New vs. Pre owned

[BuckeyeChuck]

Unfortunately a new RV equals trouble. The workmanship and quality of the RVs coming out of the factories these days is deplorable. You would be much better off to find a good used RV and by that. You could save thousands of dollars by doing so.They used to say when you buy a used RV you are buying someone else's trouble. I'm saying that when you buy a new RV you're buying a boat load of troubles straight from the factory. A two-year-old RV is a much better buy. By then most of the warranty problems and other defects will have been addressed by the previous owners. It's not uncommon to hear of new RVs spending weeks or even months back at the dealer or worse yet, at the factory waiting for repairs. Why would anyone want to loose the use of their new RV for any part of the camping season? Forest River and other companies should be ashamed. Unfortunately they don't seem to be. SAD!

[Reverse_snowbird]

Not going to comment on rv quality.

However when we were looking for both our trailer and our mini-motorhome, we found that the price for a new rig was about the same as a used rig. So we bought new and found the quality acceptable.

Plus most of the used rigs available in our area smelled like mold and that's a deal breaker for me.

[BuckeyeChuck]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

Not going to comment on rv quality.

However when we were looking for both our trailer and our mini-motorhome, we found that the price for a new rig was about the same as a used rig. So we bought new and found the quality acceptable.

Plus most of the used rigs available in our area smelled like mold and that's a deal breaker for me.

Glad to hear your good luck with your new RV. YOU are fortunate.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

Not going to comment on rv quality.

However when we were looking for both our trailer and our mini-motorhome, we found that the price for a new rig was about the same as a used rig. So we bought new and found the quality acceptable.

Plus most of the used rigs available in our area smelled like mold and that's a deal breaker for me.

That's been our experience here too.
Plus finding a good used model with a floorplan that you like, is like a needle in a haystack.

[tom39]

My wife and I bought used, got a great RV with little to no issues, good floor plan and picked it up for thousands less than new.

[Miweber929]

Originally Posted by bikendan

That's been our experience here too.
Plus finding a good used model with a floorplan that you like, is like a needle in a haystack.

Yup, us too. We wanted a specific floor plan with a color palette that didn’t look dated fresh off the assembly line and couldn’t find anything used that worked. And the ones that were even remotely close were within 10% of buying new so we went that route and have been pleased with the service once the unit came in and so far haven’t had anything huge that wasn’t immediately handled.

Time will tell if we made the right decision but for now we are VERY pleased we went the way we did with a new unit.

[ImTravis]

I’ve only bought new, but only because the price of new vs. old wasn’t much for the floor plans we looked at. I’ve had fairly good luck with the new ones. That being said, I know I took care of our old trailer and even did some nice upgrades. I feel whoever gets her, will be pleasantly surprised. I think it’s the luck of the draw on the quality you get. Some used may be in great shape, while others not so much. Same with new. When we got our current trailer, we shopped around. Looked at the sister models, etc. when we finally decided, we felt the build quality on ours was better then some of the other dealer stock.
No matter what you get, a thorough check of it, will help avoid some of the bad ones.

[jame]

We bought new because I only paid a used RV price. Mine was a 2016 holdover, and I had to drive a few miles to get it, but I saved thousands, AND I'm still going to lean on the warranty.

I will agree, the quality is pretty sad. While I understand the reason for lightweight materials, I don't understand the reason for a questionable build.

I will say, I'm more disappointed with the quality of vendors. Getting friendly and timely service seems to be a real crap shoot, with the odds against you.

In my case at least, Forest River has really come through for me after the sale, so I'll give them credit for trying.

[lcv800]

Like most things buying used; it's a crap shoot. If you're meticulous and know what you're looking for and at, used is by far the way to go. However, there are a ton of slightly used units that get sold or traded in with significant, hidden damage. Bottom line, you have to know what you're looking at.
Rusty

[D W]

Originally Posted by lcv800

Like most things buying used; it's a crap shoot. If you're meticulous and know what you're looking for and at, used is by far the way to go. However, there are a ton of slightly used units that get sold or traded in with significant, hidden damage. Bottom line, you have to know what you're looking at.
Rusty

Couldn't have said it better.

