Category: Transcripts from Podcasts

The Best Class A RVs To Consider Buying Now

In this article we’re going to be talking about the best Class A RVs. And the models that I can recommend to you if you’re looking for a Class A motorhome.

Now I made a video just a little while back about Class A brands. The ones that I felt were of the highest quality when compared to their competitors.

And that was a very good video. A lot of people said that they really enjoyed it.

But this article is a little different. Because we’re going to go further. We’re not just going to give you the brands that are probably at the top of their field.

But we’ll also cover the models within those brands broken down into price groups. So let’s get started on that.

Watch my video about the best Class A motorhomes to buy

Table of Contents

My List Of The Best Class A RVs

You know, everybody has an opinion on this kind of subject. So my list that I’m going to reveal today and share with you may not match your list.

In fact, you may not agree with mine at all. And that’s okay. This is just the list of models of Class A motorhomes that I feel are the best from my experience.

From the research that I do online. From being an RV inspector. And also from talking to others in my travels. And I do that a lot.

So let’s take a look at this field of Class A motorhomes. And there’s a couple of things we’ve got to keep in mind.

A Couple Of Reminders About This List

Number one. You cannot truthfully compare diesel motorhomes with gas powered Class A motorhomes. They’re really two different animals.

So we’re going to break it out into two categories – diesel pushers and gassers.

And now the second point we need to make before we get to the list. That it’s not fair to compare Class A motorhomes in different price ranges either.

Because once again these coaches are really a whole different kind of animal from each other. Also, you generally get what you pay for in
RV’s.

So if you pay more, well then you should expect to get a little bit better building materials. Better fit and finish. And should receive better customer service and all those kinds of things.

So in understanding all that therefore, my list is going to be broken out into price points. Doing this makes it a little more fair.

And that way we’re making an honest comparison of the different coaches. So with that said, let’s go ahead and get started on the list.

When we look at Class A motorhomes, let’s go right to the top of the list. Let’s start with the diesel pushers.

The Best Class A RVs – The Top Of The Line

In fact, why not go to the very top of that list with the luxury diesel pushers? So we’ll start with diesel pushers that start at $500,000 and go up from there.

Now, when we do, let’s start with the perennial favorite. And I’ve got to tell you, I really love this company. Because they put out a great product and have done so for many decades.

And that is Newmar. In fact, Newmar is almost synonymous with Class A motorhomes. It’s what they do. And they do it very, very well.

So in the $500,000 plus category, let’s start right around the bottom of
that price range. And that would be with the Dutch Star.

But then there’s also the Mountain Aire, the London Aire, and the Essex. And then if you really want the top of the line, the King Aire. These are all fabulous rigs.

So if you’re going to spend that kind of money, don’t miss looking at the Newmar Class A diesel pushers.

But Newmar has had a stiff competitor for decades. And it’s really good to see this kind of competition in this field.

That competitor is Tiffin. Now Tiffin has an unbelievable following. People just love Tiffins because of the quality products that they put out.

And for the customer service that they have delivered for years. Now
in this $500,000 plus category, I can recommend the Allegro Bus.

It’s has been around for years and years. And also the Zephyr. These are both just fabulous coaches to choose from.

The Best Class A RVs – More To Choose From

Now to round out this luxury section of the field, we also can add Entegra. Now Entegra hasn’t been around quite as long as Newmar and Tiffin has in the RV field.

But they have made huge strides over the years. And they’re putting out a
really good product now. So you need to take a look at that brand too.

And there’s two over the $500,000 mark that you should consider. That is the Anthem and the Cornerstone.

All of these rigs that I’ve just mentioned, if you buy one of them, most likely you’re going to be very happy with what you have purchased.

All three companies offer excellent support and are good in customer service. So I highly recommend that if you are looking in the $500,000 plus category, that you take a good look at these three manufacturers or brands.

The Best Class A RVs – In The Mid-Range

Now let’s move down into the $300,000 to $500,000 category for diesel pushers. This is where the vast majority of people are going to be buying their diesel pushers.

Not a whole lot of people can be looking in those $500,000 plus areas. So let’s start here again with the two big brands for Class A motorhomes.

