Forum Discussion

thirtydaZe's avatar
Jul 22, 2015

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 think we might actually like and deem acceptable, however they are models from 2014. They appear to me on the surface to be priced to move however.

Is this something i should quit looking at? I mean it already has the same amount of exterior weathering as any 2 year old model. When it's time to trade it's already 2 years older again.

What else should my concerns be? Problems with the model, a prior recall, 2 year old tires, leaky roof, i'm sure the list goes on.

Based on their website, rv's is something they dabble in, but also other outdoor activities. Maybe warranty, or service is something to be concerned about.

Just looking for thoughts. Thanks.
  • Considering you can get 30-35% off a new 2016 if you haggle and shop around, you should be able to get somewhere around 45-50% off the price of a comparable 2016 to make it a good deal


    50% of a new one would not be enough of the new one is high retail.
  • Have the dealer price a 2016, having the same options as the 2014.

    Based upon getting the 2016 @ about 30% off, then compare.

    Just a thought
  • Sounds like a bargain might be possible providing you get a really big discount of the original price so as to factor in the age. For all practical purposes these are used units economically.
  • Considering you can get 30-35% off a new 2016 if you haggle and shop around, you should be able to get somewhere around 45-50% off the price of a comparable 2016 to make it a good deal...

    B.O.
  • If they are brand new and have never had a registered owner, they will have a full warranty. Experience.
  • 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!
  • my Bounder was a couple of years old but "new" and I got a good price and of course warranty. IIRC I did hit them up for a new set of batteries.
    bumpy
  • Considering all the cons... probably no warranty, weathering, old tires, just make sure you buy it cheap enough! Craig
  • Presumably, the warranty takes effect when you take possession?

    Back in 2001, we bought a pontoon boat that was built in 1999. Aside from the cover getting shredded by a storm about 3 years later (weakened by constant exposure to the weather for 2 years) - it has been a wonderful boat. Granted, an RV is a lot more complicated than a boat; but a good one seems to endure just sitting there, for quite a long time?

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