To buy used or new?

[Camper76]

I'm looking at 2015 prowler lynx 30lx or 2018 jayco jayflight slx. Not sure if it's worth buying used or new? Need a little help

[DutchmenSport]

Something else to think about ... if someone has a GOOD camper, they are going to hang on to them until they become dissatisfied with it because of a floor plan that no longer works, they can't keep up the loan payment for whatever reason, the unit is defective and they want to dump it, or they've simply worn it out. Very rarely do you bump into the little old lady that only took the camper out one time on a Sunday scenario. Buying used, means someone else rejected it for some reason. (Just something to think about if you decide to look at used. Ask, why does the previous owner no longer want this camper?)

[valhalla360]

Obviously, you should buy New...how else will there be a selection in 5yrs at half the price available on the used market?

Seriously, beyond the new car smell (that's typically formaldehyde and petroleum distillates by the way) about the only reason I can see to buy new is if there is a particular model or layout you simply can't find used.

Warranty: I've known lots of people who have gotten new rigs and lose weeks or even months the first year waiting on warranty work. In PA, that means you can easily lose the summer and have a 1 yr old used unit before you have all the bugs worked out. Plus since you are loss not a profit, don't expect them to trip over themselves to get it done quickly. If you buy used and need some work, they do it in a timely manner or you move on to another repair place.

The tougher question is how old to buy. I would say the typical RV lasts 20-25yrs but if you keep it leak free and maintain it, there is no reason you can't get 40-50yrs but at some point it's cheaper to buy a newer unit than repair things.
- On a tight budget, you can get a 15-20yr old special for a grand or two that is functional if ugly and needs a fair bit of maintenance work (assuming you are a DIY kind of guy)
- We shoot for 7-10yrs. A lot of RV's get used less than 3-4 weeks per year, so as long as it's dry, it's almost like new but for a fraction of the price.
- Newer (2-5yrs) gets you a little of that new car smell but with maybe a 20-30% savings and the original owner probably already did all the warranty fixes.

[theoldwizard1]

Desert Captain wrote:
I always buy lightly used, 1 to 3 years old and let someone else take the huge depreciation hit.

CONCUR ! My rule of thumb is 50% off (or more) of the list price after 2 years.

Obviously it is more difficult to find a unit with a floor plan you like.

[Passin_Thru]

YUP,NOPE,YUP, NOPE,YUP, NOPE. lOOK AT THEM, DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT EVERYONE ELSE SAYS AND BUY. sORRY ABOUT THE CAPS. lOCKED DOWN.

[Lantley]

ScottG wrote:
If your going to keep it a very long time then buy new.
If you want to get exaclty what you want and cant find it used, buy new.

X2, If you're in doubt, not sure if you enjoy camping, not totally sure what model you want. Used is OK.
As mentioned above be sure you are capable of choosing a unit that is in good shape.

[ScottG]

If your going to keep it a very long time then buy new.
If you want to get exaclty what you want and cant find it used, buy new.

[DutchmenSport]

To each his own ... all my campers have been new.

I use to buy used cars and after a short while had to start paying for repairs. About 15 years ago, decided to buy a new car. No problem at all with it for almost 5 years. Wow! Traded it for another new car, no problem for years. That's when I learned ....

You can either pay more upfront buying a new car, or...

You can pay more at the end buying a used car.

Personally, I don't mind paying more now so I don't have to deal with repairs.

Houses? Never had a "brand" new one, but took 2 old ones, and 100% completely remodeled to the studs the inside (and much of the outside). When they were done, they were all new.

[evanrem]

I'm in the new camp. We bought our first TT for 19K brand new and sold it for 12k 7 years later. We camped over 350 nights in it and feel we got 7k use out of it. New, you know what you got and what you did to it. Used you never really know what happened to it. Looking at some used units they are not a whole lot cheaper than new. In the end not sure what makes more money sense but I think its mostly up to the individual and what your plans are with it. On the flip side we bought a used popup used it for a year and sold It for 1K more than we paid. Trying to achieve that with buying new would be a bit tougher.

[hawkeye-08]

If you find a used one that is in decent shape, why not? If you are not sure of your abilities to discern "decent shape", better off buying new.

If you have the money to buy either, do what works for you. We really could not get a new one (the one we decided we wanted). We found a year old used one that had some issues that I could take care of so bought it. It has been great (other than the crappy fading on front cap that is common for those years).

[Desert_Captain]

I always buy lightly used, 1 to 3 years old and let someone else take the huge depreciation hit. In that time they will have found and worked out any minor glitches and anything major will be glaringly apparent. Many {if not most}, folks buy the wrong unit the first time out and quickly discover their error. They can bend over on the trade in when they buy the right rig or sell it to a private party at a smoking good price... often in "As new" condition.

In many states {Arizona being one}, there is no sales tax on private party sales garnering you even greater savings. Think about how much the average new buyer actually uses their rig in the first couple of years.... usually less and often significantly less with each passing year. With the internet you can literally shop coast to coast from your keyboard so selection, finding exactly what you want should not be a problem.

IMHO: Buying new is for folks with way too much money... and doing the former will often cure the latter.

As always.... Opinions and YMMV.

:B