Tips for Buying Used RVs
Posted on May 14th 2015
It’s important that you know exactly what you’re getting when you’re looking for a used motorhome to buy. With some older RVs still commanding over $50K, it is always in your best interest to be very careful.
Used recreational vehicles spend a good part of their time sitting still. Some will spend months in storage, only to come out for a few weeks in the middle of summer. Because of their limited use, it’s not unusual to see many used RVs for sale online, often more than ten years old with only a few thousand miles on them. At first, this seems like a good thing for the potential buyer. Actually, it could be very bad. Obviously, wear on such things as engine parts, brakes, transmission, and rear ends is minimal. Plus, motorhomes are more or less designed with a 100,000-mile lifetime expectation, so you should be good to go for many years to come.
But time is not on your side. The worst thing for any piece of mechanical equipment is to leave it unused. It is important that the inner workings get put through their paces on a regular basis. That’s why leaving a motorhome parked and unused is one of the worst things you can do.
The degree to which time has affected a particular motorhome depends greatly on where it spent that time while being parked. For example, if your motorhome has spent most of its time buried in snow while parked in the yard, then your investment has already taken a huge hit.
Parking a motorhome on grass results in moisture being wicked up into the rig, rusting it out. Brakes become stiff, frames rot away, and floors become spongy. After a few years of being parked this way, the motorhome nothing more than a backyard shed on wheels.
If, on the other hand, the motorhome is parked for long periods of time in Arizona, it will suffer from the effects of high heat and sun damage. A motorhome that has been left out in the sun while stored will have a faded and chalky exterior. The interior upholstery will be bleached and brittle from the ultraviolet rays. Plastic will become stiff with a dull yellow color.
In review, always look for bright and crisp colors, a clean interior, and soft and pliable fabrics. Underneath the motorhome, the frame should still be black, the color it was from the factory. Minor rust discoloration is okay, but a thick coating of brown oxidation is a sign of improper storage.
A little bit of confidence and bargaining will go a long way. When you see the pictures on MotosHiFi.com, make sure you get to know the RV owner a little before you go see it. Don’t get cornered out in the middle of nowhere inspecting some piece of junk. There are many forms of highway robbery!
You can always educate yourself about all-terrain vehicles and other motor vehicle technology on the MotorsHiFi site, located on the web at www.motorshifi.com. Here you can go to get your dream vehicle.