is it risky buying a travel trailer that is 8 years old

[vintholidays]

Hi- considering buying a 2007 keystone hornet from an rv dealer, it will be completely checked over and inspected prior by the rv dealer but is it still risky buying something that is 8 years old or is that not a real issue with travel trailers.... grateful for your opinions

[Chuck_thehammer]

Doug33 wrote:

Chuck_thehammer wrote:
I purchased a 2012 Ford F 250 ( 130k miles )

someone did a LOT of driving! :E

I got it last month.... Fleet/Lease... in real good condition...
inside is a little beat up...Clean but used inside.

[jmcgsd]

Current rigs '91 F350 drw, '95 Lance 880, '09 Pacific Coachworks Tango TT. All purchased used and happy with all.

[Doug33]

Chuck_thehammer wrote:
I purchased a 2012 Ford F 250 ( 130k miles )

someone did a LOT of driving! :E

[Chuck_thehammer]

Risky,

last month.. I purchased a 2012 Ford F 250 ( 130k miles ) and a 2005 Coachman 30 foot trailer.
different sellers.
to escape Ohio's winter...

Risky... we will see.

been checking and rechecking... did a 2 night stay.(100 miles out) . OK.
a few minor repairs... and lots of adjustments or changes.

September 5,6,7 is final test... (200 miles out)
November... a 1,500 mile trip and 3 months out... maybe 4 months.

Wife retires in November. I am retired.

biggest risk I have done.. since I got married 41 years ago.

[hohenwald48]

Buying any RV is risky. But I guess just about everyone on here has done it at least once. 🙂

[Crabbypatty]

No its not provided that you check it out yourself as well. The dealer will probably only give you 30 days and who needs the back n forth hassle. We just bought a 2008 Sunnybrook Sunset Creek a year ago. So it was 6 years old. We looked for quite awhile and settled on this make and model. Finding one hundreds of miles away, I placed a credit card deposit subject to my inspection on the phone and went up the following week. They said that they would have it prepped and ready so we could leave with it. Couldn't have been further from he truth. It was filthy. So the salesman had the cleaning crew come back in while I had the technician turn everything on. First he said that he couldn't put water in it and I said then I cant buy it unless we check all the systems. He said they did so I said then it shouldn't be a problem turning it all on again. The picture we looked to buy had a spare but there wasn't one on the trailer so I mentioned that they weren't happy, but then new spare was placed on it. the invoice had a new battery and battery box on it. I told them I didn't want that as I was going to buy two 6 volts for up front. We went round and round with that for a bit and finally the manager came out and said it would cos more to take it off, so its your for free. A good 4-5 hours later. We were satisfied, hitched up and drove off. We went to a cg as it was two far to make it home and wouldn't you know it, toilet leaked. I called the salesman and he had a new toilet shipped tour house. In this instance the sales man at Kingston CW made all the difference in the sale. You cant trust that the dealer will have it all together unless you check it out. If you don't know what to do, bring someone who does. Dont sign the papers or pay until your completely satisfied. If they resist then that's the first sign of trouble go somewhere else.

[fallsrider]

We bought our '95 in 2013. It has been a great trailer so far.

You just need to be sure to inspect a trailer really well before purchasing.

[mdprowash]

There's always some risk with buying used. I prefer it.. The savings is tremendous. I bought a 95 almost 2 months ago and love it. I just made sure all the walls, floor and ceiling were solid. I went into it with expectation of having to put some money into it above the purchase price. Brakes, tires, batteries, converter, WDH, anti-sway, etc... plus all the accessories and modifications of making it my own. At this point.. I have around $6000 invested and anticipate I will put another maybe another $2000 into it.

[doxiluvr]

It would be risky. I would say you have to check everything over carefully, ask questions and hopefully get true answers such as how often did they use it, how many miles did they travel in it, where did they take it, what maintenance did they have to do it, how many people actually used it, when did the replace the tires, turn on the refrigerator, heater, air conditioner, stove, etc. Also check the holding tanks, run the water, flush the toilet. Make sure the shades all work, sit on the furniture, check the upholstery and most importantly check for any leaks and even go up on the roof and check under the trailer. We have a 2006 trailer and can truthfully say everything still works perfectly in it, but we usually go for staying at a site for the summer and only tow it to and from and then put in storage. Plus we put new tires on it 2 years ago. So far we have been lucky with the appliances and everything but with an older trailer you will have to do something eventually. Depends on how you use it and how you take care of it.

[SprinklerMan]

I bought my 2006 used . Had a couple small issues . but with the money I saved , I have paid for the last 10 trips , and my LT tires . ( Had to sneek that in )

[Doug33]

dodge guy wrote:
I think it's riskier buying a new trailer! I would rather have half my money in an older trailer that had been gone through for 7 years (provided it was maintained properly), than something new for full price and has problems for the first 3 years (not all do, but is a very real possibility!).

There are pros and cons either way. The down side to a used unit is having to repair and replace things at a higher rate, and the associated down time that entails. I have not really had any repair issues with new RVs, but have read that others have not been as fortunate. While financially you'll be in a better starting place, repairs can start adding up in a hurry, and it is annoying if your TT is out of commission when you need it.

My TV is now 13 years old, so while my TT is relatively new, I won't take the rig on long trips because the TV is the weakest link. In some cases, an older TT may be the weakest link. Breakdowns on the road can ruin a trip in a heartbeat, whether it be the TV or the TT.

I typically buy RVs new and keep them 7-8 years before moving on. I pay cash so I am not getting any type of loan and can usually negotiate a great price.

I typically buy vehicles that are 2-3 years old with low mileage and still have some of the warranty remaining. My last car purchase was a 2013 Hyundai that was only one year old and had just 2,000 miles on it. I bought it for $8K below sticker!

[dodge_guy]

I think it's riskier buying a new trailer! I would rather have half my money in an older trailer that had been gone through for 7 years (provided it was maintained properly), than something new for full price and has problems for the first 3 years (not all do, but is a very real possibility!).

[tenhorsun]

We bought a 15 year old travel trailer this past spring and we're super pleased with it. There's no warranty on it, but the tech spent 3 hours with us showing us everything and how everything was functional. We've used it all summer and everything has been great. I just can't see paying full price for a new RV that we're only going to use in the summers. Even if we need to repair/replace parts, it'll still be cheaper than buying new.

[midnightsadie]

the inspector will go to the rv and if the dealer won,t let him, I wonder what the dealer is hiding??