New or used 5th wheel?

westend wrote:

MookieKat wrote:
Thank you! That was going to be my next question! Depreciation rates between new and old.

I spoke to the Keystone rep today and he said that a trailer that is 10-15 years old is worth about $1,000-2,000. Is this correct? I have seen trailers even older listing for more than that.

Isn't the Keystone rep in the business of selling new trailers? I also doubt he is anyway looking to buy a used trailer. Consider the source.;)

What is your timeline for anticipated purchase of an RV and/or a TV?

Yes. I would think that he is trying to push the new. I did question his motive.

We would like to take off in May, so if we buy used (most likely) we would like to buy soon so that we can do any refurbing necessary.

MookieKat wrote:
Thank you! That was going to be my next question! Depreciation rates between new and old.

I spoke to the Keystone rep today and he said that a trailer that is 10-15 years old is worth about $1,000-2,000. Is this correct? I have seen trailers even older listing for more than that.

I just did a quick search on RVTrader for 5th wheels with model years 1998-2003, nationwide.

There are 1,614 listed. Only five are listed for under $3,000. The median price is $11,895.

Yes, these are asking prices. But still ...

Stu
(just starting to look)

MookieKat wrote:


I spoke to the Keystone rep today and he said that a trailer that is 10-15 years old is worth about $1,000-2,000. Is this correct? I have seen trailers even older listing for more than that.

Not even close to being true. We bought a 1992 Layton last year for $2000 and put a new roof on it and did other work on it. Sold it in May for $3200 for a little profit. Bought a 1995 Dutchmen (wanted a real bedroom as opposed to the couch) in May for $3900 And just put a couple hundred into it...til it burned to the ground in June. Since then bought a 2011 Wildwood. When we were looking, after about the 20 year old mark, they stop depreciating. There were early 80s rigs selling for more than my Layton. And at least here in Utah, after about 15 years or so, the NADA value on them is useless. They almost all sell for 2-3 times the value.

MookieKat wrote:
Thank you! That was going to be my next question! Depreciation rates between new and old.

I spoke to the Keystone rep today and he said that a trailer that is 10-15 years old is worth about $1,000-2,000. Is this correct? I have seen trailers even older listing for more than that.

NADA is a good starting point.
Some will say the listed average retail is too low due to the way they calculate depreciation but it's a starting point. Of course, condition would be the key factor on something that old.

MookieKat wrote:
Thank you! That was going to be my next question! Depreciation rates between new and old.

I spoke to the Keystone rep today and he said that a trailer that is 10-15 years old is worth about $1,000-2,000. Is this correct? I have seen trailers even older listing for more than that.

Isn't the Keystone rep in the business of selling new trailers? I also doubt he is anyway looking to buy a used trailer. Consider the source.;)

What is your timeline for anticipated purchase of an RV and/or a TV?

Thank you! That was going to be my next question! Depreciation rates between new and old.

I spoke to the Keystone rep today and he said that a trailer that is 10-15 years old is worth about $1,000-2,000. Is this correct? I have seen trailers even older listing for more than that.

I have a good example of how much LESS you lose with used RVs. We paid 10k in 05 for the 98 that we just sold for 9200. Only $100/yr lost but I put a few 1000 into it, keeping it from looking 15 yrs old. I won't buy used from a dealer - I don't need them to inspect it or mark it up. I've seen KILLER deals on high end 5ers from private parties who obviously didn't know what they were worth but you have to have green cash money in hand and be the first one to get there, which is usually the hardest thing to do. Craig

There is alot of used junk out there, especialy redwood offer half of what they want and it might be a good deal.

Lillyputz

We've bought both new and used and had problems of one sort or another with both. We bought our Monty used last spring after personal inspection even though the dealership claimed to 'completely inspect and test' everything. We've had it out four times so far, one a 2k + mile trip, and haven't had anything big pop up, although there were a few minor things (mostly from the manufacturer).

Our former TT and a Class C I bought years ago were both new purchases. The Class C had three big issues before I even took it camping the first time (one was the fresh water line from the tank to the coach wasn't connected right & it leaked all over everything!). The TT had more minor things than our Monty, but nothing what I'd consider major.

I believe that anyone purchasing something this expensive would be asking for trouble if they didn't conduct a thorough inspection of everything. This includes making certain everything works - even though a dealer might not want to put water in it or have you watching the slides move in & out, etc., before signing on the bottom line. Too many folks fall in love with what it looks like with the slides out and never do anything else. The one that really gets me is how some newer 5er models make you stack recliners or do something equally unrealistic to just pull the slides in. An older buyer of one of these posted a message on another board asking how he could avoid all that. Why he didn't find that out beforehand is beyond me.

jepalmer wrote:
Just bought a used truck and used 5th wheel. I prefer someone else take the big hit on depreciation. Both were from dealerships, but I looked at private sales as well.

Zero in on what you're looking for. The internet makes doing your homework vastly easier. I set up a spreadsheet and tracked truck and FW makes/models for the better part of a year to know the selling ranges was for each. Read forums for suggestions, such as above, for what to look out for and what items are deal killers; e.g. stained ceiling in closet.

Take your time and enjoy the process.

Ditto.. I am just one step behind you, figuring it all out before buying our first. I am in the used equipment business, the only time I buy new is when I can't get what I want used. This and some other forums took me from stow behind TH on my Tahoe to now looking at 5th wheels and 1/2 ton and 1 ton SRW pickups. Having fun so far!