enough) but once you’ve purchased it there will be countless times in the coming years when you will be using it.  And when it’s not in use, you’ll need to store it and maintain it, and pay for it.  All these after purchase decisions must also factor into your thinking from the moment you first start thinking about buying an RV. For example, once you buy your RV where will you store it? 

If you intend to keep it on your property, is there any reason you can’t get it up your driveway, (sharp curves, too much slope, narrow road, low wires or tree limbs, prohibited by the homeowner’s association)?  At an RV show if you’re considering buying a 45’ fifth wheel or motorhome are you thinking clearly about all the issues beyond the purchase, like your driveway? 

That 45’ RV is beautiful on the showroom floor with a crazy amount of living space, but have you considered what type of truck you will need to tow it, or what it will be like trying to park it, or what it will be like driving that motorhome at 65 MPH in heavy traffic? Buying an RV is only the first step.

The RV Buyer’s Checklist

There are both broad and granular criteria that must be understood before you can successfully select the right RV for you, and you must consider all these issues.  Unfortunately, many folks never look at the broad criteria and they put all their effort and consideration into the details of the different RVs available for sale.  But if you don’t have a clear understanding of the broad issues the details may become irrelevant. 

Broad Criteria

• Who will be using the RV and your intended use
• Financing and discretionary funds
• Engineering, brand integrity, manufacturer support
• Value vs price 

Granular Criteria

• New vs used RV
• Type of RV
• Size of the RV
• Appointments and equipment (needs vs desires)

Intended Use

The most important thing to consider before you start to narrow the selection is to accurately define who will be using the RV and in what capacity.  It’s not enough to just think, “well of course, my family will use it for camping”. How many people in your family will use it? What are their ages? Do you want to entertain guests in your RV? Will your children’s friends ever be joining you on camping trips?  These questions will all point to the number and type of sleeping arrangements you will need in your RV.  It will also inform you as to how much room you will most likely need to meet your goals.  

Another broad consideration is how will you use your RV?  Are you looking for an off the beaten path experience? Will you be content camping in developed campgrounds and RV parks?  Is your dream to dry camp in the back country and be off the grid? Are you intending to travel long distances in your RV? Do you anticipate using your RV as a full-time living environment at any time in the future?  How long do you think you will keep and use your RV?

If you have children, will you need space for academic pursuits or indoor play space?  How about your pets, are they going to be in your RV?  Will you use your RV year around and what type of climate might you encounter? Do you need extra space for large motorized toys?

You may not have all the answers to these questions but considering your intended use will help you make critical decisions about the type and size of RV that will accommodate all those needs and desires.  It’s easy to just say, “my family and I want to use our RV for camping,” but there’s a big difference between camping for a couple of weeks on vacation each year, vs being a weekend warrior year around, or being a fulltime RVer.  Until you understand who will use it and how, you are not prepared to decide what will meet the need.

Financing and Discretionary Funds

RVs are expensive and usually represent a long term financial commitment.  But the financial consideration is more than the selling price, plus the interest rate, and the terms of the loan.  There are many other financial issues to consider.  You’ll need a separate insurance policy, and possibly an extended warranty. You’ll need to park the RV somewhere, and if you can’t park it on your own property, that may include storage fees. 

Everything about an RV is more costly than a car; license, registration, tires, batteries, oil changes (if the RV has an engine) gear, gas/diesel.  Additionally, there are park and campground fees and recreational expenses for activities, and sightseeing.  If you don’t plan for all these extra costs when you’re selecting your RV you could be so far underfunded that you don’t have the resources needed to enjoy the RV once you get it.  

Another factor to keep in mind if you intend to purchase a used RV is many lenders restrict the age, use, and condition of RVs they will fund. If you intend to finance your purchase, before you start shopping for an RV investigate the lenders, so you know their criteria and limitations.  You can’t actually get prequalified because each RV loan is based on a specific vehicle, but RV lenders will be able to tell you what you should be able to afford based on your finances and credit score.  

Engineering, Brand Integrity, Manufacturer Support

Unfortunately, this issue is often overlooked by RV buyers who are new to RVing.  They may not understand that there are huge differences in the quality of RV construction and some manufacturers have an excellent reputation while others do not.  Generally speaking, you will not be able to determine this by visiting an RV show and talking with the sales reps.  They will all claim that their brands are reputable and reliable, but we have met dozens of people who have a different story. 

The complaints range from, “there was a two inch gap between the door and the door frame, and neither the dealer or the manufacturer would take responsibility for replacing the door,” to “the furnace in our brand new fifth wheel caught on fire one night and we were lucky that all four of us got out alive.” 

In another instance our friend’s toilet clogged up every time they used their new motorhome.  The dealer finally admitted it was a known design flaw that was built into that brand and the manufacturer had no suggested correction for the problem, but the dealership refused to make any accommodation for this disturbing problem. In less than 6 months our friends traded it in on a different RV but they lost over $20,000 in the process.

Just because an RV is expensive is no guarantee it will not have engineering or design defects and just because a dealer tells you that they support all the brands they sell doesn’t mean they will correct warranty problems.  If your new RV has warranty problems when you buy it (and almost all new RV’s do) the dealer will direct you to the manufacturer who may or may not send you back to the dealer where you bought it.  As an example, we spoke to a mobile service technician who was trying to replace a dysfunctional water heater on a brand new $750,000 motorhome. 

The owners lived in their RV on the Oregon Coast.  But the RV manufacturer would not work with the mobile tech because they would only send replacement parts to an authorized dealer.  Unfortunately for the RV owners there were no authorized dealers in Oregon.  The manufacturer’s only solution for this problem was for the owners to bring their coach back to the factory to have the water heater replaced.  Oh, did I mention the factory is in Alabama and they lived in their RV in Oregon?  Consequently, the only option was for the owners to buy a new water heater and have the mobile tech install it. This is a glaring example of poor brand integrity.  

