Good used RV dealers?

[DiscussionFam]

Ok, so we just sold our house and moved all our belongings to a storage unit. Now we just need to buy our RV. We are considering a used 26 ft Class C for 2 adults/2kids. We are currently in California and will be domiciling in Florida. Is there any recommendations on where to buy a used RV? I looked at PPL in Texas but read some bad reviews in yelp. I would prefer to buy in California due to location but is it better to buy in Florida since we will need to register there? It would of been nice to have the RV before selling our home but we needed the sale of the house to afford it. Any dealerships recommended in California, AZ, TX or Florida?

 

Thanks!

[Jimalberta]

I trust private owners far more than dealers.

[Phil Saran]

Have you seen just how little storage there is in a 26 ft. Class C MH???

I hope you are planning on pulling an enclosed trailer to store clothes for 4 people.

 

All I can say is before you buy make sure of 2 items, can dad stand up in the shower and second item

is can mom and dad sit down on the toilet and still have the bathroom door shut.

 

The class C I had was a bit older 1986 and I could not sit on the toilet and shut the door and the only

person in the family who could fit in the shower was my then 8 yr. old daughter.

[LFDR3116]

I would purchase in FL if that is where you are going to domicile. I believe the taxes, licensing etc will be much cheaper than in CA

[bruce t]

There are both good and bad dealers as there are private sellers.

We dealt with these folks and found them very honest to deal with.

 

http://www.mhsrv.com/

 

regards

[Kirk W]

Welcome to the Escapee forums! We are happy to do all that we are able to help and support so do join in often.

 

We are considering a used 26 ft Class C for 2 adults/2kids.

Nobody but you can really say how much space each person needs but this seems to be awfully small for a family of four. And if you plan to carry all of your possessions with you be very careful of the amount of available storage space as well as the weight capacity it has when compared to the GVWR as traveling in a severely overloaded RV is a safety issue.If you plan to tow a car as you travel, that weight is also important. While we owned a 36 motorhome when fulltime, today we travel in a 19' travel trailer and have lived in it for as long as 5 months and for us that is about as small as we can live comfortably in.

 

When you buy an RV in CA but do not register it there you must take delivery outside of the state in order to avoid payment of CA taxes. Most larger dealers do know this and many can arrange to deliver it just across the state line. Have you set up an address in FL to register it too? You will need an address outside of CA to complete the transaction if you buy there. I suspect that it might be less difficult to accomplish to wait to buy until you are out of CA and perhaps even to wait until you arrive in FL.

[The Quiet Assassin]

I bought from PPL and felt I was treated very fairly

 

I would buy there again. Also remember their salespeople are not on commission so no hard sell.

[scouserl41]

You need a good used RV not a good used RV dealer!

Shop around like crazy to find a floor plan you can live with first. Look at LOTS of rigs thru craigslist etc. go see them with your wife and kids and see if they will all fit!

Shop some more, take notes and pictures because they all look alike after the first couple. Sit and think about watching TV, cooking, Living in it while the kids are in bed. Where is you stuff going to fit.

 

You'll figure out what works and what doesn't that way and can make a better decision when you buy.

A saying in the RV world is "You never get the rig you really want until you buy your 3rd one". If you can't afford 3 RV's you need to take time and get the right one first go.

 

I'd think about making a trip to Yuma at the beginning of March. There are hundreds of RV's for sale at dealers, park and sell lots and private sales at that time of year just as the snowbirds are getting ready to leave. Don't go any later or they will all be gone! By April 11st the place is nearly empty. We bought our rig in Yuma and we're very pleased with what we got and the price we paid in a private sale.

 

Find out what comes with the rig as chairs, tables, bedding, grills, hoses etc all cost money and check the tires are less than 5 years old they are one of the biggest costs once you buy a rig.

BnB

[DiscussionFam]

Thanks this has all been very helpful definitely considering purchasing in Florida or elsewhere but good to know that I don't have to register/pay fees in California. I read about the Tampa RV show this coming weekend is it all new vehicles or do people sell their used RV 's too? Considering flying/ driving there and starting our adventures from there. Is the RV show a worthwhile trip for purchasing used?

 

Thanks! This is so much easier that endless hours of research

[Dance Chick]

I can tell you where NOT to go in FL - Camping World in Dover right outside of Tampa. Stay away - far away.

