This article will be talking about buying an RV out of state. Is it really something you should do?

Well, there’s no question that these days RV buying is super popular. And the best place overall to look for RVs for sale is definitely in your area.

You can find them at dealers and with private owners. But there are also online links that help you find RVs that are close by too.

And there are a lot of advantages to searching for and buying an RV that way.

Table of Contents

• Why Buying An RV Locally Is A Good Idea
• How To Find RVs That Are A Long Distance Away
• Buying An RV Out Of State – Why You Need Caution With Dealers
• What If The RV You Want Is A Motorhome?
• Why You Can’t Fully Trust What An RV Dealer Tells You
• Buying An RV Out Of State – Why A Dealer Can Be A Good Choice
• Why Buying From Private Owners Requires Even More Caution
• A Little Advance Knowledge Is Needed When Buying An RV Out Of State
• Here’s A Suggestion That Can Be Very Helpful
• What About The Condition Of The RV?
• What If The RV You Found Isn’t A Good One To Buy?
• How Can You Get The RV Back To You When Buying An RV Out Of State?
• Conclusion

Why Buying An RV Locally Is A Good Idea

Because it allows you as a buyer to personally go and take a look at those RVs. You can go through them and verify the shape their in and so on.

Then you can decide if it’s something that’s good for you or not. But what if you can’t find what you’re looking for locally?

Well, you could always expand your search a little bit farther away from your local area. Maybe to the entire state you live in or the region your in.

Of course, that may require a little bit of extra driving to do that. But it’s still possible for you to personally go and take a look at those RVs for sale.

However, what if you’re looking for a particular brand or model? And what if that RV just can’t be found in your area?

Or what if the ones that are nearby just don’t live up to your expectations? Should you expand your search even further away?

Perhaps look for an RV from a long distance away? Or maybe many states away from you?

Well these days, all of that is very possible with the resources that we have available to us.

How To Find RVs That Are A Long Distance Away

For instance, we have RV Trader and RVT.com that allow you to search for pretty much any RV and model nationwide.

But then there’s also eBay and Facebook groups too. And oftentimes, the folks that post there are posting their RV for sale on a nationwide basis.

These are all very good sources for national RV sales. And using them you can find pretty much anything that you are looking for.

However, you need to be very careful and very cautious when buying an RV out of state.

Buying An RV Out Of State – Why You Need Caution With Dealers

Because you want to avoid fraud on the one hand. And on the other hand, you don’t want to be disappointed with the RV that you buy either.

Now when you’re working long distance, the least risk you’ll probably encounter is with an RV dealer. One that is not in your area.

But that doesn’t mean that there’s no risk at all with working with them.

It just means that there’s less risk involved. Because they’re a recognized business. And they have a location where they can be found.

In fact, you can even go online and research online reviews for that particular RV dealer.

And that way you can find out how folks that have been their customers in the past have felt that the whole sales experience went with them.

You can also call and talk to them personally over the phone. And you can ask questions about the RV you are interested in.

In fact, you can even ask for them to send you specific photos about the RV.

Maybe ask for photos of areas on the RV that you want to see a little closer. Or get ask for photos with more detail.

And if they comply, that’s an indication that they actually have that RV and it is on their lot.

What If The RV You Want Is A Motorhome?

Now if it’s a motorhome, you can go even further. You can run reports like Carfax produces to find out more information about that RV.

And these reports are very good because they’ll allow you to verify the history of that motorhome.

For instance, you can determine whether there’s a lien on it or not.

You can also learn about the history of accidents for that RV. Or any other major incident in its history.

And another similar source of great information on the history of a motorhome is found at Faxvin.com.

So it’s a good idea to use both of these online resources to get as much information as you can about the RV you’re considering.

Of course, all of that information is very good to be able to have. But one word of warning needs to be covered here.

Why You Can’t Fully Trust What An RV Dealer Tells You

And that is, don’t expect an RV dealer to be fully transparent with you.

Remember, they’re a dealer. So they want to sell you that RV anyway that they can.

And that often means that they’re not going to tell you everything you need to know.

Also, they just don’t want you to know about any negative things that could be associated with that RV.

However, we can say this about RV dealers. Usually, they can make the buying process so much easier.

Buying An RV Out Of State – Why A Dealer Can Be A Good Choice

And one reason for that is because they can handle all the paperwork for the sale.

You know, the things that are important. Like taxes, the bill of sale, financing, and things along that line. And that does help a lot!

