How to Buy an RV
Choose your floor plan
If owning Toy Ginger taught us anything , it ’ s that even a 43-foot toy hauler feels small if you have a living space that does double duty as a sleeping area . It doesn ’ t matter how big your rig is ; if your couch is a bed until someone wakes up , you ’ ll feel like you ’ re tripping over each other .
This gets pretty literal when you look at floor plans with entry on only one side of the bed . If you aren ’ t traveling alone , think about your family ’ s style and living habits and work from there . If you know that you and your partner both get up a lot during the night a floor plan with a walk-around bed could be a must-have .
As you look at floor plans , make two lists : must-haves , and nice-to-haves . Keep the list of must-haves short . It ’ s easy to miss out on some great rigs because your “ musthave ” list got out of control .
How to minimize depreciation
Our main strategy when buying a brand-new RV is to pick popular brands and floor plans that sell well . If you ’ re searching RVTrader or your local dealer and having trouble finding the floor plan / style you want , that ’ s a good sign . It generally means that style is in demand .
If you ’ re financing , pay particular attention to this . Even if you don ’ t plan to sell any time soon , it ’ s a good idea to make sure you can sell your RV without taking a huge loss .
Being mindful of popular makes / models and floor plans right off the bat can save you a lot of money if you ever decide to sell . If you ’ re going to buy a brand-new rig rather than buying a used one , be sure to factor depreciation into your total cost of ownership .
Join owner forums
Virtually every major manufacturer has a Facebook group for owners , and many also have an online forum that ’ s publicly accessible . You don ’ t have to own the brand already to create an account or join these groups . Some Facebook groups require you to answer a few questions , but if you say that you ’ re considering buying the brand , they ’ ll accept you gladly .
Owner forums are rich sources of information on all kinds of topics , from how much people paid for their rigs to which floor plans are most popular . You ’ ll also find detail on popular upgrades owners have made , common fixes , and the like .
One word of caution , though : you ’ ll find unhappy customers everywhere , so don ’ t let a few negative voices dissuade you from buying . ( On the other hand , if the feedback is overwhelmingly bad , that ’ s also a good thing to know .)
While you ’ re there , don ’ t be shy . Search for answers to your questions , and if you can ’ t find them , speak up . You ’ ll find that most owners are more than happy to talk about their RV and why they love it .
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