The first being Newmar. And Newmar has a couple of offerings in this mid-range field. One is the Ventana and the second is the Kountry Star. And both are fine, well-built coaches.

Tiffin answers that, and they have three offerings. One is the Breeze, the other is the various R.E.D. or RED models that they put out.

And then there is the Phaeton. And the Phaeton has such a loyal following over the years. It’s so easy to see Phaetons almost anywhere you go.

When you talk to the owners of Phaetons, as I have through the years, most of the time they just can’t say enough about it. So, those are all very good models for you to choose from.

More Of The Best Class A RVs In The Mid-Range

Now from Newmar and Tiffin, let’s move to Entegra. And Entegra also offers some very good products in this mid-range category of Class A diesel pushers.

One is the Aspire. And the second is the Reatta. Both of these are very well built coaches too.

Now from there we’re going to move to Winnebago. Because Winnebago comes right in here in this mid-range section with some very good offerings.

The number one offering that you’ve probably heard of before from
Winnebago is the Journey. Again, the Journey goes back for years and years.

And it has a lot of loyal followers. So don’t miss that one. And they also offer the Forza as well.

From there we’re going to recommend also Fleetwood in this category. Because Fleetwood puts out a diesel pusher that has been built for many years too. And a lot of people love it.

That’s the Discovery and the Discovery LXE. The difference being that the LXE is a Discovery that’s over 40 feet long.

So any of the Discoveries would be a good coach to look at and to consider. This is because Fleetwood does build a good product in Class A motorhomes too.

Now finally we’re going to round out this mid-range section of Class A diesel pushers. And that will be with the Holiday Rambler offerings.

One is the Navigator and another is the Endeavor. So consider them as
well, because they’re right here in this mix too.

Alright, so those are the diesel pushers. We’ve considered the cost of Class A motorhomes from $300,000 to $500,000. And then from $500,000 and up.

The Best Class A RVs – Gassers

So now we’re going to move to the Class A gas-powered motor homes. What we call gassers.

To do that we’re going to move down to the $200,000 to $300,000 category. And there’s an important reason for that.

And that is because you don’t have that big old expensive diesel engine in the mix anymore.

Of course, diesels are really known for pulling or pushing a lot of weight. And you don’t have that with a gasoline engine.

So there’s a reduction on the number of options and fancy things that go along with it in these gassers. And all of that brings the price down.

So now, instead of $300,000 and up, the $300,000 mark is kind of like the high water mark for gassers.

The Top Of The Line In Gassers

Now between the $200,000 and $300,000 price range, let’s again start with Newmar and Tiffin.

Because this is the place that you should start. These are the real cream of the crop of Class A gas powered motorhomes.

Newmar makes just one. And that is the Bay Star, in this particular price point.

The Bay Star is not the cost of their luxury diesel pusher line of motorhomes. But it is still a well-made Class A gasoline-powered motorhome. So be sure to take a really long look at the Bay Star.

But once again, Tiffin gives Newmar some very good competition. And that is with the Allegro Open Road.

In fact, Allegro’s go back for years and years, and have a great loyal following.

Tiffin’s Allegro Open Road is just a beautiful coach. And once again, well
made, with a lot of good quality.

More Gassers That Are The Best Class A RVs

But in this $200,000 to $300,000 category we can also add Winnebago.
Because Winnebago has a a model that they have also put out for years.

And that’s the Adventurer. They do a good job of building these Adventurer gassers.

But they also have another model called the Vista. And really, either one of these should be considered if you’re looking in that price range.

Finally I’m going to recommend Fleetwood again. Because they have a model in the gas-powered category that is renowned in the RV field.

And that is the Bounder. There’s so many Bounder owners out there on the road. And they love their Class A gassers.

In fact, many Bounder owners just buy one after another after another. So
don’t ignore the Fleetwood Bounder in this $200,000 to $300,000 range.

The Best Class A RVs – The Economy Category

Now let’s talk about the economy section of Class A motorhomes. And that is the $100,000 to $200,000 category.

Believe it or not, we still have Newmar with us in that category. And that’s the model they build called the Bay Star Sport.

My friends, in this category that’s the first place you really need to look. And that is Newmar, if you want quality.

