Poll

Here's my story. I prefer to buy used because I feel you get more for your dollars spent. You may not get exactly what you want but life is full of compromises. Sometimes the former owner has worked thru most of the delivery issues such as fit and finish, etc. Be careful if you're financing because rates differ by age of the RV. Do your research. We decided on a Class C. Then narrowed our search to three manufacturers. Then did more research on the three contenders. Seems like there's a forum for everything. All three contenders had an owners forum. I either joined the forum or became a lurker. This was a great research tool. I learned the most popular models. What problems were common in each model and in what years. Modifications that were popular. Recalls etc. Along the line I saw a post from an owner that had recently traded a 2012 model just like we wanted on a new Super C. I reviewed every one of his posts about that coach. Based on his posts, he had taken good care of the coach, had a few minor problems and made several excellent modifications. I contacted him and luckily he responded. I called the dealer, put a hold on the coach and booked a flight to inspect. It was everything the former owner had told me. I inspected the coach using one of the checklists readily available online. I negotiated a price I could live with based on NADA, listings on RV Trader, EBay, etc. I then spent the night in the coach. Next morning we signed the paperwork and I made the 725 mile journey back home. I'm very pleased with the purchase.

At the risk of hijacking this thread, which I don't want to do, has anyone bought/sold an RV to/from someone a couple of states away? If so what's the safest way to do all this for every one concerned. Please PM me.
Thank you and pardon the interruption.

We prefer new if the amount can be worked out.

First one was a 20' TT and new. Second one was a 2-year used 5th wheel. Third and current unit was a new 2015 5th wheel.

Our current unit was going to be a 2-3 year old used 5th wheel, but after looking for about a year and a half we couldn't find one we liked. We were picky about what we wanted since we loved our '01 Cardinal, but it was 14 years old and we were snowbirding for 3 months at a time and it was on the small side.

If you're going to buy used be sure you like it a lot and do a thorough inspection. You'll be happier in the long run.

We've had good luck buying new & used.

Bought our first hybrid used and resold this year for little less than I paid three years ago(still in excellent shape).

Our current trailer was bought new because all the late model used trailers with floor plans that would work for us were selling for MORE, or only slightly less than new units. I don't know if it was a hot market or people being upside down on their loans, but it made the decision to buy new with a warranty REALLY easy.

Bought 3 used. . . no regrets! Because of this forum (and some very good friends), all 3 of my campers are/were awesome! I've learned to "tinker" with both the interior and exterior. And as my DD pointed out to me "Momma, you would never be happy with a new trailer; you cannot tinker with it!" So, there you have it! (selling one and using the cash to pay for another was also a big plus!) :)

We purchased used and will do so again. We were able to buy high quality at a reasonable price. If we had purchased new we would have had a cheaper, smaller rig. We are full-time so the quality was important.

New, but last year's model.

doxiemom11 wrote:
We purchased used and higher quality that we could have otherwise afforded. We are not sorry.

I'll just second this.

Depending on where you are, buying a used one can be risky if you don't know how it was maintained or used. Failure to stay on top of caulking the exterior and failure to remove moisture if used in cold weather use can cause costly damage.

If your going to buy used, get a good independent RV tech. to inspect it before handing over your $$. There's a whole lotta things that can go wrong, mild to serious and sometimes even on a brand new RV.