New or Used? Best Time of Year to Buy?

[russellmky]

Hello All!

NEW to this idea but have been researching for months.

Wondering if y'all would offer opinions/Pros & Cons about buying New or Used campers.

Also, wondering if there is a better time of year to buy for the best deals.
We are in the Midwest and it's obvious that our local dealers are s-l-o-w through the Winter months.

Thanks in advance!

Michael & Ronda Russell
Hebron Ky (on the outskirts of Cincinnati OH)

 

[danemayer]

Hi russellmky,

My wife and I prefer to buy new. If there are any problems, they'll get fixed under warranty. If we buy used, we might be getting a great coach where someone else went through the inconvenience of getting warranty problems fixed. Or we might be getting someone's problem.

it's important to understand that on a used trailer, even if only a few months old, the 2nd owner has no warranty coverage. None of the warranties on appliances, subsystems, or on the coach convey to a 2nd owner.

The big risk you face is that the original buyer had a problem that never got fixed, and elected to trade or sell the coach with an undisclosed defect. Any money you save by buying used might end up going toward fixing that problem.

Or it might work out great.

We all get to roll the dice, one way or the other.

 

[JohnDar]

My experiences many years with buying used vehicles has soured me from buying anything "previously owned."

 

[brianlajoie]

Sound advice on the first part of your question.

We bought new.

We bought our trailer over the internet after we took 3 years to decide . We bought the trailer after April 1st when many of the manufacturers start the new year. (So our trailer was considered the previous year model while being about six months old.) Depending on which model you decide on, there can be many just like it all over the country. Both of these pieces of information can help when negotiating a price. We traveled over a thousand miles one way and after a long PDI process, bought the trailer. Never went back to the dealer and have use certified RVIA/RVDA techs to do pre-approved warranty work. We were very satisfied with the process. I use rvtrader.com and rvt.com web sites.

 

[JohnD]

We bought both of our Heartlands brand new and off the lot.

Our previous 2013 Trail Runner we bought in September, 2012, and our 2015 Prowler we bought in May of 2015.

The issue we had with the Trail Runner was since we bought it in the fall, it was almost seven months into the one year warranty before spring arrived and we could really use it.

With our Prowler, we got to take it out two weeks later after the spring purchase at the start of the camping season to start finding the warranty issues.

Each had (Prowler still does) a one year from the date of purchase manufacturers warranty, so buying it in the fall and wasting half of your warranty sitting in your side yard or in storage is wasting precious time.

 

[iowaone]

One advantage of buying new is you can order it the way you want it. Most dealers charge no more for an ordered one than a new one off the lot. Of course if you find what you want on the lot then that is great because there are no surprises from mid year changes in products. Sometimes you will find one that has been sitting on the lot and the dealer wants to move. So you get a good price, but my observation is these sometimes are a headache because they have been sitting they do have warranty though. We have been happy with ordering ours during the winter then it comes in during early spring. Do it early though before both factory and dealer get busy with spring rush. We ordered ours in January with March and April delivery.

 

[Bob&Patty]

The one thing that would scare me is the lack of caulking inspection and repair. You could get a coach that has bad water intrusion at one time and that could be a night mare. Just my 2cts.

 

[GregP]

We bought our BH new, mainly to take advantage of the warranty. We are now past our warranty period, and have to say that we had very few, minor issues that needed to be taken care of. It occurs to me that if everyone buys new...what do you do with your previous rigs? When we bought ours, we were already considering the potential resale value of the BH over some other brands due to the apparent quality of construction. A well built rig, with good maintenance, should offer a good value for a second or subsequent purchaser. They are expensive enough to buy, and any buyer should take the time to check them out, whether used or new.

 

[JohnD]

We traded in our Trail Runner . . .

And the new owners not only got a great deal, but also over $3000 worth of axle upgrades and brand new wheels and tires!

Our dealership told us they wouldn't have taken the trailer in trade without that work having been done to it.

 

[Bob&Patty]

The bigger 5er's are really soft right now for trade. Lots of used on dealers lots. One thing to consider....interest rates are higher on used compared to new.

 

[JohnD]

The bigger 5er's are really soft right now for trade. Lots of used on dealers lots. One thing to consider....interest rates are higher on used compared to new.

