America, America – she really is a stunner! Can’t say I blame you if you’ve decided you’re ready to get an RV so you can see those spacious skies, majestic purple mountains, and fruited plains up close and personal.
Now that you’ve decided an RV is the way to experience the beauty this country offers, you may wonder what can I expect when I buy an RV from an RV dealer?
We know that it can be frustrating trying to find out what to expect when you buy an RV. Many dealerships want to keep their process hush hush to catch you off guard. But an RV purchase is no small change so you deserve to know exactly what buying an RV is like before you commit to it.
Here we’ll give you a transparent look at what you can expect before you ever set foot into a store and provide a step-by-step, look at what it’s like to buy your RV from Bish’s RV. Whether this is your 1st or 14th RV, we want you completely prepared so you can have a great experience buying the camper that’ll get you on adventures and making memories!
Finding an RV at Bish’s RV
Hey! Welcome to Bish’s!
Our experts, called RV Outfitters, are looking forward to matching you with the right RV.
When you come into a Bish’s location you will either be greeted by or directed to an RV outfitter. Your outfitter’s job is to listen and learn what your wants and needs are then guide you to whatever RVs are the best fit for your needs and budget.
Learn why Bish’s has RV outfitters – not salespeople!
Rule out All the Wrong RVs – We’ll Help
An outfitter’s job is to use their knowledge and expertise to help you find the best RV for you within the budget you choose – not to upsell you on something you can’t afford or won’t really enjoy.
Your outfitter will need to get to know you so they can genuinely help you. They’ll ask questions about your interests, lifestyle, and budget before showing you any RVs.
This one quick, (not to mention, air-conditioned) conversation upfront can save you hours later. Why spend your whole free day on an RV lot getting overwhelmed by options if you could find the right RV faster?
Your outfitter will ask you questions like:
- Where do you like to go camping?
- How many people will sleep in your RV? How many kids and what are their ages?
- How much vacation time do you get a year? Do you work remotely or in an office?
- Are you from the area?
- What type of vehicle will you use to tow your RV?
- What would you change about your current RV?
- What maintenance or major repairs have you made in the last 12 months? Is there anything that needs to be fixed on your current RV?
- Do you own your current RV outright or, like most RVers, make payments?
- What RVs have you seen that you’ve liked or disliked?
- What would you like to see in your new RV and what would you say is the most important thing to you?
- How do you plan to pay for your RV – cash or finance?
- What do you have in mind for a down payment and monthly payment if you’re financing or price range if you’re paying with cash?
- On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being you have missed a few payments and 10 being you have never missed a payment in your life, where would you rate yourself?
If you’re browsing RVs on your own, or looking at another dealer we always recommend considering these questions.
Here you can find out more about finding the best RV for you and download a sheet to fill out and take with you wherever you RV shop.
Why Talk to an Outfitter First?
You may have come to the store ready to get out on the lot to see all the options. Maybe you don’t want to spend time chatting about your life and RV plans before you’ve even picked an RV.
It makes sense. You are here to see RVs, afterall! But there is a method to our madness.
Imagine it’s a 90 degree, 80% humidity, sunny Saturday. You’ve worked hard all week and are excited, after months of saving and doing research, to use your day off to finally take the next step toward buying your travel trailer.
If you come to the dealership and head straight to the lot 2 hours and hundreds of RVs later you may be tired, hungry, and dripping sweat like your 13 year old son at his July track meet.
Every fold down bed/dinette combo started looking exactly the same 5 campers ago.
Another 2 hours later it’s easy to forget which RV is which and you end up deciding to buy the one you think maybe, perhaps, possibly was your favorite . . . or was it that bunkhouse over there?
Better go look again. . .
Does any of that sound like the way to spend your free day? This is why we found a way to get you exactly what you want, within your budget using a fraction of your time and energy.
Yes, our outfitting process is different from other dealerships. But it’s part of how we match RVers with their perfect RVs. If you’re not sure it’s for you, shop around and try out different dealers to see if there is a better process for you.
If you’re open to it, give the Bish’s method a try to find out if it works for you.
If it doesn’t work for you, at least it won’t take a lot of your time! Though, we’re pretty sure it will – or we’d have stopped doing it by now!
