John here from A1 RV Buyer. I’ve been buying RVs for over 20 years and we’ve purchased hundreds of them since we opened. We’re a family business, we’re local, and we love these things — which is probably why we ended up specializing in the ones nobody else wants to deal with.
If you’re sitting on an RV you’re ready to move, this walks through exactly how it works: how we price it, what condition we’ll take, what happens when the title is gone, and what to expect if it doesn’t run.
And you don’t have to take any of this on faith. We have 167 reviews on Google, every one of them five stars, and most of them tell the same story: they called, we came out the same day, and they left with cash while we handled the paperwork. That’s the standard to hold us to.
How We Price Your RV
When we come out, we’re looking at a short list of things that actually move the value:
- Roof damage and where water has been getting in
- Leak damage and how far it traveled
- Structural damage
- Soft spots in the floor — usually the story the roof didn’t tell us
- What’s working and what isn’t: engine, generator, slides, appliances
That’s most of it. We keep the inspection short on purpose. We’re not there to burn your afternoon, and we’re not there to build a case for walking the price down.
Why we don’t use a checklist
A lot of the bigger RV buying operations hand their guy a clipboard with a hundred line items on it. That’s because the person standing in your driveway doesn’t really know RVs, and the checklist is doing the thinking for him.
After 20 years and hundreds of coaches, we don’t need that. We can look at a rig and know what it’s worth and what it’s going to need. That’s why we can be in and out quickly and still be accurate.
It’s also why we can price the ones nobody else will touch. Discontinued brands, coaches out of the 90s, units that haven’t turned over in years — none of that fits a corporate checklist, so corporate buyers pass on it. We don’t.
We stick to the number we quote
This is the part people don’t believe until it actually happens.
The number we give you on the phone is the number you get paid, as long as the RV is what you described. We don’t show up, “discover” the leak you already told us about, and start working you down. No games.
Be straight with us on the phone and it’s already priced in.
Real numbers, so you know what to expect
Most buyers won’t put figures in writing. We will, because you deserve to know what conversation you’re walking into.
Take a rig we see constantly — a 2002 Bounder with two slide-outs. If it has water damage, stains on the ceiling, the beginnings of soft spots, you’re looking at roughly $1,500–$3,000 depending on what else we find. Water repairs cost thousands of dollars to do right, and that has to come out of the number. The same coach with no water damage is a different conversation entirely — $6,000–$8,000.
And we’ll say the quiet part out loud: we have to make a profit. Every buyer does. The difference is that we’ll tell you that to your face and show you the math, instead of hiding it behind a clipboard.
Those are ballpark figures from one example, not a price sheet. Every RV gets priced on its own condition, and the market moves — send photos and we’ll give you a real number for yours.
You’re dealing with a person, not a call center
The person who answers the phone is the person who quotes you, meets you, and hands you the cash. You’re not getting routed to an out-of-state corporation that farms the pickup to a contractor who’s never seen your RV and has authority to renegotiate in your driveway.
We’re Southern California residents, same as you.
If It Doesn’t Make Sense, We’ll Tell You
Not every RV is one we should buy. When that’s the case, we say so and point you somewhere better.
That screening starts on the very first call. We ask for photos up front, and if the RV is too far gone, we tell you right then — before anyone drives anywhere.
Some of the reviews we’re proudest of are from people we never bought anything from. One caller was told his RV was worth more than we’d pay, and we told him to go get it. Another called about leveling jacks stuck in the down position — the advice fixed his problem and he didn’t need to sell at all. Another was in North Carolina, nowhere near our coverage area, and got a real conversation anyway.
Those are on our reviews page alongside the rest. We’d rather be the call that actually helped than the call that squeezed out a deal.
We Buy RVs in Any Condition — 1989 and Newer
Models from the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s are our specialty. We’re one of the few companies in Southern California that still takes them seriously.
Every type: Class A, Class B, Class B+, Class C, Super C, travel trailers, fifth wheels, toy haulers, and pop-up trailers.
Any condition. None of this stops us from making an offer:
- Roof leaks and water damage
- Soft floors and wood rot
- Faded, chalky, oxidized paint
- Flat or dry-rotted tires
- Dead or missing batteries
- Engine that won’t turn over
- Sat unused for years
- Missing title, expired plates, back registration
If the year doesn’t work for us, we’ll tell you that too, and point you in the right direction.
When Your RV Won’t Start
This is where we save you the most money, and it’s worth understanding why.
If your motorhome won’t start, most buyers price in a tow. Towing a Class A or Class C runs into the thousands of dollars, and that cost comes straight out of your offer. Then, on the other end, the repair itself gets done at shop rates — and on a big coach, jobs like a fuel pump are nothing like they’d be on a car. The tank is boxed in by frame rails, storage bays, and exhaust. It’s a serious job, and it costs accordingly.
So the seller ends up eating a tow and a shop bill, both out of the same number.
We bring our own mechanic to your location and get it running where it sits. That kills the tow entirely and gets the repair done without the shop markup. Both of those savings go back into your offer instead of out of it.
