When you make decision to purchase a motorhome, it is vital to make sure the vehicle is in good condition, as it is a great investment. The thing is motorhomes are usually used in severe conditions and if you want to use the vehicle for years, its reliability is one of the main factors that should affect your choice. Motorhome, basically, as any other home, should be good enough to live in it, and on top of that, it should be able to function as a truck properly. Therefore, the initial characteristics and the eventual condition of a second-hand motorhome must be of your ultimate concern.
How to Check Motorhome for Issues?
The fastest and the most reliable way to find information on your vehicle is to order a VIN check. One simple online check on FAX VIN allows you to get all necessary data about the vehicle you are going to purchase:
- whether it has been in an accident
- whether it has been mentioned in police reports
- the miles the vehicle has covered during the previous exploitation
- breaks and defects that have taken place, etc.
VIN checks are totally legal and officially allowed. Any potential buyer can order a VIN check from a governmental agency or a private company, to get the data on any vehicle.
There is one more way to gather more information on the vehicle after the VIN check has been performed is to look for all the external and internal damages vehicle has. It is rather easy, you only need to test all the features the vehicle has, whether everything functions properly, how the vehicle copes with the different terrains and whether there are any excessive noise when you start an engine. However, some damages may be obvious only during a lengthy exploitation, like driving the vehicle for 2-3 hours, or driving in severe conditions. On the other hand, the seller will not allow to check the vehicle in such conditions; moreover, many sellers may actually deny a considerable test drive, while some sellers may actually not allow to check the vehicle’s systems and inside.
Still, no seller can forbid to order a VIN check, and the seller’s opinion on this issue is not taken into consideration, and cannot in no way influence the results of the VIN check. Therefore, the check is recommended in all cases, but it is likely to be especially useful in case the seller seems suspicious, or does not allow to check the vehicle. Buying a motorhome is a big deal, so the potential buyer should take all efforts to know as much as possible about the vehicle.
What to Consider When You Buy A Motorhome?
As you are going to use this vehicle for long family trips, it is very important to get sure the motorhome is reliable enough and able to provide you with the sufficient comfort during the trip.
So it would be a good idea to check the all the systems and functions. Moreover, if you are going to cover the rough terrain, you should consider purchasing a vehicle that is capable to go on water and dirt good enough. Suspension and wheels are crucial in this aspect.
The size matters as well; on the one hand, larger vehicle means more space and comfort inside, and ability to facilitate more people. On the other hand, larger vehicle means increased fuel consumption and expenditures. There are several types of campervans – some of those are compact RVs, others are so huge that can easily house up to 5-7 people. However, different models obviously consume fuel differently.
You should also consider the model and the release date of the vehicle. The thing is there are many campervan manufacturers, so you need to make sure you can get repair parts for your vehicle easily. If the campervan is really old, or some rare model, it will be rather hard to find OEM parts for it, and you will have no choice but to purchase the used ones which are much more cheaper, but are also less reliable.
How to Define the Fair Price for the Vehicle?
You should check the market price, consider the overall condition of the vehicle and results of the VIN check. Once you manage to do this, it won’t be hard to define the fair price. It has to be mentioned that if the vehicle had been in accident or was used for business purposes, it decreases the price dramatically. The thing is any damage made, or intensive use of the vehicle increase depreciation and maintenance costs of the end user dramatically.
