The Challenges of Purchasing a Used RV
A motorhome or RV (recreational vehicle) is normally a costly or very costly investment – depending on the specifications and size, trailers can cost starting from $10,000 and even up to $300, 000. Given such costs, it is understandable why many people choose to buy used RVs – this can help save lots of money. However, there might be situations when you simply don’t know what you get for the money and there is always the risk you can get cheated by individuals or even businesses.
One of the classical ways to cheat is to alter odometer readings to give the impression that the vehicle’s systems have been worn out much less than in reality (this counts as a felony in the US). In fact, if the true mileage is high, you are very likely to start experiencing trouble with multiple systems immediately after purchase. Also, you want to be sure your car hasn’t been stolen or hasn’t been involved in accidents that ended up in structural damage that has been improperly or incompletely addressed and continues to impact the vehicle’s safety, performance, and longevity. And obd2 scanner like Launch CRP123 scan tool can help to find the VIN. You can read more about this scanner here.
Checking the VIN code – a Smart and Fast Solution for a Transparent Purchase
Fortunately, there is a solution to bring transparency to the entire process of buying or selling an RV. Thus, opting for a trailer VIN lookup on dedicated online platforms can help obtain loads of information about your RV from multiple sources, like national authorities and specialized vehicle agencies, vehicle manufacturers, car dealers and auctions, insurance companies, etc.
For instance, if odometer readings have been rolled back in a fraudulent manner, checking the data recorded by car services that have worked with this vehicle can help determine such fraud. This is because car services usually record the mileage when accepting vehicles for repair and enter it into their databases (hence, inconsistencies between this data and odometer readings indicate a mileage rollback).
Besides, a VIN report informs you about:
- whether the vehicle has ever been stolen and found;
- the history of accidents and the damage suffered;
- whether the car is being used in a loan (whether it’s a subject of a lien);
- whether the vehicle suffered from natural disasters;
- records about inspections, service work performed, substituted details;
- other details pertaining to the history of the vehicle (e.g. registration history, use in public service, etc.).
Arming yourself with a detailed VIN report from a trustworthy service would give you leverage in negotiating a new price or would raise the appropriate red flags so that you can avoid an obscure dealer altogether. Alternatively, if you are a dealer, providing your clients with such a report or with a free voucher to perform such an analysis by themselves on a corresponding trustworthy platform would help build trust and create a positive image, which should help secure the deal.
