I almost purchased an RV for sale by owner. My neighbor was getting rid of it. I had never owned a recreational vehicle before. I have purchased many cars directly from previous owners and thought it would be pretty much the same when it came to a RV for sale by owner.

Lucky for me, my neighbor feared a fallout if he were to sell the vehicle to me. It was about to require some major work that would cost a pretty penny. I’m not sure that I agree with the ethical nature of his decision not to disclose this to all the potential buyers, but I have to admit that I was very glad that he chose to disclose the information to me before I got too hyped up about buying it.

After this little experience I had a bad taste in my mouth about recreational vehicles for a while. I was unsure how something so major could have slipped past what I saw as a pretty thorough knowledge of vehicles in general. But I eventually got over it. The RV is a very specific vehicle. It has elements that are not present in other vehicles on the road so the average consumer can’t be expected to know what to look for, what to check and what to avoid.

And I definitely found myself in that category. But I do now find myself the proud owner of a Class A RV. My family and I enjoy taking it for day trips and a few times a year we try to get away for a long weekend or even a week or two. It depends how busy my wife and I are at work. So how did I do it if I was afraid of ending up with a “lemon” and was unsure what to look for when trying to avoid a poor purchase?

I let the professionals do the work for me. I bought a vehicle from a reputable dealer. I avoided the RV for sale by owner that I drove by on the way to work. I ignored the RV for sale by owner that I saw parked outside my buddy’s house. I pretended I wasn’t interested in the RV for sale by owner that my boss parked in the company parking lot for a few weeks. Buying from a previous owner is too problematic and too full of questions that I don’t have the answer to. When I purchased from a dealer I was able to have the contract. I was able to have access to the warranty. I was able to have access to the experienced professionals on the floor offering me honest opinions and I had access to a service department that specialized in RV parts and service.

It took all the stress out of it because it removed all the unanswered questions. I’ll never be tempted by another RV for sale by owner again.