Complete Guide to Adventure Loans in Missouri

If your idea of a perfect weekend includes camping, boating, or exploring the outdoors, chances are you’ve dreamed of owning your own recreational vehicle. Owning a RV, boat, or ATV allows you to feel the wind in your hair whenever the mood strikes. When the COVID pandemic restricted air travel last year, the popularity of recreational vehicle ownership rose. Even now, the price of rental cars is encouraging travelers to purchase their own motorhomes for upcoming trips. If you’re ready to realize your dream of owning a recreational vehicle in Missouri, BTC Bank has an adventure loan to help.

What are Adventure Loans?

An auto loan helps you purchase your daily driving vehicle, and a home loan helps you afford a house. An adventure loan is very similar to these types of loans but isn’t offered by every financial institution. If you’re looking to buy a motorcycle, snowmobile, fishing boat, or camper, you’ll need a special loan designed for recreational vehicles. At BTC Bank, we offer both powersport vehicle loans and RV financing in Missouri. With the right loan, your family will be bonding over new adventures in no time.

Types of Recreational Vehicles

When it comes to choosing a recreational vehicle, the options are as diverse as the families that enjoy the adventures. If you’re undecided on which type of vehicle will fit your family best, here’s a breakdown of common recreational vehicles that qualify for adventure loans in Missouri.

Motorized & Towable RVs

If touring the country in your own, personal hotel room is your idea of a perfect vacation, an RV or motorhome can be a good investment. From motorized to towable, you have many sizes and levels of luxury to choose from when you purchase a recreational vehicle. Here are some of the RV models that qualify for motorhome loans and camper financing.

Class A motorhomes are the largest motorhomes available and feature spacious interiors conducive to full-time living. These large buses are less maneuverable than smaller models, and many Class A owners choose to tow a smaller car behind them for city driving once they’ve arrived at their destination.

Class B motorhomes are motorized van-sized living spaces. Typically more affordable than Class A’s, watch for luxury upgrades that can add dramatically to the purchase price. Some class B’s feature slide outs to create more living space once you’ve parked at your destination.

Class C campers are built on pickup truck frames as a one piece driving unit and living area. Mid-size motorhomes, Class C’s are perfect for weekend getaways.

Towable RVs come in many sizes that range from roomy fifth-wheels to more compact pop-up campers. Unlike the unified space of a motor home, travel trailers have separate entrances to the living space and can detach from the tow vehicle. If you already own a truck that can pull a trailer, a fifth wheel or travel trailer might make the most sense for your family.

Powersport Vehicles

While you may dream of weekends spent speeding through the water, woods, or snow, it’s not always easy to find ATV financing, four-wheeler financing, or UTV loan lenders in Iowa and Missouri. Luckily BTC Bank is your neighborhood powersport lender. Here’s a breakdown of common vehicles that qualify for powersports loans in Missouri.

Motorcycles are the most common powersport vehicle on the road. Whether you prefer to cruise scenic two-lane roads on a Harley Davison or zip through city highways on a motorbike, a motorcycle can create weekend adventures for you and your partner.

ATVs go by many names. Quads, four-wheelers, and four-tracks are made for exploring dirt roads and shallow water crossings. ATVs feature motorcycle-style handlebars and single rider capability.

UTV stands for utility vehicle and is a unique category of powersport vehicles that includes dune buggies and side-by-sides. UTVs have a traditional steering wheel, bucket seats, seatbelts, and can even feature a windshield and doors.

Snowmobiles make winter more fun. Featuring skis instead of front tires and a track instead of a rear wheel, snowmobiles can run fast in snow and even tackle deep snow off-road. Snow bikes are a more affordable option than full snowmobiles, and feature dirt bike frames with a front ski and rear track replacing the tires.

Jet Skis are perfect for those who love to go fast on the water. Personal watercraft come in stand up and sit-down models with engines ranging from 60-310 HP. Sit down models can often seat up to 3 passengers while stand up jet skis are designed for one person racing or performing tricks.

Boats

When it comes to having fun on the water some people like to move fast and others prefer to float in the sun. Luckily there are boats designed to fit a variety of outdoor interests. BTC Bank has the best marine loans and boat loan financing in Missouri.

Cruising Boats

If your idea of boating involves relaxing, entertaining, or living on the water, a cruising boat is for you. Pontoon boats can provide a fun day on the lake with optional shade, ample seating, and towable toys such as inflatable tubes. Sailboats and cabin cruisers often offer sufficient space and features to support a 1 -3 day cruise with overnight stays on the boat.

Fishing Boats

Fishing boats are specifically designed to support anglers and their gear. Increased deck space in the front of the vessel gives you room to stand and cast your lines while specialized compartments in the back hold your bait, rods, and catch. Not typically designed with family seating in mind, you can find some models on the market designed to support both fishing and family life. Some popular styles include center console boats, sport-fishing boats, aluminum fishing boats, and walkaround boats.

Watersport Boats

If big engines and fast speeds draw you to the water, watersport boats are made for you. Designed with lots of get up and go, these boats can tow skiers, wakeboarders, or simply zip around for a thrilling ride. Ski boats, wakeboard boats, and jet boats fall into the watersport boat category.

Tips for Financing an Adventure Vehicle

If you’ve found your perfect RV or powersport vehicle, you may need some help from the bank to make the purchase. Financing an adventure vehicle is similar to applying for any loan. Your financial stability and credit worthiness will be major determining factors in the type of loan you are approved for. Before you apply for a powersport loan, take the following steps to help ensure a successful loan application.

Increase Your Credit Score

A good credit score tells the bank that you aren’t using too much credit and have a history of good credit management. A higher credit score can help get you a better interest rate on your loan. BTC is committed to supporting customers in local communities by making lending decisions based off of repayment ability, with your credit score being used as more of a supporting document.

Save for a Down Payment

The more money you pay upfront for your new recreational vehicle, the less interest you’ll pay over the life of your loan. At the least, you should commit 20 percent of the purchase price as a down payment. For a $50,000 vehicle, that means having $10,000 saved upfront.

Set a Budget

Similar to shopping for a new car or home, there is a wide range of prices for RVs, boats, and other powersport vehicles. Setting your budget ahead of time will streamline your shopping and help you focus on vehicles that are affordable for you. Keep in mind how often you plan to use the vehicle and what features are most important for your lifestyle. You’ll need to budget for related expenses beyond the initial purchase price. Plan to have money available for maintenance, insurance, and gasoline if you want to get the most out of your new vehicle.

Pick a Loan

RV and powersport loans work like a home or auto loan in that they require collateral. If you fail to make your loan payments, the bank can seize your vehicle to recoup their investment. Because adventure loans are secured, the interest rate is relatively low. If you decide to go with a personal loan to finance your purchase, you won’t provide the bank any collateral for your loan.

Start Making Memories this Year

At BTC Bank, we love making our customer’s dreams become reality. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to purchase an RV, boat, or powersport vehicle, you need an RV loan lender in Missouri. Contact us today to get started! With 22 full-service locations in Missouri & Iowa, our friendly associates are experts on boat loan rates, powersport lending, and RV financing. We can’t wait to help you start your next adventure.