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!

This article is about the largest US RV dealers. And whether or not you should buy an RV from a large national dealership chain.

And yes, it’s true that the RV industry is in a big consolidation phase right now.

So most of the brands that you see out there are owned by just a few companies at this point.

And the largest US RV dealers are buying up local RV dealers at a record pace. So is this a good thing for RV buyers or not?

Table of Contents

• The #1 Pro Of Buying At The Largest US RV Dealers
• RV Buying Pro #2
• The Best Advantage Of Buying At The Largest US RV Dealers
• A Big Con Of Buying From Large RV Dealer Chains
• Con #2 Of Buying At The Largest US RV Dealers
• Con #3 Of Buying At Large RV Dealerships
• The Sales Process – Con #4
• Con #5 – What About The Salespeople?
• #6 – What The Largest US RV Dealers Really Want
• Con #7 For Buying At National RV Chains
• #8 – Another Finance Related Con You Should Know About
• Large US RV Dealers And Con #9
• Con #10 – What About RV Inspections?
• The Last Con When Buying From The Largest US RV Dealers
• An Important Point About RV Dealers In General
• Here’s My Recommendations To Protect Yourself
• More Ways To Protect Yourself At Large National RV Dealers
• One More Piece Of Advice For Buying At The Largest US RV Dealers
• The Final RV Buying Recommendation I Can Give You
• Conclusion

The #1 Pro Of Buying At The Largest US RV Dealers

Well not necessarily. So let’s talk about both the pros and the cons of national RV dealer chains, starting with the pros first.

And the number one pro we’ll mention is that they often have a very large inventory of RVs to look at.

Of course, that is great for newer RVers that often aren’t sure what kind of RV they should buy.

In fact, it can be a big help to visit a large dealer chain. Because with all those RVs, you can go through all the different kinds of RVs at one time.

You can also view lots of sizes and floor plans in different categories of RVs.

And that’s a good way to find out what works best for you and your needs.

So it’s good to have a large inventory of RVs for educational purposes alone.

RV Buying Pro #2

But the second pro is that you’re also often going to find several brands at one dealership too. And that can be a good thing too.

Because it can take a lot of time and effort to find different RV brands. And comparing them when they aren’t side-by-side can be a challenge too.

The Best Advantage Of Buying At The Largest US RV Dealers

But the number three pro of the largest US RV dealers is really the big one.

And that is that by design they are very convenient. So you can buy an RV there and even finance it all in the same place.

In addition, you can also trade your RV in and that saves the hassle of selling it on your own.

Also, you can access their parts department, their service department and so on.

And all of that is super convenient, since it’s all in one location at these large dealerships.

OK, so those are all pros of the largest US RV dealers. But now let’s talk about the cons as well.

A Big Con Of Buying From Large RV Dealer Chains

And the number one con is that these large dealership chains are not locally owned.

So there’s no local reputation that they have to worry about keeping up in the community.

Now when you have a smaller RV dealer, the owner is part of the community in many cases.

So the owner will often see and meet their customers as they go around their daily activities.

And that is an incentive to keep their reputation in good repute among the community.

But that’s not true with a large national dealer chain. Because they rely instead on large advertising budgets to get people in through the door.

Con #2 Of Buying At The Largest US RV Dealers

Than another con is that many of the largest US RV dealers have adopted selling tactics that’s been used in the car industry for decades.

And I think we all know how much fun it is to go buy a car from a car dealer, right?

Usually it’s not very much fun for most people. And that’s because they love to use high pressure tactics that people hate.

Well, many in the RV dealer community have adopted very similar tactics. Especially in these large national dealer chains.

Con #3 Of Buying At Large RV Dealerships

Now another con is that because of all of that you are just a monthly number on the sales projection board.

You see, at the beginning of the month most dealers will make a projection of how many sales they want to make that month.

And then, they do everything in their power to meet that projection. Whether or not in many cases it’s good for you as a customer.

And it’s often called the “turn and burn” mentality in vehicle sales. And it does not usually work in favor of the average customer.

The Sales Process – Con #4

OK, the next con is that these dealers have a sales process that they want to use on you. One that gives them full control in the entire process.

So they’re really not there to listen to you or to even educate you. Instead, they want you to fall into their process and do what they want you to do.

Con #5 – What About The Salespeople?

Now the next con is the salespeople that you are going to encounter at large RV dealers.

In fact, many of them may not even know very much about the RVs that they’re selling you.

In fact, very often they’re not even RVers at all. They are just salespersons.

So you may actually know more than the salesperson you are working with.

And what this means is that you can’t trust them as a means of learning about RVs. Or about what will work best for your particular situation.

Because many times the things they’re going to tell you are just to sell you an RV. And they will often say almost anything to get the sale.

So all of this makes it hard to trust a salesperson that you often find at large RV dealership chains.

#6 – What The Largest US RV Dealers Really Want

OK, the next con is that these kind of dealers want you to buy purely on emotion.

Because they realize that emotions are very powerful. And they will get people to do something they don’t always want to do if they had time to think about it.

So they want you to buy quickly based on emotions. They want to move you through the sales process and get you out the door quickly.

And the interest is not in educating you as a consumer. Or in finding out what you want and need. Just on turning sales.

