***Overseas visitor wants to BUY an RV ***

[portwine]

Hello everyone. Looking for some factual and accurate information from the rv community. We intend coming to West coast and buy an RV with a view to travelling to the East coast. Probably looking to spend upto $30000. Here are some questions

a) How do I go about registering an rv if I live overseas? I have friends in the US.

b)We intend to travel for 6 months then get an 6 month extention. Has any other non US citizen done this?

c)Where are the best palces to buy an rv on the West coast although we could buy anywhere.

d)which Rvs have a good name. We want something around 30ft and lower miles

e)I believe I can use an international drivers license to drive an RV in the States. buy

Thanks folks.

[portwine]

[NeilV]

Originally posted by portwine:
Hello everyone. Looking for some factual and accurate information from the rv community. We intend coming to West coast and buy an RV with a view to travelling to the East coast. Probably looking to spend upto $30000. Here are some questions

a) How do I go about registering an rv if I live overseas? I have friends in the US.

b)We intend to travel for 6 months then get an 6 month extention. Has any other non US citizen done this?

c)Where are the best palces to buy an rv on the West coast although we could buy anywhere.

d)which Rvs have a good name. We want something around 30ft and lower miles

e)I believe I can use an international drivers license to drive an RV in the States. buy

Thanks folks.

LazyDays in Sefner Florida has agents that specialise in international sales. You might give them a call or leave a note through their web site to get answers from people who do this regularly.

See:

http://www.lazydays.com/(X(1)S(0ilxrwura51qyo55yalww055...etectCookieSuppo rt=1

[Gary RVRoamer]

Lazy Days would be a good choice, but it is on the East Coast and portwine wants to start in the West.

One of the wrinkles in US vehicle registration is that each state has its own registration system and rules. And their own fees and taxes on them too. Since you can buy & register anywhere you want, I would suggest either Oregon or Montana, neither of which have a sales tax or high vehicle fees. Another option is to buy in a state like California but take delivery out of state and drive it to OR or MT and register there. The dealer can provide a temporary registration to accommodate this sort of thing.

Getting an extension for your visa is an iffy thing and up to the US State Dept Immigration people. Most of the international visitors I know of do not get one. Don't know if it is because they cannot or simply don't try. Have you asked a US embassy or Consul about the difficulty in getting an extension for a Tourist visa?

Yes you can buy and rive on your International Driver license. Vehicle insurance generally costs much more, though, since the insurance company does not have access to a driving record for you and they therefore assume the worst.

I'm sending you a private message with some other ideas on this subject.

[RustyJC]

Another approach worth your consideration might be leasing an RV for a year. There are companies here in the US (Innovative RV comes to mind) that specialize in such leasing arrangements. And, hey, with the current value of the U.S. dollar, you can probably do it for almost nothing!

Rusty

[Ice-Man]

Originally posted by RV Roamer:
Yes you can buy and rive on your International Driver license. Vehicle insurance generally costs much more, though, since the insurance company does not have access to a driving record for you and they therefore assume the worst.

I too have been looking into the prospect of buying an rv over in the States and during my investigations, I have been advised that it is fairly simple to gain a DL in USA as long as you have a postal address. Is this the case and how would that affect the insurance on the MH?

Good luck to you portwine it will be a blast

Icey
in Blighty

[Bill-Sharon-Bella(Our Beagle)]

Portwine - I purchased my 5th-wheel in Oregon. It is one of the few, if not the last states that does NOT have a sales tax, so you may save some $$$$ buying there. I have also been told that Oregon is a good state to buy RVs in. It has a good reputation for building good quality vehicles, no matter if it's an A, B, or C class RV. Good luck in your hunt.

[cvrvr]

You might want to check with Cruise America www.cruiseamerica.com or El Monte RV www.elmonterv.com, to see about purchasing one of their used motorhomes.

Hope you have a great trip.

George

[skigramp]

Your first line said that you were willing to spend up to $30,000 ... does this mean that you expect to buy a unit and sell it at the end of your travels and expect it to cost you $30,000 difference in purchase and selling price ...

Or does that mean that you want to spend at most $30,000 for the unit ...

If if the latter ... I think you will have a difficult time finding a 30 ft motorhome with low miles for $30,000 . Most 30 foot motorhomes in that price range will be at least 5 years old and more likely to be 6 or 7 years old.

However, the cost of motorhomes is likely to change in the next few months because of the changing price of fuel in the US ...

You can learn about the present price of used motorhomes by looking here ...


Nada RV guides

Use Winnebago, Bounder, Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Jayco as brands to see what you can get for your money

[portwine]

Thanks for the replies. I am looking to buy upto $30,000.

I undertsood that Oregon was hard to buy an RV unless you are a resident there. and since we dont have reidency we dont have an address except a friend in Fl maybe.

Our plans are felxible so can buy anywhere tho cost of gas is getting a bit of a concern! Still it comes down to finding the right RV.

Any suggestions on the makes??

[Route 66]

Buying the RV is not a problem.

The registration and license tags normally require you to be a resident of one state.

I have sent an email to some friends from Germany who have just done what you are asking, and are now touring the USA.

I'll get back with the answer.

[Rich & Zara]

I understand you wanting to tour our country from coast to coast and of course this is not uncommon of international visitors. You also seem to worry about getting an extension on your visa and wheather you get it or not, I assume your days would be limited to stay. Am I right thus far? If that to be the case, why would you want to go through a string of paperwork to purchase a RV? If I may further ask, what do you plan to do with the RV at the end of your stay? What guarantee do you have that you will be able to sell at your asking price? ...and I presume that would be on a short notice? What do you plan to save by NOT going for a RENTAL RV and to turn it in at the end of your trip? You said yourself of the questionable parts of making a purchase and others mentioned other good points such as insurance, registration and what you could get for $30,000 with low mileage, etc.

Just curious !!!

Rich

[portwine]

Well gee I guess I am a bit more positive than you are but thanks for your comments.

And Dirk thank you for checking with your German friends - that would be really helpful

[Route 66]

My friend from Germany created a Montana LLC and registered his MH and toad in Montana.