Hi all

[artona]

Hi

I have just joined your forum. I am based in the Uk and we are visiting Washington next year to photograph a wedding. We would like to make a months trip of it and buy and RV, travel around and then export the RV back to the UK where we fulltime, currently in a European motorhome but long for an RV.

I am trying to find out what you need to drive an RV around in The States. Over here there is an MOT which is a government test to say the vehicle is roadworthy and then you have to pay approx $400 a year road tax and then you need to buy insurance. Is it the same in The States

Appreciate any help


stew

 

[Poppa]

Re: Hi all

Welcome, Lets see what you need, Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm a couple pints of ale in the fridge for when you stop for the night for starters.

Oh ok so much for the foolishness, an international drivers licsene will work just fine. There are no special licsenes required.

You will be required to pay for liability insurance and if the rv is being financed you will have to have compensation/comprenhsive to protect the lender.

Road taxes are picked up by each state thru their gasoline/fuel taxes.

Again welcome.

 

[artona]

Re: Hi all

HI Poppa

Sounds easy - do you need an opener for the ale

As for the liability insurance is this relatively easy to buy and how expensive is it. We won't be looking to finance but we are only looking at a smallish budget - approx $30k.

So if the RV moves its legal to drive, is that the case, there are no government checks to see if it is road safe etc.

Many thanks

stew

ps incidently, I am heavily involved in a motorhome internet site over here in the UK, is it ok to put the url and would anyone be interested in having a look

 

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Hi all

Stewart, $30K is not going to buy much of an RV. You'll have to look really hard at used MHs with that budget.

Hope you get lucky!

 

[artona]

Re: Hi all

Hi

What sort of budget should we be aiming for, would you say


stew

 

[Poppa]

Re: Hi all

The Clod is right 30K you might pull off a fairly decent older class C. If you are only going to be here for a short time a month or two It would be more cost effective to rent one and it would be a late model and in pretty good shape.

 

[aussie Keith]

Re: Hi all

Hi Artona,
We have recently completed a year's tour of USA after arriving from Australia. Bought an A Class MH in Vermont for $44000. It was a 6 year old 35ft with 1 slide and in excellent condition having only 25000 miles on the clock. Served us really well for the year and never missed a beat and was certainly large enough to live in for that time. Would have loved to have taken it back to Aus, but that was all too difficult and expensive as it would have to be converted to right hand drive, change electrics and propane fittings, door needed on the other side etc. You would need to check out the same regulations for getting it back into the UK. Might be easier for you with regular imports coming in from Europe.
I believe that you will need an address in USA to be able to register the RV and secure the insurance. We used our daughter's who lives there and it was no problem. But without an address or Social Security No. would make it very difficult. The MH was registered by the dealer which included the annual safety check and 1 year's registration in that State. Cost was very low compared to home. Insurance (full comprehensive) was about $450 for the year, but again, that was done through our daughters broker and as an addition to her existing car insurance. There must be a way for you to do it as a "transient" but you would need to investigate that before you arrive.
Basically, with a budget of $40-50,000 you should get a very good motorhome and the whole exercise would be worthwhile. It is a great country to visit and tour so take as much time as you can. After a year we still need to come back again to see everything we missed. Good luck

 

[s.harrington]

Re: Hi all

30K will get you a good class C in the late 90's to about 2000. If you are looking for a class A you will need about 45K. Some states require a safety inspection on all powered vehicles but you are in luck if you buy in Washington state, none required. You must have insurance and as of right now gasoline is selling for $3.00 per gallon and up. it is supposed to rise in the near future to around $3.75 per gallon. Motorhomes aren't known for their economy (10-14 miles per gallon) so bring your credit card :laugh: . And remember .... over hear we drive on the right side of the road

 

[pigpen]

RE: Hi all



You have to decide what type of camping you are planning on doing. If you want to get off road, a truck & camper might be best, otherwise a Class C. Remember that American RV's are larger & wider than European. There can be issues with a container wide enough to ship it back. One that you may want to look at is available at Midtown RV in Penticton BC which is about 30 miles north of the border with WA state. This is a class C made specifically for the rental market for Europeans, but they will sell them. He commissioned them for that specific purpose. They are narrower than normal & have double slides. Any vehicle bought in Canada can be insured & driven in the US & vice versa.