Recreational Vehicle Classifieds

Many prospective recreational vehicle buyers look first in their local newspaper’s classifieds for a good RV deal, or in various other print publication’s classifieds.  Buying from an unknown private RV seller may sound like the most logical, simple way to find a good deal, but buyers should be very cautious in doing this.  The safest way to buy a vehicle is definitely through a respected, credible dealership.

One benefit of buying through a RV dealership is that they are held accountable to consumer laws.  There are laws in place to protect buyers from fraudulent sales, or purchasing “lemons”, that is faulty or defective products.  It is much easier to hold a company legally responsible for adhering to these standards.  While there are certainly regulations in place that govern sales of recreational vehicles through classifieds, these are much harder to enforce.  At the very least, the dealerships will have a business license, making them already known to the government and much easier to track.  They are also required to keep documents on all of their transactions that can be requested by the court, should any problems arise.  These safeguards are not required of individual RV sellers.

When buying from a dealership, it is also much easier to research their credibility.  There are many venues that prospective buyers can do this: the Better Business Bureau, customer reviews on various websites, their reputation in the community, and word of mouth from other people you may know who have purchased with them in the past. 

While a private RV seller can rarely offer you a guarantee of quality performance on your recreational vehicle, many dealerships offer you such guarantees.  Some are in the form of a satisfaction guarantee for a set number of months or days, during which time they will repair or replace any problems that come up with your new recreational vehicle.  Some dealers are backed by third party companies that provide reports on the condition of the RVs.  Many dealers will offer you extended service contracts that offer you the benefit of having maintenance and repairs covered for a set period of years.  Whether you choose to spend extra money on features such as this is your choice, but just having that option is valuable to many potential buyers.  The shorter-term guarantees that come free with your RV purchase are an obvious value and give peace of mind to new RV owners.

All safe buying concerns aside, recreational vehicle classifieds cannot offer you the advantage of comparison and knowledge that any dealership can provide for you.  Rather than looking at RVs one at a time as you do in classified searches, you are able to look at many RVs next to each other and compare their features and prices.  This is particularly valuable in used RV shopping, where so many variables affect the price of your vehicle.  When comparing side by side, you can truly tell the difference between a well cared-for RV and one that was less cared-for.

While recreational vehicle classifieds may seem like good shopping tools with good deals, remember that your purchase is a long-term investment that needs to be secure and informed.  If you are a seasoned veteran of recreational vehicle use, you may feel confident in purchasing in this way.  For many newer users, the secure choice remains in buying through a dealer.