Here’s a CHECKLIST of all items you need to INSPECT before buying a used RV!
I’ve worked for a number of RV dealers and I can tell you some HORROR STORIES about secondhand RVs that were re-sold to unsuspecting buyers.
10 Things You Need To Do Immediately After Buying A Used RV — to make sure that the used RV you bought is safe, disinfected, and ready for you to travel in!
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TRANSCRIPT:
Hi I’m Curtis with The Fun Times Guide. And this morning I’m going to talk to you a little bit about things you need to do immediately upon taking ownership of a secondhand or used RV.
One of the first things to take in mind (or to take into consideration) is that when a dealer takes in an RV as a trade-in… As far as preparing it for sale, they do absolutely nothing! They put it on the lot as they receive it basically — with a For Sale sign in the window — and take it from there.
That means that when you look at an RV on the lot, it has had no repairs done to it. It has had no servicing done to it. It is as the person who traded it in dropped it off. That can be an indication that the RV is not in ready-to-go condition.
If you are buying a towable RV, one of your primary first concerns should be the running gear underneath it. When was the last time the wheel bearings were repacked? How old are the tires? How solid is the foundation that you are pulling your trailer on?
If you have purchased a trailer whose tires are more than a couple years old, they should likely be replaced. Especially if they are foreign made and not brand name American tires. Very few tires on the market today are of quality enough to be reliable beyond maybe the first year or two.
When you pick up your used RV, understand that you may not fully comprehend how everything works. You need to know that in the purchase of a secondhand RV, the dealer will only repair what is on the sales order. If you take it home and a month later discover that the refrigerator does not cool properly, or there are other mechanical issues with the RV… you do NOT get a warranty of any sort. And it will be your problem at that point.
So immediately upon getting your RV home, it is a good practice to go through every operation. And make sure that all the mechanical items within the RV function properly. And I don’t mean “mediocre”… Make sure that the refrigerator cools down to a good level and that the freezer portion actually freezes food.
You should also sanitize the water system completely. You have no way of knowing how old any water is that is in the tank or when the last time it was sanitized. So for your own safety and reassurance, you should do a complete water system sanitation.
You should also inspect all rubber seals, rubber gaskets, and window frameworks. You’re looking for a bead of silicone around the edge of the frame — to assure that no water can get in. If there is no silicone caulking around the top half of the window it would be a good plan to put a light bead around, to seal the window. Over time, the sealant (the factory sealant) will harden, and likely leaks will occur.
It is also a good practice to get up on the roof and very closely inspect all seams for cracked sealant. Or any indication of where water might get in. Or if there is damage to any of the roof vent coverings.
Understand that I have worked for a number of RV dealers. And I have run across this at every single dealer. They will do the least they have to get the RV (especially secondhand ones) down the road and out of their hands. Do not count on them to do any before sale inspections or maintenance on them. If it is not on the sales slip, they’re not going to do anything about any problems that you find later down the road.
Another word of caution concerns the title of your new secondhand RV. If you are buying from a dealer that does not have an extremely well-established reputation for being reliable, be sure to follow up on any existing loan payoffs (if you had a trade in). Because this has happened to me… I traded in an RV to a dealer. And he did not pay off my existing loan. And 60 days down the road, I get a notice from the bank that payments have not been made. And I had to handle the situation in person with the dealer and get it sorted out immediately. Because my credit rating was in danger of taking a severe hit for lack of payment. So be sure to follow up on titles and insurance — and verify that everything is as it should be within a reasonable amount of time.
Buying a secondhand RV puts a lot of the responsibility right into your lap — because the dealer does not feel that they are liable or responsible for things that are not quite right. This isn’t the world of auto sales, where you have a much more established system that protects the consumer. The world of RVs is much more of a situation where the condition of your RV (as far as a secondhand purchase) is totally “As is, where is.” And when you roll off the lot, any problems that come up are your situation and not the dealers.
I hope this gives you some idea of what to expect the next time you buy a secondhand RV. Because if you buy it from a private person that is definitely an “as is, where is” situation. And if you buy it from a dealer, it’s only modestly better than that. The responsibility to know what you are buying and what condition it is in is totally yours!
