Advantage/Disadvantages of purchasing a new 2015 model when 2017 are available

[jtallen]

We have found a new 2015 Landmark Key West for a considerable discount. What are the disadvantages of purchasing a "new" 2 year old fifth wheel? We love the floor plan.

Any advice?

 

[cookie]

If the rig you are looking at has the options that you want I may be a good deal.
Keep in mind that there are many things that dealers don't order when they stock a trailer on their lot.
Also you may be able to negotiate about 30% off of the MSRP when ordering a new rig. So depending on how deep they are discounting the 2015 model you may be better served ordering new. Maybe.
A rig sitting on the lot for 2-3 years most likely has not had the caulk inspected or redone. That could be a problem as the manufacturer recommends a much shorter inspection interval, like e very 3-6 months.
Look at the sticker on the off door side near the front for the date of manufacture as that trailer could have been built in 2014.
Good luck and hope to see you in a Heartland product soon.

Peace
Dave

 

[Bohemian]

Inspect the unit extremely well. As a conservative caution, assume it has not been properly maintained and might have problems that other unmaintained units units might have.

 

[JohnD]

It should still have the manufacturers warranty . . . which is two years (I think) on Landmarks!

 

[avvidclif]

It should still have the manufacturers warranty . . . which is two years (I think) on Landmarks!

While true if there is water damage from bad caulking they might not honor the warranty as it wasn't properly maintained. Dealers fault but get them to admit it.

As far as the camper itself the only time the year matters is if you don't plan on keeping it for several years. After 5-10 years it doesn't matter as much as how it was maintained and looks.

 

[donr827]

I would be cautious about buying a 2 year old popular brand-model that has been sitting there. I would rather buy a used model that is in good shape and probably has the bugs fixed and probably a lot cheaper. JMO
Don

 

[SNOKING]

From a snowbird stand point, where large parks have a 10 year old check point on condition of the trailer or RV, giving away those 2 years is not good. One of the things that pushed us into a new trailer this year was a request for a picture of our 2005 trailer by a Cal-Am park in Surprise, Az for a one day stop over. Chris

 

[jtallen]

Thanks everyone for your info. We are still straddling the fence about the purchase. It is a new 2015 Landmark Key West. We can't pull up a 2015 Key West on NADA guides is one thing that concerns us. Were the first ones built late 2015?

 

[danemayer]

Thanks everyone for your info. We are still straddling the fence about the purchase. It is a new 2015 Landmark Key West. We can't pull up a 2015 Key West on NADA guides is one thing that concerns us. Were the first ones built late 2015?

Landmark was re-branded Landmark 365 in mid-2014 which would have been the 2015 model year. It may just be that not very many Key Wests have hit the resale market over the past 2 years.

If you're trying to figure out the resale value, you could use the Newport or Ashland listings for comparison to see how much a 2 year old rig has depreciated.