by soisew » Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:28 pm
I think it depends on two things -- money and what you happen to fall in love with. A good used unit will cost a lot less than new. If you visit many RV dealers and look at new and used units you'll probably find something in both catagories that will suit your needs. Now that many RV manufacturers are having serious trouble -- you should be able to negotiate a good price however, don't expect them to be giving them away. I'd think that RVs in general will hold thier value well if new unit production has been cut the same way the auto industy has been affected.
When we bought our motorhome we bought new after we'd looked at some used rigs, only because we happened to find a new coach about the same price as a good used one. If we decided to buy another coach we'd look at both new and used however...with new rig prices doubled since we bought our model...I believe we'd look for a good used model by the same manufacturer as made ours.
I agree with other posters that "used" has many facets...if it is older than 5 years old expect "issues" you'll need to address before long, like tires and other items that start to show wear after 5 or 6 years. Most RVs we saw were reasonably low milage but a rig with more than 50,000 will need tires and all those other things that need to be watched carefully. With a TT you'll not really know how many miles it has been towed unless the previous owner is honest and has kept records. Most of the better brands of RVs age pretty well if taken care of. I'd be very careful of a rig that shows obvious neglect in appearance. Who knows what else could be wrong.
No matter who you buy a rig from I'd have it thoroughly checked out by an RV specialist or someone you trust who knows RVs.
It can be a fun adventure to find a new rolling home...just take notes, photos and look at hundreds of units.
Last edited by
soisew on Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.