From a newbie. Having owned boats in the past, I think there is a correlation here. Boats are containers in the water that you sink $$ into. Campers are containers on land that you sink $$ into. Lol! For those contemplating a "new" used camper. My "new to me" 2009 Keystone Hornet was in great shape when I got it. Stored indoors most of its life, there was no evidence of any leaks. PO did report that there had been one roof leak near AC that had been repaired early on and that it needed a new battery. So far....new battery, new inverter, detailed cleaning inside and out, new mattresses, wheel bearing repack, new brakes (because I was too lazy to repack bearings myself and they didn't quite get it right leading to an immediate failure), new tires/rims, roof cleaning and coating, Hensley Arrow to "cure" a very determined sway problem (later discovered poor design w only 8%tongue weight. PO said it "towed like a dream".....not sure who's dream it was but it does now!), traded 1500 Ram for 3500 dually in an attempt to cure sway, toilet seal repair, new television, new antenna, general maintenance to water heater, fridge, furnace and tanks, upgraded interior lighting, general purchases for living (utensils, dishes, etc) and a host of things I'm sure I forgot. Don't get me wrong, I love the new to me camper, and I couldn't find this floor plan in a new one, but occasionally wonder if buying new wouldn't have been cheaper and easier!

Oh, I forgot the confusion. Original factory sticker states 2009 model; title says 2008; and manufacture date is late 2007! Keystone website doesn't list this model until 2009.

Definite correlation between boats and campers. You spend a lot of time and money on a boat to keep it in the water and you spend a lot of time and money to keep water out of a camper! It sounds like that one wasn't too well cared for but you have most of it ready to go now so you're good to go! I've only purchased one used camper and that was the pop up we have now. It's for sale while we wait for our new Grey Wolf to be made and delivered. We've had 2 previous TTs that we purchased new. I swore I wouldn't do that again, but after looking at a lot of what was on the market and getting such a good deal on the Grey Wolf we decided to go new again. It's a******shoot either way, really. You worry about getting stuck with someone else's problems with a used one but then you take a huge depreciation hit with a new one. I will have a year's worth of warranty but that goes by pretty quick. Best of luck and happy camping!

Truth is....everything built by man will, at some time, need repair or maintenance. It's a personal decision whether you want to capitalize your toys with the new price and avoid some maintenance and repairs or leave some money in your pocket and do more work. I'm thinking the possible $3k you've put into your rig (less vehicle expense) is quite a bit less than the depreciation you didn't have to pay. I probably have the numbers wrong but the example is valid, IME.

Obewan wrote:Oh, I forgot the confusion. Original factory sticker states 2009 model; title says 2008; and manufacture date is late 2007! Keystone website doesn't list this model until 2009.That's consistent with industry practice, they are manufacturing 2015 models now, may have started that model in November or December (for trade shows in December) and most of the 2015 model year will be sold in 2014.

Obewan wrote:Oh, I forgot the confusion. Original factory sticker states 2009 model; title says 2008; and manufacture date is late 2007! Keystone website doesn't list this model until 2009.According to keystone 2007 was the first year for that model…2007 Model 31RLDS Shipping Weight 7565 Carrying Capacity 3535 Hitch 940 Length 34' 4 Height 10' 10 Fresh Water 45 Waste Water 38 Gray Water 38 LPG 60 Tire Size 225/75D15D Type Travel Trailershttp://www.keystonerv.com/previous-years?brand=Hornet&year=2007

Getting a "used"camper? | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

spike99
Explorer
Feb 08, 2014
.

Buy a used camper and one hopes they are lucky. re: Not getter someone else's problems.

Buy brand new with warranty and hoping no 1st use problems. And if initial problems, they need to tow it back to the dealer. Or, hassle of yearly checks to ensure base and/or extended warranty remains active.

Hard call either way...

For my current 2006 Jayco TT, we bought it 1.5 years old. Thus, let the original owner drag it back / forth to the dealer - to fix the 1st use things. When we bought it from RV dealer, only broken thing was bathroom taps were backwards. re: Hot on the right and cold on the left. I simply fixed buy cutting the PEX piping and installing 2 x Sharkbite connectors. Perhaps our "used" TT buy was lucky?

I do know that I'll be buying used (pre-owned) again. re: 1.5-2.0 years old - so we don't take the 1st use / new buy huge depreciation hit - when it's rear wheels drop off the dealer's lot. Buying used works for me....
bmupton
Explorer
Feb 08, 2014
JJBIRISH wrote:
bmupton wrote:

So, to say you'd be better off going new...well, it's kind of a crapshoot either way. The only saving grace going new is warranty.

