Why not to buy used.

[Terryallan]

I know there are MANY on her who say. NEVER buy new, always buy used RVs. Myself. I always buy new, and here is an example why.

This week we were camping beside a man who had just bought a used 2015 TT. Over the course of the trip. He found out the toilet had been frozen, and had to be repaired. Then the water heater would not work, and the fresh tank was missing the plug. the list goes on.
Best thing about his trip is that he lived close by. So he didn't have to stay in a unusable TT. As soon as he fixed one thing. He found another. Didn't get to stay even one night at the CG.

That boys and girls. Is why I always suggest you buy new.

[TomG2]

I suspect there is a very close correlation between the miles used every year and the newness of the RV in question. Higher mileage = newer. As a full-timer, I know that is true of me and many of my friends. When we want to travel, we do not consider whether our rig is down 20 percent in price from new, only that it is new or as good as new.

[Durb]

I have to agree with Soren. I love the fact that the original purchaser of my trailer bought it new so that it would be available to me used for a 65% discount. Same with my truck at a 45% discount. Those that buy new products keep the industries alive and strong. I'm very appreciative.

I could buy whatever I want new because I don't. If I did, I couldn't. could be a catch 22.

[sneakygroundbuz]

jplante4 wrote:

sneakygroundbuzzard wrote:
kills me how so many people who think used is the only way to go,like to tell others how to spend their money.

I'm not trying to tell you how to spend your money. If I had the money, I'd go and get Liberty to build me a coach on a Prevost and not look back. I'm only pointing out that not wanting to sleep in a "used" bed is the dumbest justification for buying a new rig. Do you only stay in brand new hotels? Imagine the debauchery that occurred on those beds!!! What do your friends and relatives say when you ask them to buy a new mattress for your next visit?

I get that you feel that you need to justify your stance because deep down you know it's wasteful. Just saying "That's the way I want it" should be enough.

well i have never stayed in a hotel(never seen the need for it). only stayed at a relatives house one time,that was in Fla when we were on vacation.and yes they had ust put a brand spanking new bed in their brand spanking new guest room.so theres that.

and no i dont need to justify any thing that i do or buy. i have worked hard all my life.we have lived like poppers for the most part.now we are at that point in our lives where we want what we want and wont settle for anything less.

new vehicles,new campers,new motor cycles etc. the only justification i need is that these are what i want and i wont settle for less.i would go with out if i cant get what i want. 😉

[DallasSteve]

Terryallan wrote:

DallasSteve wrote:
As a former CPA I must comment that depreciation is a cost of owning an RV even if you choose to ignore it to make yourself feel better. If you spend $100,000 on a motorhome and you keep it 50 years until you die you still lost the use of that $100,000 for other purposes. If you don't care about that extra $100,000, that's fine, but depreciation is still a real cost to anyone wanting to get into RVs.

Actually that makes no sense. ANYTHING you buy ties that money up so you can't use it for anything else. Sad that you have to put money before anything. And a question. Who did you buy your RV for? You? or the next guy. I bought mine for me.

It does make sense. Where did you get your degree in Accounting? Maybe you can get a refund for the tuition.

[DallasSteve]

Lexx wrote:

DallasSteve wrote:
As a former CPA I must comment that depreciation is a cost of owning an RV even if you choose to ignore it to make yourself feel better. If you spend $100,000 on a motorhome and you keep it 50 years until you die you still lost the use of that $100,000 for other purposes. If you don't care about that extra $100,000, that's fine, but depreciation is still a real cost to anyone wanting to get into RVs.

Have you ever considered the opportunity cost of not living your life to the fullest? You only live once and you can't take it with you.

Yes, and that has nothing to do with the truth of my comment.

[JaxDad]

Obviously there isn’t too many pilots in this crowd.

An acquaintance of mine bought a brand-spanking new airplane 2 years ago. It was a little over $500k. It has been in the shop for nearly two months out of those first 2 years.

While it was he borrows one of mine, same make & model but about r0 years older. I’ve never lost a days use of it in the 8 years I’ve owned it. I paid $58k for mine.

But he does get to say his is new, oh, and they gave him a really spiffy hat for ‘free’.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Here is the real story on depreciation:

And here is a little info for those who don't want to click on the link.

•One year old – I couldn’t get proper data to analyze this number, but my best estimate is that 21% of the value is gone as soon as it’s driven off the lot.
•Two years old – No significant difference from year one since model years are announced a year in advance–helping resale of a two year old trailer which seems to be only one year old to a potential buyer.
•Three years old – 25% depreciation (meaning 26.7% of the price you paid new is now gone)
•Four years old – 29% depreciation (better than a Class A at this point by two percentage points)
•Five years old – 37% depreciation (slightly worse than a Class A by two points)
•Six years old – 38% depreciation
•Seven years old – 38% depreciation
•Eight years old – 40% depreciation
•Ten years old – 45% depreciation
•Fifteen years old – 72% depreciation
•Twenty years and older – The price tends to hover between $3,000 and $5,000 depending on how it has been kept up. A travel trailer generally does not last as long as a motorhome because they are less expensive and so less care goes into maintaining them when old.