[SuicideSaints]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeChuck

Unfortunately a new RV equals trouble. The workmanship and quality of the RVs coming out of the factories these days is deplorable. You would be much better off to find a good used RV and by that. You could save thousands of dollars by doing so.They used to say when you buy a used RV you are buying someone else's trouble. I'm saying that when you buy a new RV you're buying a boat load of troubles straight from the factory. A two-year-old RV is a much better buy. By then most of the warranty problems and other defects will have been addressed by the previous owners. It's not uncommon to hear of new RVs spending weeks or even months back at the dealer or worse yet, at the factory waiting for repairs. Why would anyone want to loose the use of their new RV for any part of the camping season? Forest River and other companies should be ashamed. Unfortunately they don't seem to be. SAD!

I would have to respectfully disagree!


I bought new twice, once in 2015 and once in 2017. The 2015 had 0 problems. The 2017 had a minor problem but did have to go back to the dealer, which was a 72 hour turnaround. There was an optional fix that I had done, a whole fridge was put in. That was a 1 week turn around, sooner had I been able to pick it up instead of being at work.


When I looked for a 5er finding a used floorplan i liked was a no-go, it just didnt exist. I expanded my search and found 3 that fit what I wanted. All of them were no more than 4 years old. All of them were within $3k of a new unit that I loved and fit all my needs. But then the dealer on the new one gave me a hitch and installed for free as part of the deal so it brought the total deal within $2k between used and new.


Where I disagree the most with your type of thinking is where new units and dealers come together. It is so much more important to find a good dealer than anything else, yes we all know new units can have problems, who takes care of those problems, the dealer. I happen to have a great dealer for service when I need it.


What are you going to do when that used unit has something wrong that you cant fix, you take it to the dealer that has the long wait times, now even longer since you arent there customer who bought from them. With your logic you are there at the same dealer, waiting in the same long line, that just go longer, whereas I, shopped and negotiated with a good dealer, got a new unit at a price others were selling their used ones, when needing service my dealer had me fixed right the first time and within a week (during peak season).


Im very happy with my unit and my service and that is what it ultimately comes down to, doing what makes us happy. If your way makes you happy, awesome, I hope it does and wish nothing but the best. My way makes me happy and I am always happy to share my story and my dealer should anyone need a Utah recommendation for a dealer let me know!

[Lewis96]

In 2014 bought a 2010 FR Lexington, GT255 and not ever looked back at it being a bad decision or regret not buying new. Never had to take it back to the dealer for service and did not get an additional warranty policy at purchase or even considered it.
Sure there were repairs to be made, maintenance items, yes but nothing I can't handle. I have followed this forum for a time and I do not see any advantage to buying new verses used other than more money out the door. I purchased our unit from a local dealer who sells FR [New & Used] and they have assisted me in getting parts as I required in a timely fashion even gone as far as to contact FR to return parts that were not correct and provide instruction on how the unit is built that help me in fixing repairs or modifications.
Did I look at new, yes but the salespeople listen to us and what we were looking for and being our first home on wheels I spent many hours researching RV's.
We have not had the problems [Knock on wood] that I see and read here and we have decided to stick with this one for some time. I have made changes to the inside as needed to better suit us [Changed out the sofa, reconfigured the cap entertainment center for better TV viewing and even had a leak over the couch but these few items have been addressed as I'm sure there will be others just like in our house.
Who ever had our RV before us took care of it and with the support of our local dealer made RV fun for my wife, me and our fur babies.
Right now I'm working on replacing the shower door rollers, broke on our last trip but so bid. I will not let it slow us down and complain about FR, there purchasing dept, or how they hold my camping up and except the fact you have to put in an effort to solve the problem yourself. These things can occur on a RV not just because it was new or used, worked on at home or in the shop.

