How to Finance an RV: A Utah Guide
If you're asking how to finance an RV, you probably already know where you want to camp. What you want is a clear path from curiosity to keys, without surprises. Financing an RV follows a pretty predictable order, and if you take the steps in that order, the whole thing gets calmer. Here is how we walk customers through it at our Millcreek store in Salt Lake City and at our Spanish Fork store.
Step one: know your budget before you shop
Start with your own numbers, not ours. Sit down and look at what you actually have room for each month after your housing, your vehicles, groceries, and whatever else is already committed. Then remember that Utah law lets HOAs restrict parking a travel trailer in the driveway. Check your HOA's rules.
That storage rule matters more than people expect, and it is worth checking before you fall in love with a floorplan. Our new travel trailers run from 17 to 31.58 feet long, with a median around 25 feet, and the listed exterior height on most of the new ones on our lot runs from 9.83 to 11.25 feet. Call your storage yard with your trailer's length, height and width (slides in) to check what fits before you shop.
The other budget piece is the tow vehicle you already own. Dry weight on our new travel trailers runs from 2,690 to 6,700 pounds, hitch weight from 345 to 815 pounds, and GVWR from 3,765 to 8,800 pounds. Knowing your truck or SUV limits narrows the lot fast.
Step two: check your credit, then pre-qualify
Pull your own credit before anybody else does. You are entitled to see your reports, and reading them yourself means you find the old collection account or the misspelled address before a lender brings it up. If something on there is wrong, you want to be disputing it now, not the week you want to sign.
Once you have looked, pre-qualify. Our secure online application lets you explore options from home and get a head start before you ever walk through the door, and you can pre-qualify with no credit impact. You can find out where you stand without a hard inquiry sitting on your report while you are still deciding.
Pre-qualifying is not an approval. What it does is turn a vague hope into a working picture, so when you walk the lot you already know which floorplans belong in the conversation. We work with many banks and credit unions, and whether your credit is excellent, fair, or challenged, we can talk through options with you.
How we help you finance an RV at Motor Sportsland
Our finance department works closely with a variety of lending institutions, which means your application is not resting on a single opinion. Having several of them look at the same file is simply a better use of your time than driving around and applying at one place after another.
We also offer flexible solutions designed to fit a wide range of budgets and credit profiles, and both lease and purchase structures are on the table. If one of those makes more sense for how you camp, say so early and we will look at it. The goal on our side is a transparent experience, meaning you should understand what you are signing before the pen is in your hand, and you should be able to ask why something is in the paperwork and get a straight answer.
Getting pre-approved quickly is the point of all of this. Once that is handled, you stop doing math in the aisle and start paying attention to whether the bed is long enough and whether you can actually open the bathroom door with the slide in.
Step three: choose the travel trailer that fits your life
Now the fun part. Think about who sleeps in it and how far from pavement you intend to go. Our new travel trailers sleep from 3 to 8, with 4 being the median, and slide counts run from 1 to 2 on the units that have them.
Utah asks a lot of a camper in both directions. Furnace output on the units that list it runs from 8,000 to 35,000 BTU, and air conditioning on the units that list it runs from 5,000 to 15,000 BTU. If you like to camp away from hookups, look at solar, which runs from 200 to 400 watts on the units that have it, and at fresh water capacity, which runs from 26 to 60 gallons.
Here is the quick reference we use with customers.
| Spec | Typical low | Median | Typical high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeps | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Slides | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Length (ft) | 17 | 25 | 31.58 |
| Ext Height (ft) | 9.83 | 10.67 | 11.25 |
| Hitch Weight (lbs) | 345 | 585 | 815 |
| Dry Weight (lbs) | 2,690 | 4,931 | 6,700 |
| Cargo Capacity (lbs) | 860 | 1,500 | 2,235 |
| Fresh Water (gal) | 26 | 40 | 60 |
| Grey Water (gal) | 27 | 34 | 70 |
| Black Water (gal) | 26 | 30 | 49 |
| Furnace BTU | 8,000 | 20,000 | 35,000 |
| AC BTU | 5,000 | 13,500 | 15,000 |
| Axle Count | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| GVWR (lbs) | 3,765 | 6,229 | 8,800 |
| Solar (watts) | 200 | 200 | 400 |
Cargo capacity deserves a second look while you are choosing. It runs from 860 to 2,235 pounds across our new travel trailers, and that number has to cover water, bikes, firewood, the cooler, and everyone's gear. Families who pack heavy should shop toward the higher end rather than hoping it works out at the scale. Come see what we have in stock.
Step four: compare the offer, then sign
When the offers come back, read them side by side instead of one at a time. Look at the total amount financed, what is bundled into it, and what each lender requires from you. Ask what is optional. Ask what happens if you want to pay ahead. These are normal questions and a good finance manager expects them.
Compare what you were quoted with what is printed in front of you, line by line. If a number moved, ask why before you sign anything. You are allowed to take the paperwork to a quiet corner and read it. You are allowed to call your spouse. Nothing about this has to happen in a hurry.
When it all lines up, you sign, and then it's time to plan your first trip. Make sure your hitch is set up properly, because a weight distribution hitch that levels the rig improves braking and steering coming down a grade like Provo Canyon. Then go camp.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get financing if my credit is not perfect?
We work with many banks and credit unions, and our finance department handles buyers whose credit is excellent, fair, or challenged. We cannot promise anyone an approval, and you should be skeptical of anybody who does. What we can do is work with a variety of lending institutions on your behalf and keep the process transparent.
Does pre-qualifying hurt my credit?
No. You can pre-qualify with no credit impact through our secure online application, which is why we suggest doing it before you start walking lots. Pre-qualifying is not a final approval; a lender's full credit application, which may include a hard inquiry, can come later in the process.
Should I pick the RV first or get pre-qualified first?
Pre-qualify first if you can. Knowing where you stand changes how you shop, and it keeps you from getting attached to a floorplan that was never going to fit the plan. It also means that when you find the right one, you are not starting the paperwork from scratch. Some people pick the RV first, and that works too.
What should I bring when I come in?
Lenders commonly ask for a driver license, proof of income and proof of insurance. Call our finance department to confirm what to bring, and have your tow vehicle's year, make and model handy. Ask our finance department what to bring if you plan to trade something in.
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