I personally think that this depreciation schedule is a little light. I bought a barely used AF for 12K. A new unit today is about 55 to 60 grand. The guy I bought it from had a lot of money and kept it like brand new because he had a lot of money. He also threw in about $1,500 bucks worth of extras. The hitch alone was worth $600.

For those of you that don't like used beds. Did you have your wife check out by a medical doctor before you married her? :B Have you never stayed in a hotel?

[TomG2]

Call me a "sucker" if you like. I am an old guy who wants the maximum in terms of reliability and safety. I tow a 2018 travel trailer with a six month old pickup. If I decide to go to Yellowstone this Summer, I will not have to say, "I better not trust that leaking water heater, or those bald tires to make it there and back without any problem." I may be old but I am not the "Sucker" that will be sitting alongside the road with the hood up and the trailer on jacks while waiting on a new axle from the factory. I realize that new is not always perfect, but I will take my chances with the best and newest that I can afford. "If" I was a twenty five year old who only did local camping, my choice might be different. That's what sets me apart from the "suckers" who think theirs is the only answer to the question posed.

[fj12ryder]

Being a working shlub I didn't have large amounts of money to throw around like so many on here. I've bought one new car since 1979 and it was not a good one. But I've only bought 4 other cars since then and they were all used. And all less trouble combined, than that one new 1984 Chevy Cavalier. I've spent probably around $24,000 purchasing those 4 cars and very little more in upkeep. I'm still driving the latest one.

The money I didn't spend on those cars to get that "new car smell" paid for several trips to Europe, South America, and Africa.

However we did buy a new pop-up, it was the first year for the high sides and a slide, so there was little choice in new or used. The 5th wheel we bought to replace it was used, as was the truck to pull it with. The toyhauler we have now was bought new, but there were absolutely no other toyhaulers around that were anywhere near in design. If we get rid of the toyhauler, we'll buy used. And probably still pull it with that 17 year old truck. Buying new is generally a suckers' game.

[TomG2]

ppine wrote:

Some people do not have the knowledge to chose a used RV.

Plenty of people have the "knowledge", just not the desire to perform a thorough examination of a purchase. Clever people have clever ways of hiding things. An extra decal here, an extra reflector there. Wipe up the grease leakage on the hubs. WD-40 everywhere.

The point is, many of the "Buy used" crowd are bragging that they purchased a lightly used unit. In other words, the closer it comes to being new, the better it is? Why not go all the way with that thinking and eliminate any chance that "lightly used" might be a lie?

[1320Fastback]

I bought new and if I wasn't in construction and a general handyman/carpenter my trailer would of spent more time at the dealer getting fixed than at my house or on the road.

New or Used a proper going over is in order. Things will break but they should work upon purchase.

[ppine]

RVs depreciate faster than almost anything out there. They get used little by most people. They require maintenance whether they are new or not. I buy used and pay cash.

Some people do not have the knowledge to chose a used RV. They can enlist a knowledgeable person to inspect one for them.

[mdcamping]

NCWriter wrote:
We bought our first retirement RV motorhome in the depths of the Great Recession. Would we have used $100,000+ of our retirement savings for a toy during uncertain times? Get saddled with payments for a depreciating asset while our retirement accounts went south? Heck, no.

We paid half the price in cash for the 4 year old used version. Boy, did we have a fabulous five years seeing the US and Canada for several months a year. Got back 80% of what we paid for it later, too.

I don’t think the new version of that RV would have added anything to our enjoyment. But anybody who thinks the pleasure of a new one is worth it should definitely buy new. It’s all about getting out there, using the RV, and having a great time with no money worries. Plenty of people can do that, whether buying new or used.

The sad thing is when people finance a shiny new RV, have a vision of the family using it a lot, end up not using it much because they are still working and the kids have other priorities, spend money to store-insure-maintain, and end up selling it, stuck with a loan balance to pay off.

When we bought a slightly larger RV (needed more space inside for a big dog), we bought used again and love it. Dealer has been great. Fixed all the little things and some pricey ones before turning it over to us. Still making long road trips every year.

X2

This has been our thinking also, keep a low overhead in the working years, if something were to happen we could get out just as cheap as we got in. Started camping when the kids were about 6 yrs old and all they talk about is the experience, not the material.

Mike

[JimK-NY]

I bought a very lightly used unit that was a couple of years old. I got it for a bit more than half price. In addition the unit was being sold on consignment by the dealer. The seller was responsible for any needed repairs. It was in the interest of the dealer to find and be paid for the repairs. The dealer and I went over the unit very carefully and the few minor issues we found were repaired.

[JIMNLIN]

We all could look around and choose some poor guys 1st trip problems with a new or used unit and start a thread that justifies why we should/shouldn't buy a new or used unit. We see threads like this every day when looking through the many rv websites. This won't change anyone mind.

I've bought three new truck campers and three used 5th wheel trailers.....and they all were back at the dealer at one time or the other. BUT always after I did my full pre ops at home.


The moral of the OP story should be "why we should do a pre ops at home"...with a new or used unit.