Buying New, but 2-3 Years Old Already
I'll just start by saying, i'm only looking, just like every year, this time of year, I think upgrade. Anyhow I was searching outside the normal camper sales destinations and ran into a few 5vers i...
Forum Discussion
Our Springdale was a 1 year old (brand new) trailer. It was a great trailer. We had it 8 years.
In the first year of ownership, I realized the frame (exposed) was rusted pretty bad. It was surface rust, but I took the time (about 2 weeks worth of work), and cleaned off all the rust and repainted (with black brush-on and spray-on Rust-o-lium).
In the second year of ownership, I touched up all that black paint and spots where rust was showing (because I missed those spots the year before). After that, I never had to touch the frame again. Although I did occasionally touch up spots (especially around the tongue area), where the safety chains rubbed and it scared up the paint. But never had to actually pain the frame again. And when sold, it still looked marvelous!
After 3 years of ownership, I got new tires as they were showing signs of dry-rotting.
In the 6 year of ownership, the microwave died and we bought a new microwave oven.
After 7 years of ownership, the decals started peeling. i did not touch them, just left them as they were.
After 8 years of ownership, I noticed a lot of "white" coming off the roof and dripping on the sides. (No black streaks, --- white streaks). I figured the rubber roof was wearing.
After 8 years, noticed also the aluminum side (paint) was wearing thin in spots. Maybe from washing it too much, or using the wrong soap?
But, after 8 years, she still towed marvelous! Everything worked perfect. The interior was in great shape. There were no leaks, no soft spots, no damages. We cleaned up the interior when we traded, and it REALLY DID look brand new. We are not smokers, and even after 8 years, there was still a hint of that new trailer smell in there.
Why did we trade you ask? ... well... the floor plan simply did not work for us any more (things change and you change with "things"). The camper had no slides, and the floor plan was simply not working for us any more. We actually quite using it for a short while. That's when we realized it was the floor plan we didn't like any more. So we traded (long story), but the current trailer gets very little "rest" these day!
Hope this helps you in your decision. If it were me, and the price was right on the camper ... yes .... absolutely ... I'd go with a brand new 2 year old trailer.
My very first brand new vehicle I ever owned was a Chevy S-10 pick-up truck, a 1985 model. It was a manual transmission, no air conditioning, no FM radio, no carpet. It was a 1 year old truck! And lasted almost 15 years before it simply died!
Nothing wrong with a 2 year old camper. You should still get all the warranties, I would think. If not ... definitely negotiate for even a better price!
Good luck!
In the first year of ownership, I realized the frame (exposed) was rusted pretty bad. It was surface rust, but I took the time (about 2 weeks worth of work), and cleaned off all the rust and repainted (with black brush-on and spray-on Rust-o-lium).
In the second year of ownership, I touched up all that black paint and spots where rust was showing (because I missed those spots the year before). After that, I never had to touch the frame again. Although I did occasionally touch up spots (especially around the tongue area), where the safety chains rubbed and it scared up the paint. But never had to actually pain the frame again. And when sold, it still looked marvelous!
After 3 years of ownership, I got new tires as they were showing signs of dry-rotting.
In the 6 year of ownership, the microwave died and we bought a new microwave oven.
After 7 years of ownership, the decals started peeling. i did not touch them, just left them as they were.
After 8 years of ownership, I noticed a lot of "white" coming off the roof and dripping on the sides. (No black streaks, --- white streaks). I figured the rubber roof was wearing.
After 8 years, noticed also the aluminum side (paint) was wearing thin in spots. Maybe from washing it too much, or using the wrong soap?
But, after 8 years, she still towed marvelous! Everything worked perfect. The interior was in great shape. There were no leaks, no soft spots, no damages. We cleaned up the interior when we traded, and it REALLY DID look brand new. We are not smokers, and even after 8 years, there was still a hint of that new trailer smell in there.
Why did we trade you ask? ... well... the floor plan simply did not work for us any more (things change and you change with "things"). The camper had no slides, and the floor plan was simply not working for us any more. We actually quite using it for a short while. That's when we realized it was the floor plan we didn't like any more. So we traded (long story), but the current trailer gets very little "rest" these day!
Hope this helps you in your decision. If it were me, and the price was right on the camper ... yes .... absolutely ... I'd go with a brand new 2 year old trailer.
My very first brand new vehicle I ever owned was a Chevy S-10 pick-up truck, a 1985 model. It was a manual transmission, no air conditioning, no FM radio, no carpet. It was a 1 year old truck! And lasted almost 15 years before it simply died!
Nothing wrong with a 2 year old camper. You should still get all the warranties, I would think. If not ... definitely negotiate for even a better price!
Good luck!