But RV private owners are a very different story. And here is where it’s going to require a lot more caution on your part.

Why Buying From Private Owners Requires Even More Caution

That’s because you often really don’t know for sure who you’re dealing with in that situation.

And some have represented themselves as the RV owner when that is not the case at all.

So you really must be able to talk to somebody who owns the RV.

And to make sure your talking to the RV owner, ask questions that only an owner would know about their RV.

Once again, ask for photos of specific places on the RV that they can send to you. Why?

Because it helps verify that the RV actually exists. And that they have possession of it.

Once again, you also want to run the Carfax if it happens to be a motorhome as well.

That way you can make sure of the history of that RV before you go any further with it.

A Little Advance Knowledge Is Needed When Buying An RV Out Of State

But now, before you get into dealing with private owners, you need to do some research though.

You need to know all about the state documents that are going to be required for the RV sale.

All the things that state wants you to have for this sale to proceed legally.

And you will need to know about the taxes that will be required as well.

Here’s A Suggestion That Can Be Very Helpful

Now here’s one other suggestion that I’m going to give you here. And that is to consider the use of a third-party escrow service.

And what is an escrow service? Well essentially, they receive the funds from the buyer initially when the sale is made.

But they hold the funds until all of the agreements on the part of both the buyer and the seller has been fulfilled.

So that way it protects both parties in the arrangement. Both the buyer and the seller.

And this kind of service can be very helpful for these long distance RV transactions.

Now you can find escrow services online. Just make a search for them on Google.

But then be careful to follow their directions very carefully to make the sale go well.

What About The Condition Of The RV?

Now let’s talk a little bit about something else. And that is, how do you know what shape the RV is in since you can’t visit it yourself?

Well, you have a couple of options here. Number one is that you can buy a plane ticket and go and take a look at it personally.

And the second option is that you can hire a local RV inspector to thoroughly inspect it for you.

To do that, just go to rvhelp.com to find an inspector that’s nearby the RV.

When you hire them, they can verify that the RV exists. And they also can verify that it matches the vehicle identification number that you have been given.

In addition, they can also verify the condition of the RV as well which is a huge help.

Now what if the seller refuses an RV inspection like this? Well, my recommendation is to just move on.

Because it means that there’s most likely something not right with this RV.

Especially when they don’t want you to know everything about that RV’s condition.

And that’s information you need since you’re the one who’s paying for the RV inspection.

What If The RV You Found Isn’t A Good One To Buy?

Now what if the RV inspection goes forward and you find out that the RV really isn’t the way it was being represented? What do you do then?

Well in that case, you have really only lost a little bit of time and the cost of the RV inspection.

But isn’t that a lot better than being stuck with an RV money pit? One that you’re probably going to spend thousands of dollars to get in shape?

And you can avoid all the irritation and frustration that would go along with that. For me, the inspection cost is well worth that!

But now, let’s suppose that the RV inspection goes forward and it finds a few things but nothing major. And that means that it meets your criteria.

In that case, you can go right on and complete the sale since it appears to be a good RV to own.

How Can You Get The RV Back To You When Buying An RV Out Of State?

But remember, that with either a dealer or a private owner you are somehow going to need to get that RV back to where you are.

And you could do that by one of two ways. First, you could fly there and transport it back yourself.

Or secondly, you could pay for a transport service to do that for you instead.

So once again, just search online for RV transport services on Google.

And you’ll find that there’s plenty available there that can do that for you.

But remember, you need to include the cost of that transport in your budget for buying an RV.

So do a little bit of advanced research on the transport cost to know how much to budget for it.

Conclusion

Now let’s talk a little bit about what we’ve gone over so far. And first of all, it’s very possible to buy almost any RV that you want these days long distance.

But you need to conduct the search and the purchase very carefully and cautiously.

I also recommend not letting any seller talk you into speeding up the sale.

Perhaps using tactics like “Oh I have somebody on it right now. So you’d better hurry and get this if you want it”.

My advice is not to fall for that. Not from a dealer or from a private owner either.

Instead, take your time and work through the process step by step without being hurried.

And if that particular sale doesn’t work out for you, don’t get shook about that.

Because there’s another great deal coming right along behind that one. There always is.

So here is the good news. Lots of people these days are successfully buying an RV out of state that they are very happy with.

And most likely it could work for you as well.

Have safe and happy RV travels!