newer vs lower mileage

The 8 year old with 60K miles, is still a pretty low mileage vehicle. I would go with that.

All "other" things are never equal and both mileage and age change that inequality no matter what it appears - like tires I cited for instance.

I doubt there are any warranty considerations for anything 8 and 12 years old.

In Class Bs there have been significant improvements in quality in the past decade. The 8 year old B falls within those improvements. If it were a Pleasure-way the simple improvement of intelligent battery charging would have occurred just 8 years ago. Winnebago didn't figure that out until 2014.

To me though, it is clear since it was asked. 8 years is always better than 12 because that 60,000 miles is not that significant for a Class B.

for those of you who evidently didn't read this in the OP.
"All other things being about equal.."
it is not beyond comprehension that some things in the older rv have been cheapened up in the newer one also.
bumpy

What's the difference in price?. A $10k difference may change people's minds.I could buy belts and hoses. Change fluids. Fix systems etc... and have a 30,000 mile rig. I assume there is no warranty left on the 80,000 mile rig. If not then the drive trains start out even with no warranty. I'd rather have the$10k in my pocket for catastrophic occurrences.

What goes into Bs improve all the time such as pumps, inverters, converters, refrigerators, etc. The 8 year old B may have better. At least that was the case between my 2005 and 2011 class Bs.

The 12 year old B quite possibly has original tires if only 30,000 miles. They may even look good but are 4 years past reliability on the open road. The newer B probably has had new tires installed by now after 60,000 miles. That's something to consider.

Also, a B that sits wears out faster than a B that's used. That's similar to an abandoned house that falls apart rapidly and a lived in house that constantly gets tended to.

A low mileage B if it was used regularly all that time without other extenuating circumstances could be an indicator the B was not all that comfortable to use and didn't meet expectations by the owner.

The above are some given suppositions to consider all things equal. The bottom line is there are still a lot of variables and the decision can't come down to age and mileage. You have to inspect both, drive them and imagine how you would use them to make a determination.

Hi,

I would prefer to not buy anything more than 5 years old. Why? Because I'd be keeping it for at least 10 years and perhaps 15 years. That means it would be 20 years old when I was done with it.

Plastic depalmerizes over time. It becomes fragile.

If I had to choose I'd pick the 8 year old unit.

The newer one, absolutely no question about it. We owned an 07 Pleasureway, now own a 14, and tracked changes in the model years in between. And every year, based on customer feedback and new technology, there were subtle improvements that reflected the growing knowledge base of what works/what doesn't in this relatively young class of van.

Too, there are two types of wear as you obviously sense, and the mere passing of time is one of them. Remember, your van isn't just an engine, it's a complex combination of multiple systems with electrical wiring, pipes and hoses that have a certain shelf life. Even if "gently used", an older van is statistically likelier to have issues sooner.

I prefer a 30,000 mile unit.
bumpy

If it's an 8-year old Diesel engine, it's barely broken in, so I wouldn't hesitate to buy that one.

I think gasser or Diesel, I'd go with the 8 year old one for reasons well stated above.

I'm not a gear head but personally, and generally, I'd tend to lean toward the 8 year old B with the higher miles. The mileage indicates use and suggests to me that there is less of a chance of gunked up lubricants, degraded belts, frozen mechanical parts, worn / outdated appliances and electrical / plumbing / systems, etc.

I'd prefer the newer appliances and possibly other newer technology in the 8 yo. Parts would also be easier to get for the 8 yo vs. the 12 year old.

By the same token, the 12 yo could have been taken care of with the fervor of an obsessive-compulsive, whereas the 8 yo could have been neglected.

There's also the issue of resale. All things being equal, I'd guess the newer unit would sell more easily.

I'd have a trusted / honest mechanic who is also familiar with RVs check it out.

Good luck!