What to look for when buying an used RV?

anderstoftbraun · June 13, 2016

Hello all,

We are four guys from Denmark in the ages between 18 and 19. We are currently looking for an used rv to travel Europe in our gap year, and we have no experience with cars and rv's. What should we look for when buying an used rv? Are the kilometres more important than the age of the rv? What should i find out before buying an used rv?

Example:

I have found this RV called Fiat Ducato 280 (from 1989), which has 108.465 km on it. It has a diesel motor (which I know is good for long routes like our Europe trip), the roof and toothed belt have been replaced with new ones and there is no mold. What do you think of this rv? Is there anything important i should remember? I could not upload the rest of the pictures.

Kirk W · June 13, 2016

Welcome to the Escapee forums! We are mostly US travelers but we do have a large number of members from other parts of the world and even a few who RV in other countries. As a result, we don't generally have much direct knowledge of European brands,

Even so I do believe that our members will be able to give you some solid assistance in learning what to look for and how to do so. My first suggestion is that you download a copy of this inspection check list which comes from the RV Consumer Group in the US. RVs may be built on different chassis but they share many of the same features and construction techniques. I would plan to spend more than an hour and perhaps as much as 3 hours in going over this RV before you purchase it. Plan to look into, under, over, and through every space that the RV has and use a good light so that you can see details. If it looks acceptable, then you need to have the engine and chassis completely evaluated by a trusted mechanic. To see what price you should be paying, look for advertising of other RVs of similar size and age in your area. As you move ahead, feel free to ask as many questions here as you feel might be helpful.

Ray,IN · June 14, 2016

Welcome to the escapees discussion forums!

I hope you will find this buying a used motorhome guide helpful. Some items may not pertain to the MH you are talking about, but it should be of great assistance. You'll find a link to the second part of this guide at the bottom of that webpage, it pertains to the motor and drivetrain.