So how do you determine which brands really do stand behind their products?  This will take some research on your part. You’ll need to read reviews, check out online forums, talk to other RVers and get firsthand accounts of what other people have to say about their RVs.  This could take some time, but it’s a vital step in avoiding future problems.  And you should know from the start, that once an RV is sold, most dealers will not handle warranty issues directly for the new RV owner.  They may have a service department that can handle all the warranty problems, but they need the authorization (read that payment) from the manufacturer before they will schedule repairs.

Value vs Price

This is the last broad criteria on the RV buyer’s checklist, but it crosses over into the glandular area as well. When you’re shopping for an RV it’s easy to shift into thinking like you’re buying a commodity, like a dishwasher or patio furniture.  You might go from one RV to the next at an RV show and just focus on the price differences. 

You might make a mental note about the differences in the size compared to the price, but that’s about the only distinction you might consider between all the various RVs for sale.  You start looking for the best priced RV like the best priced patio furniture.  But invariably the best priced RV is typically not the best value.  

All the features and appointments will add or subtract from the value as will the size and type of RV but there are more subtle differences that are harder to identify.  For example, we met a retired couple who had a brand new 45’ fifth wheel trailer.  He was thrilled with his new trailer but told us a story of the first one he bought from that same manufacturer.  It was the same size with essentially the same features, but it was many thousands of dollars cheaper and that was why he bought the first trailer. 

Unfortunately, the list of major defects in the first rig was long (and neither the dealer or manufacturer were willing to address any of these problems). Finally, he knew he wasn’t going to win and he was forced to trade it in on the better model. 

He knew from all the issues he was having with the first trailer that it would never be right, even if he paid for the repairs himself.  I expressed my surprise that he had purchased his second trailer from the same manufacturer (not the same dealer) and he explained that the difference was in the model.  He thought he was saving some money (price vs value) by buying the lower priced model but all he managed to do was get a lower quality, and as such a lower valued RV. 

In the end the whole transaction cost him much more because he had to replace the low priced RV with the higher priced one, and he lost many thousands of dollars on the trade-in.  

Granular Considerations

New vs Used RV

You can find a huge assortment of RVs in both the new and used markets, and the decision to buy either new or used may come down to your financial analysis or to your personal preferences or both.  New vs used RVs is a hotly debated subject. There are those people who would never buy new and others who would never buy used.  Buying new costs more and typically comes with a list of warranty issues that will need to be addressed. 

Some RVers would simply rather have someone else take care of all the warranty work and absorb the new vehicle depreciation so they get an RV that has been “shaken out” and is less expensive.  On the other hand, all those RV’s that were traded-in because they had uncorrectable defects (clogging toilet, door didn’t fit the door jam, roof leak that couldn’t be located, furnace fire) are back on the used RV lots being sold to someone else and many of those used RVs no longer have valid warranties. 

On the other hand, some people just want to own their RV from the start of its journey even if it costs more and may entail extra service work, at least they know the whole history of the RV and they rationalize that all the “dirt” is their own. The decision to buy a new RV vs a used one is a personal choice but certainly this consideration should be on your RV buyer checklist.  

If you do intend to purchase a used RV I strongly suggest that you personally inspect the RV and then have it professionally inspected.  Also, if you are going to shop for a used RV remember all the supply chain and labor problems that occurred during the pandemic.  Used RVs that were manufactured during that time period may have an inordinate number of defects which an inspector should be able to identify, or you may wish to avoid altogether.

Type and Size of the RV

This is finally where you will end up when you have worked your way through all the broad considerations listed above.  Will your family’s needs be best served with a class A, B, or C motorhome, a travel trailer, a fifth wheel, truck camper, or pop-up trailer? Can you fulfill your camping dreams in a van, or will a motorhome better serve you?  If you said it’s your desire to get far off the beaten path then shopping for a large motorhome or fifth wheel trailer will not meet that need because they are hard to drive on small back country roads and equally hard to park in remote locations. 

If your children are small right now, but you can see yourself camping as weekend warriors for the next 10 or 15 years while your family matures then buying a small van or pop-up trailer probably won’t give you enough room for your growing family. The broad considerations (your intended use and your financial assessment) will directly impact what type and size of RV you should be shopping for. The type and size of RV are very important criteria but don’t get this out of order.  Let your broad criteria inform your granular decisions.

Appointments and Equipment (need vs desire)

The final criteria on the RV buyer’s checklist are the appointments and equipment you want to have on your RV.  Will you need solar panels, and large holding tanks to support long periods of boondocking?  If you’ll eventually use your RV as a full-timer would it be wise to get one with a washer and dryer, or at least buy one that is wired for a future washer and dryer installation?  Do you need an outdoor entertainment center or an outdoor kitchen? 

How about storage; will a few basements be enough, or do you need the extra space of a toy hauler?  Make a list of all the features you want and/or need, such as: 4 beds for you and your children, (a needed item) or an electric fireplace, (a desired feature).  If you have already identified that you plan to use your RV year around then an all-weather package should be marked as a needed feature.  Again, let your intended use dictate what features you need so you will be sure to buy an RV that fully meets your intended camping style.

We have met so many campers who wished they had bought a bigger or smaller RV, or a different type of RV, or one with different features and appointments.  Some campers have lamented that they wished they had paid more attention to the details and appointments or had spent more time shopping for a better quality RV, rather than bought the cheaper version.

We even know one couple who bought and sold 5 different RVs in the first 6 years of their marriage and with each one they lost money.  These sad stories do not have to be your story.  Use this RV buyer’s checklist, work your way through it, take your time, do your research, and let the broad criteria define your granular decisions.