Motorhome or towable? It changes the paperwork
Motorhomes — Class A, B and C — are motor vehicles. They have a VIN, an odometer, a title, and the federal odometer disclosure applies. Pick RV or motorhome in our form.
Travel trailers, fifth wheels and pop-ups have no engine and no odometer. They are titled and registered as trailers in most states. Pick Trailer instead — that page covers it.
What an RV bill of sale should include
- Both parties' names and addresses, and the 17-character VIN.
- Mileage, with the odometer disclosure, for a motorhome.
- Length and GVWR — these drive registration class, where you are allowed to park, and in some states the licence you need to drive it.
- Slide-out count and generator hours. Generator hours are the number buyers scrutinise most, because a generator with thousands of hours is a large near-term expense.
- Sale price, date, an as-is clause, and both signatures.
A motorhome has two independent wear clocks — chassis miles and generator hours — and they often tell different stories. Record both.
The lien question is bigger on RVs
RV loans run long, and a great many private RV sales involve a balance still owed. If a lienholder is listed on the title, that lender has to release the lien before clean title can pass, no matter what your bill of sale says.
Sort the payoff out before you meet, ideally at the lender's office or the buyer's bank. It is the single most common reason a private RV sale falls apart at the last moment.