Sellers say 'everything works great.' Our techs say 'hold my diagnostic kit.' Here's the exact checklist we'd run on any used RV before buying — and the one step most buyers skip that saves thousands.
Used RV sellers have a way of describing every rig the same way: "great shape," "everything works," "just needs a little TLC." What they're not telling you is what that TLC costs after you've handed over a check. We see it constantly — someone buys a used RV with "a small roof issue" and ends up with $8,000 in delamination and rotted decking.
There are genuinely good deals in Northern California's used RV market. But there's a direct relationship between how carefully you inspect before you buy and how much you spend in the first year of ownership. Here are 15 things to check before any money changes hands.
The 15-Point Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Walk the roof — don't just look at it from the ground
Roof delamination, cracked sealant, and damaged membrane are invisible from ground level. Get up there. Soft spots indicate water damage underneath. Any cracked lap sealant around vents, the AC unit, or antennas means water has had an entrance — and has been using it.
Press on the floor throughout the rig — especially near slide-outs and walls
Soft, spongy, or bouncy flooring means moisture damage to the subfloor. Do this everywhere, especially near exterior walls and under windows. Water damage here is expensive to repair and easy to miss if you're only looking.
Check every wall for bubbling, delamination, or soft spots
Slide your hand along interior walls. Bubbling or separation of the interior paneling from the insulation layer means sustained water infiltration. Once you see it, assume the damage goes deeper than it looks.
Run the refrigerator — check actual temperature after 30 minutes
Don't just confirm it turns on. Bring a thermometer. An absorption fridge should reach 40°F within 30–45 minutes at normal ambient temps. Barely getting cool means the cooling unit may be failing — a $400–$800 repair that sellers rarely disclose.
Test the AC — both cooling and heating if it has dual-mode
Turn it on, wait 10 minutes, and feel the air. Weak airflow means clogged filters or a struggling compressor. No cold air means a deeper problem. Check that fan speeds actually change when selected — a frozen speed selector is a common symptom of a board going bad.
Fire up the water heater on both propane and electric (if applicable)
Some sellers only test one mode. Test both. Slow recovery, no ignition on propane, or failure on electric means the unit has a problem. Also check how old it is — RV water heaters last 8–12 years with proper maintenance.
Test the furnace
Turn it on and wait for full ignition. A furnace that lights then shuts off within 30 seconds has a sail switch or pressure switch issue. No ignition at all is a separate set of problems. Either way, get it diagnosed before you need heat.
Check every electrical outlet with a plug-in tester
An outlet tester costs $8 at any hardware store. Reversed polarity, open ground, or open neutral are common in rigs that had electrical work done by previous owners. It catches problems in seconds that would take a tech an hour to diagnose.
Look at the generator hours and run it under load
Ask for maintenance records. A generator with 2,000 hours and documented oil changes beats one with 400 hours and no records. Run it, let it warm up, then turn on the AC. If it struggles under load, the carburetor or voltage regulator may be failing.
Check tire age via DOT code — not just tread depth
RV tires fail from age and UV degradation, not just wear. The DOT code on the sidewall ends in a 4-digit number: first two digits are the week, last two are the year. Tires older than 6 years should be replaced regardless of how they look. NorCal heat accelerates this.
Run every slide-out in and out three times
One pass doesn't tell you much. Three passes reveals hesitation, grinding, slow retraction, or uneven travel. Check the slide-out seals by pressing on them while extended — they should be firm and gap-free. Torn or hardened seals are a $200–$600 repair.
Test the awning fully extended and retracted
Awnings that extend easily sometimes don't retract properly — or vice versa. Run it both ways. Check the fabric for tears, mold, or mildew. A replacement awning fabric runs $300–$600 installed, and sellers know buyers rarely test it.
Fill the fresh water tank and run every faucet
Low pressure at any fixture means a partially blocked line, failing water pump, or plumbing issue. Check under every sink for evidence of prior leaks — staining, warped cabinet floors, or silicone slathered over what should be clean fittings.
Inspect all exterior seals — every seam, every penetration
Bring a flashlight. Any cracked, shrinking, or missing caulk on the exterior is a water entry point waiting for rain. Pay close attention to corners, window frames, and anywhere something penetrates the roof or sidewalls.
Run a title check and ask about the ownership history
A vehicle history report (CARFAX covers most RVs with VINs) reveals accidents, flood history, and how many owners it's had. Multiple owners in a short period is a red flag. Any flood or salvage notation is a hard pass.
The one thing most buyers skip
A professional pre-purchase inspection from an independent mobile RV tech costs $150–$250. On a $25,000 purchase, that's less than 1% of the transaction price — and it's caught problems that saved buyers $3,000–$10,000 in repairs they didn't know they were inheriting. It's not due diligence. It's just math.
What a Professional Inspection Catches That You Won't
This checklist handles the obvious. What you won't catch without professional equipment and experience: early-stage delamination that isn't soft to the touch yet, propane pressure irregularities, electrical issues that only show under load, roof membrane damage that requires pressure testing to find, and appliance failures that only appear after 45 minutes of runtime. A tech who inspects RVs every week knows exactly where to look and what it costs to fix what they find.
Common Question
Is a pre-purchase inspection worth it on a cheaper RV — say, under $15,000?
Especially yes. Lower-priced used RVs are more likely to have deferred maintenance and undisclosed problems — sellers price them low for a reason. A $10,000 rig with $6,000 in needed repairs is actually a $16,000 purchase. A $200 inspection tells you which one you're looking at before you hand over a check.
Northern California has a strong used RV market, and there are genuinely good deals out there. The difference between a good deal and an expensive mistake almost always comes down to what got checked before the purchase and what didn't. Don't skip the inspection — or bring someone along who knows what they're looking at.
BossBros RV Team
Redding, CA