Now one thing I’m going to mention here though. And that is that when you’re in this category, the $100,000 to $200,000 category. Do not expect the same level of fit and finish that you’re going to find in the levels above this.

And especially, of course, in the diesel pushers. However, you may be surprised at just how nice the fit and finish can be on the Bay Star Sport.

Other Economy Gas-Powered RVs

Now let’s move from there and our next selection in this category would be Entegra. And Entegra offers two coaches in this economy section.

One is the Vision. And the other is the Emblem. Be sure to look at those as well.

Next let’s move on to Winnebago. Winnebago has the Sunstar. Which is very well worth a solid look as well.

And then, Jayco builds a couple of really good lower cost Class A gas-powered motorhomes. One, is the Alante. And the other you see a lot of is the Precept. Both of those are very well worth your time and your investigation as well.

Finally, we will give a nod to Forest River too. Believe it or not, for the
Georgetown. It is from what I have seen to be a very well made coach overall.

Again, don’t expect the fit and finish to be right up there on par with some of the others. But in general, all of the features of the coach should be very solid.

Well there you go. We’ve covered all the Class A diesel pusher and gasoline-powered models and brands that I feel I would recommend to you. Or at least, the best ones in their price points.

My List Of The Best Class A RVs

Now once again, this list is simply put together on the basis of what I’ve seen and what I have learned.

It doesn’t mean that you should buy only a product that I have mentioned on my list.

Or that if it’s not on my list, you shouldn’t buy it. No, there’s plenty of other really good solid Class A motorhomes that you should be considering.

What I would recommend is using this list as a starting point. And see if you can find something that pleases you in these brands and models.

Because then you’re putting the odds on your side that you’re going to get a good product.

One Final Word Of Caution

The last thing that I want to mention here as well is this. If you’re going to buy a new RV these days. And I don’t care what it is, Class A, Class B, Class C, or a towable, like a fifth wheeler or travel trailer.

The simple truth is this. It doesn’t matter almost what brand you choose. There’s going to be some quality control issues at the factory these days in many cases.

Then the RV comes out from the factory and goes to the dealer. And dealers are often not doing their pre-delivery inspections like they should either.

That’s because they just want to sell units. And because they’re selling them so fast right now.

So my point is this. Even if you buy any of these models that I’ve recommended today, I still suggest that you have an RV inspection done on it.

Even new models before you take delivery. Have it inspected and then take all the issues that are on the list that the inspector finds and get them fixed before you take ownership and delivery.

If you do that, then you’re probably going to be very satisfied with the RV that you receive.

Well that’s it for now. I hope what we’ve covered today has been helpful.

Have safe and happy travels my friends. Until next timeโ€ฆ

How To Always Get Campground Reservations Wherever You Go

This is a transcript of a podcast about getting campground reservations wherever you go. The transcript is as follows:

“Hello everyone. And welcome to the RV Inspection And Care podcast.

Today’s podcast is about how RVers can make sure that they always get campground reservations.

Before we get started, let me invite everyone who’s listening to subscribe to my podcast. That way you won’t miss any of the great topics we’re going to be discussing.

And please visit my website too at rvinspectionandcare.com. There’s a lot of information there. And articles that I’m sure you’ll find helpful.

Now let’s get back to our topic about how we make sure that we always get campground reservations.

Disclosure: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means โ€“ at no additional cost to you โ€“ I earn a commission if you make a purchase using our affiliate links. I only link to products and companies I use and feel comfortable recommending. The income goes toward supporting the free content on this website

Watch my video about getting campground reservations

Table of Contents

Why Campground Reservations Are A Challenge Now

This was not really that much of an issue just a couple of years ago. In fact, when we first started RVing it just really wasn’t a big problem.

You could pretty much get reservations almost any time. And it was very easy to travel, even spontaneously back then.

But things have changed in the last two years. And one of the big reasons is COVID.

And then COVID caused this huge increase in popularity for RVing. So as a result of that, we have essentially the same number of campgrounds and campsites that we had a couple of years ago. But we have all these newer RVers.

So many of them that there’s a lot more people that are vying for the same number of campsites.