Not to mention that it is much easier to get a loan on a new one than a used one.

 

[Shortest Straw]

We bought a used 5 er, had it for 6 years and went all over the country with it. Some may say we were lucky, I say we purchased wisely. IMO the difference in buying used or new is experience and how often do you intend on using it. Makes no sense to me in buying a new one with all the bells and whistles to go out 2-3 times a year. I also believe that if you are handy at fixing things a used one may be the way to go.

 

[Bgthomas]

Not lucky, Mike. Wise. We (I) scouted rigs for months and narrowed the choices to just a few models, spun a web and waited. i seriously do not care for dealers - makes me want to shower just thinking about it. We bought from a private seller. The inspection took just two hours, kind of disguised as him training me on how to operate it. No serious issues and I got a 2012 in 2015 for just over half its sticker price. Patience is the key, as is your willingness to walk away. So long as you're capable of doing tweaks and repairs, the risk is minimal.

 

[JohnD]

Our first travel trailer was 22 years old when we bought it in 2000 - a 1978 Coachman Cadet 24' bumper pull.



It really was a piece of junk . . . nothing worked in it except for the stove and the electricity . . . the tanks all leaked like a sieve . . . had lots of wood inside that was rotted from window and roof leaks!

The trailer brakes worked going uphill . . . but never downhill . . . and we camp in the Rocky Mountains! AaaahhhhhhHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

It was falling apart!

But we didn't pay a lot of money for it ($1800), and didn't really sink a lot of money into it the almost 13 years we owned it!

I did roll the whole roof with that rubber roof coating . . . what a job that was!

And if you saw some of my caulking work on it then you'd believe me when I say I get more caulk on me that I do on the job at hand!

Still had the same tires on it when we sold it that it had when we bought it.

And we had a lot of fun with it and got almost what we paid for it in trade for our brand new 2013 Heartland Trail Runner.

In a lot of ways I miss the old beast, and it was a great trailer to get into RV'ing!

But I really don't want it back . . .

We learned so much about trailering with that thing that it is unbelievable!

 

[RVFun4Us]

Just bought our 3270 in February. Dealers at that time of year are anxious to clear their inventory for the new model years coming in. Bought ours over the internet with no face to face with a salesman. Worked out great. I too do not like dealing with salesmen because you always feel you are getting the short end of the stick. But in dealing with a few dealerships at the same time letting them know they are in competition with each other to give you the best price and doing so over the internet was pretty painless. Made the whole buying experience a pleasure. But you do need to do your homework ahead of time and know what make and model you desire.

 

[russellmky]

John D ~ SOOOO ENJOYED your story about your 1978 Coachmen Cadet (aka "the Beast") !!!
The emoticons were the icing on the story !!!

And... in your AutoSignature... when you mention "Fireball" Services, do you mean of the hot cinnamon alcoholic kind?
WE got introduced to it via PitBull's song (of the same name) on a Caribbean cruise.
Maybe I could be "Assistant Director" once we get on the Road!

THANKS for the info !!

- - - Updated - - -

John D ~ Do you know where "the Beast" is now? Maybe we could buy it for our entrance into the RV World!

 

[JohnD]

John D ~ SOOOO ENJOYED your story about your 1978 Coachmen Cadet (aka "the Beast") !!!
The emoticons were the icing on the story !!!

And... in your AutoSignature... when you mention "Fireball" Services, do you mean of the hot cinnamon alcoholic kind?
WE got introduced to it via PitBull's song (of the same name) on a Caribbean cruise.
Maybe I could be "Assistant Director" once we get on the Road!

THANKS for the info !!

- - - Updated - - -

John D ~ Do you know where "the Beast" is now? Maybe we could buy it for our entrance into the RV World!

Yes . . . I am talking about the whiskey . . .

And, last I heard, our old 1978 Coachman TT was being used as a hunters cabin up in the mountains somewhere.

 

[dbbls59]

I have had two used and two new. Not a single problem with the used ones, tons of problems with the two new ones. I'll never buy another new one. I'll buy used after I give it a very good inspection, top to bottom. Used ones have the problems solved and believe me, there will be problems.