We’ve had coaches that hadn’t turned over in years fire up in the driveway. Batteries, fuel pumps, fuel systems, tires — we handle it on site so the rig leaves under its own power.
Worth noting: the tow expense is a motorhome problem. Travel trailers and fifth wheels tow for a fraction of that.
A real one: stuck in storage at $400 a month
This exact call comes in all the time, so here’s one of our own buys.
A seller had a motorhome stuck inside a storage facility. It wouldn’t start, so it physically couldn’t leave — and he was paying $400 a month to store an RV he couldn’t use.
Run the math on fixing it himself. A tow out of the facility to a shop runs $1,000 to $2,000 on a motorhome, sometimes more. The fuel pump itself is another $400–$500. Mechanics run $100–$200 an hour, and dropping a fuel tank on a big coach is slow, heavy work — slower still if there’s fuel sitting in it. He was staring at several thousand dollars just to get the thing to where he could do anything with it, while the $400 kept leaving his account every month.
We brought our mechanic to the storage lot, replaced the fuel pump where the coach sat, paid him cash, and drove it out. The monthly bill stopped that day, and nothing got towed anywhere. All in, going our route instead of the tow-and-shop route kept roughly $5,000 in his pocket.
Paperwork Doesn’t Change Your Price
Missing title
Not a problem, and it’s more common than you’d think. We bring the paperwork with us and help you fill out the REG 227 right there — that’s California’s Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title, the form used when the original is lost, stolen, or damaged.
If you want to see how the transfer itself works before we get there, our guide on filling out a California title walks through it step by step, including the boxes people commonly get wrong.
Back registration and DMV fees
Piled up for a few years? Not a problem. We work it out with you.
Out-of-state title or long-expired plates
We handle it.
Inherited RV, or one that got left on your property
If it’s worth something, we can work it out.
Existing lienholder
Straight answer: this one isn’t our forte. We’ve done it and we’ll do it when it makes sense, but tell us up front so we can look at it honestly instead of wasting your time.
What Southern California Does to RVs
Twenty years buying in this region means we usually know what we’re walking into before we arrive — and it changes depending on where you are.
Riverside County and the Inland Empire
Sun damage. Faded, chalky, oxidized paint and blown clear coat. Tires that rot out early from heat even with tread left on them. We buy it anyway.
Orange County and San Diego
More rain and marine air. This is where we see the most roof leaks, and roof leaks turn into wood rot and soft floors. It’s the most common serious issue near the coast, and it doesn’t stop us.
Los Angeles County
A mix of both, plus more storage-lot and street-parked rigs, which brings its own wear.
We buy in all of it. If we’re going to buy it, we’re going to buy it, and we’re going to try to give you as much as we can.
Where We Come to You
Every county in Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kern, and Imperial.
You don’t move it, start it, or tow it anywhere. See the full Southern California service area, our Los Angeles County coverage, or find your closest office — we run out of Mira Loma for the Inland Empire and Van Nuys for the Valley.
How It Works
- Call and describe it. Year, make, model, condition, and anything you already know is wrong. The more honest you are, the more solid the quote.
- Send us photos. A few shots off your phone is all it takes. If the RV is too far gone for us, this is where we tell you — before anyone drives anywhere.
- We quote you. A real number, from the person you’re talking to.
- We come to you. Same day in most cases, often within a few hours depending on where you are.
- You get paid. Cash or certified funds. We handle the DMV paperwork and arrange the pickup.
Ready When You Are
If you’ve got an RV from 1989 or newer sitting somewhere in Southern California — running or not, title or no title — it costs you nothing to find out what it’s worth.
Call (562) 616-2636 or request your free cash offer. No obligation.
Thank you, and have a good day.
More from us: selling an older RV for cash · getting more output from your RV generator · about our family business · all RV selling guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will you pay for my RV?
It depends entirely on condition, but here’s a real example: a 2002 Bounder with two slide-outs and water damage lands around $1,500–$3,000, while the same coach with no water damage runs $4,000–$5,000. Send photos and we’ll quote yours specifically.
Do you buy RVs that don’t run?
Yes. We bring our own mechanic to your location and get it running where it sits, which saves the cost of towing a motorhome — that alone runs into the thousands and would otherwise come out of your offer.
Can I sell my RV in California without the title?
Yes. We bring the paperwork and help you complete the REG 227, California’s Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title. It’s routine and it does not change your price.
What’s the oldest RV you’ll buy?
1989 and newer. Models from the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s are our specialty, and we’re one of the few companies in Southern California that still buys them.
Will roof leaks or soft floors stop you from buying?
No. Roof leaks, water damage, wood rot, and soft floors are among the most common things we see, especially near the coast. We factor them into the offer and still buy.
How much does it cost me to get a quote?
Nothing. There’s no fee and no obligation, and if we’re not the right buyer we’ll tell you and point you somewhere better.
Do you sell RVs too?
No. We only buy. There’s no lot and no inventory — you’re dealing directly with the buyer.