Nice TV you have there…

Why thank you. It *barely* gets the job done, but it'll do for the 20km trip to the CG come May.

Looks like yours is in infinitely better shape. Mine is developing a lot of rust around the windows and running boards.
JJBIRISH
Explorer
Feb 08, 2014
bmupton wrote:

So, to say you'd be better off going new...well, it's kind of a crapshoot either way. The only saving grace going new is warranty.

Nice TV you have there…
Road_Phantom
Explorer II
Feb 07, 2014
I'm thinking that the 1- ton was a bit overkill, but I understand your reasoning. I'm sure it now tows like a dream since you got the Hensely and that awesome truck.
Having had four duallies over the years, my switch to travel trailers was to get away from heavy duty trucks. I never really got used to them. With that hitch, you could have done fine with a 3/4 as well.
bmupton
Explorer
Feb 06, 2014
My first TT was a 1996 Mallard 31T bought used from a construction company that used it as a site trailer in a northern community while they were building. We picked it up for a song in 2009 I think (maybe 2008). The only issue we ever had with it was all the connectors on the water lines had been loosened and they leaked when we pressured up the system for the first time and the awning was almost completely rotten from years of being in storage outdoors through Saskatchewan summers (+30 and sun) and winters (-40 and wind!). Not a single other problem with that TT.

We camped three or four seasons in that until DS came along and we didn't have room for his bed and "upgraded" to our Zinger ZT33BH last year.

Issues with it in our first season:
-Main slide quit working on electric
-Furnace cycling (turned out to be completely improper installation)
-Fresh tank broke and fell, ripping the propane lines off the underside
-Lots of little things like doors not closing, drawers not staying shut, etc
-Completely counter-intuitive electrical wiring where there are too many plugs on one breaker and only a couple on the other
-A 40 gallon grey tank with the only thing connected being a sink that's barely large enough for hand washing
-Front entry steps seized up so bad DW can't get them open, and I struggle with them

So, to say you'd be better off going new...well, it's kind of a crapshoot either way. The only saving grace going new is warranty.
Obewan
Explorer
Feb 06, 2014
Thanks jjburis! Somehow I missed that but it makes it even more confusing cause the specs match the 2009 model, not the earlier models.
dadmomh
Explorer
Feb 06, 2014
Definitely right re boat$!!! We were fortunate enough to be able to build a covered area when we had our ROO, hence The ROOport. Now that Rocky lives there it's the Rockyport, but so, so glad we have it undercover 24/7. Have been very lucky, too, on repairs....virtually none. DH does the maintenance himself and makes sure it's done right the first time. Only expense has been tires, water cartridges, wheel bearing supplies + an extra set we always carry. A major part of avoiding big headaches is to catch them when they're little issues and fix them then.

BTW, our Rockwood 2604 is a 2013, actually built in 2013, with upholstery fabric and exterior decals from 2012. Suited us just fine since that would have been our choice.
JJBIRISH
Explorer
Feb 06, 2014
Obewan wrote:
Oh, I forgot the confusion. Original factory sticker states 2009 model; title says 2008; and manufacture date is late 2007! Keystone website doesn't list this model until 2009.

According to keystone 2007 was the first year for that model…

2007 Model 31RLDS
Shipping Weight 7565
Carrying Capacity 3535
Hitch 940
Length 34' 4
Height 10' 10
Fresh Water 45
Waste Water 38
Gray Water 38
LPG 60
Tire Size 225/75D15D
Type Travel Trailers

http://www.keystonerv.com/previous-years?brand=Hornet&year=2007
tatest
Explorer II
Feb 06, 2014
Obewan wrote:
Oh, I forgot the confusion. Original factory sticker states 2009 model; title says 2008; and manufacture date is late 2007! Keystone website doesn't list this model until 2009.

That's consistent with industry practice, they are manufacturing 2015 models now, may have started that model in November or December (for trade shows in December) and most of the 2015 model year will be sold in 2014.
westend
Explorer
Feb 05, 2014
Truth is....everything built by man will, at some time, need repair or maintenance.
It's a personal decision whether you want to capitalize your toys with the new price and avoid some maintenance and repairs or leave some money in your pocket and do more work. I'm thinking the possible $3k you've put into your rig (less vehicle expense) is quite a bit less than the depreciation you didn't have to pay. I probably have the numbers wrong but the example is valid, IME.