And even some of the most popular YouTube content creators are saying they’re having trouble getting reservations. Especially the ones that love to travel spontaneously.

You know, they just like to kind of go where the spirit moves them. Well, that’s getting a lot more difficult these days.

In the past it was very doable. But today it’s a challenge. So yes, getting campground reservations is a challenge today.

But it can still be done. And let me reassure you about that.

Now we’re going to go over a lot of ways today to make sure that you can always get campground reservations.

The Best Way To Get Campground Reservations

And the first one we’re going to talk about is the most important point or suggestion that I can make.

Now I know some folks really like to spontaneously travel. But these days that’s going to be really challenging.

Instead, I encourage you to plan ahead. And that’s going to be more and more important as we go forward.

Now how far ahead do you need to plan? Well, that’s hard to say. Because it depends on the person.

And on what they’re comfortable with. On how they like to travel and what area they’re in, and all those kinds of things.

So it’s hard to say how far to plan ahead. But as far as we’re concerned, Cheri and I usually plan ahead about three to four months.

And in doing that we don’t have any problem. In fact, right now we’ll be leaving New England and we’re going down to Florida.

Then we’re going to head out to Arizona. And we’ll get in Arizona by the first of the year.

Well, I already have that whole trip completely planned out. I don’t have to worry about it at all.

And I was easily able to get the campground reservations that I wanted. So planning ahead is a very important part of the puzzle to make sure that you always have a place to stay.

And just adjust it to whatever you’re comfortable with, as to how far you plan in advance.

Campground Resources You Need

Now the second suggestion I have is to get as many resources for campgrounds and campsites as you possibly can.

That’s because the more places you have to choose from. Then the more opportunity you have to actually find a place to make a reservation.

So for instance the one website we like to use more than any other is RV Trip Wizard. And that’s no surprise because I’ve made videos about it in the past.

Click here to learn more about RV Trip Wizard

It’s really easy for me. I can lay out a whole trip quickly and easily. But I also like the fact that it lists a lot of campgrounds along the way.

So very often I can make all my campground reservations by just following the trip that I’ve laid out in RV Trip Wizard.

And you can also actually look up the reviews for the campgrounds too. It’ll also provide the phone number or the website. And that way you can go and make reservations in whatever way you’d like.

So RV Trip Wizard is probably my number one resource for getting campground reservations.

Other Campground Reservations Resources

But number two is Campendium.com. Now that’s a great website. There’s a lot of campsites and campgrounds there that may not be available almost anywhere else. So be sure to check that as well.

Then there’s another great site called Thedyrt.com and it’s a spell d-y-r-t and not d-i-r-t. But again, it’s a great resource for lots of campgrounds.

And finally, I love to use the Allstays app too. It’s worked very well for me.

In fact, I use Allstays along with RV Trip Wizard a lot. And if I can’t find the campgrounds I’m really looking for in RV Trip Wizard, usually I can find something then in Allstays.

Then if I can’t find it there, I move to Campendium.com and Thedyrt.com. So those are all great ways to have a lot of campgrounds and campsites available for you to choose from.

A Great Under-Utilized Resource

Now the third suggestion is Boondocker’s Welcome. And I kind of feel like this is one that hasn’t completely caught on with everyone like it should.

Click here to learn more about Boondockers Welcome

Especially when they’re thinking about making campground reservations.

But Boondockers Welcome essentially is an arrangement where hosts around the country will allow you to come and stay on their site. And you can boondock there.

But you know, what we’re finding is more and more these hosts are actually providing some kind of hookups. And very often they’re allowing you to stay multiple nights as well.

So it’s kind of like even having campground reservations really, through Boondocker’s Welcome.

And we’ve used it several times now. In fact, we’ve been very happy with every arrangement that we’ve had so far.

So it’s another resource in your campground reservation tool belt.

Another Great Under-Utilized Resource

Now the next suggestion is Harvest Hosts. And again, this is an under-utilized way of making campground reservations while you’re on the road.

Click here to learn more about Harvest Hosts

Now the thing to remember about Harvest Hosts is that they generally are only a one-night stay. They really don’t usually allow you to stay more than that.

