RV Financing: How To Get An RV Loan

While it is true that a few RV owners find it affordable to buy their vehicles directly, others resort to RV loans to support their purchases. New RVs typically cost several thousands of dollars, and the price of luxurious RVs may be in the six-figure range. So purchasing a new RV is a significant financial choice, somewhat similar to hiring an SEO agency for marketing your business. 

Given the higher prices, RV loans tend to work more like auto loans. Just like typical car loans, they follow the same pattern; a loan provider offers to lend you money to purchase an RV, and then you have to return the payment in a negotiated time to cover the principal amount plus interest.

How to Finance an RV

However, not all RV loans are the same. Given below are some pointers that you need to consider in order to get the right RV loan:

1. Come Up With A Budget

The benefits of buying a recreational vehicle can be set off by cutting the expenses up to 60 percent or more on a holiday, or theoretically writing off interest payments on a loan like a second mortgage. Still, the benefits and independence of enjoying the open roads have their own expense. Most large RVs will cost $500,000 or more. RV's which include all the modern conveniences could cost well around $1 million — and there will still be additional costs for gasoline, repairs, maintenance, and insurance above the sticker mark.

With an investment as significant as an RV, you must be level-headed about a decision that might set you back financially. Coming up with a budget and working your way around it would be the best initial approach to consider RV loans.  

Furthermore, after finalizing a budget, you might want to decide what type of RV you would fancy purchasing. A smaller one may be ideal as it is less expensive, and parking is easier. But if it is a bit cramped and there isn't enough space to move around, you might end up not liking or using it as well. Whatever route you go, be make sure to use an RV Loan calculator that can show you your monthly payments, including interest and annual percentage rate before committing — make sure it fits your budget.

2. Compare Options From Multiple Lenders

Usually, RV dealers may have lending deals for specific borrowers, but that does not imply that you need to utilize these means to get money. RV loans are now also provided by several banks, finance companies, online lenders, and credit unions.

Compare offers from various borrowers to ensure that you get the most competitive loan. When you can negotiate a cheaper rate of interest or reduced rates elsewhere, it might be safer than dealership finance.

Speaking of cheaper interest rates, you could fill out an RV loan application form at My Financing USA and get approved after validating your creditworthiness.

3. Prepare All The Necessary Requirements

It is true that it might be more challenging to obtain a loan for an RV than being approved for a standard car loan. In practical terms, applying for an RV financing may be comparable to applying for a home loan, predicated on the duration of the loan period and the sum you are investing.

Although some lenders propose RV loan services for unstable credit applicants, the lenders would generally scrutinize a variety of factors and may require the following;

Debt-To-Income (DTI) Finances

Lenders like to know and understand if you can continue to cover your actual expenses fairly, in addition to all the loan installments. Therefore, they would like to know more about your earnings and debts. 

You can analyze your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) and decide whether you qualify, just like when getting a mortgage or any other loans. The majority of RV creditors want the DTI to be below 40%.

Down Payment

A substantial down payment may help you get a lower interest rate on an RV loan. A 10 percent down payment is often the standard, but 20 percent is still within the range. 

The precise conditions, as in any investment, differ depending on many variables and one of these is downpayment. The higher the amount you pay as down payment, the lesser would be your monthly payments, and the lesser charge would be incurred as interest. 

Collateral 

The thing about RV loans is that the vehicle itself usually acts as collateral to help you obtain secure funding. However, when you're able to rack up an extra asset like your house to safeguard the loan, you could get a decent offer on lending. Make sure that you are 100% confident with the risk while deciding.

Credit Score

Getting high credit scores usually functions in your favor as you qualify for an RV loan or some other form of funding. Typically, impressive credit scores contribute to lower rates. If you are already grappling with credit challenges, taking the initiative to boost your credit score before applying might potentially make a massive difference in the value of the RV loan that will be provided to you.

What Lenders Want To Know About The RV You Want To Obtain

Price Of The RV 

RV loan providers usually ask about the price of the RV you intend to purchase, as it might be more or less the amount you intend to borrow. The lender may then equate the cost of the loan you're seeking with your wages and other obligations, and ensure that you wouldn't be financially over-extended.

