Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
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I ran across this guy on the Internet and have watched a few of his videos. I did find that he made somewhat of an error in one he did on banking but it seems he may be OK on some of the RV stuff. He seems to echo things I have read on here. Any comment etc., especially from Howard since he's an attorney.
Here's a link to a couple of his videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIuCaWP_TU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP_u2JR51_Y
Not trying to stir up a hornets nest here just want to know if folks here agree with what he says. I know he only sees the worst of the worst so I have taken that into consideration.
Unfortunately for the RV industry, yes this is good information. All RVs break. I don't care what type, manufacturer, or price you pay. Our standard line in our seminars is "They all break, but the more you paid for it the madder you will be when it breaks".
I didn't watch all of the second video you listed, but I did watch the first one, and he is spot on with a few exceptions.
He is correct that not all states have lemon laws for RVs. However, Indiana where most RVs are manufactured and several other states do. Complete RV replacement does happen under the laws, but it may take months or years to get it worked out.
He also states that RV manufacturer warranties are practically worthless. I wouldn't go that far. Most manufacturers will take care of warranty issues, however some are better than others. With social media today, it only takes one savvy, motivated, mad customer to do major damage to reputations.
Some manufacturers want you to return to the factory and some want all warranty work done be dealers. The manufacturer warranty, in my opinion, is a valid reason to purchase new rather than a reason not to. But certainly, it makes way more financial sense to purchase used, but there are certainly risks there as well, and lots and lots of RV buyers are simply more comfortable buying new.
I agree with him about RV inspections on both new and used; however, it's hard to justify the cost of a thorough inspection on a new unit and many things just can't be discovered until the RV is put into use. Then, you will be angry about the money you paid to the dealer AND the money you paid for an inspection that didn't uncover the problems you discover after a few days or weeks. Most issues on new RVs just aren't going to be found until they are driven down the road and tested under RV living conditions.
Here's my summary.
Buying an RV as a full-timer versus buying an RV for occasional vacations is much different. A full-timer can far more justify the cost than a vacationer. He is right that a lot of people shouldn't buy RVs.
He is absolutely correct that many people buy RVs expecting to use them more than they do, and not only do they end up "upside down" when financing, but they never get the enjoyment out of them to make them feel better about it.
RVs are both a house and a vehicle and they come with the potential problems of both. When buying an RV, you have to go into with the expectations of problems. As full-timers, we understand that our homes are going to need repairs (hopefully, mostly minor, but potentially major), and having that understanding is half the battle. Plus we're full-timers, so we have time to get the repairs done, and most service centers will prioritize full-timers over vacationers that just drop their RVs off to be fixed.
Much in the videos are about depreciation, money savings by buying used, and letting prior owners work out the initial bugs. These are all valid points.
RVs are put together by humans, not robots, and humans make mistakes. You can buy an RV built by the most reputable RV manufacturer out there and still get a lemon. This is the scariest part of buying an RV. You may spend $50,000, $100,000, $250,000, $500,000 or $1,000,000 and you can very well waste a lot of money. However, the true absolute lemons are really few and far between given the number of RVs built every year, and it is far less likely to get a really bad one (but it is possible).
