RV Buyers Guide: How to Buy a RV Tip
Hopefully you have a better idea what your looking for so you can start the search for your ideal RV. Yet, the struggle often comes from the option of an engine and not the size. Please have a look at these articles if your wondering whether to choose a Motorhome or a Trailer.
- Motorhome vs Trailer
- How To Choose The Best RV For You: Trailer vs. Motorhome
- RVers CHOICE: MOTORHOME OR TRAILER?
- Motor homes vs trailers
Where to Look When Buying an RV?
- Rv Shows – A great place to explore all the options and see for your self not only the different models but speak with representatives from manufacturers and other RV’ers. Visit this link to see if there are any shows near you.
- RV Dealers – Find a dealer near you. Just like a car shopping be sure to take your time and if you feel pressured rest assured there is another dealer close by that probably wont make you feel that way. Be sure to take a look at something like this preference worksheet to get an idea of the type of things dealers are looking for to help assist you.
- Contact Manufacturers – Offers to search by name or type of RV. Offers phone, address and website information.
- Online – There are many resources online. Click a button or link below to see the sites that have simple functionality and are easy to navigate.
RV Review Websites:
What should you be looking for:
- Type of RV you like
- Floorplan (Harder than you may think)
- Storage (Do you travel light or do you need ladders, tools, plates, towels, etc)
- Options (What do you want in your RV-Microwave? Beds? TV?)
- Fuel Economy
- Livability and Usability (How often will you be using the RV)
How to Buy a RV at the Right Price and Develop a RV Budget
One of the most important considerations that you should go over in detail is your budget for your RV. Its vital to figure out how much you can afford to spend on your RV and also how much you can afford to spend monthly on your RV including all the related expenses (fuel, storage, maintenance, etc)
1. Amount you have to spend or “Total Available Cash”
Total Available cash is made up of two things:
- The cash your RV payment will buy you.
- Any money you contribute to a down payment.
Use the calculator at the link below to determine your “Total Available Cash”.
Available Cash Calculator from dcu.org
If you don’t spend more than your Total Available Cash you should be very comfortable as long as your assumptions on what you could afford are reasonable. This will keep you in a much better situation and avoid financial woes over your RV because you overspent.
2. Related Expenses (as covered earlier in the article)
- Maintenance – The bigger the RV the more things that can go wrong! RV’s seem to have more issues than the average car. Unless your handy then this can be a considerable expense.
- Insurance – The bigger the RV the bigger the bill for RV insurance. You will find that insurance will be more expensive than its passenger commuting counterpart.
- Fuel/Oil – The RV world is still waiting on a Prius motorhome. Until then expect to get fuel economy between 8-20 MPG depending on the RV you choose.
- Towing – If you will be towing either your RV or a vehicle behind your motorhome you need to consider if you have the vehicle or equipment to do so.
- Place to Park Your New Ride – Many homeowner Associations don’t allow for RV’s or there is no space to store them. You may need to store them a at a fee elsewhere
- Where will you Stay– Safe to assume that you may take your RV places that charge rent for you to stay at an RV park or Campground.
- Meals – Will you have the option of making meals in your RV or will you have to eat out on your trips?
- Connectivity – Mobile Internet (Our Guide), Wifi Booster, GPS, Satellite TV, Netflix etc. Are you interested in having these perks on the road?
RV Buyers Guide: How to Buy a RV Tip: Be sure to consider all of these things in relation to the RV your choosing to be confident that you wont put yourself under financial strain after your purchase.
Very good info…hope to buy and go part time ina few years and full time about 10 years from now. The grey/black lettering on white is just fine for those of us who are color blind!
I have to agree. The spelling and grammatical errors were driving me crazy. Its vs. it’s. Your vs. you’re. Those types of errors can completely change the intent of a sentence, which in turn makes the article more confusing than it needs to be. But otherwise, a lot of good useful information. We are looking to get into RVing in a couple years once my wife and I have enough passive income from our rental properties to financially fund our desire for adventure.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your comment. We steered clear of the ratings as that is an entirely different topic to tackle. We put together a post on “RV Reviews: The Best Resources for Finding The Right RV” to speak to that instead. We dont pretend to be experts on the ratings but there are certainly others that do. The article tells you where to look and how to interpret them.
I hope that helps!
Could you go into the safety ratings some? I understand that there is a lot to consider with the class A for instance. Thanks for all the good info.
Sorry about the typo’s! You have to expect them when some of our writers just learned to use a computer!
Don’t forget the B+ category of RV. Also noticed at least one grammatical, spelling, or type-o error(s).
You are welcome Al! I hope your search goes well for your new RV!
Thanks so much for this – lots of good info!!
Nice, comprehensive guide! Great compilation!
Great stuff! I am going to forward to a few people that are first time buyers.
why oh why do you use grey text on a white background in the smallest font size possible??!!