In this article I’ll be talking about Covid RVs. And whether or not you should buy an RV that was built during the Covid pandemic.

This is a fair question because Covid-19 affected so many of our lives at the time. And it also affected a lot of industries as well.

So what about RVs that were built in the Years 2020 to 2022? If you see them on the used RV market, should you even consider them at this point?

Well, there’s no question about the challenges that RV manufacturers faced during those years.

Table of Contents

• Covid RVs – The Challenges RV Manufacturers Faced
• Unprecedented Demand For RVs During The Covid Years
• Covid RVs – What About RV Dealers?
• Why Are So Many Covid RVs On The Used Market?
• Should You Buy Covid Built RVs Then?
• Who Bought Many Of The New RVs Sold During The Pandemic?
• How Many RV Brands Were Affected By Covid?
• Protect Yourself By Asking For Service Records
• An RV Inspection Is Your Friend With Covid RVs
• What If You Can’t Get An RV Inspector To Help You?
• How Does My Guidebook Help You?
• What To Do If You Find problems With An RV
• One Final Important Suggestion For Your Protection
• Conclusion

Covid RVs – The Challenges RV Manufacturers Faced

In fact, the challenges were unprecedented in the RV industry’s history. And we have to remember that RVs are made by hand essentially.

So RV builders need to have a very stable and experienced workforce in place.

And that helps make sure that they get top quality results come out of their factory.

But the pandemic ravaged RV manufacturers and their workers. So there was very little worker stability during those years.

Also, supply chain issues hit the manufacturers hard. In fact, we still are dealing with some residue from supply chain issues even now.

So imagine what it was like for RV manufacturers during that time. It was a completely abnormal situation for RV manufacturing.

Unprecedented Demand For RVs During The Covid Years

And while all this is going on, RV dealers are placing more orders for RVs than ever before in history.

That’s because they were having people come in and want to buy RVs in record levels.

Yes, people had figured out that they could socially distance and have a little fun at the same time in an RV.

So dealers just started ordering RVs like there was no tomorrow. In order to meet the demand from the buying public.

As a result, RV manufacturers clearly dialed back some of their quality control procedures.

And this resulted in lots of problem RVs going out from the factory. And not being repaired before they got to the RV dealer.

Covid RVs – What About RV Dealers?

Now once the dealers received these RVs, the situation did not improve much.

Because many dealers did very little to solve those problems. And especially the big box dealers, or the nationwide chains.

All they were focused on was just sales to consumers while they had this demand.

And making sure RVs were in good shape, well that was pushed way down the list of priorities.

So all of this resulted in lots of RV buyers during those years getting very poor new RVs. With subpar quality.

Why Are So Many Covid RVs On The Used Market?

OK, now here we are a little bit farther down the line. And many of those RVers are selling their RVs now.

Of course, they could be selling for a lot of reasons. And some of them very good.

But honestly, many are actually leaving RVing or the RV lifestyle altogether.

And that’s because the experience didn’t turn out to be what they thought it was going to be.

Should You Buy Covid Built RVs Then?

So the question is now, should you buy their RV at this point? Should you buy one that was built in the Years 2020 to 2022?

Well, if you want me to make a blanket statement of “yes or no” about that question, you’re probably going to be disappointed.

That’s because there’s not much about RVing that blanket statements cover well.

The truth is that there were some very good RVs that were built during the pandemic years. Not all of them were RVs that had severe problems.

However let me say this. If you choose to buy an RV from those years on the used RV market, I recommend to proceed very carefully. And beware!

That’s because not all of the problems that left the factory were adequately resolved.

Not all of them were fixed by the dealers under warranty the way they should have.

Who Bought Many Of The New RVs Sold During The Pandemic?

And then on top of that, many of those RVs were bought initially by novice RVers. People that really didn’t know much about what they were doing.

And unfortunately, in many cases they didn’t really want to know much about how to maintain their RV either.

They were just focused on getting out there and having fun in it while socially distancing.

So the RVs they have for sale have often not been cared for as well as they should have been.

How Many RV Brands Were Affected By Covid?

Now here’s another important thing to understand. It wasn’t just the lower quality brands that were affected by all of these Covid-related issues.

No, even the better RV brands faced challenges to turn out a quality product.

Even brands that have been known for years to turn out very high quality RVs. They were not immune to Covid’s effects either.

