Why did you decide to buy new instead of used trailer?

We have bought new when we were sure we were gonig to keep it for a very long time and so we could get exactly what we want.
Our current TT was bought new 13 years ago and we'll be trading it in on another new one this week.
My plans ar eto keep the new one at least ten years.

We've bought new twice. In our case, both toyhaulers. For the first bumper pull, we were newbies and didn't want to inherit someone else's problems, and finding a clean newer model used one was difficult. For the 2nd one, we would have looked at a newer used one but there didn't seem to be any that existed that fit our needs. I think our requirements are only available in newer fifth wheel haulers (namely, 12.5' garage but less than 40', double axles), and were probably typical requirements for a "move-up" hauler... so people don't get rid of them once they have them vs the starter smaller travel trailer style ones that people outgrow.

And, my husband likes new :) New houses, new cars, etc. We aren't that handy other than doing basic maintenance stuff.

Our first camper was a 3 year old garage kept, used twice pop-up that was cleaner than new.

When we upsized to a TT, it seemed like all of the used ones were priced as much as I could get a new one for. I think most individuals selling were upside down, and could not play with the price.

We had sold the pop-up quicker and for more than anticipated, and we didn't want to miss any trips. the 2016's were on clearance, so we bit the bullet and bought new pretty quickly, and we didn't want to spend a bunch of time and gas driving around looking at campers. Also we tend to keep things a long time, so the 1st year depreciation isn't that big of a factor for us. We kept the Popup for 9 years, by wifes car is a 2003, my truck is a 2002, but the camper is a 2016 :)

New....for warranty and we have always ordered with some custom changes and upgrades that we wanted.

When the wife and I started the process of looking for a good used camping rig (Looked at pop-ups, Truck Campers, Travel Trailers) and the two biggest problems that we have come across so far are:

1) People think that their rig is the most immaculately kept piece of equipment in the world. They think that their rig is in pristine condition as if it had been sealed in a time capsule. They look at their item through rose-colored glasses. Case in point...We looked at a pop-up trailer. The guy wanted $1800 for it. The roof was rotted at the ends where the lift poles were at, so in the picture he posted it looked like it was swaybacked. The guy said, "Oh, I had someone look at it and they said it was supposed to do that." No...It's Not. He was actually upset when I went inside and showed him where it was rotting out.

2) People think that their rig that is a few years old is still worth the price they paid for it new. We looked at a 245DS Autumn Ridge Travel Trailer. It was a 2015 model. The guy said that they only used it twice, so he wanted $21,500. I tried to explain to him that I could get a 2017 model new at CW for the same price (before Starcraft discontinued this floorplan for 2018). He said that the trailer listed for 28,000 and he went to NADA and figured in all the options they listed and it said it was worth 21,500. I told him that the options he was listing were not "Options" like a larger A/C, but were standard items that came with the price of the trailer. He wouldn't budge...Another of the rose-colored glasses people.

The wife and I finally started looking at new...for the reasons that others have given...Warranty, You know the history of the trailer, etc. While we are still in the search phase...We would rather deal with the devils we know to anticipate, than the ones someone thought they had exorcised previously.

bobndot wrote:
To buy new, you have a lot of trust in the mfg as well as your dealer to expedite warranty issues .

That's the scary part of buying any new RV, not just a TT.

We've had 1 pop-up and 3 TT's now. All were purchased new. When we traded the old, they were in about as good condition as they could possibly be in, and clean as a surgery room too! I figure, we bought them that way, when we traded them, they were leaving that way too.

Kind of like buying a new car opposed to a used one. I purchased used cars for years and years, and within a short while, the repair bills would start. Buying new meant getting the warranty, and an assurance that for 2 or 3 years there would be no costly repair bills, and ever since, we've been purchasing new cars and trucks too.

When we changed from a pop-up to TT we considered used. But we didn't like what we saw (and that years ago). Campers were aged, worn out, and just looked old and tired. They came with no warranties, and an uncertainty how long it would be before a repair was needed. (much like a used car).

Buying new, we knew what we were getting (at least we though we were). Every event that happened to the trailers is something we did, and we know the complete history of the trailer. No guessing, no surprises either.

If purchasing new, you're covered 100% for at least the first year. If any issues are going to be unearthed, it will happen usually in the 2nd or 3rd trip. These can be fixed, and once fixed, they are usually good to go for the rest of the life of the camper.

Plus, new is clean. Never been slept in before, cooked in, or the bathroom used. There's something exciting about brand new that you just don't experience with buying used.

But for us, buying new gives us the total history of the camper! Everything. And after using it a few times, learn where the vulnerabilities are and then keep an eye on them.

I cleaned enough of other people's dirt, ash and trash in my lifetime and go not rewards for doing so. I've rebuilt, repaired, and cleaned, someone else's original property and quite frankly, am really tired of doing that.

You reach a point in your life where you want something you don't have work your fingers to the bone to make it nice and usable. That's when you decide to buy something new!

We purchased new due to availability. We knew the floorplan\model that we wanted and watched the market around us for several months. My biggest issue was paying a fraction less for a 1 - 2 year old 5'er vs what the dealer was selling them for. In the end for us we purchased ours in Nov 2013 as a "leftover" 2013 model that the dealer was wanting to move. We saved a bit of money that way and actually purchased new for less money than most of the used stuff was going for. At that point it was a no-brainer for us.

Rv's are not investments. :)
To buy used you have to have RV knowledge, be handy, have the time and a barn to work under.
To buy new, you have a lot of trust in the mfg as well as your dealer to expedite warranty issues . The barn is optional.

We purchased our first TT used and it was in great condition. We purchased it from a dealer. The second, third, and fourth were new because we actually never thought again of buying used because the deals were good. Our current (and last) we purchased new, again because it was a good deal and the dealership has a good reputation.