I am going to just come out and say this....I really dislike selling used campers. Why? Simply stated, I (as the dealer) have ABSOLUTELY no way of knowing how that RV was maintained by it's previous owner(s). Did they always make sure the camper was level before using the fridge (if not, the lifespan of that fridge is seriously diminished)? Did they regularly service the water heater? Did they inspect their seals and recaulk the camper when it needed it? The best I can do is visually inspect for any signs of previous water damage and operate all appliances to make sure they are working.
However, just because a fridge is working right now, doesn't mean that it will be working tomorrow or next week or next year. Just because the air is blowing cold today, doesn't mean the a/c unit will still be working tomorrow. I have no way of knowing. My service tech with 20 years of RV repair experience, has no way of knowing.
But, even though we clearly state on every used RV that they are USED AS IS -- NO WARRANTY, about 75% of the time, we end up having the customer return or call to complain that such and such stopped working shortly after they purchased it. If they bought an extended warranty, then this is generally nothing more than a minor inconvenience, as the warranty will generally cover the repairs. However, if they opted to decline any extended warranty coverage, they bear the entire burden of the repair costs.
This is not to say that New Campers don't have issues...they do. BUT, the owner is covered by a manufacturers warranty which has a $0 deductible. Plus, we instruct our customers on the proper maintenance procedures that they need to perform on the camper to keep it in good condition for many years to come.
Don't think it is just us that run into this issue. It is industry wide. And, I haven't even talked about the number of customers that we have come in after having purchased a used camper from a private party individual. Where we, as a dealer will visually inspect and test all the systems on the camper and then SHOW the customer that everything is working...most sales that occur between individuals happen without the new owner ever "seeing" that everything on the camper works. Nothing on the camper having been inspected by a real RV tech. A potential buyer usually responds to an online ad, goes to see the camper in person but it's generally not plugged into a power source, takes five minutes to walk through the camper (usually too timid to really poke around and inspect for damage), asks the owner if everything works (which invariably garners the response "yes, last time we used it everything was working perfect").
I've had more customers than I can even count who have purchased a used camper from an individual and later discover that the roof has been leaking and is now rotted in places. Then they are upset when they find out that a new RV Rubber Roof will run them $3000-$10,000 depending on the size and the extent of damage to underlying wood.
So, I am going to share with you my tips for inspecting an RV (I am directing this toward towable RV buyers) before you buy it. You can use these tips with a dealer unit or a private party unit. When buying a motorized unit, these same items will apply but you will also need to thoroughly check the motorized portion.
- Visually inspect the exterior for gaps/cracks in caulking and any delamination. Delamination almost always indicates the presence of water damage within the walls. Sometimes it is not even visible to the naked eye, but underneath the wallboard will be loads of mold and rotted wood.
This unit (above) is showing the beginning stages of delamination near the top of the front cap. Delamination is separation of the fiberglass exterior from it's underlayment (in most cases this is luan but sometimes it is cardboard).
The unit above has advanced delamination issues.
2. Get a ladder and inspect the roof. This is a major one. You need to inspect the caulking around every vent and the entire perimeter. Also feel the entire roof with your hands to see if there are any soft spots.
3. On the inside, open all cabinet doors and look/feel for any soft spots or wrinkling of the wallpaper. Also look/feel the walls around all slide rooms and windows. This photo shows the inside of a wall that had a little bit of wrinkling on the wallpaper. This is the wall from the camper pictured above with the beginning stages of delamination. As you can see, the water damage was pretty extensive, even from that little bit of delamination.
4. Look up! Check the entire ceiling for signs of water intrusion. This is generally going to look like a little bit of brown staining and the seams.
5. Do the sniff test. This is my (almost) sure-fire way of detecting water leaks. I can almost always detect the odor of water before I even see any damage. The smell will be a musty odor.
6. Walk the entire floor and look for soft spots. This is a photo of a floor that felt a little soft, after we took the linoleum up.
8. Insist on having the camper hooked to electric and ask them to have the fridge pre-cooled before you get there. It takes an RV Fridge about 12 hours to cool down, so if they don't have it running well ahead of time, there is no way for you to know for sure if it's not working. A new cooling unit for an RV Fridge costs about $1500 plus labor. Make them demo the fridge operating on both electric and propane. Have them demonstrate the operation of the furnace, a/c unit, water heater, water pump, slide rooms, etc.
9. Have them open the awning. Make sure that it works correctly and that the canvas is in good shape. If the canvas is not in good shape, take that into consideration when making an offer.
One thing that I will say though is don't get too nitpicky over items that are purely cosmetic (decals, chipped wood, faded carpet, scuffed plastic, etc). Remember, you are buying a USED camper, you are saving money by doing so and it will never ever be a NEW camper.
