All RVs are not Created Equal
First things first. Only you will know what RV is perfect for you. So take all you hear from outside sources as guidance and not gospel truth. The RV family is very welcoming and very helpful but we all beat to a different drum! Which makes meeting your neighbors and those along the way a never ending JOY! When you do buy your first RV know that you are part of a larger family. A family that helps one another in times of need. A family that smiles and waves. A family that has many personalities but all have a common goal. So don’t be afraid to ask for help, offer help, and SMILE (even when you are at the dump station)!
How were we able to buy Walt on a whim? WithOUT going into debt?
Patience. Support. Requirements.
It took over a year for us to find our RV and it took even longer for my mom and myself to finally get that dream trip back on the do list! If you are not armed with patience than your RV hunt is going to be painful and not one bit enjoyable! So, if you have a specific time line to follow I hope you are flexible and your wallet will allow for a quick purchase. Ours was not.
Side note. If you are not the most patient person than RVing might be more of a challenge for you than an enjoyable experience. Things break, places close, apps don’t work, service is spotty, sometimes the wind catches the bathroom just right…real life REQUIRES patience and traveling the country in a small house on wheels requires a lot!
I have family and friends ALL over this beautiful country. I am beyond blessed that most of them love me enough to also let me park an old school 90’s RV in their front yard. Yes, I am “Cousin Eddie” for some of my family and friends. I hope with a touch more class and a cleaner mouth! Having that support around the country has helped us search for an RV in ways we did NOT expect. If you are searching for an RV on budget like we were, I encourage you to EXPAND your search radius if you have folks willing to be your second set of eyes.
During our RV hunt we called 2 of our lovely friends, one in FL and the other in MI, who were OHH SOO amazing and willing to drive HOURS to some random RV dealers to check out RVs for us. Yes, again, BLESSED…especially because we didn’t end up buying those RVs! If you haven’t read my very first blog I mentioned not burning bridges and thanking you friends. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHY! Having those folks in your life who will continue to support you no matter WHAT is such a gift that continues to bless your life, in ways you sometimes couldn’t fathom. Having the support of those who you see day to day is also crucial! They will help keep you on budget, send you possible RVs, drive you to and from the rental cars or mechanics, literally anything. We all need a solid support to join us in the journey of life.
THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR BUYING AN RV ON A BUDGET, REQUIREMENTS!
You need to sit down and create a plan. Your plan should include your budget, your wants, and your purpose. After a lot of research I came up with my budget of $10,000…my husbands was a bit higher. Looking back at that number now my eyes still grow wide (even though in the RV world that is CHEAP)! How did I come up with $10,000 as my budget? Remember, I wanted to rent an RV with my mom for a cross country tour and the rental price was about $9,000 for 3mo. So, I figured if I could find an RV for around that pice it would pay for itself in one trip! If it died after that - whatever. If I got more trips out is - BONUS! RVs are an INVESTMENT, I get that, but I am cheap and once I get a number in my head I only like to lower it, not raise it! This drives my husband crazy but hey…we got Walt for UNDER my price!
HOW DID WE?
We had our plan. Had our list. Had our Purpose. WE WERE ARMED WITH PATIENCE and when we saw the RV we POUNCED (during our lunch break)! Beating out another couple with a higher offer than ours! Once you create a plan and start looking you will feel confident buying that RV “on a whim” when it pops up on your search.
So, what was the rest of our plan? We had a budget set: $10,000 + my husband’s little extra. We needed our list and come up with our purpose. I recommend talking about your purpose first because it is easier and will help shape your list. Ask yourself; what is the main purpose of buying an RV? My goal was to do a grand country tour. I didn’t care if that was one time or multiple times. I just wanted to explore the states I couldn’t reach on a normal trip. So, my standards and expectations were a lot lower than my husbands. It’s great having someone opposite even though it can be maddening at times (when you just don’t see eye to eye)! Thanks to him we didn’t buy the cheapest RV, which probably came complete with a family of opossums, but were able to find one on budget with good bones.
I would like to note that purposes change as you grow as RVers and your “must see list” grows. So think of a purpose that supports your future trips or is specific to your main trip. My purpose now for an RV is to be small enough to go ANYWHERE - no limitations. That was not my main purpose when we found Walt. Thankfully Walt fits this purpose pretty closely for now because I’m in no buying mood currently.
I digress. Ok, we had our budget. We had a purpose, West Coast or bust. Now to figure out what we wanted in an RV. What was going to be our “must haves”, what were “extra sprinkles”, and what “didn’t matter” at all.
As I am sure you know your must haves are the thing you CANNOT budge on. If an RV doesn’t have it - it’s out! Our “must haves” included: GOOD BONES, bathroom (wet or dry), 2 forms of beds, fridge & freezer, 25ft or LESS, and space for the dog (we only had one at the time of purchase).
Your “dream list” is your wish list. It would be amazing if the RV had these things but not a deal breaker if the price makes sense. Our dream list: white/updated interior (didn’t get), something ALL travelers could drive (got), built in cameras (didn’t get), great storage (half got), large shower (didn’t get), and amazing layout (half got).
When we saw Walt he checked all of our “must haves” and a few of our “dream list”. He also was lacking things we could care less about! There was no TV, no awning, and no ________. BUT, the owners before us added things we would never have thought of as beginners like: a wood support for under the C cap bed, levels mounted somewhere on every wall, and clothes pins (for indoor drying and as a reminder to put the tv antenna down).
Sometimes you will stumble upon a great deal from typical RV dealers, like we did. However, we were also looking to buy a used RV through a rental company! If you didn’t already know sometimes when the RV is “done” the company will sell them for decent prices. This is how my cousin bought his used RV. So keep in mind sites like Cruise America. Don’t underestimate the power of connections either. ASK people that already have RVs where they got theirs, where to look, and if they happen to know anyone who is looking to sell. My husband looked at any used RV he could find but we eventually found Walt on RV Trader which took us to General RV.
If you don’t know what you want from an RV then plan a few smaller trips and rent different kinds. RV Share is a great place to check out if you want to try out different options. Keep track of what you liked and didn’t like so you can look back when you are ready to purchase.
How did our used RV hunt end? We saw Walt online for around $14,000 (I did NOT want to even consider him). My husband, who grew up around auto sales, did some quick research and found that this particular year and model was going for around $12,000 online. He said we could offer a lower price and just see. By the time I was finished defending my price and how there was no way we could get them down to $10,000 my husband was on the phone offering $10,000. We ended up shaking the salesman hand on $8,500 beating out another couple and getting Walt off their lot in time for their books to close! (Keep that in mind. Some salesmen don’t get commission and need to move product before the month closes out. The fact that we were going to help him move another RV for his month helped us snag a lower price.)
Lesson 2: When buying used remember to keep whatever picture you dreamed up in your mind out of your decision and keep your mind open. Walt definitely was NOT the prettiest RV out there but he had good bones and to me the inside was an out dated blank canvas! We knew what we were set on (price, good frame, engine that ran) and didn’t deviate. We set out dreaming about owning an RV and a year later found the most “beautiful” RV out there! Besides, it is not all about looks but the memories made that count!
Remember your purpose and needs for an RV are different than others so not all RV are suited for everyone. It takes time to find the “perfect” RV but with a solid plan and a lot of patience you will find the PERFECT one!
Stay tuned to check out the interior, updates, and modifications we have made over the last few years.
It is not about who has the better RV.
But that you found your “perfect” and the memories you make along the way.