Con #7 For Buying At National RV Chains

Now the next con is about RV financing at large RV dealers. And it’s often not really the best deal that you could make for an RV loan.

In fact, the finance department of an RV dealership in many cases is the most profitable part of the whole dealer. Why?

Because they’re marking up their loans considerably to make profits for the RV dealer.

So financing is often not good for you as a consumer at these large dealer chains.

#8 – Another Finance Related Con You Should Know About

OK, the next con is that while you’re in the finance office they will love to sell you upgrades for your RV. But at very high profit margin!

Things like extended warranties, fabric protection, exterior protection and so on.

And they are all marked up very high to begin with. But when the cost is put in your RV loan, you really can’t tell how much it’s actually costing you.

Large US RV Dealers And Con #9

Then another con is that they often do very little if any pre-delivery inspection. And that’s true on both new and used RVs.

And as an RV inspector I can tell you this happens a lot, especially with large RV dealers.

So if they do a pre-delivery inspection at all, very often it’s a cursory one.

And very often, it’s done by someone who is not really qualified to do an RV inspection too. Many times by a very low paid employee.

Con #10 – What About RV Inspections?

Now moving on to the next con. And that is that a lot of the largest US RV dealers don’t like RV inspectors.

And they don’t want an RV inspection to be performed on their lot. In fact, more and more, they’re often refusing them all together.

Or if they allow them, they’ll make them very hard to perform. And why is that?

Well remember, their sales process means that they want to move you in and out of that dealership as fast as possible.

And they don’t want you thinking about things that could stop you from buying an RV.

Well, an RV inspection slows down that process. And it allows you to start thinking about whether it’s really a good buy or not.

So many of these large RV dealer chain stores don’t like RV inspections.

The Last Con When Buying From The Largest US RV Dealers

Now our last con that we’re going to talk about is an important one to consider.

So suppose they do allow you to inspect the RV you’re looking at.

Then suppose you take delivery of that RV before the quality issues that the inspector found are fixed?

Well you may have to wait weeks or even months to get those issues fixed. And this is common at these large RV dealer chain stores.

OK, those are a lot of cons about the largest US RV dealers to consider and mull over.

An Important Point About RV Dealers In General

Now let me say this. The cons that I mentioned here are not just restricted to large national RV dealership chains.

In fact, they can often take place with smaller RV dealers as well.

However I can say that in general they are more or less part of the fabric of these large national RV dealer chains.

Definitely, more so than most smaller local RV dealers that you come across.

Here’s My Recommendations To Protect Yourself

So here is what I recommend. If you’re going to buy from one of the largest US RV dealers, be careful every step of the way.

Watch what you’re doing and don’t just let them move you through in their sales process.

Always be careful about every step of the buying process and take nothing for granted.

So number one, know what you want before you buy. Don’t just go to the dealer and let them educate you.

Because they’re often going to direct you where they want you to buy. To what they want to sell you because it makes them more profit.

Instead, be an educated RV buyer before you even start the RV buying process.

More Ways To Protect Yourself At Large National RV Dealers

Then number two, have your financing already set and lined up in advance. Don’t just blindly accept whatever the dealer offers you.

And don’t discuss financing in any way, or monthly payments, until the price for the RV that you’re buying is settled.

Number three, don’t buy your extras for your new RV from the RV dealer.

Because usually you can get extras and add-ons yourself with no problem. And you can usually get them at a much better price elsewhere.

Also, the upgrades you buy will often be better quality than what you will get at the dealer too.

For instance, let’s take extended warranties or service contracts after the sale.

Those can be very useful. And I personally have used them with good success on my RV.

But I recommend you go to wholesalewarranties.com because they are a broker in RV extended warranties or service contracts.

They can find the extended warranty that’s going to fit best for you and your RV.

So just follow this link to learn more about what they have to offer.

One More Piece Of Advice For Buying At The Largest US RV Dealers

Now number four is always, and I mean always, insist on a full third party inspection of the RV you intend to buy.

And be sure to use a certified NRVIA RV inspector to do the inspection for you. Do not allow the dealer to talk you out of it.

Or allow them to tell you that their pre-delivery inspection takes care of all of that. And that it doesn’t cost you anything. That’s usually not true!

So always insist on that third party inspection. And if the dealer refuses, I can’t tell you what to do.

But I can tell you what I would do. I would leave, because that’s telling me everything I need to know about that dealer.

And about how much they value me as a customer. Or are interested in my having a positive RV buying experience.

OK, the final point I want to share with you is something very few buyers do.

The Final RV Buying Recommendation I Can Give You

And that is never take delivery of any RV before all the issues that the RV inspector found are resolved to your satisfaction.

Because if you take delivery beforehand, then you’re often going to be put at the back of the dealer’s service line.

And you’re probably going to experience a lot of frustration and anxiety trying to get all those issues resolved.

Or at least that’s the way it works for a lot of RV buyers who complain online about their buying experience.

Conclusion

Well if you follow the advice that I’ve given you here in this article you really can get the RV that you want.

Not only the one you want, but the one you also need as well. And you can make sure that it works like it should from the first day of ownership.

And all of this can be accomplished even at one of the largest US RV dealers.

Have safe and happy travels my friends!