What is YOUR OPINION as to the ideal age of a used MH to buy?

[LittleMoose]

...considering depreciation, wear and tear vs nicely broke in, valuable upgrades vs out-dated items, and/or any factors that adds or takes away from many additional years of enjoyment.

Let's assume we aren't considering any with a rubber roof, any that have been abused or wrecked, and any except those with lower mileage.

Let's stick to these time frames and average depreciation based on what was actually paid (not MSRP which normally represents a 30-40% mark up over dealer's actual cost):

A. 1-2 yrs old - 22%
B. 3-5 yrs old - 25-35%
C. 6-7 yrs old - 38-42%
D. 8-10 yrs old - 45-60%
E. 11-20 yrs old- 65-85%

State your ideal balance/choice A through E, with brief reasoning. For instance, one of many trains of thought might be to buy one that is not long out of warranty, assuming that an alert owner would have attended to any and all issues while still under warranty.

[waiter21]

11 to 20 years old

Many units available, there are a few that are in excellent condition and can be had for 10% of what they cost new.

Throw in a few upgrades, flat screen TVs, LED lights.

Bring maintenance up to date, i.e. shocks, brakes, tires.

Fix any minor problems.

BAM - I got a MH that's in excellent condition and will provide many more years of service.

I just upgraded from my 2001 Mirada to a 1999 Fleetwood Southwind

[Ricki.Boyle]

We upgraded to a diesel pusher class A after having 34ft class B for more than 10 years. Construction, support and overall reputation were key to our decision. We purchased a 6 year old Forest River Tsunami coach in 2011. Since then, being technically and mechanically capable and having a heated workshop, we have upgraded some of the systems in the coach as well as to add new features. The core coach has been completely reliable. We use our coach for day trips, weekend camping and longer trips and have done more than 43,000 miles. We have never had a breakdown on the road. Our coach would be great value for someone wanting to upgrade to a class A coach and enjoy trouble free motoring.

[Cowracer]

BFN if you can afford it.

Lacking that, I would put full maintenance records over years. A 10 year old unit with pristine maintenance is much better than a 5 year old one that was rode hard and put away wet.

One issue. For gas motors, like the 454 or V10 Ford, miles mean a LOT. Figure on every mile being worth 2X or even 3X the wear as you would expect on a normal-use motor like in a pickup. The reason for this the gearing is so low (numerically high) that its not unheard of to turn 5000 rpm while cruising down the interstate. Piston speeds (measured in feet per minute) are near, or over what the manufactures recommend. A 65,000 mile gasser don't sound exceedingly high, but its probably about wore out.

I'd look for a guy selling one he bought new, and his reason for selling is 'we just don't use it anymore'. With proper maintenance records, of course.

Tim