When you decide to buy a recreational vehicle (RV), you may be overwhelmed by all the choices. Should you buy a super-sized Class A motorhome like the one Willie Nelson has? A Class B camper van like those favored by so many YouTubers? A travel trailer? Fifth wheel? Pop-up? Teardrop? Truck camper? And those are just the types of RVs, never mind the dizzying number of models and options within those categories.
Fortunately, James Adinaro, who, along with his wife Stef, runs the popular RV lifestyle company and YouTube channel The Fit RV, has a method for determining the right RV for your needs. Bottom Line Personal asked him to walk us through it.
- Determine how you will use the RV.
- Rent an RV for firsthand experience.
- List the features you want.
- Rank the features in order of preference.
- Start researching RVs.
- Visit an RV show.
- Ask RV owners your questions.
- Make your purchase!
How Not to Choose an RV
A surprising number of people buy their first RV with just a vague notion that it would be a fun thing to have. They start researching models and fantasizing about the open road. Then they walk into an RV dealership and are starstruck by some snazzy features like a large-screen outdoor television or a refrigerator that is nicer than the one in their home kitchen. Before they know it, they’ve made their purchase.
Problem: An RV purchased this way often turns out to be a bad fit. Maybe it’s too big to enter the national park you were planning to explore…or your spouse is terrified to drive it. Perhaps the toilet is so uncomfortable that the campground restroom is the only good option.
Better approach: Follow this eight-step process. Go in with an analytical mind and no preconceptions. This will help you avoid a costly mistake and find the RV that’s right for you.
Step #1: Develop the “use case.”
A “use case” is a specific scenario for how a product might be used. Your first and most crucial step is to lay out in detail how you plan to use the RV. Instead of asking yourself, Which RV?, ask What do I want to do? The RV should fit that thing you want to do.
Examples: “I want to take my sons fishing every weekend at the state park two hours from home”…“We want to visit our children two states away and they don’t have a guest room”…“We want to visit every Major League Baseball stadium”…“We want to sell our house and live out on the road”…“I want to sell my handmade jewelry at events and fairs all over the East Coast.”
Each of these use cases will sharpen your focus. The fisherman who plans to take his sons on weekends will want an accessible RV that can be ready for frequent jaunts. The couple who wants to visit their children will need a comfortable bed and bathroom. The people who want to visit baseball stadiums will be driving in cities and will want a maneuverable RV. The family looking to live on the road will be concerned with privacy, long-term comfort and storage space. The jewelry maker will want to consider fuel efficiency, versatility and cargo room.
Play through your scenario as completely as possible. Do your children live in a development that won’t allow you to park an RV in their driveway? (For that matter, do you? RV storage is costly.) If you want to visit baseball stadiums, what’s the price point at which it makes sense to buy, maintain and fuel an RV rather than just driving your own car and staying in hotels? If you’re planning to live out on the road, how will you pop into town for groceries?
Step #2: Rent an RV
Don’t skip this step. There is no better way to discover your preferences than with some firsthand experience. You don’t have to rent the exact RV—or even type of RV—you ultimately buy. But take as long a trip as you can in the rental, approximating your use case, so you can learn about yourself as an RVer.
Example: At a dealership, you and your spouse might lie down on a bed and decide it’s perfect for both of you. But only out on the road might you realize that one partner must climb over the other to get to the bathroom. Or you might find that you never use a rollout awning…that you need somewhere to hang a dripping wetsuit while traveling…or that you were never meant to back up a trailer into a parking space. These all are valuable lessons and should be carefully listed in a notebook or computer file.
Step #3: List your features
Now you can identify the characteristics of an RV that matter to you based on your use case and your rental experience. If your plan is to use the RV for ski trips, list “water lines that don’t freeze.” If you’ve discovered that a bed accessible from both sides is a must-have, list it. If a split bath, with the toilet and the shower in separate rooms, is important, list it.
Step #4: Rank-order your features
You’re unlikely to find an RV that has every single feature you desire, so you’ll probably have to sacrifice some preferences. But which ones? Prioritizing will help.
How to do this: Pit each feature on your list against all the others, one at a time. This is called a “paired comparison,” and you can do it by building a grid with every feature listed across both the X and Y axes. In each cell, indicate the winner between the feature in the row and the feature in the column. Which features “won” the most cells? Those are your top priorities, and they’ll be enormously helpful in zeroing in on a model.
Step #5: Start researching
Now comes the fun part—reading reviews, scouring dealer websites, taking virtual tours and studying floor plans in search of RVs that fit your use case and preferences. Also be sure to look for common complaints, drawbacks and mechanical failures. Make a list of the top contenders.
Step #6: Visit an RV show
It’s time to sit in and get a feel for the models you’ve been scoping out. Ideally, you’ll go to one of the two big shows held each year—in Tampa, Florida, and Hershey, Pennsylvania. Smaller shows are fine but usually feature fewer manufacturers. You also can check out a lot of brands by visiting one of the major multi-manufacturer RV dealers such as General RV Center, Camping World, La Mesa or Lazydays.
Step #7: Ask smart questions of RV owners
By now, you should have some pretty specific questions about the RV models you’re considering. Will two 14-foot kayaks fit inside? How is it on gravel roads? What percentage below manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) can you hope to pay? Most RV models have owners’ groups online, especially on Facebook. And most owners are happy to share their knowledge.
Step #8: Make your purchase
Pulling the trigger can be a delight, but it also can be stressful. Buying an RV is like buying a house and car combined. Expect to negotiate. Note: If you’re purchasing a used RV, have it inspected by a professional certified by the National RV Inspectors Association (NRVIA.org).
