Most RV buyers, if you ask them, will say that having their RV inspected for quality issues before buying is a good idea. But how many actually do it?
Did you hire an independent technician or other qualified inspector to examine your new or used RV top to bottom before signing on the bottom line?
Most home buyers insist on a thorough inspection by a professional. Many states even require such inspections. Heaven knows, there are so many things that a trained eye can see that others can’t. And what goes for homes, goes for RVs.
RVers, many of them making what will be the second most expensive purchase of their lifetimes, forgo an inspection, probably to save the $300 to $600 they cost (it could be more or less). Most dealers will do an inspection but, frankly, they’re often not looking very closely. Plenty of RVers will offer testimonials to that statement, frustrated they did not have their RVs examined by an independent expert before buying.
So, it’s your turn now: Did you have your RV inspected? Please leave a comment.
I bought it brand new and didn’t think there was a reason to have an inspection on it..
I bought mine new, and expected issues, because they all have them. My mistake was bringing it back in for warranty work. I shouldn’t have bothered, because my temporary repairs were higher quality.
While the advertising makes it sound like it is just a few hundred dollars to save you thousands the reality of trying to find a qualified inspector with experience in the class of RV you are looking at is another. When I bought my Class A DP in Montgomery there were ZERO NRVIA inspectors where I was purchasing. I called several of them and most were unwilling to travel. The one who would travel wanted the inspection fee, $0.65 per mile both ways and per diem to stay overnight. Then there were the extras, over 35′ that was an extra $200, propane an extra $150, bath and a half an extra $150, and diesel chassis an extra $300. Doing the math I would have paid $500/hr for an inspection.
We bought our Tiffin new off a dealer. My husband did his own inspection and we took it to red bay for minor fixes. We did our homework before we bought it.
I paid $950 in Salt Lake City UT for a day and a half NRVIA inspection which was the BIGGEST waste of money! I should have booked a plane and hotel and done the inspection myself. He missed numerous problems where I could have had a better negotiating position. I will NEVER pay for any NRVIA inspection ever again. Chances are I won’t need to as this 2006 Monaco Dynasty Countess III Coach will be my last one anyway.
Not on our current 2019 travel trailer, but I would if I bought a new one today.
We bought our 2014 Tiffin in 2018. Before flying from Pennsylvania to Missouri to complete the purchase and drive it home, we hired a NRVIA inspector. He was excellent, and we have never regretted having the inspection.
I chose other.
Before we bought our 9 year old gas powered Class A, I checked with Wholesale Warranties about coverage. They require it to be inspected and that cost was included in the policy. They chose the inspector and that inspection was less than stellar BUT I knew if the inspector signed off, anything covered in the policy that broke would be taken care of (minus our deductible). On our first trip the furnace didn’t work. Wholesale Warranties didn’t question the repair.
Bought our last two rvs new, so I didn’t consider using an inspector. Our 5th wheel, 15 years ago, developed a few minor problems that would not have shown up in an inspection. We added a new, triple slide truck camper 2 years ago that developed 76 different problems in the first 18 months, most of those in the first 6 months. Not a single one of those problems would have shown up in an inspection. I could justify an inspection fee if I was buying a used rv & was a newbie to rving. But, if you’re an experienced rver, & have done a lot of your own maintenance, you should be able to thoroughly inspect an rv before purchasing.
I too bought a new truck camper in 2022. I found unacceptable quality issues only when I started making mods to it. We refer to it as our COVID camper! As we are looking to upsize our camper, I am curious, is yours a Host?
Picked up my brand new molded fiberglass Lil Snoozy @ 5 pm Friday & noticed 2 options I’d paid for hadn’t been done. Richard immediately installed the driver side storage portal but said the bathroom fan was not available & refunded me the $$. This was my first ever RV and Richard took 2 hrs to give us an RV 101 course.
Yes, was pretty much a waste of money to get my 2019 Tiffin Diesel inspected. These inspections do virtually nothing as far as chassis or engine which is the most important part of the rig. Inspector failed to find several things like body damage. I would recommend having cummins check out the engine and transmission and get a good roof inspection, anybody can check light switches and toilets.
Selected No. We purchased a new 2024 Entegra 30z in February from LaMesa RV in Mesa AZ. without having it inspected. We put it in LaMesa service center PHX location for minor repairs prior to Christmas and it’s still sitting there. Learned my lesson, inspection first.
I did not have it inspected, but wish I had
We had it inspected by a friend who has owned several RVs and “knows his stuff”. He checked it inside and out/up and under! Couldn’t have gotten a better check up.
Recently, a post on one of the many RV Forums from a new RV’er asked if $1000 for an NRVIA inspection for the 22 ft. travel trailer she was interested in buying was a reasonable price! That’s more than a home inspection on a $500K house!
