Acei wrote:
Financing is not an issue since we are looking to go full-timing and we are going to be selling our house. If we can't get a good interest rate on a loan, we will just pay cash and invest the rest.
Looks like a new unit will cost around $180k-$200k after discounts, while a 3-year old slightly used units will cost around $120-$140k for similar units. The difference appears to be around $60k and I'm sure some of that will go away since more repairs will be needed on a 3-year old unit over the following 8-years and both units will be worth something when we are done full-timing so the difference will be even smaller. I'm trying to figure out how much savings are we talking about by going used. Looks like it amounts to $200-300/month difference over the ownership period of the MH which is less than what I was expecting.
Am I overlooking at something here?
After 3 years the initial build bugs will be worked out. The next 5-7 years are the sweet spot in reliability. Other than routine, you should incur few non-scheduled maintenance during those years, depending on use.
That said, the post above is important. Many people insist on confusing cost with value. Since you are going to full time, your enjoyment and peace of mind are far more important than cost.
