New or Used?

[NakedPupsAndMe]

I am looking for another rig. I haven't made up my mind if I want a Class C or a TT. For some reason pulling a TT doesn't seem as daunting as towing a car. Guess b/c I've towed horse trailers. But anyway, looking online at what's available I was wondering did you buy your rig new or used? If it was used, did you get it from an individual or a dealer? I'd think you'd get a better price buying a used one from an individual, but I'm kinda worried but something going wrong with it. We bought ours used from a private seller & so far we've had to replace the toilet, the roof is leaking & the hotwater heater blew up on this trip. So I'm curious, who did you buy yours from, & if you were doing it over again what would you do?

[Paulette]

I can't be much help, cause I bought mine new. 2 reasons...cause I could and cause I didn't want someone elses headaches.

But, I do wish you lots of luck in finding what you want.

[Excel]

I bought mine used, sight unseen (except for the photos they sent me), from a private party in Oklahoma. I paid what I still consider a very fair price & did not take on any ‘headaches’. My coach was in pristine condition even though it was 5 years old. The sellers were absolutely some of the finest people I have ever met. I asked them why they were selling & they said they were buying another RV from Born Free, but a different floor model…(which they did). Having never driven an RV or having any experience or knowledge of manufacturers & quality in RV’s….(I did do a little homework on the internet & one site helped me the most . It asked a few questions like are you mechanical, etc., can’t remember all of them, then it submitted 3 mfg./companies/brands that I should look at considering my particular answers to the questions. Anyhow, Born Free was one of them & that’s what I ended up searching for & finding on the internet…) I have never, ever been sorry & my coach is absolutely perfect for me….).
I just took a chance & it worked for me. I flew out from CA to Oklahoma, bought it & got it home with some help from a dear friend. Having just come out of a really horrible divorce, I still can believe that I had enough drive left to even think to do what I did….Maybe that’s why it worked….My mind was sleeping & my need for change (or I’ll show you !!!) kind of took over. My best advice is to keep your mind open to both new & used, get as much info. as you can, figure out as much as you can what you want/need & can afford in a coach & then look for it… When you find it…..you’ll know … Good luck & may you find exactly what you want !!!

[Marslet]

Hi,
To answer your question, this is our 6th recreational vehicle and we have never bought anything but new. Now, my brother-in-law bought his used off of eBay and it has nothing wrong with it. I know whenever we sold one of our other TT or fold down or slide in it was in excellent condition, everything worked. Some people don't take care of their things like we do, so I guess you take a chance. But sometimes you can buy new and get a lemon.
Good luck with whichever way you choose.

[retiredhappy]

I bought mine used but from a dealer. I was afraid of buying from private party - didn't want their problems. Used was a better price with not that huge depreciation on a new one but still had a dealer to "yell" at if there was something wrong.

[Sparkle]

I bought my first rig, a Class A from a private individual. He had kept meticulous records of maintance that had been done, and I got a really good deal because he wanted to change to a 5th wheel. The 2nd rig was from a dealer, just because I made the fatal mistake of just going to look! Fell in love and that was that. Although I loved it, it leaked like a sieve! And because it was used there was no warrenty. However I totaled it and had to hurry to replace it, so back to a dealer. This one is even more used, but no leaks! Even if I won the Lottery I wouldn't buy new. I'd look for a private party that had a good reason for wanting to sell.

[Gentleladybear]

Anyone heard of Dynamx Isata brand of motorhome, class B+? If so let me know what you know about them.

Thanks.

[dpf]

We've bought four used rigs and all of them have been purchased from private sellers. Never had a problem with any of them. First one was the product of some friends friends nasty divorce. Our friends knew that the camper was in good shape. The second was owned by a local minister who was moving to Washington state and didn't want to take the chance of driving their pickup across country because it was an old beater and he couldn't swing buying a different pickup before the move. The third had belonged to a wealthy couple who had ordered a custom made camper in Omaha. Jim was a little upset about what he was offered for a trade-in and decided it would rather sell it to a family with kids that would enjoy it for the amount he was offered for a trade-in rather than to let the dealer double the price of it on the lot! We really lucked out on that unit...it was 9 years old and in mint condition! We kept it for 11 years... the refrigerator died after we had it for 9. The 5er we bought this fall is also in excellent condition. It is the only unit we have bought from someone we didn't know. They were in their late 70's with some health problems and the husband just didn't feel comfortable pulling it anymore. They were motivated sellers because they also had two rental houses on the market. The day we picked it up the wife didn't come out to talk because she was upset and wanted to take it to Arizona one more winter. We've had good luck with used units and private sellers. Never have had a problem selling one of our rigs either, but we take care of them and are very honest with the buyers. We have sold them with in 3-4 days after advertising. Also we take the time to show them how to operate everything, tell them the little quirks that every rig seems to have. Personally I think right now is a perfect time to buy a good used rig because many people are selling their toys just to get out of debt.

[kelpie]

I think this might be one of those things like buying a car - I have never in my life bought a vehicle from a private party and didn't buy my RV from one either. Nothing against it but I have no idea what to look for so I like to have someone to go back to if there is a problem. Bought my Class C from a well established RV dealer - only one owner and I got all his maintenance records etc. I did shop for several months on the internet though. Kept checking websites for various dealers and also there is a free publication in our area that sells all kinds of vehicles. I think it's called "auto Trader" or something like that. Anyway, they have a section for RVs of all kinds and they are online as well so I checked there very week. Mine is a 2000 so I bought an extended warranty at the dealer which covers major components inside and out as well as living expenses, towing etc.