I had my travel trailer inspected in Washington State by a NRVIA inspector. One inspector wanted $1000, the other $500. Went with the $500 inspector. She did good, but missed two things. The one was a drawer in the dinette seat. Towed from Washington state to Pa without opening. Put two six packs of tea in it and drove to campsite. Weight of tea was enough to prevent slide from keeping drawer closed. Dinette seat was made wrong and wouldn’t latch closed. Other was cabinet drawer plate made slightly crooked. Inspector can’t catch everything. As an inspector myself I’ve missed things.
I did have the camper professionally inspected before signing the papers. But there wasn’t any payment. He is a friend that I have known forever.
Since owning the camper since 2018, I have had 2 items that needed repaired.
I didn’t pay a professional as my friend’s son is a diesel mechanic and worked for country coach building motorhomes and he did my inspection on my new diesel pusher. He caught a few things that were questionable and some other things that needed to be fixed. I’m glad he was with me.
After I bought and confirming appliances were working took it on a three week trip. I then took it to Roger’s Camping Trailers in Tracy, CA. He found a few areas on the roof that weren’t sealed properly and a bearing seal leaking grease on the brakes. It was worth it for me to have him repair than going back to Camping World where I bought it.
Trailer was in Missouri, I was in Washington (state). I found an excellent inspector via the National RV Inspectors Association.
I am an FAA-license aircraft mechanic. I inspected my new 5th wheel before I accepted delivery at the dealer.
Most people are CHEAP & LAZY!
That’s a combination for successful failure in most any endeavor in life!
They are CHEAP because they will not pay for professional help in purchasing an item they know little to nothing about.
They are LAZY because they are unwilling, not unable, to learn the knowledge needed themselves to make an informed decision when making a purchase.
RV salespeople know this and work this lack of knowledge and customer laziness to their advantage.
Nothing unusual here.
That just means the vast majority of RV buyers are NORMAL!
Broke and Stupid!
We paid about $600 to have our 1st new-to-us trailer inspected and found a few minor things, some the previous owner fixed, some we fixed. With our 2nd new-to-us trailer, Hubs felt like we didn’t get enough value and opted to skip the inspection. BIG mistake! While the layout is perfect for us and we’ve fixed all (we think) the issues, we’ve paid $1000s to do so. In hindsight, it would have been well worth the cost for a professional inspection to walk away from this Money Pit. We could have gotten another trailer in much better shape for the same or possibly less than we’ve invested. If we ever buy another RV – new or used – we WILL get it professionally inspected.
We had our RV professionally inspected, and we bought it new. We had several items that were addressed under warranty prior to us closing, some of which we probably did not notice right away. This worked out better because we didn’t have to return to get them fixed. The inspector didn’t find any “major” issues, just several minor things. They also did paint correction before applying Ceramic coating.
I bought my Lazy Daze from the original owner. I didn’t feel the need to have it inspected because, before I even decided to buy it, she filled up nearly 2 pages of 8 1/2 x 11 paper with things that she would have repaired, replaced, etc. for me if I bought it. She was as good as her word. She even bought six new tires and several other things! To top it off, her price was $10,000 less than what another owner of the same year and model was asking for his. It’s too bad that not all transactions are that easy. I was totally blessed!
I had only a chassis & mechanical inspection.
No, we bought it new from a reputable dealer and took it back to them for the few necessary repairs.
We answered no, BUT, our situation has been unusual. We knew the owners and full history of the units we bought from private parties. We knew how they took care of their things, even having been camping with two of them. There were a couple of things we had to fix on our current coach, but no real surprises. If we were buying in different circumstances, we would absolutely get an inspection done.
Did have inspection.
Was and RV repair tech for several years.
Didn’t know anything about it back then. Now I recommend to people to have it done. I helped a friend buy a used 5th wheel several years ago and the inspection saved her lots of money
Thank you for the question, RV Travel! No, bought new. In hindsight, still might have been a good idea. Have a great week and safe travels!
so true…I was also one that did not get the inspection on our new 2019 Flagstaff…however, I was all over it much to the chagrin of the dealer prior to taking delivery and knock on some real wood, no issues to complain over to date.
No. My background had me familiar with build quality in general, cabinets, elec, plumbing, running gear, etc. I ticked off the items that I did not think were right and told them to call me back when they were fixed, and they would have a sale. They fixed, they called, I bought. Happy Camper here.
I had four Berkshire DP motor homes inspected at $1000 each in states far away from me; they all failed! Duct tape windshield from a torqued frame . Moisture in closets, slide issues never seen on nice pictures. The perfect Berkshire I found was in KY, kept in the owners barn and babied!! Yes it was worth every $ not to get someone’s junker!!