But if you are on the road and you are traveling. And you know you’re going from one area to another with several days to get there.

Well then, Harvest Hosts is a great resource. Because it allows you to have these one night stays.

And the advantage is that you’re staying at some really unique and beautiful places.

You know, things like golf courses and vineyards and farms and places like that. Many of them are just beautiful. So it really is a great resource for making overnight stays.

Now let me interject something here. That is that both Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts can still be arranged sort of at the last minute.

And that’s how under-utilized they are. Now with campgrounds, it’s really hard to get last minute reservations now.

But with these two resources it’s still possible to travel around the country, and do so in a spontaneous way. Like a lot of people like to do.

So be sure to consider those two resources. Both Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts.

If you don’t have them in your tool belt, well it may be time to put them there.

A Couple More Important Campground Reservations Resources

Now my next resource for consideration is Hipcamp.com. And again, it is a collection of resources of people that are offering their location for you to stay at.

And very often, it’s residential locations. But it could be businesses too.

Usually there is a fee for staying there. But very often they do provide some kind of hookups as well

And it’s another way to find even more places to stay. But it doesn’t cost you anything to use the website. So consider Hipcamp.com.

My next suggestion is Passport America. Don’t forget about them. You can get up to fifty percent off too if you abide by all their regulations and guidelines.

But in addition to that, very often I can find campgrounds there that may not be listed in some of the other resources I have. So Passport America is good to have.

How About Thousand Trails Campers?

And finally, a lot of you out there have a Thousand Trails membership. For instance, the Zone Pass.

A lot of folks have a Zone Pass because it’s not that expensive. And it allows you to use the Thousand Trails park system.

But the problem with the Zone Pass is you can only make campground reservations out about two months in advance.

And if everybody has a zone pass, then they can make reservations out two months in advance too. So you might not be able to get some reservations when you want them.

What I recommend then is to consider the idea of upgrading to an Elite membership instead.

That’s what we have. And with an elite membership we can actually make reservations four months in advance.

Doing that, we have no problem finding campground reservations at almost any Thousand Trails campground.

Yes, it does cost you to upgrade. So it’s something you’ve got to think about and consider.

But if you travel a lot. And if having that reservation with full hookups is really important to you. Well then, you might want to consider upgrading your Thousand Trails membership.

What If All These Other Resources Fail?

Now the last point I want to make is that if all these other resources fail, then there’s always the free overnight spots.

Places like Walmarts and rest stops, Cracker Barrels and Cabela’s. And also Bass Pro Shops and even some casinos.

Those are all places where you can stay overnight while you’re traveling. Now you’re probably not going to be able to put your slides out and really enjoy the camping experience there.

But it lets you have a place to stay. So if all other resources fail, those are great places to stay for the night.

Now how do you find those spots though? Well, probably the easiest way is to go to Campendium.com.

They actually have a section on their site for free camping. So click on that and then choose your area. And up will come the free spots where you could go and camp overnight while you’re traveling through.

So give that some consideration. You know, if all these other resources fail, there’s always that to get you through in the meantime.

How To Find The Campground Resources I’ve Covered

Well, I’ve covered a lot of suggestions. A lot of links here that would go to websites and to apps and so on.

And I want to make sure that you have all of these so that you can go check them out for yourself.

So a video of this podcast is being made that’s going to be on YouTube. And the links to all of these resources will be in the description of the video.

Click here to view the video of this podcast

And I’ll put a link to the video in the description of this podcast. So that way you can go there and find all these resources. Then you can check them out and see if it’ll work for you.

But let me just say this. We have used pretty much all of these resources at one time or another.

And it works very well for us. So the more resources you have right now in this period where it’s really getting tougher to get reservations, the better. And you’ll be able to have a lot more to choose from that way.

Conclusion

The bottom line is this. The situation we are facing for campground reservations is challenging. Yes that is true, but it’s not hopeless.

It’s actually very manageable. You’ve just got to know how to do it. And have the right resources.

Then you’ll be able to go pretty much anywhere you want to go most times. And have the campground reservations you need to get you there.

Well, that’s it for now. I hope what we’ve covered has been helpful. And hope it will be beneficial for you in your RV travels.

