Why I don't like to buy used..right or wrong???

[ARTWERKE]

I love people who buy new only. If not for them, there wold be no used RVs for me to buy.

[bokobird]

Originally Posted by ARTWERKE

I love people who buy new only. If not for them, there wold be no used RVs for me to buy.

I just wished I could tell the new buyers what I'd like in my next used RV

[Johnp292]

Originally Posted by Waiter21

I don't have a budget for new, so buy used. A little bit of Lysol will clean that toilet seat just fine. :-)

I can purchase a mid life (1/2 its useful life) for well under 1/5 - 1/8 the original price.

The buyer needs to be a lot more educated and experienced on what they are looking at or they can end up with a money pit.

Forums like this can help potential buyers get some of the information they need to make informed decisions.

Basically, when I buy I look at the MH as two separate items, the truck, and the house

The truck chassis needs to be dependable, with a good history (Not a lot of car fax on MH, but check anyway). The design needs a good track record (one of the few advantages of used vs new), It needs to be in good shape. Used, but not abused.

I look for "good bones"

The house needs to be complete and functional, everything works, no damage, and no water damage. Operate everything

Suggestions -

Make sure the floorplan will meet your needs. You need to be happy with it.

Buy in the fall /early winter, this seems to warrant lowest prices when there is almost no demand, and potential sellers are facing winterization and storage.

Low miles can be as bad as high miles. dryrot is almost as bad as worn out miles Miliage will determine what needs to be looked at closly.

Its not going to be perfect,

Do not get emotionally attached until its in your driveway. Be prepared to walk from the deal if everything doesn't fall into place.

Be prepared to bring all preventative maintenance up to date, this may include new tires.

Cash talks. The sellors goal is to maximize price. Your goal should be max MH for min price.

I recently purchased a 2001 Mirada with 55k miles, very good shape, for $13k. All the maintenance is up to date, new tires installed by the seller. I should be able to put 100k miles on it trouble free over the next 5-7 years.

I'm learning this now. I'm working through all the issues we are finding in our recently purchased 97 Bounder. I'm slowly learning the seller was either uninformed or less than honest (or both). It was being sold by family of the previous owner. I got it cheap ( I think) at 8200.

The Good:
Every single thing in it works except the cruise control and some of the tank level indicators. Nothing I can't fix. All three ACs, hydraulic jacks, all appliances, heat, water, etc, all OK.

45,500 miles and about 200 hours on the genny.

The Bad:
They definitely lied about the tires. They claimed 4 new tires in the past year. I stupidly relied on tread level to check them. Newest tires are 4 years old. Oldest one is 12! It's getting new tires Saturday.
I need to replace the pilot and copilot windows due to fogging.
Needs a new shroud on the front AC unit. No big deal there, also going up on Saturday.

The Ugly
Dirty...dirty...dirty...we had a lot of general cleaning to do and I plan to replace the carpeting and maybe the upholstery.
But the worst....water damage that I found in the back bedroom. Seller denied there was any, then when I found it I called him and had a chat about it. Claims he had no idea but now I don't trust him. Thankfully, no exterior delam. It is what it is.
So now the RV is my project rig. We had a heavy rain right after I bought it and it seemed to stay dry, so maybe they told the truth about having the roof sealed last year. We'll see.
We're still happy and I'm confident we'll get at least 8k of fun out of it, plus I now have a restoration project to work on.

And I'll be a smarter buyer next time!

[Mike and Cha]

Originally Posted by bokobird

I just wished I could tell the new buyers what I'd like in my next used RV

It wouldn't matter it would be out of date technology by then...

[stepside454]

There isn't much that I do buy new.
Never owned a new vehicle.

[Shaky]

We bought used. I paid to have the coach inspected inside and out before purchasing. The engine and drivetrain were looked at closely as were my main systems. After many moons of trouble free ownership (other than routine maintenance) I'd buy used again. You buy new and the instant you pull oit off the lot you lose a ton of money. A used RV has already depreciated before you pick it up. That worked for me and many others I'm sure. JMHO

[Coma]

It is certainly personal choice, and should be. However, a new one does not necessarily make for a nicer MH. Just newer.

A MH with the amenities I want, even if it is older, is more valuable to me than a new one without them.

[Waiter21]

I'm working through all the issues we are finding in our recently purchased 97 Bounder.

John P;

Sounds like you got a good deal on the Bounder - They are generally known for their quality.

I looked at a lot of Bounders before I bought the Mirada. The Mirada is probably a notch or two lower on the "Q" scale than the Bounder.

[PDR John]

Originally Posted by Shaky

I'd buy used again.


I would have too, if what we wanted had been out there.



You buy new and the instant you pull oit off the lot you lose a ton of money. JMHO

This is where things seem to get a little fuzzy. There a couple of us, in this very thread, have proved this to not be true.

[flaggship1]

Originally Posted by PDR John

This is where things seem to get a little fuzzy. There a couple of us, in this very thread, have proved this to not be true.

John - I don't dispute your no depreciation scenario. It is very possible that it occurs. But the proof is always in the pudding. I have read most of this thread - kind of come and go on it because it gets wonky to me - but have you and the others you mentioned actually sold the new one and not taken a depreciation hit in mid year 1 or year 1 or 2 and had no hit - or are we taking paper numbers? With time and the right buyer etc. Just curious.

