MOSES LAKE — A recreational vehicle is a versatile thing. It can be a portable home for a weekend camping trip, or it can be the home you live in year-round. Either way, it’s important to know what you’re doing when it comes time to buy one, said RJ McFadden, owner of Basin RV in Moses Lake.

“A lot of people pull the trigger too fast,” McFadden said. “You want to make sure it fits all your family's needs and wants, even though you only use it a few times a year. We use ours 10, 12 times a year, 15 times a year. But most people, they use it five, six times a year. You want to make sure you get what you want to get. Don’t just settle because you’re looking to go camping this weekend.”

McFadden and his wife, Teri, purchased Basin RV about a year ago. They offer repairs and service for RVs as well as sales of used units.

The most popular RVs he sells are bunkhouse trailers, he said.

“That’s where you have bunk beds in the rear,” he said. “They come in all sizes; two bunk beds, four bunk beds. Shoot, they have six bunk beds in some of the newer ones. And then you have a slide-out with a dinette table, sometimes a sofa, and then a queen bed in the front space.”

A bunkhouse trailer can be bought used for about $20,000, he added.

It’s important to make sure that the RV you’re buying will fit in the space that’s available, RJ said. The really huge ones are more limited in where they can be parked, especially permanently.

“A lot of campgrounds only go to a certain number of feet,” he said.

Maneuvering a trailer into a small space is no mean feat, Teri McFadden said, especially for people who don’t do it regularly.

“That’s another service that we do that people are super appreciative of,” she said. “They buy it (but) they can’t necessarily get it to where they want to take it, or they don’t have a way to tow it. We deliver it for them.”

There are a lot of things that can go wrong on an RV, RJ said, and the seller of the vehicle doesn’t necessarily know what they are. No matter how much you trust the seller, he said, it’s a good idea to have it checked by a professional.

“One of our biggest complaints is, ‘Hey I bought this RV and this isn’t working, that isn’t working.’ We do a full inspection (to) make sure that everything is in working order … we’ll come right to the dealership or if it’s a private party, we’ll go wherever you’re at. Some other people are leery about that. If they’re leery, don’t buy it. Because if they don’t want it checked out, something’s probably wrong.”

Proper maintenance is also important, especially if you’re going make the RV your primary residence, whether it’s to travel or to set up in a park somewhere. An RV isn’t really designed to be a permanent residence, RJ said, and things are likely to wear out more quickly.

“Some of the components are only made to last four or five years,” he said. “Just like cars, RVs have warranties, and they’re usually only for a year because unfortunately, things do break down. The parts get worn; rodents get in the fans and stop the blower motor from blowing the heat in.”

Heating is crucial, especially in the winter, RJ said, and he frequently goes to campgrounds to defrost pipes and make sure the heaters are working properly.

“A lot of people forget to (do) simple stuff like turn on their propane and then the fridge isn’t working or the hot water isn’t working,” he said. “One of the biggest things we’ve learned is that a lot of people don’t use RV toilet paper and (ordinary toilet paper) clogs up the system.”

“People think it doesn’t matter, but it does,” Teri added.

The electrical system in an RV isn’t quite like that in a house or a car, RJ said. He’s seen fully qualified electricians stymied by the electrical system in their trailer. Part of the difficulty is that there a particular model of RV can have a wide variety of different components, and they’re not always interchangeable.

Preventive maintenance is the key, RJ said.

“Roof seals are a big one,” he said. “You should do that every two to three years. We do roofs in the wintertime, and you could spend … say, $800, instead of it costing you 10-15 grand for a new roof because of the water damage.”

Insuring the RV properly can make all the difference, RJ said.

“Full coverage is not usually all that expensive,” he said. “Spend a little, save a lot. It can save you a lot of money in the long run, especially people living in them year-round.”

“Things can easily happen,” Teri said. “The camper that caught on fire (in Moses Lake recently), that was an electrical fire that just started on its own. (Insurance) is definitely something you want to have for a camper where things are getting bounced around when you’re driving. Keep your tires protected as well when you’re storing them; don’t leave them out in the sun.”

“Even if you’re storing (the vehicle), you want to make sure you have the proper battery disconnect,” RJ said. “If you don’t have a battery disconnect, you pull your batteries out and store them in the shop or store them inside to prevent the batteries going bad. A lot of people leave those out in the wintertime, leave them hooked up, and they swell up, they freeze (and) they’re done.

    This bunkhouse-style RV has bunk beds in the back, queen-size bed in the front, and a scaled-down but complete kitchen and bathroom.
  

    This dinette in an RV folds down into an extra bed as well.