See and Choose Your RV!
We’re off to the lot to see the 3-5 RVs that are the best match for you, now that you’ve talked with an outfitter.
Most of the time one of these RVs will be a good match and you’ll have found the RV you’ve been looking for.
The skies open up, the sun beams right on your dream RV and the angels begin to sing hallelujah!
You’re on your way to owning the camper of your dreams! You can start making plans to take your kiddos to the lake where your dad taught you to fish. The crisp morning, mountain air starts calling and you’re ready to go.
And best of all, because your outfitter took your budget seriously, you know upfront that it’s going to fit your price range.
Sometimes your perfect match isn’t in these 3-5 RVs. If that happens you’ll go through some more questions with your outfitter to see if they missed some key information. After this they’ll find another, better set of RVs to check out.
Provide Your Information
Let’s get out of the sun, amiright? Now that you’ve picked your RV, we’ll head back into the dealership to do some paperwork. It’s not the most exciting part of the process, but it’s got to be done.
You’ll fill out:
1- Pricing Worksheet
Here you’ll agree with the outfitter on final price, down payment and monthly payment.
We don’t do a whole lot of haggling at Bish’s RV. The low price you’ve seen online or on the camper at Bish’s is pretty much the price you can expect to pay – though factors like trade-in value and special offers can potentially lower the price of your RV.
We also don’t add on surprise or hidden fees at closing. Some dealers will draw you in with a low price and then surprise you with additional fees (sometimes thousands of dollars worth) at closing.
We believe in being transparent and upfront with customers at Bish’s. So we don’t play any games that waste your time.
Learn How Bish’s Prices RVs:
2- Trade Appraisal (if needed)
If you’re trading in your old RV we’ll have you fill out information about that RV and its condition. This way we can give you an idea of its trade value so you can decide if you want to trade it to us or sell it yourself.
We’ll be honest with you, but here is one place where we expect you to be honest with us: Be upfront about the state of your RV.
When we see the RV in person we expect things to be as you’ve stated – if they’re not, we won’t be able to give you the original value we agreed to.
Learn how to get the most out of your trade.
Curious what you will get for your trade-in at Bish’s RV?
3- Credit App
70% to 75% of RVers finance their RV. You’ll need to fill out a credit application to begin the financing process for your camper.
You can also fill out your credit application online before you visit Bish’s RV.
4- Privacy Notice
Here is where we promise not to share any of your information.
At Bish’s we are pretty loose lipped about how we do business, but when it comes to your personal info . . . our lips are sealed forever and ever.
Buying and Financing an RV at Bish’s RV
Pay Deposit and Schedule Delivery Date
You’ve got your RV picked, the price settled, and paperwork filled out! You’re one step closer and the open road is calling!
Now you can pay the deposit to secure your RV and schedule the delivery date when you’ll close on your RV and pick it up.
A deposit is generally $500 – $1,000, depending on the RV you’re buying.
Your deposit will go toward the down payment if you’re financing, or toward the final payment of your RV if you’re paying for it outright.
A deposit shows you intend to purchase the RV, which allows us to list it as sold.
We can’t hold RVs without a deposit because we need to have it available for other customers if we’re not sure you plan to buy it.
2 Minute Finance Meeting
Before you head home, you’ll have a quick, 2 minute meeting with a finance manager to get some details squared away.
In this meeting the finance manager will:
- Make sure the price and payment information and your personal info (name, address) are right.
- Give you information about Diamond Club Membership and your free year of RVFix – included with every RV purchased from Bish’s RV.
- Go over everything you’ll need for closing. You’ll get a card that looks like this:
How RVFix Keeps Your RV Out of Service Centers:
What Happens Before Pickup Day
We Find the Right Financing
Same day delivery can be possible, but you’ll usually go home after your two minute meeting.
Usually you’ll schedule a time to come back within 1-3 days to pick up your RV. This gives us time to find the best financing possible, and inspect/prep your RV.
If you plan to come back the next day, be aware that it may take more time for us to get your financing options together.
Banks will consider your credit score, credit history, and debt to income ratio when they decide to lend you money and your rate.
