Steps to purchasing a Used Class A RV

[Wizards&OZ]

I find myself in what may be a unique situation!  I'm originally from Michigan, and still have family there and a P.O. Box, but no full time residence of my own. I'm currently living and working overseas on the island of Guam. I have a Guam drivers license, formerly a Michigan DL. 

Next year, I'll be taking a 6-month sabbatical and coming back to the mainland. It is my intentions of purchasing a used RV and traveling for the 6-month duration, East-to-West coast. 

Let's say, for example, I purchase an RV from PPL in Texas.

• What steps would I take to have the vehicle registered and titled? 
• Which State would I pay Sales Tax?
• Where should I get insurance?
• Should I register the vehicle to a family member in the Mainland instead?
• Would I want to set up a domicile somewhere in the Mainland? Florida, perhaps? Would I need to do this if I plan on returning to Guam for a few months, only to come back to the mainland and pick up RV'ing full time? 
• Would I need to secure a Stateside drivers license? Which State should I do this in? 
• Any other critical steps that you think are important to consider? 

Thanks for your help! 

[Kirk W]

5 hours ago, Wizards&OZ said:

Let's say, for example, I purchase an RV from PPL in Texas.

• What steps would I take to have the vehicle registered and titled? 
• Which State would I pay Sales Tax?
• Where should I get insurance?

You must have an address established in order to register, license, and insure any vehicle. The first thing you need to do is to figure out where that will be. You could title, register, and license it in the name of a relative if you have one who is willing to do that but it will also mean that relative will own the RV and be responsible for any legal issues. They could sell it or anything that they wish and even stop insuring it. There is no way that we can know what is best for you to do. If I were in your position I would probably look to establish a domicile somewhere that I expect to wish it to be when you return stateside permanently. As far as insurance, that must be done at the address/location where the vehicle is registered. The same is true for insurance and many other things. 

5 hours ago, Wizards&OZ said:

Would I need to secure a Stateside drivers license? Which State should I do this in? 

If you establish a domicile, driver's licensing is usually a part of that process. Let me suggest that you need to start by reading about domicile so that you understand what it is. I think that reading this may be helpful.  I'd suggest that you also take a look at Escapees Texas Domicile information. If you still have questions we can point you to several other good sources. 

[sandsys]

12 hours ago, Wizards&OZ said:

Would I want to set up a domicile somewhere in the Mainland? Florida, perhaps? Would I need to do this if I plan on returning to Guam for a few months, only to come back to the mainland and pick up RV'ing full time? 

This is the critical part. If you plan to come back for full-time RVing, then yes, you need to pick a domicile and register everything there. So, I recommend you start by following Kirk's links to get a sense of what that means. Once you understand that come back with any further questions and we will do our best to help you.

Linda Sand

[remoandiris]

Since Guam is a US territory, start there.  Ask your local insurance agent what the insurance cost would be even though they and you know the RV will be on the mainland.  Using Guam to register/title may be impossible unless you buy sight unseen and trust the seller to send you the needed paperwork.  If Guam requires a VIN verification, that is another problem.

If you ultimately decide to establish domicile in the US, then you face issues that many FT RVers face...which state to use.  Health insurance is one driver of that decision.  Tax rates are another.

[Optimistic Paranoid]

You know, I remember seeing a Volkswagen Beetle with Hawaiian plates running around near a college campus in upstate NY, and thinking, "How cool is that!" 

Having Guam plates on an RV on the mainland would be even cooler!

[Wizards&OZ]

I think we will start by finding getting a free consultation with the domicile lawyers with Escapees to help establish setting up our domicile. Secondly, I'll reach out to our DMV and auto-insurance providers here in Guam and ask about registering and insurance for an RV Stateside. I'm fairly certain they will have a deer in headlights look on their faces! But, it's worth a shot. 

[kb0zke]

Welcome to the forum, Yes, you do have a unique situation. I think you are pretty much on the right track, and I suspect that you will need to have a state-side domicile for those six months. Remember that people change their domiciles all the time, so changing from Guam to Texas for six months, then back to Guam ought not be a problem. Yes, you will have to go through getting a drivers license twice, once in Texas and once in Guam, but that shouldn't be any big deal.

I mention Texas as a domicile only because you mentioned buying from PPL. There are other States that may work as well for you. Remember that, if you don't have any income, you don't owe any income tax. Yes, you may have to file a return, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem, either.

If you are thinking of returning here and full-timing, then you will need to look at things a bit differently. I'd choose one of the "big three" States for your domicile. Those States are Florida, South Dakota, and Texas. Those three have no income tax and will allow you to use your mail forwarding service address as your legal (domicile) address for voting. Each of the three has advantages and disadvantages. You will need to research them and make your own decision.

As Kirk said, once you have picked your State you can begin the process. Generally, you will need to get your drivers license first, then get insurance for your vehicle(s), then register them. Since Escapees has a presence in each of those three, you should be able to get whatever help you need. I don't know about FL or TX, but SD doesn't require you to pay sales tax on a vehicle if you have owned it for more than a certain time (I think it is six months). If you buy something, new or used, you will have to pay the SD sales tax. If you buy from a dealer they ought to be able to figure out how to handle out-of-State sales tax.

The biggest thing, and the one you ought to do immediately, is set up your mail service. As I said, Escapees is set up in all three of the "big three" and there are other services available, too, although I don't know of any that are in more than one State. Search for mail forwarding services in ___ (whatever State you want) and you will get links. It will take a good month or two for your mail to all be going to the mail service. Remember that when you go back to Guam you can't just do a change of address with the post office - you will have to notify EVERYONE that sends you mail to send it to your Guam address. You can, of course, do a regular change of address with the PO to start forwarding your mail to the mail forwarding service.

Confused yet?