Purchase new or used? Worth it for warranty?

[MOODMAN]

The MAIN point in buying new is the reputation of the dealer. If you have a good one and are SURE that he will deal with you honestly after the sale, the buy new.
The same can be sid of a private seller. If you get good vibes from the seller and believe the story on why they are selling and what they might have done on the camper, then you are just as liable to get a good deal from a private seller. In fact, buying used you can sometimes get a much better deal from an honest person who knows what is right and wrong with their coach and are willing to tell you so.
And remember, a dealer knows NOTHING about the little stuff that might be wrong with what they are selling you. For example, I bought new from a dealer last year. THe very first warranty item was a major thing that the factory screwed up on. If I had bought from an honest private person, they would know that was an issue and it likely would have been fixed while in warranty. In my case, it was something so obvious that you wouldn't have been able to camp in it. A dealer would not know of such things because it was hidden by cosmetics. An individual would have had to fix it if they camped in it any time at all.
Bottom line is "Do you trust the seller"?

[kfloamy]

Originally Posted by MOODMAN

The MAIN point in buying new is the reputation of the dealer. If you have a good one and are SURE that he will deal with you honestly after the sale, the buy new.
The same can be sid of a private seller. If you get good vibes from the seller and believe the story on why they are selling and what they might have done on the camper, then you are just as liable to get a good deal from a private seller. In fact, buying used you can sometimes get a much better deal from an honest person who knows what is right and wrong with their coach and are willing to tell you so.
And remember, a dealer knows NOTHING about the little stuff that might be wrong with what they are selling you. For example, I bought new from a dealer last year. THe very first warranty item was a major thing that the factory screwed up on. If I had bought from an honest private person, they would know that was an issue and it likely would have been fixed while in warranty. In my case, it was something so obvious that you wouldn't have been able to camp in it. A dealer would not know of such things because it was hidden by cosmetics. An individual would have had to fix it if they camped in it any time at all.
Bottom line is "Do you trust the seller"?

The dealer I'm talking to is one of, if not the, highest rated dealerships in the state when you look at online reviews. I drove an hour and a half past 5 other dealerships to look at their trailers simply based on reviews and reputation. They've been in business 49 years.

[Mr Towed]

I don't have time to read through the whole thread but we bought used, over 10 years old. This is our first camper and we didn't want to make a major investment in case we weren't as into it as we thought we'd be. This way we could buy in cash and we just had to have some patientlce looking for the right unit at the right place. Our trailer was very well taken care of and has very minimal issues. We looked at lots of them and decided we wanted a hard sided unit and, due to the age, we got one at a great price. It doesn't look as modern as some of the new ones but it also doesn't look that dated either. We found some real wrecks in this price range but also a few gems that people just wanted to get rid of for one reason or the other. In our case the owners kids had grown the point they were not interested so they were downsizing to a van based unit.
This is not for everyone, of course, and if you want one that is brand new or brand new-ish then that's what you want. We hear a lot about all those first year jitters on this forum so when I read those my jealousy over the new shiny units is kept in check.

[rebeltown]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Short list:

1. Sleeping in someone else's bed.

Nothing follows.

-- Chuck

If you ever sleep in a hotel you are sleeping in a lot of people's beds.

[babock]

Originally Posted by rebeltown

If you ever sleep in a hotel you are sleeping in a lot of people's beds.

That's what I was thinking. Plus...if it really is a phobia, buy a new mattress!!!

[GOTTOYS]

99% of all RV mattresses are worthless. Whether you buy new or used it won't matter. You'll be throwing the mattress out either way/

[billy bob]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Buying new gets new bedding. I'd not buy a used mattress for my home, would you? Didn't think so.

The only way I'd by a used camper is if new mattresses were available. Include that expense in your price comparisons. Otherwise a sorted out year or two old camper might be a good deal.

Check the "wholesalers" prices on new trailers and compare.

-- Chuck

I understand your feeling about used mattresses but you have stayed in a hotel & slept on their beds havened you. I would just clean & sterilize the mattresses If the trailer is in good shape & clean I would buy used & save $3000. As for us we always replace the Mattresses in a new trailer I have not found a RV that came with a good mattresses

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Roberte52

Buy new with warranty. I don't buy used or other people's problems! (Smoker's smells or tons of pet hair)

You left out 'dog smell'...

Often that is worse than smoker's smells!

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by GOTTOYS

99% of all RV mattresses are worthless. Whether you buy new or used it won't matter. You'll be throwing the mattress out either way/

Ironically, I sleep like a baby on the mattress that came in my 5'ver.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by MOODMAN

The MAIN point in buying new is the reputation of the dealer.

The two main points of buying new is to get an RV that nobody has ever used...

And/or to get one exactly the way you want it.

[wnew813]

Originally Posted by kfloamy

I looked at 2 Forest River Salem Cruise Lite 261BHXL trailers today. One is a new 2018 model for $17983. The other is a used 2017 for $14990. They are basically identical trailers as far as features. The 2017 is in excellent shape...I don't know that I would have even known it was used if he hadn't told me when we looked at it.

Obviously the 2017 doesn't come with a warranty while the 2018 would. Granted, I have no way of knowing whether the 2017 has any invisible issues, but it doesn't appear to. The dealer that has them is one of, if not the, highest rated dealerships in my state...so I don't think they would sell something that was jacked up. Is it worth the $3000 to buy the new trailer and have a factory warranty?

Thanks in advance for any input.

I have a Salem also, get the warranty, you will thank me later.

[LeoS]

I totally agree with Mr. M. I only bought my unit new because there were so few of my particular unit available, and so the new vs used price wasn’t much different at all. Just think of it this way: if you were buying new, and there was no warranty at all, but you could buy a one year warranty for your new unit for $3000, would that seem like a deal? Easy answer...no. Even under warranty, whatever happens that you can’t take care of yourself will probably take a couple (or a few) visits to the dealer, and literally may take a few months (out of that one year) to get resolved. Crazy but true.

[WolfPup2018]

As long as there is no physical damage beyond what you would find acceptable for the price and the mattress don’t smell like pee, i’d Buy used.

Take the money saved and buy brand new mattresses. Not sure if the cost though.

[Tblt44]

Used if the deal is right
Saves you on destination charge/ dealer charges like prep. ect.
These could be 2-3k

[Ejetter]

While this may be a used 2017, it could be 2 years old depending when it went in service. I just purchased a new FR Destination trailer and while we were looking, the 2019 model came out: no actual changes to the trailer yet, just the model year. So I would check the in service date.

Also, for peace of mind, have the dealer include an extended warranty but not a cheesy one that are available. Do your research on the best plans available.

[gkochel]

I always have bought used over the years without any major issues. My preference is to let someone else absorb the initial depreciation plus my personal property taxes are half of what they would be with a new unit. I always look for the lightly used unit that did not see much wear and tear, there are plenty of them out there. Just do your due diligence in checking the unit out if you decide to go that way. Good luck!

[shopinful]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Buying new gets new bedding. I'd not buy a used mattress for my home, would you? Didn't think so.

The only way I'd by a used camper is if new mattresses were available. Include that expense in your price comparisons. Otherwise a sorted out year or two old camper might be a good deal.

Check the "wholesalers" prices on new trailers and compare.

-- Chuck

Good Thought!!!