We’ve got a guest post today from my Dad, who recently ended a 606-day stint as a Fulltimer with my Mom. I asked him to reflect on his journey, and this is what he wrote back:

“After our full time journey in our RV, it was good when we were finally be able to settle back home in Central Arizona after visiting 26 states over the course of 606 days.

Would we do it all over again? It’s hard to say. We experienced the majesty of driving the coast of Big Sur, and we walked among the mighty redwoods of Northern California. We huddled in our 5th wheel as a Category 2 hurricane passed over our campground on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and we marveled at the splendor of the mammoth caves in Kentucky. We spent way too many noisy nights at “Camp Wal-Mart”, and way too few glorious nights at 5 Star RV resorts. We dined at 68 different Cracker Barrel restaurants, and used our oven in our RV exactly once. We had no traffic incidents, accidents, dents, flats, or scrapes, but we blew out our black water holding tank in a campground in Jacksonville, Florida because I wasn‘t paying attention to details! Our 2004 Ford 6.0L diesel blew a head gasket just outside of Truth or Consequences, NM and left us stranded there for 6 weeks, But… Truth or Consequences ended up being the best town we visited, with absolutely wonderful people, great BBQ, and delightful hot spring soaks under star studded nighttime skies! Through our journey, there were times we cried tears of laughter, and there were times when we cried tears of despair.

Our GPS was the best investment we ever made, and $4.00/gal diesel fuel was the worst.

We walked the quiet Florida beaches at sunrise, and held hands under the starry skies in Texas. The last night we spent in our 5th wheel was our second best night, and the day we sold our RV was actually sweeter than the day we bought it.

So… would we do it all over again? We’re just too close to look at the whole experience objectively, but IF we did it again, we’d do it a little smarter next time, a little sweeter next time, a little less hurried next time, we’d be more prepared next time, with a much bigger budget, and we‘d do it in a quality Class A RV with a small car in tow.”

A big thanks goes out to my Dad, Nick Spencer, for so graciously contributing his thoughts to FulltimerBlog.  Thanks!

-Brad

Your RV served you well for a long time, and now you’ve decided to move up to another or you are looking to move out of the RV lifestyle for a little while. No matter what your reasons, you want to get the most out of your Rv, Camper, Travel Trailer, of Fifth Wheel when it sells.

There are a few quick and painless things you can do in a weekend to make sure you get all the money you deserve out of your RV. If you take a couple of stress-free days to prepare your recreational vehicle for sale, you are likely to sell it faster, for more, and with less headaches (or heartaches).

Now that you see the value of doing a bit of preparation, I’ll share with you the 4.5 Tips that will give you the most bang for your buck:

1. Get a good starting price:

I know this sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many people don’t have a good guess at the value of their RV, camper, pop-up, travel trailer, 5th-Wheel, or camper van. Finding the value can be as easy as looking at the Kelley Blue Book value or calling a local RV dealer. Do your research and you’ll save time haggling.

2. Get Exposure:

The more people know your RV is for sale, the more bidders you are going to have bidding up the price. I suggest listing your RV for sale on Craigslist in your local city. (Craigslist is a free classifieds website… Google it and you’ll find it). Also, it’s great to list in the newspaper. Last but not least, eBay is a very popular listing place, but make sure to mention that you are looking to sell outside of the website too so you aren’t roped into selling it to the highest bidder if you sell it beforehand.

3. Clean Your RV Better Than You’ve Ever Cleaned It Before:

Often, the most qualified buyers (the one’s with your whole asking price in an envelope in their glove compartment) are the most knowledgeable. You are going to need every crook and cranny sparking if you want these people to trust you and your maintenance.

I suggest to everyone selling an RV to get a good series of checklists to ensure they prepare their RV for sale completely and correctly. The few dollars spent on a checklist book will be repaid a hundred times over in the sale.

4. Look at Your Rv Like a Buyer Would:

This point goes with the point above too. You really need to look at your RV like a buyer would. You need to get into their mindset and realize that they are forking out money with no warranty- just your word. You’re best bet is going to be to quell their worries and fears by bringing up any issues you have had- and better yet- issues you have NOT had.

One very popular ebook out there on how to Buy a Used RV is here. Your buyer may very well show up on inspection day with this in his hands, and you’d be better off knowing what he or she is going to be looking for.

4.5 Tell Great Stories:

As the salesperson of your RV, it is a great idea to tell compelling stories about your RV life. It is emotions that sell, so make sure to be personal and let the buyer know how much fun they are going to be having.

A few years back I had the bad luck of going to a campsite that made my question my decision to be an RV lover. Despite all the research I had done, when I reached the campground we were headed to after a LONG day on the road, we discovered a campground that didn’t even resemble what we had been told.

