Marissa and I were on the phone with the dealer, listening to the offer. Neither one of us saying much. Because we knew this was thousands less than what we'd hoped for.

Nine thousand less than what we'd started with on our listing price.

That was the price we paid to have this Class A motorhome sitting on a consignment lot, owned by a dealer who did not show it well. Did not make the appropriate changes. We'd taken out a closet to build a bed for our kid, and we'd told them expressly to put the closet back in before showing the rig. For three months, we thought they had.

They hadn't.

It sat there with a kid's bed instead of a closet, shrinking the pool of buyers who'd ever consider it. The dealer didn't keep the unit clean either. We had people from our channel drive over just to report back on what shape it was in. By the time it sold, we'd lost three thousand dollars on the sale and another pile of money in consignment fees.

That was the only RV we've ever lost money on.

Which sounds a little wild, because you probably grew up hearing what I grew up hearing: RVs are money pits. They depreciate like rocks the moment you pull them off the lot. Why would anybody put their hard-earned money into something that loses 30% in the first year?

Here's the filter I used when the money was tight and I bought our first 6 RVs.

Can this RV be used for two years and still be sold for the same price or more?

If yes, I'd pull the trigger. If no, I let it go.

Across our first six RVs, we made more than fifty thousand dollars. The motorhome was the exception, not the rule.

Why most first-time buyers struggle

Most people walk onto a dealer lot, fall in love, and drive off spending more than they intended.

I don't blame them. A new RV feels like endless possibilities. The payments feel doable. The salesperson is warm. And nobody tells you that the second you pull off that lot, 30% of your purchase price just evaporated.

But here's the thing. Most first-time buyers don't know yet if they'll even like full-timing, or whether a fifth wheel, Class C, or travel trailer fits them best. Eating 30% depreciation before you know the answer to any of that is borderline crazy.

What we actually did

Here's the thing nobody told me in 2014 when we were dreaming about hitting the road: every brand new RV bought by somebody who wasn't sure becomes a used RV sitting in that person's side yard a year later. You can be the person who takes it off their hands.

That's what we did across our next six RVs. And instead of eating 30% depreciation, we actually made money on five out of six when we resold them. Here's how each one played out.

1. Earthbound Telluride: Find someone who's done with it.

I wanted an Airstream but couldn't find one in budget. So I looked for something in the same neighborhood of quality and found a guy who had let his Earthbound sit in storage for nearly a year. He didn't want it. He just wanted it gone.

I didn't inspect it well. The pipes were busted, the water heater was toast. It hadn't been winterized properly. Three thousand in repairs before we could even use it. Still made four thousand dollars when we sold it.

2. Forest River Sandpiper: Make the same offer three times.

I found the fifth wheel I wanted and made an offer based on what comps across the country were actually selling for. The seller said no. I waited two weeks. Made the same offer. No again. Waited another two weeks. Third time was the charm. By then his rig had been sitting three months and he was ready to be done with it.

If you're willing to walk away, and you've done the math, time does most of the work for you.

3. Newmar gas motorhome: Buy what sells, not what's pretty.

Our one loss. I'd learned by that point to think about resale pricing. What I had not learned yet was to think about resale demand. We bought a beautiful high-end gas Class A. When we went to sell it, everyone shopping at our price point wanted a diesel pusher for the same money. They didn't care that our gas coach was better built. They wanted the word "diesel" on the title.

Lesson paid for in cash: before you buy, ask who the next buyer is and what they'll actually be searching for.

4. Airstream: Catch it early, fix it up, hold it, sell high.

Listed ten thousand below comparable units because the seller genuinely didn't want it in her yard anymore. I drove to Texas to get it. Put five hundred dollars in tires on it just to tow it home. We remodeled it over the next four years. New floors, paint, batteries, solar. Sold it for twenty-five thousand dollars more than we paid.

5. Open Range fifth wheel: Look where nobody else is looking.

Listed in the horse trailer section of RV Trader because whoever posted it didn't know what it was. Already 20 to 30% below market. I offered less than that because I figured out it was a repo and they just wanted it gone. Bought it, added two lithium batteries, sold it about a year later for fifteen thousand dollars in profit.

6. Itasca Viva Motorhome: Move fast when the dealer gets it wrong.

A dealer in Colorado Springs had priced this one about ten thousand dollars too low compared to the rest of the market. Once I saw the price, I called the dealer, locked in a number, sent a down payment, and booked a flight for the next day. When I showed up to do the paperwork, the manager was actually shaking his head saying he'd told his team to do better research before listing these things.

We added a folding solar panel and a solar generator I'd picked up for 50% off on Black Friday. When we sold it, we made twelve thousand dollars.

You may be reading this thinking: "sure, you can do this, you're a YouTuber."

Honestly? That had very little to do with any of these sales. Of the six buyers, only the Airstream buyer had ever seen our channel. The other five found us on RV Trader, where I listed every one of these rigs. Plain private-party sales. Nothing to do with an audience.

What I'd tell you if we were sitting across the table

None of these tactics are fast. None of them are easy. The one that looked fastest, the Airstream, was actually the one I'd been running automated searches on for months.

If you're looking to buy an RV, whether it's used, new, dealer, or private, learn basic inspection. You don't need to be a mechanic. If you can look at a roof and underbelly to tell whether something looks wrong, most of the other problems are manageable.

You're looking for the 10k+ problems. Major roof damage, frame issues, water damage you can't see. Not squeaky cabinets or drawers that won't stay closed. Those you can fix. The big stuff is what sinks you.

And here's the piece I wish someone had told Marissa and I before we picked up that phone call: you are going to make mistakes. The motorhome taught us something no spreadsheet could. But if you buy with options and patience, the mistakes don't sink you. The wins fund the next step.

We didn't literally net fifty thousand dollars once you count time and elbow grease. But we got more than seven years of full-time travel out of rigs that mostly held their value. That flexibility is what kept us on the road.

Until next time, see you down the road!
— Nathan

➡️ P.S. If you're shopping for an RV in 2026 but feel stuck, I'm hosting a free 90-minute workshop Thursday, April 30th from 6-7:30pm CT. My goal is simple: help you move forward and buy the right RV with confidence.

Here's the honest part. I also want your feedback. As we work through your questions, I'll show you some tools I've been building to help solve these exact problems. If they help, great. If they miss the mark, I want to hear that too.

Who this is for: you're actively shopping, you're working through the right budget and financing plan, you've got specific things you're stuck on, and you're willing to be honest about what's frustrating.

Apply here: https://tally.so/r/681j4Y​
Limited spots. If it fills up, I may run another one.