Last Updated on December 13, 2022
When I was searching for my first Class B RV to buy, I’ve been looking for it all over the place. The best places to get a general idea and good deals is RVtrader, eBay, and Craigslist. After a few days of searching, I found mine on Craigslist, the only problem was that it was a 6-hour drive away from me.
At first I had no idea what to do. Even if I drive up myself, I don’t know a thing about RVs. I didn’t want to waste time driving up there to find out that it is in awful condition. I needed serious help. I started my research and I found an RV inspection service by Lemon Squad, they’ve promised to check the RV inside & out before buying them. The perfect idea. A local specialist went, test-drove, and inspected the RV for me. They sent me a detailed report with lots of images and personal opinions. Even though it cost a couple of hundred dollars, I was very happy with my choice. It’s way cheaper than buying something that is worthless.
When I drove up two days later to pick up the RV I was confident that I am getting a great deal.
If you are handy, you have already owned Class B RVs before and know a thing or two about them, maybe you want to check it out yourself and save the money.
Here I put together a buying checklist for you:
BUYING CHECKLIST
- How many owners it had? How long has the current owner owned it? Why sell it?
- How old is it, with how many miles? (Low mileage is not necessarily a good thing)
- Has it been in any accident? Any dents on the body? Try to get a vehicle history.
- What kinds of fuel does it need? How many gallons does it use?
- Was it in storage most of the year? Was it rented out? Was it used by full-timers? Infrequent use is not always a good thing.
- Can they show signs of regular maintenance? Records of tire or oil changes, major par changes and checkups
- Check all the tires and the spare
- How is the home battery? A home battery is a deep circuit battery, it can cost around $200 to replace.
- Test the water system: in the sink, the toilet, and the shower.
- Test the propane system: the burners and the furnace
- Test all electrical devices: microwave, air conditioner, ceiling fan, inside lights, fridge, TV, and DVD player
- Check for leaks on the walls and the ceiling
- Check the grey water and black water tanks, how do they work? Is the toilet goes into a black water tank or it has a separate cassette?
- Test the awning
- See if it has a working carbon monoxide, propane detector, and a fire extinguisher
- Check for underbody rust – it is ok if it is only surface rust
- Take a look at all liquids in the engine: oil, water, coolant, etc
- Test drive and test the brakes