The “hotel-like amenities” was more like a wooden shed. The “pool and pond” was more like a dirty lake that even the kids were afraid to enter. The “restaurant” made McDonald’s look like a 5-Star restaurant, and the noise from a near-by freeway was unbearable.

It was anything but relaxing. And- there was a no-refund policy.

My point is, you’ve got to do the right kind of research before you commit to a place to vacation- even if it’s just a weekend. In order to research right, you’ve got to know what to look for. Without further ado, here is my 4.5 Tips to Finding the Best RV Campground for Your Road Travels:

1. Ask Question On The Phone About Price, Discounts on Long Stays, and If They Can Accommodate the Size of your RV:

These are all crucial questions that you can ask. Also, consider asking for a reduction in price if you don’t need cable, internet, or a dump station.

2. Do They Allow Pets?

If you’ve got dogs (or any type of pet) in transit with you, you need a place that will allow pets. A complete write-up on tips and tricks for RVing with pets is something you should really check out if you travel with dogs and other pets a lot. One great place to read up on traveling with pets is here.

3. What Activities Do They Have?

They might have a pool, lake, activities department, arcade, restaurants, or hiking trails. But you’ll never know if you don’t ask. And planned activities can make a rainy weekend still a bunch of fun for the kids.

4. Do They Have Internet?

This might not seem like a big deal- but my business is run from computer, and Internet is crucial for me to receive Email, surf the Web, and get news. If you don’t use the internet in your RV yet, you are missing a whole part of RVing. If you want to learn more about using the Internet in Your RV, check out this guide.

4.5 Do They Accept Mail?

If you are going to be at the campground for a long time- like over a winter- does the campground accept snail-mail? Some do, some don’t. Getting this figured out may save you the need to get a PO Box each time you move locations.

A very reasonable question I recently came upon is:

“What is the best car to behind and tow behind my RV while we are on the road?”

Now although the question seems as simple as, “Whatever you want!”, there can be a little bit more to the decision than just that.

If you pull a vehicle with an automatic, it must have the drive wheels off the ground or disconnected (by removing the driveshaft), unless it is a 4wd where you can put the transfer case in neutral.

If the drive wheels are on the ground and you simply put the automatic transmission in neutral, the transmission still turns inside and since the motor is not running and spinning the trans pump, there is no lubricant being circulated inside the transmission and the parts are wearing against one another.

In a 4wd system, the transfer case doesn’t use a pump to lubricate the internal components, this is done through sloshing the lubricant on the gears by their spinning action, but the transfer case being in neutral totally disconnects the driveshaft from the transmission, therefore the tranmission doesn’t spin.

Now if you and your family decide to start pulling a car in tow, you are really going to need to be very organized with your travels.

The best way I know to stay organized is to use Malia’s RV Checklists. They are an incredible resource for anyone who travels in an RV, Motorhome, Camper, Travel Trailer, 5th Wheel, or even just modern road warriors. They are especially useful if you have a car in tow!

Learn more about Malia’s RV Checklists here.

It is crucial to have some great checklists to go over to ensure you find any problems there might be. Sellers usually won’t tell you each and every issue they know of. Some sellers will try to hide known problems. As the saying goes: “Buyer Beware”.Using your checklist to look over used vehicles at the Used RV Dealer is equally important. The dealer makes his commission no matter how long the RV runs for you, so it’s really up to you to make sure you get a good rig!

So let’s save you time, money, and frustration and give you some of the key things to look over when viewing a used RV, Camper, Motorhome, Class A B or C, or 5th Wheel for the first time:

Oil Analysis - As with any vehicle, oil is the lifeblood of the engine. Checking the oil is a great start to ensure the integrity of the engine. If the oil smells burnt, is unusal in color or consistency, is too low or too high, you may have a problem on your hands.

Rust - Rust is the natuaral breakdown of iron or a metal with iron in it. Rust is much worse in parts of the country with snow and salt on the roads. Purchasing RV’s from the south can help with rust problems, but they will usually cost a bit more. Do a complete rust check. If there is structural rust on the frame, AVOID THE RV AT ALL COSTS. You are buying an RV at the end of its life.

Service Records - These will show whether the previous owners did regular maintenance, on the rig. It will also show you how many previous owners there have been. And, if they don’t have any paperwork- why not?

Important Note: I’ve learned this from EXPERIENCE. Having a complete picture of the potential problems that can happen with your new RV can also help you negotiate the price downward.

Maybe the previous owner didn’t know about the problems and your discovery of it may make them realize that they are asking too much.

If you really want to know EVERYTHING about any Used RV, you’ve got to get Buying a Used RV ebook. It’ll pay for itself hundreds of times over in negotiation if used correctly.

Learn more about Buying a Used Rv here.

