Buying for one trip then selling

[JNLA]

Hi There- looking at buying a used class C, using for one 2 week trip, then selling it. New to RV'ing. Looking to mitigate registration costs, etc. Know our car insurance covers vehicle purchases for 30 days. 

Would love to hear potential pitfalls, gotchas, etc. 

Thanks!

[fpmtngal]

I’ve never tried something like this, but I would think it would be more cost-effective to rent for the 2 weeks than to buy, register, potentially have to fix whatever’s wrong with the used Class C and so on (how old are the house batteries, will they be sufficient to your camping needs).  Since you are new to RVing there’s usually a lot more you need than just the RV itself (sewer hose and connections, potable water hose, water pressure regulator, possibly a power cord if the previous owner isn’t including the original one for some reason, possibly levelers (depending on the unit).  I can think of a lot of other RV specific stuff I have that you may or may not need, depending on how you plan on camping for your trip (hookups, dry camping, moving every day, staying in one spot for the 2 weeks and taking day trips out).

There’s a big learning curve that goes along with RVing, managing holding tanks, power requirements, and so on.  If you are staying in one spot but taking day trips out, do you want to unhook each time you leave and then hook everything up again?  You’d have to do that if you go to the store, also, or else have some sort of other transportation (a friend of mine always rented a car when he was traveling with his Class C).

It can be done.  But the people I’ve read about who have bought and then sold were on longer summer trips and weren’t new to RVing.  You’d need to find a good deal on an RV that was in excellent shape, and that’s not always easy if you are looking in the lower price range.

[2gypsies]

Definitely rent for your two weeks!

[JNLA]

Great advice and feedback, thanks!

[bobsallyh]

Another plus about renting, if the RV quits or malfunctions, it won't be you that has to take care of the issues.

[Kirk W]

If you buy you will pay CA sales taxes, registration fees, insurance, and a bunch of other costs and you will probably lose at lest some money on the purchase. Then there is all of the issues that go with buying. I think it would be far more expensive then to rent if you are only keeping it for 2 weeks. For one who has no prior RV experience, we usually advise renting for 2 weeks before you buy, just to gain some knowledge of what to buy. 

[Ray,IN]

I will make the replies unanimous. Rent. Consider this, when you buy a new/different vehicle, yes your insurance may cover it for a short period of time. This time limit is to allow you to get the vehicle home and then contact your agent to purchase a policy. I seriously doubt it will be in effect 1 week later 200 miles further from your home.

[JNLA]

Thank you all- these are great replies and helped solidify plans. Rent it is!