Which regions are good for finding used vans or RV's?

[skyl4rk]

I live in MI, which uses road salt, and most of the older vans are rusting badly.  Are there regions of the country where there is a good supply of high tops, class b's, step vans or small RV's?  Preferably not rusty and not too expensive.

 

[Almost There]

I live in MI, which uses road salt, and most of the older vans are rusting badly.  Are there regions of the country where there is a good supply of high tops, class b's, step vans or small RV's?  Preferably not rusty and not too expensive.

Florida would be a good place to look!

I don't know about the first 3 but RV's of all sizes are readily available in Florida. It's the snowbird capital and a lot of them end up staying in Florida no matter where they came from originally.

I asked a couple of salespeople about it when I was buying the Class A years ago. The answer was that there were a lot of them because couples retire from work, think they can live together in an RV, buy one up north, spend their first winter in Florida and find out that a) they can't live in that small a space, b) want a permanent second home and c) can't stand to be confined to the RV during bad weather or even a bad morning with their partner.   Most were used to being apart at least during the daytime while one or both worked and it's just too much togetherness for a lot of them.

There's also a high number of older ones because people trade them in for newer models and/or get too old to continue the lifestyle because of health problems.

 

[DreadHeadDrifter]

Anywhere in the south/ southeast that does not use salt. Georgia for the most part, maybe once a year at most they use salt, florida, louisiana, all great places with rust free motorhomes for the most part.

Here is a map of states that use road salt on a regular basis during the colder months, maybe this will help narrow your search areas! Good luck!

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f76/map-states-use-road-salt-27855/

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Arizona can be a good source of rust free vehicles, although the paint can show signs of sun fade . . .

Generally, most southern states don't use road salt, but a vehicle from coastal areas can be somewhat exposed to salt air and moisture.

Regards
John

 

[sephson]

To put it more generally, anyplace in the sun belt is a good place to look.

 

[mockturtle]

Arizona is a very good place to find any kind of RV. And usually rust-free. Texas is also an excellent source of good used RVs at an affordable price. California is usually a lot more expensive.

 

[GrantRobertson]

The problem with AZ is the intense heat can destroy all the rubber and plastic, even if it is not exposed to direct sunlight.

When I first moved to Tucson, I wondered why so many roads had so many potholes, considering that it almost never freezes there. After a couple of years watching the roads slowly deteriorate, I realized: Asphalt is oil based and the intense heat was literally cooking off the oil based binder, leaving only the rocks. Yes, the heat is so hot it causes asphalt to EVAPORATE! Just imagine what it does to all the window seals, the roof coating, and the tires of an RV.

 

[eDJ_]

From what I've seen, any part of the country where there is a lot of outdoor recreation such as fishing, hunting,
touring & sight seeing,  Ocean beach recreation etc.   This hints at the south east and west.   A lot of travel isn't necessary as there are so many places fairly close together.  Thus the mileage stays lower as the clock ticks away. 

There are a lot of motivations for owning the RV. Some people use them just to follow NASCAR racing while others just want to go to the woods, mountains, or beach for the weekends within a couple hours of travel.
Some owners do one vacation a year for a week or two to some far off area and the rest of the time it sits beside the house.  I see so many like that around where I live.  They sit more than they are used. 

Another thing that flushes them out is when fuel cost soar.  People seem to start dumping them.

But in the south, south east, mid Atlantic, and mid West it seems so many RV's (of any type) get occasional
use each year. and the years roll up faster than the miles.  Often an owner passes away unexpectedly and the
widow and her family just want to get rid of it in as condition for whatever they can get for it.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Just east of the Seattle-Tacoma area, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an RV dealership. With competition, there MAY come lower prices. Just watch for roof miss. 😛

 

[BC Guy]

Just east of the Seattle-Tacoma area, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an RV dealership. With competition, there MAY come lower prices. Just watch for roof miss. ?

Excuse my ignorance, but what is roof miss? (moss?)

 

[mockturtle]

The problem with AZ is the intense heat can destroy all the rubber and plastic, even if it is not exposed to direct sunlight.

A lot of RVs for sale in AZ are owned by snowbirds who don't keep them in AZ year-round.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is roof miss? (moss?)

Yup.

DAMN AUTOCORRECT!!!! 

Roof miss only happens in Oklahoma and Kansas. That is when your roof goes missing overnight.  

 

[GrantRobertson]

A lot of RVs for sale in AZ are owned by snowbirds who don't keep them in AZ year-round.

True. But you do gotta check carefully. If it has been sitting in AZ for just a few summers it can be seriously degraded. Remember, "summer" in Tucson starts in May and runs through October.