So when you consider an RV from the Covid pandemic years I recommend to proceed very slowly. And very carefully.

So here’s some things that I think you need to do to protect yourself when you buy.

Protect Yourself By Asking For Service Records

First of all, I recommend that you ask for the service records for that RV. I mean it’s only a few years old now.

So there should be service and maintenance records available somewhere on that RV. And especially so if it was a one owner RV.

Then take those service records and look them over carefully. See what kind of problems were fixed and how serious they were.

And if you know a little bit about RVs, then you can check and make sure that those things were fixed to your satisfaction.

But what if you don’t know much about RVs? Then I recommend you get someone who does, and have them look at it for you.

Have them verify that the problems were fixed and they were fixed properly.

If there are no service or maintenance records, then you have to lean heavily on the next point I cover.

An RV Inspection Is Your Friend With Covid RVs

OK, that’s number one. Now number two is something you should do before you buy any RV. But especially one from the Covid years.

And that is to get a an NRVIA certified RV inspector to go through that RV for you.

In fact, that is your best insurance against having hidden problems that you don’t know about.

Of course, getting a certified RV inspector is not always possible. And I have to admit that.

It’s because in some cases there isn’t an inspector close by. Or in other cases, the inspectors are so busy that they may not have time to fit you in.

What If You Can’t Get An RV Inspector To Help You?

Well, if that is the case, then I have created a guidebook that can be helpful for you.

It will show you how to perform a personal RV inspection on an RV yourself.

Now let me emphasize that this is not going to be anywhere near the depth and thoroughness that an NRVIA certified inspector is going to do.

But it will be far better than just taking the word of the seller that everything is in good shape.

Or just walking around and seeing what you can see to the untrained eye.

How Does My Guidebook Help You?

Yes, this guidebook will explain what you need to test and inspect on an RV. And none of the inspections are hard or difficult to do.

Also, it’ll give you a checklist too. This will make sure that you go down the list and check each one of the things listed.

That way you verify they’re working correctly and not miss anything in the process.

So if you think my guidebook and checklist could be helpful, just click on this link to download it.

What To Do If You Find problems With An RV

OK, suppose you find problems with an RV. Whether it’s through a professional inspection or your own personal inspection.

Then make sure you get those problems fixed before you take ownership of the RV.

Especially if you’re buying it from an RV dealer. Don’t buy that RV and take it off the lot until the problems are fixed properly.

And you have verified that it’s in really workable shape. A functional RV that is ready for RV travel and camping.

Now what if it’s a private owner, and you find problems? Then you can negotiate with them on the issues you found in the inspection.

And they can fix the problems before you buy it and take possession. Or they can give you some money off on the price so that you can do it afterward.

One Final Important Suggestion For Your Protection

Now let me make one final suggestion here for your protection against RV repairs.

Because there were so many problems in RVs during those years. And sometimes in areas that it’s really hard to find.

So you may want to seriously consider getting an extended warranty for that RV.

To help protect you against future issues that may come up later. Because the factory warranty will probably have expired by that point.

So getting an extended warranty gives you added protection. For problems that come up down the line that couldn’t have been found during the inspections.

And if you have a warranty, you’re not going to have this huge repair bill to solve them. Or at least a bill that you will solely be responsible for paying.

So I do recommend considering an extended warranty. Especially when buying Covid RVs.

Therefore I always recommend Wholesale Warranties for a quality extended warranty.

That’s because they’re a trustworthy company in this area. And they have a lot of very good positive reviews from online buyers that you can look over.

In addition, many in the fulltime RVing community have used them for their RVs. Because it helps them manage their RV repair risks and costs.

Now Wholesale Warranties doesn’t just sell you their warranty either. They find the right warranty for you at the right price.

Because they are a broker that works with several warranty companies. And they can help you find the right warranty for your needs.

Conclusion

OK, now those are the suggestions that I feel would help you when buying Covid RVs.

It will help make sure that you get a good RV even if it was built during the Covid years.

So we come back to this question then. Should you even consider a Covid built or pandemic built RV?

Well that’s up to you to decide. But if you follow the guidelines that I gave you here, you will be way ahead of most other used RV buyers.

And most likely you are going to be able to find and buy a good RV from those years.

One that will reward you with many years of good service and happy RV memories.

Have safe and happy travels my friends!