If your factors are more favorable we can get more financing options faster, but if they are less favorable it may take us more time to find the right fit.
We’ll Prep Your RV
Bish’s certified RV techs will prep your RV for the road before your delivery day.
They will also do PDI (pre-delivery inspection) on your RV. We want to make sure everything is working right so you’ll be safe taking it on the road.
You’ll Get RV Insurance
Before you come in to pick up your RV you need to get insurance.
Every state requires you to have at least minimum liability coverage if you are going to drive or tow a camper on the road – just like car insurance.
Adventure Club RV insurance is part of the Bish’s RV family. They specialize in helping you find the insurance that best protects you and your RV.
Contact them anytime for a free quote.
You can also call or get quotes online from insurance providers like Allstate, Progressive, Geico, State Farm, etc. You may also consider RV specific insurance from companies like Roamly, Good Sam, or National General.
Shop around to find the right policy for your RV.
The coverage you need will depend on your situation, the value of the RV, how often you use it, and where you plan to travel. While you must have liability coverage you should also consider comprehensive and collision coverage.
You may also want to look into extra coverage like personal property, roadside assistance, or vacation liability coverage.
Click to learn about the cost of RV insurance and other costs of owning an RV.
Picking Up Your New RV!
1-3 days have gone by, you have a loan, insurance, and your RV is prepped. It’s delivery day!
Expect to spend at least 2 hours picking up your RV – more if you need extra help learning the ins and outs of your RV.
Delivery Day Orientation
Time to see your new, prepped and ready RV!
An RV tech will go over the operation of your new RV – inside and out – during your orientation. You can take all the time you need to get comfortable with your camper.
Most RV buyers take around an hour to go over everything. If you’re brand new to RVing you may spend closer to 2 hours getting acquainted with all the parts and systems. If you need more time – take more time. We want you to feel totally ready before you hit the road.
Josh the RV Nerd recommends you record this orientation or specific parts of it.
Picking up your RV can be an exciting day full of emotions and it may be hard to remember everything you’ve learned. Recording the orientation can be a good way to fill in any memory lapses.
Read Josh’s other tips for 1st time RV buyers
Delivery Day Financing Paperwork
Time for more paperwork! Everyone’s favorite part!
JK, it’s boring and we know it.
But we’ll grab you a drink and some snacks to make it a little less of a snoozefest.
It will take about 30 minutes to an hour in the financing office signing all the contracts to buy the RV and finance it.
You’ll also pay the downpayment, or total payment if you’re paying in full.
The finance manager will provide a menu of extra RV protection options, what they do, and their prices in the finance office. This will include several different extended warranties and insurances.
Take your time considering if these options have value to you. Every RV and RVer is different so you can choose what’s best for your situation.
Parts Walk
Congratulations! You’ve purchased your RV!
After your purchase is complete, your outfitter will do a parts walk to help you know about any extra parts you need to safely operate your RV. We advise you to purchase these parts:
- Sewer hose
- Water hose
- Toilet chemicals
- RV toilet paper
- 30 to 50 amp power adapter
- Pressure regulator
- Chocks
Learn about these parts and what they cost.
When you buy with us you’ll also get a $25 voucher to spend in our parts department.
Buy Your RV & Go Play !
It’s time! An RV tech will check your hitch with you, if you’ve purchased a towable RV, to make sure you’re ready to safely tow.
We’ll put temporary tags on your camper and your outfitter will make sure everything is A+ before you leave.
The RV is yours! Get out and spend time in nature with the people you love. The world is your playground, so go ahead and play!
Now that you know exactly what you can expect when you buy an RV from a Bish’s RV location you can decide for yourself if this is how you want to buy your future RV.
Visit a Bish’s dealership or contact us anytime to work with an RV outfitter to find your new RV!
Learn More:
► How Much Does it Cost to Buy an RV
► Browse RVs for sale at Bish’s
►Watch Josh the RV Nerd’s tips for first time buyers:
Becki Johnson
Bish’s RV Content Editor & Writer
20 years in the RV industry and a lifetime around RVs have convinced me that nature is a lot better with a comfortable bed and working bathroom.
I love to use what I’ve learned to help RVers find the best RV for the best possible price.