rv-shopping

Abode less traveled: first-time RV buying experience

In Lifestyle, RV Living by Chris

Holy cow! The next few weeks are going to be crazy!

At least in the sense that we quickly sold our home and will have nowhere to rest our heads. We still need to pack our belongings and sell the “stuff” weighing us down. But we don’t even own an RV yet.

Ditching brick and mortar and embracing a mobile abode is a lesson in strategy, organization and implementation. Our professional forte is planning and execution, yet so far we’re failing to live up to those strengths. There’s something about completely uprooting your life that challenges conventional behaviors…and it’s stressful as hell too.

We had clear ideas of what we desired in a mobile home. We knew we wanted to purchase a large, late model coach with towing power and modern decor (which basically excludes poopy browns and gaudy frills). We googled local dealers, made a list of candidates and set forth on a quest to find the perfect home on wheels.

But…we smelled trouble when Lindsay received the “little lady” treatment from the first RV dealer; nowadays, she may or may not refer to dealers as opportunistic a-holes. However, in the usual smarmy car dealer fashion, each salesman we encountered corralled us toward brand new, overpriced RVs with less than desirable powertrains. We left each location frustrated and befuddled, and nowhere nearer to owning an RV.

Our initial home hunt was fruitless. Not totally our fault, but then again, we probably looked like deer in headlights. So here we are scouring endless listings on MHSRV and Lazydays, eBay and Craigslist. Scrambling to find a place to live via the internet was not supposed to be our only resort. There may be hope in the private seller market, with plenty of options within our budget, but performing walk-throughs and negotiating terms becomes substantially more difficult, i.e., it’s a big pain in the ass. Here’s to hoping we find something soon.

Have you had an awful experience with RV dealers? We’d love to hear your stories.