Vans Rv aircraft are not available to purchase as factory assembled, ready-to-fly machines.

I you want one (and who wouldn't?), the choice is to find a pre-used completed example which just happens to be for sale when you want it or build one yourself.  Kits can be purchased in Standard form (flat pack) or as a Quickbuild.  The Quickbuild comes as an almost complete fuselage and wing assembly which should save the builder around 18 months of build time.  There is a price penalty of course which is approx $8,000 premium for the Quick option.

 The airframe kits come in 4 instalments;- Empennage, Wings, Fuselage and Finishing Kits.  (You pay for each kit as you order it (25%) then the balance on shipping.

Averaging 50-70 hours building time per month, the kits took me 3, 9 and 12 months to complete the first three kits.  The Finishing Kit does not quite live up to its name, and it tends to blend seemlessly into other elements such as fitting the engine, the Firewall Forward paraphenalia, the instruments/avionics/electrics/upholstery and the all-important paint job.  All that lot took me 21 more months...

The kits are beautifully crafted, protected and crated.  I have never had to return a damaged part and I cannot remember having any missing parts.  All questions to Vans were sent by email and all were answered clearly within 24 hours (exceptionally 48 hours).

The aluminium skins, bulkheads and ribs are mostly pre shaped and pre drilled and are assembled initially using Cleco panel- or skin-pins to ensure a good fit.  This is great for morale, as progress is deceptively quick.  The laborious part of the construction is in the preparation of the disassembled parts; deburring all edges and holes, dimpling skins for flush rivets, scuffing internal surfaces to 'key' for primer and then applying the primer (compressor/spraygun required).

The parts are then ready for final assembly, and Duralac is applied to all joints as they are all clecoed together for the last time.  The parts are then riveted/bolted together.  You will end up with several subassemblies which are eventually riveted/bolted together to create one complete component - a fin, wing or even the entire fuselage.

In the UK, it would be complete folly not to treat an aeroplane against corrosion, but this does add a huge amount of time to the building process.