Financing your RV – Many companies offer better financing for certain preferred builders and even certain models, especially those that have the lowest depreciation. The purchase of any used rv for business should not be done without a thorough evaluation of the finance options that are attached to it. Some banks won’t finance a commercial vehicle until it has passed a DOT inspection, some offer lower rates for “occasional use”, and some charge a higher percentage rate if you plan to “live aboard”.

RV Insurance – this can be a real “dream breaker”. How will you tell your family that you you got a great deal on the rv for them and fixed it up real nice, but…well nobody will insure it cause it’s too old, or the brakes are after market, or there was a recall on it. Rv converters, how would you like to finish your rv repairs with $30,000 in renovations only to learn it’s uninsurable with normal companies due to “gross vehicle weight issues”.

In my opinion, learning enough about RV’s to make an educated buying decision is just good common sense. What you learn before you get the RV will certainly carry over into what you’ll need to know to keep your new rig in tip-top shape while you are on the road later.

I think there are two ways to approach this:

To sell your RV quickly, do it locally at Craigslist.org. Go there and pick your city and then click POST and you’ll find it easily from there.

To do it for the highest price, go to Ebay Motors. You might have problems getting payment or even getting the high bidder to come pick up the RV, but you’ll likely get a higher price.

And, there are a few places where people look who are looking specifically for RV’s and Motorhomes.

Google any of these sites:

RVTrader
SellRv
RV ListingsOnline

There are also RV brokers out there, but they’ll list them online just like you could and charge you a FAT fee, I wouldn’t do it!

If you are thinking about selling your RV, I would suggest doing a bit of fixing and cleaning before you sell it. Let’s say you are going to ask $5000 for your used RV. A little work and general cleaning will likely give you a 10% higher price. Let’s look at the numbers…

Average RV only cleaning the regular stuff: $5000

Your RV, with Everything clean in all the spots an informed buyer will check: $5500

So how do you take your RV from Regular to Beautiful? Get this ebook. The eBook I’m talking about here is Maila’s RV checklists. It is a TRUE lifesaver and for only 11.95, you stand to MAKE $488.00 when you buy the book and use it’s checklists to REALLY clean your RV right before selling it!

Learn more about Malia’s RV Checklists here!

Buying a used RV isn’t as simple as it may seem. It can be especially difficult are you are going to be living in the camper or 5th wheel for any amount of time. It could be likened to buying a car and a house at the same time, except this house has wheel and goes 65 miles per hour, and this car has a stove and shower.
For that reason, when it comes to looking over a used RV before making an offer, it’s important to get a professional opinion. You can rely on friends or family who have limited experience with RV’s. You could listen to the opinion of a seller who is surely looking to get this RV sold. Or, you could become a professional yourself.

In my opinion, learning enough about RV’s to make an educated buying decision is just good common sense. What you learn before you get the RV will certainly carry over into what you’ll need to know to keep your new rig in tip-top shape while you are on the road later.

Being “armed and dangerous” with some knowledge can save you the wasted time and money of getting a lemon. And, more importantly, it’s going to save you the stress of having problems while you are out on the open road.

So where do you go to get professional knowledge about finding a great RV for the right price? Right Here. Someone has already done all of the hard work and put together a great ebook that you can download immediately that’s going to make sure you get a gem of an RV.

Some of the good things about this ebook over the other resources out there are that it contains:

* The insider secrets of RV inspection
* The Truth About How To Buy A Used Rv
* Proven Tips, Tools and Tactics To Buy A Used Rv
* Step by step road map to the selection of a trouble free used RV.
* How to spot problems before you buy!
* What-to-look for and especially what to look-out for!
* Download over the Internet – get yours instantly!

So if you are even considering getting a Used RV, 5th Wheel, Trailer, Camper, or Caravan anytime soon then head over and see if this ebook is for you.

It’s that time of year again; time to get ready for another great camping season. We need to wake the RV up from its deep winter sleep and give it a good spring check up. If we take a little time and check everything out now, the RV will be ready to go when you’re ready to hit the road. In the military this is referred to as preventive maintenance. Maintenance you can perform on your RV before a problem exists. Maintenance designed to prevent or identify potential problems that could lead to mechanical breakdown, malfunction or failure of a component or system on your RV. Basically it consists of cleaning, inspecting, lubricating, adjusting and servicing your RV. Let’s get started.

*Depending on how your unit was winterized it will need to be de-winterized. If you used non-toxic RV antifreeze you need to run fresh water through the entire system until the antifreeze is gone. To remove it from the 12-volt water pump add water to the fresh water-holding tank, turn the pump on and open all of the water faucets. When the antifreeze is out of the system turn the pump off and take the water heater out of the by-pass mode (if applicable). Replace any water filter cartridges you removed for storage.

