Used RVs almost always offer a good opportunity for a decent price cut in comparison to brand new RVs. This is just a general rule of thumb in the automobile industry. There will always be those who prefer to buy new, but there will always be more who prefer the “deal” of buying used. But buying used RVs for sale by owner brings additional elements of surprise and potential deceit into play.  

When you are considering purchasing used RVs for sale by owner, you have to consider that this is an individual you are dealing with. It’s probably not an individual you know. It’s probably not an individual that you will be able to get in touch with again easily. And there’s probably not a lot that you can hold this individual accountable for after the sale is done if you are to purchase a RV.

The used RVs for sale by owner offer just as much opportunity to get a good deal on a great RV, but they offer an additional element of surprise; a bit of mystery added to the mix. There’s nothing holding this “individual” seller back from saying anything and everything necessary to make the sale. It’s like the old country song about selling some ocean front property in Arizona. There is no ocean front property in Arizona, but if you know nothing about Arizona and you trust the guy doing the sales pitch to tell the truth I bet that property could sound really fabulous. You might even buy it.

It’s the same with the used RVs for sale by owner. It’s very hard to identify exactly what it is you are getting. You can’t expect owners trying to sell their RV to share every negative detail about their vehicle. They’re going to focus on the positives. They’re naturally going to avoid a lot of talk about what has been wrong with the vehicle in the past or what may be going wrong with it right now or what is about to go wrong with it within the month. These are things that private sellers will almost never share with you as the potential buyer.

On the other hand, working with a reputable dealer means that you have a company with a reputation to worry about. If you are careful you have a company with a solid reputation that they wouldn’t want to tarnish over a quick sale. You also probably have a company that has many high quality RV options to offer you. They don’t need to trick you into buying something that won’t work for you. They’ll have the choices that you need so the right option will be available.

It is better to buy used RVs from an individual or a dealer? It’s a basic question. We all know the best answer. Some of us will continue to answer it wrong, and some of us will get lucky and have a positive experience buying from a private seller. But in the long run, you’ll avoid the most hassles and negative buying situations by working with an experienced dealership.