[zmotorsports]

Originally Posted by Waiter21

PLEASE - PLEASE continue to buy new. Otherwise this limits my choices when I buy used.

Originally Posted by ARTWERKE

I love people who buy new only. If not for them, there wold be no used RVs for me to buy.

Agree with both above. I am very grateful there are people who can afford to buy new and that choose to buy new, otherwise there wouldn't be any good used ones on the market.

Originally Posted by bokobird

I just wished I could tell the new buyers what I'd like in my next used RV

I think the original owner of our coach read our minds. They special ordered our EXACT coach for us. That sure was nice of them.

We have never owned anything new except our home. When the wife and I started looking to upgrade or coach in 2006 after paying our home off we looked at new for a short time. However, I was not impressed with the ones that were in our budget. I too have a champaign appetite on a beer income. I wanted one that no one else had used the bathroom, no one else had slept in the bed, no one else had put a single scratch on and certainly on that no one had farted in the driver's seat like someone else mentioned.

Me wanting more chassis and construction vs. some of the newer "fluff" on the market we opted to fall back to our standard mode of buying used. We compiled two lists, one of "Needs" and one showing "Wants". Both lists were quite long and appeared to be out of touch and definitely out of budget. However, after 9+ months of looking we found our coach. Thank goodness the original owners had my wife and I in mind when they special ordered our coach back in 2002 so we could drive it starting in 2007.

First off, there is no way we could have afforded to buy our current coach new and even in "pristine" condition it would have been quite a stretch. It had a few mechanical issues and we knew that going into the purchase. My wife and I had enough money set aside as a "coach emergency" fund with enough for an engine or transmission rebuild in the event it was needed. I had seen friends in the past stretch so far on budget to buy a luxury item only to find out shortly after that they either couldn't afford to fuel it or something mechanical failed and they couldn't afford to repair it. I did not want that to happen to us. Even purchasing our 2003 Dynasty used with multiple mechanical issues and well under NADA value at the time, I had friends and co-workers think I was nuts for buying it. It seems that there are a lot of people out there that simply don't understand the RV lifestyle. To each their own.

I am very grateful there are people who can afford to purchase new and even special order their coaches. I am happy for them and I am sure they are just as happy and proud of their purchase(s) as my wife and I are with ours.

It all boils down to the fact that it is our money, our decision/choice and no one elses. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Mike.

[PDR John]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

John - I don't dispute your no depreciation scenario. It is very possible that it occurs. But the proof is always in the pudding. I have read most of this thread - kind of come and go on it because it gets wonky to me - but have you and the others you mentioned actually sold the new one and not taken a depreciation hit in mid year 1 or year 1 or 2 and had no hit - or are we taking paper numbers? With time and the right buyer etc. Just curious.

It's all on paper, the depreciation/no depreciation, all on paper. That's why nobody can put real world figures out there. Right now, on paper, I haven't lost the 30% everybody says I have.

As I've stated many times: I would have to sell today to know exactly what it's real worth is.

Let's say I keep this coach for 10-15 years, putting 10-12k miles on it per year. Living in it for 6-9 months each year, for work.

At that time I sell it for $50,000, how much will I lose?

I have to live in something while working on the road. Even buying new is cheaper then motel rooms. Plus I get to write the whole thing off.

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

John - I don't dispute your no depreciation scenario. It is very possible that it occurs. But the proof is always in the pudding. I have read most of this thread - kind of come and go on it because it gets wonky to me - but have you and the others you mentioned actually sold the new one and not taken a depreciation hit in mid year 1 or year 1 or 2 and had no hit - or are we taking paper numbers? With time and the right buyer etc. Just curious.

I have,...

[flaggship1]

John - I agree with you 100%.
RVs are investments in quality of life. You can't quantify their intrinsic value and the psychic and utilitarian returns they pay over time. And, you can't expect the next owner to pay you for those returns. As long as the nonquantifiable returns are positive, you have exactly what you bargained for. The residual value at any point is just a fact of life.

I bought a new 1991 Airstream 190 B-van in 1991. I kept it until 2012. Put 145k miles on it. Nothing ever broke except the a/c compressor on the 460 EFI. In the end I gave it to a guy for $500. It was worth far more but I had no interest in trying to sell it or get every penny out of it. It owed me nothing and had served me very well. The next guy was extatic. In the 21 years I had that puppy I learned a ton about motor homes and stuff. Those years and that small version of a self contained coach enabled me - along with info here on this forum to buy the 08 Bounder DP right. I have made improvements to it - and still seem the like year and model advertised for $10 - $20 k over what I paid.

Your points and my experience are why I find this thread to be a little wonky. When there are strong feelings about personal choices it seems silly to argue one is better than the other. Live and let live ya know. Especially where RVing is concerned. I meet lots of folks with all manner of machines and towable boxes and for the most part - we all have way more in common than we have differences, so why hang on the minutia. A cup of coffee or adult beverage - a real campfire or propane - I can handle either. What's your poison. BTW - were headed to Bryce in August. Wanna tag along. See - new or used - I'm bemused.
Steve and Annie
RVM2