[PB&J]

Second what Kirk said. Look for the RV first then someone (dealer or private party) that has one that fits your budget. We are fulltimers domiciled in Florida. The best thing about the Tampa RV show is you can see so many units (all new) and that will help a lot in narrowing down your choices. Once you have a few candidates, look for nice used ones if that's where your budget leads you. PPL motorhomes is good to work with, Motorhomes of Texas specializes in diesel units in the $35-$500k range. I sold a Foretravel on consignment there and it was an excellent experience. We bought our current ride from Independence RV near Orlando - very good to work with and excellent service - specializes in Newmar. We had a lousy purchase experience at Lazy Days but many other have had happy outcomes there. So, I would say RV dealers are no better or worse than car dealers just do your homework and shop around.

[WILDEBILL308]

Ok, so we just sold our house and moved all our belongings to a storage unit. Now we just need to buy our RV. We are considering a used 26 ft Class C for 2 adults/2kids. We are currently in California and will be domiciling in Florida. Is there any recommendations on where to buy a used RV? I looked at PPL in Texas but read some bad reviews in yelp. I would prefer to buy in California due to location but is it better to buy in Florida since we will need to register there? It would of been nice to have the RV before selling our home but we needed the sale of the house to afford it. Any dealerships recommended in California, AZ, TX or Florida?

 

Thanks!

I have never heard bad things on any forum dealing with RVs about PPL. They can't be that bad as they have sold over 4500 RVs in the last two years.

I wouldn't look at anything smaller than a 35-36ft Class A. How much experience have you had living long time in a 26ft class C?

Bill

[wildmandmc]

stay away from lazy days.

on another note what part of florida you going to be heading to.

[whj469]

I, like others above, would think that a 26' anything would be a little small for four people.

Good Luck

[JoeTrekker]

Don't believe everything you read on Yelp. I currently live in Houston, and PPL is my preferred place to purchase a used RV. Barb sent you very wise words: look for the best RV, and then work your deal. Be sure you've done a thorough inspection or that you've hired a professional RV inspector to do it for you.

 

As someone stated, the salespersons at PPL are salaried, not commissioned, and so you can spend as long as you want on the PPL lot, traipsing in and out of various rigs, inspecting them all at your leisure and without anyone interrupting or pushing you along. Until closing time, of course. LOL.

 

And don't overlook LaMesaRV: http://lamesarv.com I've heard good things about them. They have locations in CA, AZ, NM and FL, so if you're driving from CA to FL, and if you see a rig on their website that interests you, you can call and find out which location the rig's in. Then just stop and check it out!

 

Ditto the advice about 4 people in a 26-footer. That could get pretty dicey pretty soon! But that's just my humble and worthless opinion. Best of luck, and please keep us informed of how your search progresses.

 

Joe

[DiscussionFam]

Thanks lots to mull over and we are still in research mode and appreciate everyone's input. Definitely will be sizing things up as we check out RV's. We are basically taking a gap year off and traveling around with eventually moving to Florida (maybe Tampa or Space coast) but we are keeping our plans flexible as we are four individuals to consider our various needs and wants. Really appreciate people's comments about Ppl and trust this info much more than yelp.

This would be our first RV so is there a list or link to professionals inspectors we can contact? Do RV inspectors also check out the engine and mechanical aspects of the RV or is it the house part only (plumbing, electrical,etc?

 

Thanks!!!

[DiscussionFam]

We would most likely be heading over to PPL, so we would like to know of good inspectors in the Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth areas.

 

Thanks again!!

[Kirk W]

.... we would like to know of good inspectors in the Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth areas.

For the Dallas area, I'd suggest that you try Blue Moon RV Service as a possible inspection service. They are a mobile RV service that has an excellent reputation. The other one that I have heard of, but have not personally used is Mobile Repair Specialists of Ft. Worth.

[TXiceman]

Try Kansas RV Center in Chanute, KS. This is the plant that formerly built the NuWa HitchHikers. First class customer service.

 

 

Ken

[kb0zke]

Welcome to the forum. Several people here have given you some great advice. You really need quite a bit of time to do your research, but since your house is sold and your stuff is in storage you will need to rush the process.

 

First of all, look carefully at how you will be traveling. Will you be moving frequently or staying in one place for months at a time? How old are your children? One of each, or two of one? Any pets?

 

Get used to the idea that you will have one vehicle towing another one when traveling.

 

While you and your family are discussing your plans, go look at all sorts of coaches, both motorized and towable. Find the floor plans that work for you. Once you decide on a type of coach (motorized is generally considered better for more frequent moves, while towable is generally considered better for longer stays), look at used high end coaches. I say used because you don't have a lot of RV experience, and you may well decide after only a few months that you don't have the right coach, and if you have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for a new coach you may well be unhappy when you go to trade it in and find out that is is worth only 3/4 of what you paid for it three months earlier. I say buy a high-end coach because they are generally better build and stand up better to daily use.