What to Think About Before Buying Your First Family RV


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RV life is filled with travel and adventure. It’s a unique lifestyle that’s not for everyone, but it comes with many rewards. Throughout the purchasing process for your RV you’ll need to think about things like financing, storage, and general use. Whether you plan to use your RV full-time and make it your home or for just the occasional trip across the country, there are few things to think about before buying your first family RV. Here are some tips to help you get on the right path before making the big purchase.

How Do You Plan to Use Your RV?

The first thing you need to consider is how you plan to use your RV. If you’re going to use your RV as your home with a lot of traveling to national parks and other remote locations, you’ll need an RV that offers the comforts of home without being too large to travel to remote areas. This might include sleeping areas, a small kitchen, a bathroom, and a shower. You also want to consider the RV’s towing capabilities if you decide to pull a small car or truck behind your RV. Having a smaller vehicle with you on some of these trips will give you the option to drive out to more remote locations for a quick day trip.

If you do plan to travel often and longer distances with your RV you might want to purchase something that’s newer and has less wear and tear on it. The last thing you want while you’re traveling across the country is for your RV to break down in the middle of nowhere. If you’ll be travelling mostly locally and not as frequently, you can go without choosing the newest and most expensive RV model available.

How Much Space Do You Need?

Having a large family will require a large RV if you’ll be spending a lot of time on the road or if you’ll be living in your RV. Keep in mind that the larger the RV, the larger the costs. Large RVs require a lot of maintenance, fuel, water, electricity, and other necessities, but may be the right choice for your family if you require that amount of room.

You should also consider your space requirements such as storage, number of bedrooms, bathroom size and amenities, and kitchen size before heading to a dealership. In addition, you also want to consider whether you need a washer and dryer.

If you’ll be traveling with children during the school year you’ll need somewhere for them to do their school work. If you or your spouse plan to work on the road, you’ll also need an area to do that. Think about what you might need to do or where you’d need to be on a daily basis, try to simplify, and then decide what space you need from there.

When traveling on your own you can get away with a small amount of space, but when traveling in an RV with your family for the first time, you’ll need to consider the needs of each family member in terms of what they’ll do on a daily basis and how much space that would require.

Understanding RV Transport and Its Importance

RVs are not transported to a dealership like cars are. They have to be driven or towed to the lot or your home. An RV transport company will handle the transportation of your RV from the manufacturer to your home or the dealership. Still, it’s essential to estimate the transport cost and if you or the dealership is responsible for the cost.

You can sometimes save money on transporting your RV from one location to another by hiring your own RV transport company rather than using the dealer’s company. RV transport companies are also highly beneficial for occasions or emergencies when you need to leave your RV and travel home another way. This will help you to ensure that your RV makes it home even if you are not with it for the duration of the trip. To simplify your life, you should keep the number of a reliable and reputable RV transport company on hand for emergencies.

Consider Buying a Used RV

If you’re on a budget, you should consider buying a used RV. RVs are just like cars when it comes to depreciation. They can depreciate rather quickly if you buy a brand new one from the manufacturer. Another reason to buy your first RV used is that you may find yourself not using your RV as much as you thought you would. It’s not difficult to find a used RV in great condition from an online dealer. However, you may want to have it inspected or checked out by a mechanic first to ensure you’re getting the best deal and condition possible for your price point.

Keep in mind that the interior condition of the RV is just as important as the exterior and engine. It should be clean and free of mold. Additionally, the walls and ceiling should all be stable without any concerning areas or holes.

 

It’s going to take some time to find the right RV that suits you and your family. This is, after all, a large purchase that affects the way you’ll travel as well as your future finances. Think about size, amenities, and price and how all of these things affect you and your family before you go RV shopping. Once you find the perfect RV, have fun hitting the road and enjoying the RV lifestyle.