*At this point I like to sanitize the water system. Make sure all of the drains are closed and drain plugs are installed. Take a quarter cup of household bleach for every fifteen gallons of water your fresh water tank holds. Mix the bleach with water into a one-gallon container and pour it in to the fresh water holding tank. Fill the fresh water holding tank completely full of water. Turn the pump on and run water through each hot and cold faucet, until you smell the bleach. Close the faucets and let it sit for twelve minutes. Drain all of the water and re-fill the tank with fresh water. Turn the pump on and open all faucets until you no longer smell any bleach. It may be necessary to repeat this process to eliminate all signs of bleach.

*With water in the fresh water holding tank turn the 12-volt water pump on and pressurize the water system until the pump shuts off. If the water pump cycles back on, even for a short period of time, there is a leak somewhere. Locate the leak and repair it or take it to an authorized RV service center to be repaired.

*Check the operation of the toilet. Add several gallons of water to the black water holding tank and treat the tank with holding tank chemicals.

*Wash the unit thoroughly. This is a good time to inspect the roof, body seams, and window sealant for cracking that would allow water to get in. Inspect sealants everywhere the manufacturer cut a hole in the RV. Consult a dealer for sealants compatible with these materials.

*Inspect the operation of the awning, clean and check the awning fabric for any damage. Inspect the tires for signs of dry rot. Inflate all tires to the recommended cold tire pressure. Lubricate all hinges and locks with spray lubricant.

*Remove any tape or protective covering you may have put over LP gas vents to keep insects and rodents out. Check any mousetraps you may have put out. Open all doors and compartments and check for rodent intrusion and water damage.

*Inspect and clean the interior of the RV.

*Plug in any appliances that you unplugged for storage and replace any dry cell batteries you may have removed. This is a good time to put new batteries in items like smoke alarms.

*Test the operation of the carbon monoxide detector, LP gas leak detector and smoke alarm.

*Check the fire extinguisher. Be sure it is fully charged.

*Reset any breakers you may have turned off. If you removed any fuses for storage re-install them.

*Clean or replace air conditioner filters if it wasn’t done prior to storage and remove any covers that were put over air conditioners.

*Open vents and windows and air the unit out.

*If you removed the coach and chassis batteries for storage install them. Whether they were removed or not check the electrolyte levels, clean the terminals and clamps, and check the state of charge in all batteries. Recharge batteries as necessary.

*Check the operation of the electric steps if applicable. Lubricate step mechanism.

*Test the operation of the hydraulic jacks if applicable. Check hydraulic fluid level.

*Test the operation of the back up camera and monitor if applicable.

*If you didn’t change the oil and filters in the generator prior to storage this is a good time to do it.

*Inspect the generator exhaust system for any damage prior to starting it. Start and run the generator for one hour with at least a half rated load on it. Consult the generators owner manual for proper load ratings.

*Turn the generator off and plug the unit in to shore power. Turn the refrigerator on in the electric mode. Allow sufficient time for it to cool and check for proper operation.

*Check all 12-volt interior lights and accessories.

*Test the monitor panel for proper operation.

*Check the operation of slide outs if applicable.

*Check the remaining 120-volt appliances for proper operation.

*Test the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) for proper operation.

*Turn the refrigerator off, leave the doors open and allow sufficient time for it to get to room temperature so it can be checked in the gas mode.

*Before I use the LP gas system I have a leak test and gas operating pressure test preformed. A qualified technician with the proper equipment should do these tests.

*Turn the LP gas valve on and check the operation of all LP gas appliances. Be sure the water heater is full of water before testing the water heater. If a gas appliance is not operating properly have it inspected by a qualified technician. Insects are attracted to the odorant added to LP gas and build nests that can affect the appliance from operating properly.

*If your unit was in long-term storage and you didn’t change the engine oil and filter prior to storage this would be a good time to do it.

*Check all fluid levels in the transmission, power steering, engine coolant, engine oil, windshield washer and brakes. Consult vehicle owner’s manual.

*Start the engine and check for proper readings on all gauges. Check for proper operation of the dash air conditioner.

*Chassis lubrication should be preformed if it wasn’t done prior to storage.

*Check the condition of windshield wiper blades and replace if necessary.

*Check the operation of all chassis lights.

*Make sure the vehicle emissions / inspection sticker is up to date.

In addition to this if you have a pop up or travel trailer the wheel bearings and brakes (if equipped) should be inspected at least once annually. Inspect any canvas for dry rot and tears; inspect all hitch work and the coupler for any damage. Inspect the breakaway switch and pigtail for proper operation. It really doesn’t take a lot of time to get your RV ready for another camping season, and you can rest assured that when it’s time to go camping your RV is ready too. Now for the fun part, load your clothes, food, and personal belongings, hit the road and have fun exploring this wonderful country we live in.

Happy Camping!

Mark

RV Expert Mark Polk, seen on TV, is the producer & host of America’s most highly regarded series of DVD’s, videos, books, and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/