[Bethers]

I bought used - would be hard fit to buy new as, just as with cars, depreciation kicks in big time the second you drive off the lot. That said, I almost bought a new rig at the Rally last April- cuz the price was better than used - but I still didn't - as there was no good reason to get rid of the one I have and love.

I bought from a private party and know I got a better price and rv than if I had purchased from a dealer. And they got more from me than they would have selling or trading in to a dealer. That said, I looked and looked and looked - until I really did know what I wanted. Most new rv's seem to need to go back to dealer's several times for the "kinks" to be worked out. This one already had all that.

Now, being used did mean that I would have some maintenance - like tires a year later, replacing a few things, fixing a few - but I planned those into my annual budget and have stayed within. Have had my rig almost 4 years (it's a 99) and this year I'm spending the most - replaced my fridge, just replaced my micro with a micro-convection - and am planning to replace my tv with a larger flat screen. The tv is not a must, nor was the micro - fridge was.

All that said, I'll never say never - do not plan to replace this for at least a few more years, if then - but when I do - would try to find another used from a private party - but never would rule out any other possibilities - and if there was any chance of buying new - would try to do so on the last day of a major rally/rv show - directly from the manufacturer, if possible.

[Mollysmom]

I bought new because I had never had a RV before and didn't know what I was doing and thought it'd be safer to buy a new rig from a dealer. I've never even bought a used car, so I"m not a used vehicle kind of gal.
Now that I'm retired and on a limited income I know that'll have to change.

[snowball]

we bought ours new from a dealer. In part because we had bought a jayco tent trailor and something major go wrong like the lift systom or something when it was up big problem when we took it to the place we got it from (bought it used it had been a rental and we understood that the warrenty on that system was for life) a big point when the salesman was talking to us about the tent trailor. Because it was considered used that voided the warrenty which was a life one if you bought it new. However they did and good faith thing and went halves. But that kinda made us leary of used. We bought a 24 ft tt new then the 5th wheel was new. That way we got almost what we wanted and none of the not wanted
would I do it again not sure....but I do like my 5th wheel!!!
sheila

[islandmomma]

Hi. DH and I bought our first TT new in 1999 and had many many problems but I expect that was because of our stupidity LOL! Five years later we bought a 5 year old 31 foot towable with slide and have loved it....It has been virtually maintenance-free and was in pristine condition....from a dealer, and yes, likely a bit higher-priced but we were able to purchase a service package and warranty. We now have that as a park model at a seaside resort near us and are trying to make it generate a rental income to augment retirement funds (newbies again LOL).

My current RV is a MH and in the shop. I bought her in late June and picked her up in July, driving her 3000 miles home without any issues of major import that belonged to the RV (shhh, we will not talk about the driver). She is 12 years old and was purchased in an insane auction off ebay with no 'reserve' and she was (hopefully still is or will be again with her many new bits) perfect: beautiful interior but well used, of course and needing a good clean. Even mechanically she seems great and is low mileage. I have no regrets at this point. However....... I kind of messed up and scraped a few little things maybe (or I fear I did) and an AZ vehicle just seemed ill-prepared for a wet BC fall! I don't really know what I did on that frenetic trip. It was 115 degrees and I never really looked at anything but just tried to get out of AZ when I picked her up LOL. Next time I would know more reasonable questions to ask and more reasonable expectations to set. Add a variety of other circumstances like unavailability of local service for roof sealing and repair of miscellaneous small stuff etc. that allowed a leak to develop, and she has now been in 'dry dock' (haha, literally) for almost two months. No warranties, so I am just dealing with it. I feel more experienced now (a little) and will just gol'darn it, COPE, LOL! I could never have afforded to purchase a Class A without taking a huge risk on a used unit. It is early times for me but I am still not unhappy to be taking this leap off the cliff... The one thing I would do differently is buy closer to home but my looking around here had left me quite disillusioned...The import process and just getting her home without mishap were more than I had bargained for, however...

Hope you find just the unit for you. I still think that when you see it (even if it is only a description and includes extensive photos and, hopefully, some emails back and forth, as in my experience with my ebay bargain), you will know it when you see the one that is right for you...Good luck!!

jan

PS Hey, anyone ever read that book "What colour is your parachute?" I figure maybe some of us have neon pink!! --- Belle in particular, for sure.

[Cedar518]

I have done both, bought new and bought used. I will never buy new again. Too big a hit when you drive it away, the depreciation is wicked. If you shop carefully used is fine. After all we do buy "used" homes,... right?

[NakedPupsAndMe]

Thanks for all the great input! I've been shopping online, just looking around. Of course I don't want to pay more than I have to, but a big concern for me is fixing stuff. I know everything must be maintained, & things break but I'd like to eliminate as much of that as possible. I was thinking used from a dealer, but if I don't have a good warranty with it, guess it doesn't make any difference.

I am seriously considering leaving this spring to go cross country. Heading to FL first then across the southern states out west. So reliablity is important, but even with a new one, stuff happens. There are tons of dealers down here, so I think I'll go out & do some tire kicking.