Hi all!  My husband and I are just beginning to research the idea of full-timing and I must say, it has a lot of appeal.   We have a million questions and this forum is a wonderful resource.

We’re thinking of purchasing a used 5^th wheel but have realized in searching on line that we may want to purchase something that’s a long way from home.  I read somewhere that it’s possible to have inspections done of the various systems on an RV but how do you go about finding someone to do the inspections and arrange for it logistically if it isn’t local?  If the unit is owned by a dealer it may not be so hard but if it’s owned by an individual, it seems that it could be kinda difficult.  Any thoughts on how this might work?  Has anyone done something like this?

Also, part of our reasoning in purchasing used is to avoid the immediate depreciation.   That said, I’ve noticed that there seem to be some pretty good discounts on new 2011 and 2010 units and I can see a possible argument to the used route if we could get a pretty good deal on new.  Would you have any concerns about buying a new 2010 unit that’s been sitting on the lot all this time?

Oh, another question, do RV’s have titles like cars showing previous ownership?

The list goes on and on so I’d best stop for now.  Many thanks to Howard and Linda for all their work on this site and to all of you who are so willing to share your knowledge and experience.

Happy trails   Judy

Judy,

Welcome to the forum. Here you will find friendly people with honest information based on real experience.

We purchased used and drove 600 miles from Corpus Christi, TX to Elk City, OK to see and close the deal on our used 2008 Cedar Creek. We felt comfortable in doing this because we had seen the particular model many times during the two plus we researched trailers. We felt at ease with the business (Rolling Retreats) because of comments from other folks and because Alicia and Slade are not your typical RV dealer.

We were not disapointed in the deal we got.  In fact when compared to other fifth wheels available through other dealers and when compared to NADA, we got a super deal.

Would we do this again from same dealer? Yes, with out question. Alicia and Slade are the real deal and can be trusted.

We bought used because for us, that was a more afforadble option. We did not have a third party inspection performed because we felt we could trust Alicia & Slade. We have no idea who owned the unit prior to Rolling Retreats other than the original dealer had their website plastered on the unit.

Good luck in your search.

Judy,

In regards to Rolling Retreats, I can also recommend them.  In fact, I know of at least two or three couples on different forums that have purchased their used fifth wheels from Alicia and Slade.

Mostly, they get their DRV Suites models (Elite Suites, Mobile Suites, and Select Suites) at auction after they have been repossessed.  After they get the units back to Elk City, they go through them completely, checking out all the "systems" within the coaches and cleaning them up.  I can say that the units they have are as good as they look in the pictures.

The Suites models are generally for those that are considering full-time in a coach.  In fact, the company is a spin off from Sunnybrook and was started specifically to build units for full timers.  That said, I know of a lot that don't full time, but want all the amenities.  In our case we are living full time in ours here in Oklahoma City.  No more owning a house for us.

I imagine that all states will require owners to register the RV's.  Now, just how easy it would be to find earlier owners, I wouldn't have any idea.  

In addition, unless you already own a truck, choose your RV first before buying a truck.  That way, you can be sure that your truck will be rated high enough to handle towing the size of unit you get.  I can't think of anything more dreaded than to realize that one's RV is pushing the tow vehicle around.  Handling means stopping the unit just as much as towing it.  And mountain passes just adds to the fun.

Good luck with the looking and researching, and have fun doing it.  Feel free to ask questions as there are a lot of knowledgeable folks here, most all of them willing and eager to help.

Terry

Thanks for your reply Terry. We'll definitely keep an eye on the inventory at Rolling Retreats once we figure out exactly what our plan is and what our budget will allow. I fear that Mobile Suites will be out of our price range unless we go with one that's maybe 5 or 6 years old. I need to learn more about what types of problems you can anticipate as a rig grows older. I know that at that age, if tires haven't already been replaced, they should be but that's about it. Once initial bugs are worked out what types of maintenance/repairs can be expected as a rig ages?

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Judy, we're a few years away from buying a FT rig, so we're asking some of the same questions you are. We've found some of our answers, though.

One of you questions that wasn't completely answered concerned titles. Each state does things their own way, but generally, yes, there will be a title. It may or may not list all previous owners. Should you decide to go out of state for your rig, you will have to accept whatever that state has.