Have safe and happy travels my friends …. until next time. “

Why Buying RVs Is A Challenge Now – What You Can Do About It

The following is a podcast transcript about the challenges of buying RVs in today’s market.

Hello everyone and welcome to the RV Inspection and Care podcast.

Before we begin the podcast today, I’d like to invite you to subscribe to this podcast.

There’s going to be a lot of great information on RVs and RV living coming up in the next weeks and months ahead. So you don’t want to miss it.

Click here to subscribe to my podcast

Also, please visit my website at rvinspectionandcare.com. If you do, you’ll find more than a hundred articles on RVing.

And that will be very helpful for you. So feel free to visit and enjoy the information.

Now let’s go ahead and get started on the topic for today’s podcast though.

And that is – if you’re going to buy a new RV today, what can you expect from RV dealers and RV manufacturers?

Watch my video about why buying RVs is such a challenge now

Table of Contents

Buying RVs Now – Manufacturing Changes

Well things have really changed a lot in the last 10 years in this industry.

Some things have actually gotten better. But the sad news is that some things have not.

In fact, the use of quality materials in many of the RVs today has declined.

And also quality control procedures at the factory have suffered as well in many cases.

Now we’re not talking about all of the manufacturers here. But enough of them that it really is an alarming trend now.

Buying RVs – Why Quality Has Suffered

Before 2008, the good news was that the manufacturers were turning out some of the best RV’s that we’ve seen. At least in my opinion.

Generally speaking, many of them were using very good building materials. And they had good quality control procedures.

But the economic downturn of 2008 changed all of that. They started using cheaper materials instead.

That way they could keep the price of their RV’s down. And attract more business during that difficult economic period.

During that time there were also some good old RV brands that did not survive. We don’t have Beavers, or Safaris, or Alphas with us any longer.

But some did survive the tough economic times. However, many of them often did not improve their build quality again. Even after the economy stabilized. Of course, their sticker prices still rose afterward though.

Buying RVs – The Effects Of COVID

Then along comes COVID. And COVID brought a whole change to the RV industry.

All of the folks that had been cooped up for the period of the pandemic, they found a way to have freedom with RV’s. And at the same time be able to socially distance.

So the RV lifestyle just exploded when COVID came about. Now as a result of this, dealers and manufacturers are now in control.

And they’re selling everything that they can get their hands on. Everything the dealers can get from the manufacturers. And everything that the manufacturers can make, is just going right out the door.

But that has made the quality control procedures at the factory get even worse. Because they’re under pressure to deliver.

Also unfortunately, PDI’s or “pre-delivery inspections” at many RV dealers are also almost non-existent. Now once again, this is not the case with all RV dealers.

We’re not lumping all manufacturers or dealers in together. But there’s enough of this going on, that it’s a disturbing trend and it’s not very good.

Buying RVs – Inconveniencing The Customer

Essentially what is happening here is that the manufacturers and the dealers are expecting the buyer of the RV to complete the quality control procedure or be the PDI person.

They’re expecting you, as the buyer, to buy the RV as it is. Then you take it out and use it, and find all the problems that are in it.

This is because it was rushed out of the factory and because the dealer didn’t do his work in preparing it correctly for sale. Instead, they expect you to bring it back for repair under warranty.

Now in all fairness, we have to say that the word on the street is that most of these issues are being taken care of under warranty.

But this is what all of that means. You will not get the RV that you originally paid for in many cases until after all this warranty work is done.

And all of this warranty work. All of this finding issues and then bringing it back and then having them repaired. This could all take months.

And you could be out of your RV for a long period of time while this is happening.

Also, depending on what the problems are, it could take several trips back and forth to the RV dealer service center in many cases as well.

What does all of this mean? It means frustration! And it means irritation!

But it also means you don’t get the RV you paid for until sometime down the line.

Now my friends, this honestly is a sad way to do business in my opinion. It doesn’t show a whole lot of regard for customers. It’s definitely not very customer oriented!

The Effects Of A Worldwide Parts Shortage

But now a new wrinkle has been added to this whole situation by COVID as well. And that is that there is now an RV parts shortage.

There is a very extensive parts shortage going on across the world for RV components and parts.

