Looking for an RV usually means months of looking and deciding what will be best for the person buying. You have a lot to consider: floorplan, make, construction, etc. The decision is not easy and many are prone to say "I think I will wait for a while". This may be your best decision, and then again it may not be.

Deciding to wait is a decision that can cost you in many ways.

First, waiting may cost you more out of pocket. RV's are going up in price just like most other things. Steel alone is dramatically impacting RV prices this year. The longer you wait the more your unit will cost. Also, if you have a trade, you can rest assured it will be worth less over time. The gap between what you have to pay and what you can get for your trade widens and this means you pay more.

The floorplan is most people's number one concern. The RV floorplan must be one you like. Will it be perfect, perhaps and perhaps not, but is it a good one for you? If you wait, you run the risk of the manufacturer changing the floor plan or doing away with it in its entirety. This happens more often than you realize.

If you are buying a used RV or some new RV's that were purchased on a special buy, you may lose the deal if the dealership sells what you are looking at. Yes, I know we have all been told by the salesman that "If you don't buy this today, someone else will buy it tomorrow". I get tired of hearing lines like that - BUT in many cases it is true and the salesperson is giving you proper warning. Used RV's are not replaceable and once sold they are gone. New RV's are often purchased in bulk once per year and again, when the dealership sells them out the deal is gone. Yes, they can order you another one, but usually at a higher price. If this happens don't blame the dealership as they are not in control of this. If the unit is selling the manufacturer can demand more for it (the old laws of supply and demand).

Many people want to wait until they retire to buy an RV. If you are selling a home to get the money it may be best to wait, but you need to remember your financial picture changes at the moment of retirement. Banks will not look at you the same and this means you may not qualify for the same loan rates and terms. This will directly affect your costs at a time you least need to pay more. Think about buying the year prior to retirement to get the better rates and terms, plus you get to use the RV for a year to get used to being in it before you decide to either live in it or take extended trips.

There is also an opportunity cost that most do not think about. I cannot tell you how many times at my Campground/RV Park someone told me that they wish they had bought earlier because now they have the RV they realize how much they would have used it prior to retirement. Others, told me they realized they did not want to live full time in the RV and were glad to have found that out the year before retirement rather than sell everything and then find out.

I hope this helps. These are just a few of the things you need to consider before you buy your first or next RV. Obviously, there are many other considerations but I have found these to be some that people forget about in the RV buying process.

Good luck and may your roads be fair and the weather always nice.

Rich