Condition Of The RV

Making sure that you find a fair price in purchasing either a new or even used RV is crucial, and that's one thing an RV loan provider would also want to consider. Some creditors might also request an RV inspection, particularly if you are contemplating a private seller's used RV.

Age And Mileage Of The RV

There are no arguments around the notion that you could save money by purchasing a second-hand RV. Nevertheless, many lenders might well charge extra for providing loans for camper vans that have crossed a particular age as this may raise the risks associated with the loan.

4. Negotiate

After you have chosen both the perfect RV model and loan, and have ironed out all the requirements for your loan approval, the next thing you need to do is negotiate.

Same as with the price your RV dealer told you, RV loans are likely to be negotiable. You may even find yourself spending time with the loan officer in negotiating lending conditions for financing deals. But you should be doing your own research and getting quotations from several RV lenders for this plan to succeed. The very last thing you want to do is wander into a dealership underprepared.

Bear in mind that a dealer would not automatically give you the cheapest discount for an RV lease. Online lenders, bankers, and finance companies may give you reduced rates and better conditions, but only if you have a strong credit reputation. Unless you check, you won't know for sure.

Take care to compare and double-check the rates, charges, and conditions some creditors can implement without your knowledge. Note that it is better to pay attention to the actual funding expenses, and not to the recurring payment schedule. You will be able to quickly find the most competitive price by doing so, possibly long before you walk into the dealer's showroom.

Some Tips To Remember In Getting An RV Loan

Now that you have a general idea concerning the right way to get an RV loan, it would be safe to assume you're already excited about buying your RV. The initial loan you can get may be straightforward to obtain, but ironically this may turn out to be an expensive mistake. It is better to first consider these useful tips to get an idea of what lies ahead:

Never Pay More Than The Potential Sale Value Of The RV 

The valuation of a brand new RV will depreciate significantly just by purchasing it. Keeping this in mind, there is a strong possibility of paying more as the interest of your loan than you will gain back whenever the opportunity or need arises for selling your RV. The higher the down payment you made, the less you will owe in debt, and the higher the chance that you'll receive your money's worth.

Start Small

When you realize that you are sticking to “RVing” for the long term, starting small could be another wise strategy to adopt. Smaller camper vans cost less, which ensures that you can pay the amount back even quicker. By getting a cheaper loan, you can then trade your RV in for an improved one once you have the money. Such a strategy would also allow you the flexibility to know what you want from an RV without having to pay a considerable price.

Look At The Whole Scenario Rather Than The Parts 

Don't rely exclusively on the recurring monthly cost to decide if you can handle a specific type of camper van. RV dealers mostly do this, but the monthly payment is just part of the overall loan program. That monthly payment amount must be calculated and compounded by the period of months the loan agreement is in effect. When you have the number, then equate the loan contract's final expense to the expense of only purchasing the RV itself. 

Typically that would be an eye-opening experience, which will let you see if you are paying excessive interest on your loan. If you notice that you would spend almost as much in interest as you would for the camper van itself, you could be best advised to either look for something less costly, or to allow separate financing arrangements.

Do Not Be Fooled 

Try to stay away from any funding source or loan provider which is not a primary loan of interest. Lenders have all manner of tactics up their sleeve to gain more revenue by lending to you. One of the approaches such companies and providers use is drafting a deal that does not encourage you to pay off the loan's principal amount in a significant way before the loan is in its final phases. It is termed “front-loading” the interest, and what it means is that the money you spend to settle the first half of the debt goes directly to the interest, not to the principal. Thus, even if you have decided to sell your camper van, you still owe these loan sharks a significant amount of money —they gain a lot of benefit from this sort of loan.

It is better to avoid such loans that are not based on a straightforward calculation of interest. In other terms, interest is a fixed component of the regular bill from the very first installment until the completion of the loan term. If you're told by a provider that you can't apply for such a loan, never take their word for it. Always search around and find yourself some other quotes for loans.

Conclusion

Availing an RV loan signifies a significant commitment. Be sure that the expenses and funding make sense and match the investment and budget targets.  After all, you want your RV to end up giving you fantastic memories, rather than financial remorse.

Take into account the suggestions mentioned above as to how to efficiently acquire an RV loan, and come up with a well thought out decision. The roads are ready for you and your RV, as great fun and camping adventures await you.