You will also need to figure out the licensing issue. You probably won't be able to get license plates in advance, but you ought to be able to get some sort of temporary tag that will let you get back to Iowa.

Remember that a seller can ask whatever they want for their rig. What a buyer is willing to pay may be another amount altogether. Take a look at nada.com to get some guidance for prices. http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/ has lots of rigs for sale. Don't be put off by the name; they have every sort of RV imaginable available. Their prices seem to be in line with NADA.

Make sure that you tour some factories as part of your research. Seeing how a coach is put together can really help your decision-making. If nothing else, it will give you some additional questions to ask.

If we decide on a towable, we will probably buy the truck first. In our case, though, we'll have a pretty good idea of what weights we are looking at, and will be able to buy sufficient truck for the purpose. Again, we're buying everything used.

Brand new rigs on the dealer's lot are generally available at 70-80% of list price. As new models come out there may be even greater discounts available. Also, we've been told that many snowbirds trade in October and November, so there are generally more used rigs avaiable then.

Good luck on your research. It can really be enjoyable, and when the right rig comes along it will definitely say "buy me!"

RE: title and tags. In our case, Rolling Retreats provided temporary tags for the trailer plus bill of sale and other standard vehicle type documents to indicate we were rightful owners. Once we got back in Texas, we registered the trailer here. We now have title and tags - Texas style.
On a side note, we arranged insurance on the trailer so we had it insured effective the day we took possession.
While looking at new rigs, we found that dealers where willing to cut pretty strong deals. We found a new Montana that listed for $79K was "on sale" for $51K. That was still too much for our budget so we opted for used.
We did purchase our truck first even though that is not normally recommended. We were comfortable with that decision because we had a pretty good idea what our trailer would weigh. Most 350s/3500s may pull the heavier trailers (like DRV) but that kind of weight will exceed the truck's GCVW spec. I discovered the most truck dealers where clueless when it comes to know their inventory's GCVW. This means you have to be self educated. You will find lots of info on Vehicle and Trailer weight ratings on this forum and on RV-Dreams website.

Waggin Tails wrote:

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We purchased used and drove 600 miles from Corpus Christi, TX to Elk City, OK to see and close the deal on our used 2008 Cedar Creek. We felt comfortable in doing this because we had seen the particular model many times during the two plus we researched trailers. We felt at ease with the business (Rolling Retreats) because of comments from other folks and because Alicia and Slade are not your typical RV dealer.

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 Waggin Tails and Judy L,

Hi there!  I have been researching for the last year and I, too, have checked out Rolling Retreats.  We are almost sure we want a Mobile Suites, and plan on going to the factory before we purchase, and then we want to purchase a used one.  I have been keeping my eyes on the Rolling Retreats website, and I do believe we will be going there to purchase when it's time.  Why used for us?  Besides the prohibitive cost of new, we will be first-time RVers, so we want to get all the dings, bumps and scratches out of the way on a "used" model before we purchase new; and we will also have a better idea of what we will need in the new unit after living in one for our "break-in" period.  Lots of learning curve involved for us, I'm afraid!  But we are up to the challenge.  We are getting really tired of keeping up a sticks-and-bricks.  We have an inground pool too, so that's a lot of work.  Aaaaahhhh....the retired life is calling....LOUDLY!!

Edited to add:   I forgot to ask you WT, does Rolling Retreats help you find financing or do you have to have that all taken care of before you get there?

Thanks!  I'll check out the RV Handbook and take a look at those sites.  It's kind of addictive...

You made some great suggestions, David. Thanks! We have a long way to go but we downsized our home a few years ago so it's not as bad as it might have been. We've been living in a little two bedroom ranch but it does have a basement that we use for storage, laundry, office and my silversmithing workshop (hobby). I fear that's one thing I may have to have to give up. The only idea I've come up with so far is if we got a motorhome, maybe we could pull a trailer with a small car inside and put a small workshop in there. There's a lot of figuring out to do :)

The Iowa State Fair is coming up in August and it usually has quite an array of RVs. We're planning to spend some time looking around there.

Thanks again for the ideas!