If you’re a newbie RVer just getting started, know this: Having your RV inspected before you purchase it and drive it home is one of the, if not the, most important things you can do. You want someone up on that roof, under that rig, upside-down, inspecting that thing. Every last inch of it.
Trust us.
If you already own an RV, did you have it independently inspected before you bought it? If so, are you glad you did (come on, tell those newbies in the comments below to do it!)?
knowing what i know now, im just happy that the guy we bought from wasnt a sheister. we didnt check if anything worked air, lights, fridge, water heater, …anything. since we bought we have changed out convenience items but all in all the TT is the way we bought it. but i could sure be a good source for a family member thinking about buying used.
We lucked out when buying our first class A. The previous owners kept great records (as a mechanic, he had done all maintenance himself and went over his routine with my husband), we went to their home to be shown their new RV, and he kept in touch with us to answer any questions we had. We didn’t get an inspection on our second because we had known the owners since before it was new, and knew how they maintained it and their other property. We would normally get an inspection.
We did it on a brand new RV. We are glad we did. Didn’t find too many big issues, but we got alot of little things taken care of before we even took the trailer home. It also just gave us peace of mind as brand new RVers that wouldn’t have even known what we were looking at back then if we tried to inspect it ourselves. Not to mention it was a a help during the whirlwind of non-information we got about our unit in our “walk thru” and the lackadaisical report of the dealership PDI when compared to our inspection report upon pick-up.
Didn’t know it was a thing but I did have a friend buying her used 5er hire one and probably the best money she spent on it.
Well, I’m about as independent as they come.
Yes, our motorhome lender required it along with gap insurance and a three-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and every thing was worth it. It cost $300. They took 97 pictures of all systems, inspecting and driving it, and thoroughly going over inside and out of the motorhome. The report was approximately 24 pages long, plus the pictures, and we found it so good. There are nationwide companies that do this, and we bought our RV from a private party with great results.
The warranty has also been good for the couple problems that we’ve had, it covered them well.
No. If we had we would not be stuck with a POS.
No. I have always purchased used from private parties, and inspect all systems myself. I ask the seller up-front to show me it works, or I will assume it doesn’t. I always expect there will be some undisclosed repairs required, and negotiate price accordingly.
Buyer Beware!
Bought 4 yr old DP MH from private owner and had NRVIA inspection. This guy was great…he and 2 other team members spent 6 hours doing inspection. 3 people 6 hours total 18 hours! One interior, one exterior and one on mechanical!
Multi page report with notes and photos as well as fluids inspection. Found a few minor issues and owner repaired/replaced before deal went through. Would do it exactly the same again!
We didn’t and were fairly lucky. It was a rental but in good shape. Black and grey tanks were still full. The outdoor kitchen door was a bowed a little but everything else has been fine. Dealer was non committal when asked if they check things like empty tanks. Not much better on the door. Wouldn’t buy there again.
We ordered thru dealer, 22 years ago. Had an issue with generator compartment latch bolted on incorrectly (husband has great memory). Also had issue with wiring on main power. Found issue while home. Dealer sent out tech. That’s about it. Our dealer was really good back in old days.
I said no, but should have. Took delivery in February and who would have thought the water tank and lines had water in it. In Wisconsin.
Pump toilet outside shower kitchen faucet all broken. No one is going to inspect that stuff in winter. Rather than taking unit back. I fixed it and dealer paid me. Never before had I made $150 an hour. Btw, it was a brand new, never sold/ used truck camper.Again, I would have been charged $150 an hour so he agreed to pay me that.
No but wish we had! 42 problems identified on first outing. 7 months at dealer for fixes. Good thing we bought it 2 years before selling our house.
But we enjoy the floorplan so we will keep it with all its quality issues.
TrIed to because the RV was 1300 miles from our home. But after contacting 3 RV shops and a mobile repairman, no one was available for at least 2-3 weeks. It was priced so reasonably, I knew it would be gone long before that. So I carefully checked the seller out and found that it was a couple our age (mid-70s) with even more RV experience than we had. Although the RV was only a year old, they had owned exactly the same model for 10 years prior to that one. They had already made significant improvements and warranty repairs to the new one–sway bar, Li batteries, new awning motor, etc. They were selling it because a friend showed them a new Travato van and they were sold on its size!
NO, bought new with a 1 year warranty.
That should have been an option on the survey.
We did not mainly because we knew the individual selling it through our son and knew that he is a very meticulous type guy.
Unfortunately, YES I did! t was the biggest waste of $950 I had spent. I would have been further ahead flying to Salt Lake City and booking a hotel room, then spend the next two days going through the coach. Even though he stated that he was NRVIA certified he had no idea about the sophisticated systems on my Monaco Dynasty. He should stick to tow-ables or pop-ups.
I did noted it has cost me close to $15k to fix stuff. Tires were described as new but were 7 years old. had to clean all tanks due to poor maintenance. Propane hot water heater needed work. Water line issues. Dash air went out within 2 weeks. Batteries were not great and needed replacement. Do not buy at a rally with no inspection or less than 90 day service agreement. Do not believe anything the sales people tell you.
I have always done my own inspections as I’m pretty good at finding problem areas since I’ve been RVing since 1978. The only thing I don’t inspect is inside the walls but there are signs of problems even then if you look close enough.
My answer was no, but I wish I had.
We purchased a 2006 Country Coach Inspire from Premier Rv of Oregon, might have been naive but from reviews I trusted them to do a good job on their inspection. It has truly been the absolute best experience we have had on an rv purchase. Everyone at Premier Rv has been GREAT, the way a business should be run. At our age we probably will not buy another Coach, but if we had to for some reason, going back to Premier Rv. If this is too much like an advertisement, delete it, but we have had nothing but great experiences with theses folks.
Hi, Gary. Rave reviews of dealers, especially from trusted, long-time readers like you, are like a breath of fresh air. Plus, they’re helpful to some of our other readers who may be in the area and looking for a reputable dealer. In fact, here’s their link, if anyone is interested: https://www.premierrvservices.com/ So, thank you!👍 Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
no, but we have had good luck with our previous bumper pull and two 5th wheels over the last 30 or so years. I always did my own repairs on the trailers as needed. We just purchased our first motor home and spent the first night in it at the RV dealers park. Even though I felt we were getting a solid rig it has been back for warranty work (after several trips) which was completed in two days. Again we were allowed to stay with the rig at the dealers RV park……lucky or a good eye for defects with an ability to do my own repairs?…..some times it is better to be lucky…LOL!
Picked it up at the manufacturer’s location. Excellent walk-around and feature demonstration for both of us. Manuals (electrical components, a/c, gen., etc.) all provided in a binder.
Wife saw it, loved it. End of story.
I met my mobile tech when I owned a lemon. He was sent out by the dealer to “fix” the problem. When I found my current RV, he offered to inspect it first. I’m glad he did. He came back with a 10 item punch list, including tires and reseals, that needed to be done. His inspection and follow-up to insure that everything was done, gave me peace of mind and factored into my negotiations.