Many of these components are on long waiting lists and back orders. Even the factories are having tough times in this area.

It’s hard to get all the items and components they need to be able to build the RV’s like they want to.

It also means that service departments just can’t get the parts like they would like as well.

So if you buy a new RV today, there is a chance it may not have all of the components actually installed in it.

You may actually buy a new RV and have to wait until the components come in to be installed later on.

Or you might buy the RV. But then you find that something needs to be replaced under warranty.

Well then, you may have to wait for months for that to be done. So this is really an inconvenience for the RV customer.

Obviously then, there are great challenges going on in the RV industry right now. And it makes it very difficult for the RV buyer who’s looking to buy a new RV.

Buying RVs – How To Handle These Issues

So how do you handle all of this? Well my suggestion is think about buying a used RV instead.

Now when I say used, really it only needs to be a year or two old. You can still buy a very good RV. One that hasn’t been used very much.

And by that time, many of these issues I’ve been mentioning. All the quality problems and quality control issues and also warranty problems. Well, they are all taken care of by then.

So finally you have an RV that actually works by that time.

So suppose you buy an RV right now that is a couple of years old. Well, generally speaking, most of the time the bugs are fairly worked out of it.

The only thing you have to understand is that these days it’s a seller’s market in the RV industry.

So you probably are going to have to pay a little bit more for that used RV. Or at least more than you would at some other time.

But the good news is, at least you will have a fully functioning RV from the very first day. And that is avoiding an awful lot of frustration that many new RV buyers are experiencing now.

Buying RVs – Get An RV Inspection

Please remember, this will be the case especially if you use an RV inspector. A certified NRVIA inspector.

You see, if it’s a used unit, they’re going to go through it from top to bottom. And they’ll give you a full report on what’s going on with that RV.

You will know exactly what shape it’s in before you buy it. Now there’s one warning that I have to give you at this point though.

Some Dealers Are Denying RV Inspections

And that is many RV dealers these days are trying to deny RV inspections to their customers.

They don’t want the inspection to slow down this fast turnover of RV’s. They want to just sell, sell, sell. And they’re not interested in having the the customer have an inspection done on these units.

Once again this is not all RV dealers. But there is enough of this happening that it really is disturbing.

Or if they do allow RV inspections, they may try to talk you out of it. They may tell you that you don’t need an RV inspection.

“Because their PDI process, their pre-delivery inspection process, does exactly what the RV inspector does.” My friends do not fall for that!

It is not the truth. It’s not even close to the truth. There’s not a single PDI process that I have ever seen that comes anywhere close to what an RV inspector will do, if they’re a certified NRVIA inspector.

So please don’t fall for this logic. Don’t allow yourself to be talked out of getting the RV that you deserve.

Buying RVs Now Is A Challenge

So as you can see, buying right now from dealers is a challenge in many ways. Whether you buy new or whether you buy used.

Either way you’re going to face a challenge in some way. Because they’re in the driver’s seat at this point in the sales process.

It’s a seller’s market, so it’s to their advantage. But don’t let them take control of the buying process!

Now all of this should change somewhere in the future because this cannot continue forever.

Especially will this change if the RV lifestyle kind of cools down a little bit.

When it’s not quite such a hot thing that everybody wants to be involved in. Well then, things will normalize more. And it will be a little bit easier to work with.

The problem is nobody knows when that is going to happen.

Should You Buy An RV Now?

So does it mean then that you shouldn’t be buying RV’s right now? That things are just not in your favor and so you shouldn’t do it? I don’t recommend that at all.

In fact, I don’t think there’s any need to put off your RV plans and adventures at all.

There are plenty of great RV deals that can be had out there. All you have to do is just look a little bit harder.

You could even buy new and still get a good RV. But just understand that you’re probably going to go through some real challenges. Difficult issues that go along with the time we’re living in right now.

So just be patient and continue to look for the RV that you feel is going to work best for you. And be smart about what you’re doing in the buying process.

If you do, you can still find the RV that works just right for you. And that RV will take you on all the RVing adventures that you’ll be enjoying in the years ahead.

Well, that’s it for now. Have safe and happy travels my friends….. until next time

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