[itat]

Originally Posted by lcv800

Like most things buying used; it's a crap shoot. If you're meticulous and know what you're looking for and at, used is by far the way to go. However, there are a ton of slightly used units that get sold or traded in with significant, hidden damage. Bottom line, you have to know what you're looking at.
Rusty

X3 and when buying used you need to be even more patient than buying new. There are good used units out there but they may be hard to find in a floorplan that you like.

[Teamster4life]

We too found all the used units we were interested in were within $2k of what we paid for new . So far we have not had any issues and are very happy with our new trailer . I think a lot of issues with new units can be addressed with a very thorough PDI and making sure you know everything is right and in proper working order BEFORE you take delivery .Our PDI lasted over 2 hours and when I hitched up I was confident everything was right .

[stevegotl]

We looked at many used units before we ended up buying a new Freedom Express 246RKS about 3 years ago, and aside from a few minor issues it has been a very positive experience. The quality has been above average, it is comfortable and easy to tow. I was afraid that a used unit would have more issues and I wanted something that was pretty much load and go. I feel bad for all the owners that have serious issues and complaints, but for us it has been a very good experience.

[Lifestylers]

Not really good comparision. Used TT and New TT versus New MH and Used MH
Not sure where you shopped, but we did extensive searching for ours and found major difference in new compared to used. The thousands I saved was $$ didn't spend and lots of fuel! BTW, the insurance company has ours valued at 20K more than we paid. (This is the value if totaled, I asked because originally they had me a full replacement value) which was stupid cost. ...This is our 5th MH + 1 40' 5th wheel. Used (less than 5 years) much better deal than new. Just like any vehicle, once you have a title, value drops off a cliff. Why, other than new car smell waste 15% or more, remember, taxes etc in cost. Don't be in a rush and you can find what you are looking for.
However, if money is not a factor, then by all means, go large! Just my take on the question. I will say this, you are not the first to post this question, not sure why anyone does, you will do what is in your mind, what is best. No correct answer to this. Good luck. 40 foot DP Berkshire XL 2015 16K miles now 34K, we use the crap out of it, not full timers. Bought it 01/2017

[itat]

Originally Posted by Teamster4life

We too found all the used units we were interested in were within $2k of what we paid for new . So far we have not had any issues and are very happy with our new trailer . I think a lot of issues with new units can be addressed with a very thorough PDI and making sure you know everything is right and in proper working order BEFORE you take delivery .Our PDI lasted over 2 hours and when I hitched up I was confident everything was right .

Unless you’re market is totally different than ours, you must have been looking at units that are less than 2 years old. We’ve bought all ours about 4 years old and pay about half of what the brand new models cost at the time. Even if you end up spending $1000 or $2000 in repairs you’re way ahead financially.

It’s funny ... even when we look at new trailers my DW looks for living functionality and I look for how hard it is to maintain and hidden quality issues.

[Walholler]

Our first 5th wheel was a 15 yr. old Holiday Rambler that I purchase in Texas, it had only been used by the owner of a ranch for his wife to hunt out of. We owned it for five years and replaced the fridge and tires. Sold it for the exact same amount that I paid for it. Our next unit was a new 2016 Crusader Lite by Prime Time that we purchase in October 2015.The 15K AC was replaced under warranty after a few months of owning it. Other than that one thing, we have not had any other problems. Our main reason for buying a newer one was the old one did not have slides and the new one has two. Also the new one has a huge bathroom compared to the old one.

[B and B]

We bought a brand new SOB higher quality proper QC Fifth Wheel. It has had no issues in 18 months of ownership.

Both FR had issues but where valued much less at purchase though, get what you pay for I guess.

[jkoenig24]

Six of one; half dozen of another. Granted, you should get a healthier discount on a used RV and yes, the first owners probably addressed the problems the factory and dealer missed but, if you CAREFULLY shop AND do a THOROUGH PDI (refusing to sign and make payment until you're satisfied with the RV you're accepting) you shouldn't get burned (too bad). You then have the pride of ownership on a brand-spankin' new RV along with a full warranty. You'll KNOW exactly how your new RV has been used and cared for because YOU did it.