Buying from an Individual?? How to protect yourself....

Often times when shopping for an RV, a person will stumble upon a great deal in the For Sale By Owner listings.

Now, unless you are a certified RV technician...how in the world do you know if the RV you are buying has problems?  Don't just trust that the seller is telling you the truth....RV repairs can add up to big expenses.  And, often times a person who is selling their RV has not used it for a long time and may not even realize that it has problems.

We advise that you take your RV to a certified RV technician to have a Pre-Buy Inspection done.

We perform Pre-Buy Inspections by appointment.  The charge is $175 and includes a written condition report of the RV including a cost estimate to complete any needed repairs.  That way, you know exactly what you are buying!

Here is an example of a Pre-Buy inspection that was done by us today.

The customer found what he thought was a great deal on a used motorhome.  Thankfully, he brought it in for an inspection before he purchased it.

The motorhome needed thousand of dollars worth of repairs (roof resealing/recaulking, generator fuel pump, furnace control board, new tires, new batteries, awning was damaged, etc).  The roof only has an estimated 2-3 years worth of life left in it ($4500-$5000 to replace the roof) and the rear wall had some hidden water damage.

So, the customer's $175 pre-buy inspection, prevented him from making a mistake that would have cost him thousands of dollars.  Or, he may be able to present the seller with the written inspection and get a discount off of the selling price...perhaps a discount large enough to cover the needed repairs.  Either way, his $175 investment saved him thousands.

This is an example of the Pre-Buy Written Condition Report...

The report comes complete with photos of any damage and a multi-point checklist of items inspected and tested.

Now that, is a good investment :)

Save a Penny, Lose a Pound

Save a little, spend a lot...Penny wise and Pound Foolish...

When it comes to RV shopping, especially for pre-owned RV's, one must be very careful.  I little bit of research and smart shopping can save you THOUSANDS of dollars.

One mistake that novice RV shoppers make is to assume that the best deals are to be had by purchasing a used camper from an individual.  While there are indeed, many good deals out there on For Sale By Owner lots, you need to be uber careful.

Remember, when someone is selling their camper, it is often because something is wrong with it.  This something may not be evident to the untrained eye.  And believe me, sellers are liars.  They will look you in the eye and tell you that everything works, they are only selling because they don't have time to use it, it's been kept under cover the entire time they've had it, yada yada.  Be skeptical, be very very skeptical.

Also, know how much to spend.  Another surprising fact about purchasing a used camper from an individual vs. a dealer is that you may end up paying more for that camper when purchasing from an individual.  Individual's tend to price their campers at NADA Retail Value.  However, dealers generally sell well below NADA retail value, so you may in fact get better deals from dealers.

But, here are some pictures and a story....it's the same story that I hear on a weekly basis.  Young couple wants to start camping.  They find a used camper on a FSBO lot...it looks like it is in excellent condition.  It is owned by a little old couple.  They say "everything on it works, it's been kept under shelter, we don't use it enough so we're selling it".  Young couple thinks "wow, what a steal!"  Price seems to be right at about $8,000.  This camper would have sold for probably $10,000 on a dealers lot.

They get it home and then they notice that the floor feels a bit soft underneath the rear bunks....but how could that be???  The little old couple SWORE that everything was in great condition.  So, they take it in to an RV dealership for an estimate on repairs.  Turns out that the entire back end of the camper is rotted out as well as a good part of the side of the camper.  Cost to repair....$5,000.  So....they didn't get such a good deal, did they?  That $8,000 camper has turned into a $13,000 one, and once a camper has been torn apart for repairs like this, it will never be the same again.  The ended up spending way more on this camper than they would have if they had bought it from a reputable dealer.

Looks Nice Right....

Yeah, Not so much once you look at the hidden damage...

These picture were taken after the vinyl flooring was taken up..the vinyl flooring was concealing all of this.

The exterior metal was removed to expose the rotted wood.

And, I'm always amazed that when a person buys a camper from a dealer they will insist that they be SHOWN that everything on it works.  Yet, they will buy a camper from an individual without ever seeing it plugged in, never "seeing" that the fridge or Air Conditioner work.  Why???  So many people get burned because they "trust" the complete strangers that they are buying from.  If they only realized that a new RV fridge costs upwards of $1200, they might insist that the seller turn that fridge for them.

But, I guess my whole point is to shop smart.  Know what you are buying.  If you find a good deal from an individual, make sure it is a good deal and not a hidden disaster.

How to Calculate your REAL Towing Capacity

This is probably the most common question we get...."How heavy of a camper can I pull with my vehicle?"  Most dealers want you to think that you can pull anything on their yard, even if it is not safe for you to do so.  They are only interested in making a sale, they do not care if towing too heavy of a trailer will cause damage to your vehicle or be a safety hazard to you and your family, not to mention other people on the road.

The vehicle picture above is towing a camper that is both too long AND too heavy for their tow vehicle.  It would only take mere seconds for the trailer to quickly overpower the vehicle and the resulting accident could be devastating.

The vehicle above was towing a camper that was too heavy for his vehicle to safely tow.  As a result he was unable to control his camper resulting in the accident seen above.  I bet he wishes he had seen this blog before he bought that camper!

If you are pulling a camper that is too heavy for your vehicle you are slowly causing damage to your tow vehicle. But, more importantly, you are running the risk of getting into a towing situation where you are simply unable to control your camper because your vehicle is not rated for the load it is pulling.  Most towing accidents could be avoided by simply pulling within your SAFE towing capacity.

So, if someone tries to tell you that the weight of the camper is "close enough" to your towing capacity...think again.  The MAXIMUM Tow Capacity is NOT the same as the Maximum Allowable Trailer Weight...that must be determined using the formula below.

Below is a guide to calculating your true towing capacity.

STEP 1 -- Determine the TOWING CAPACITY of your vehicle...this is usually stated in your owner's manual or you can find it here:  1999-2008 Vehicles  2009 2010 2011
(Example: 2009 Ford F-150 Supercab....7800 pounds MAX Tow Rating)

STEP 2 -- Subtract 10% as a safety margin.  Most vehicle tow ratings have been embellished and were also calculated without passengers, fuel and cargo....Edmunds.com recommends subtracting 10% from the maximum tow rating to compensate for this. (Example: Subract 780 pounds)

STEP 3 -- Subtract any gear or camping equipment that you plan to take with you..this includes any water, food, chairs, etc.  This also includes your weight distribution hitch if you have one.
(Example: 80 pounds Weight Distribution hitch + 60 pounds Propane + 250 pounds Fresh Water + 500 pounds Average weight of food & gear for weekend camp trip for family of four = 890 pounds)

STEP 4 -- The number that you are left with is the MAXIMUM trailer weight that is recommended for your vehicle to safely tow. (Example: 7800-780-890= 6130 pounds)

So, in this example...a 2009 Ford F-150 Supercab with a Maximum Tow Rating of 7800 pounds has a Maximum Allowable Trailer Weight of 6130 pounds (trailer DRY weight or UVW).

Now...ask yourself..is your camper too heavy for your tow vehicle?  Remember...bigger isn't always better, especially when it comes to towing.  Staying within your Maximum Allowable Trailer Weight  is the only SAFE way to tow.