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Old 01-01-2018, 11:05 AM   #1
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18 vs 19 and is it safe to take a long trip right after PDI/pickup?

Ok, here's my dilemma.

We are purchasing a new Ventana. The question is do we take one of the last June slots for the 18, which would require an order in the next couple days or attempt to get as early a '19 slot as possible (work with dealer to have everything ready, waiting for 19 prices and order forms)?

I probably wouldn't even consider buying one of the last 18's off the line but for the fact the wife and I were hoping to take two, possibly three weeks off in October and go on an RV trip. Due to work, I haven't had a multi week vacation in close to twenty years and only had about five week long vacations in the last decade plus.

I would likely get the '18 in July or August, so plenty of time for short shake down cruises and work out any kinks.

However, if I order a '19, I would think most likely it would be late September or early October, which means I could taking delivery and almost immediately going on my trip. Something I wouldn't even consider doing with a Thor.

For PDI, my plan would be Thu/Fri at dealer, then spend the weekend on site, and then use Monday to address anything we found over the weekend.

Would I be crazy to take a '19 and possibly within a week or two of delivery head out on a multi week trip?

What kind of depreciation hit will I take getting a late '18 vs early '19 build if I go to trade it in on a Dutch Star or Aire in three to four years?

Really struggling with how to proceed.
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Old 01-01-2018, 11:27 AM   #2
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wouldn't it make more sense to buy a used unit - given your circumstances. It doesn't sound as if you'd really use the coach all that much. It would mostly just be in storage or be used for very short trips?

Given that you're already thinking about upgrading to DS or Aire, I would look for a used coach and avoid all the depreciation associated with a new unit.
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Old 01-01-2018, 11:35 AM   #3
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Hi tnedator,
For me a coach purchase is a long term purchase, not for 3 to 4 years. We may not be on the same page. Your vacation next year does not play into the decision. Sorry. Buy the coach that is best for your long term use.
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Old 01-01-2018, 11:55 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Carefree View Post
wouldn't it make more sense to buy a used unit - given your circumstances. It doesn't sound as if you'd really use the coach all that much. It would mostly just be in storage or be used for very short trips?

Given that you're already thinking about upgrading to DS or Aire, I would look for a used coach and avoid all the depreciation associated with a new unit.
There are multiple reasons for buying new vs. used, including we want to special order some items.

While this will be the first multi week trip in weeks in many years, I'm hoping there will be more in the future.

Beyond that, the reason my wife pushed for this is so we can take many shot trips. Weekends, and long weekends. I figure most months we will take 1 or 2 weekend trips, along with trying to get out for longer ones a couple times a year (I'm going to try and take more time off in the future than I have in the past).

As to upgrading. It could be 3-4 years, could be longer, but at some point we will upgrade.
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Old 01-01-2018, 11:58 AM   #5
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Hi tnedator,
For me a coach purchase is a long term purchase, not for 3 to 4 years. We may not be on the same page. Your vacation next year does not play into the decision. Sorry. Buy the coach that is best for your long term use.
It enters into the equation in the sense of how safe it would be to pickup a Ventana say the last week of September and then head out on a 2-3 week trip a couple weeks later.

Long term, other than depreciation, I think we would be more than happy with what's in the '18's. Yes, we could miss out on something new, such as if they introduce multiplex wiring in '19 or go to a higher output engine, etc.

I had to cancel a trip to Branson this week with family, because my Thor ACE couldn't handle the temps. I can't get that back. So, while on the one hand it's a long term purchase, there are also short term implications as well. I don't want my fall trip cancelled the way my trip was this week.
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Old 01-01-2018, 12:06 PM   #6
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IMO it is going to be OK to do either. Generally speaking I think the chassis will be pretty much good to go. Don't hear too often about serious issues initially but some crop up infrequently later. You may have some fit and finish issues you would like addressed but they could wait until you return.

Other option is to take a factory delivery. Drive the toad to pick it up and have the factory or local tradesman install the hitch.

We picked up our coach and did a short drive (1600 miles). Our punch list after that was 4 items that included a couple latches on cupboard doors that were not working.
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Old 01-01-2018, 12:35 PM   #7
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Depreciation average for the first year is around 10%, but to your point, what is the cost of your vacation being impacted due to taking a brand new unit on the road without a shakedown trip or two?

Something to think about: Are there specific features on your must-have list that you couldn't get by buying a 2-3 year old pre-owned Dutch Star (or whatever age fits in your budget) now?
You'll take another 5-6% depreciation hit per year after the first year on the Ventana - more if you're going to trade it in to a dealer, so it all gets fairly pricey for a coach that is not going to get a lot of use. Plus, savvy buyers look for a pre-owned coach that's been used regularly vs. one that's spent most of its life in storage, so it could take longer to sell.
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Old 01-01-2018, 12:47 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Sonic View Post
Depreciation average for the first year is around 10%, but to your point, what is the cost of your vacation being impacted due to taking a brand new unit on the road without a shakedown trip or two?

Something to think about: Are there specific features on your must-have list that you couldn't get by buying a 2-3 year old pre-owned Dutch Star (or whatever age fits in your budget) now?
You'll take another 5-6% depreciation hit per year after the first year on the Ventana - more if you're going to trade it in to a dealer, so it all gets fairly pricey for a coach that is not going to get a lot of use. Plus, savvy buyers look for a pre-owned coach that's been used regularly vs. one that's spent most of its life in storage, so it could take longer to sell.
For a variety of reasons, some the special order stuff we want to do and for some other reasons, we don't want to buy used. I fully understand why many do and I realize economically it makes sense, but it's not the way we want to proceed and while economics are a factor, it's not the number one factor for us.

With that said, the degree of taking a newly delivered rig and trying to figure out how great that risk is, is probably a bigger factor in the '18 vs. '19 than hit on depreciation.

We are probably more concerned about losing out on a nice new feature in the '19 than we are taking the financial hit.
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Old 01-01-2018, 03:32 PM   #9
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Not much help but I think go with whichever one will give you what you think is best (peace of mind) for your October trip and then just enjoy that decision. You could end up "we wish we had waited" or "we wish we had not waited"...there is always bigger, better...

My Ventana order is for near the end of 2018's with an August delivery. Yes, I could wait for 2019's but my factors are I wanted the Anniversary year model which is my retirement year. Not really "important" reasons but ones I wanted. I won't look at the 2019's and wish I had, I could do that forever and not enjoy the moment.
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Old 01-01-2018, 03:58 PM   #10
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Here's my take. If you focus on what you might miss in the next year's model, you will never buy a coach! The manufacturers change something every year. As has already been mentioned, your buying decision should be driven by your current wants and needs, not features that might show up in the next year's model. If a substantial change does crop up that you just can't live without, trade your current coach in and get the new one.

As for setting out on a long trip in a new rig, why not? Depending on where you buy your coach, it will have from a few hundred to a couple thousand "delivery miles" on it. If the coach left the factory with a major chassis flaw, it will show up quickly; quite possibly during delivery to the dealer. Appliance glitches can occur at any time and are usually either easily dealt with by the owner or corrected at a local RV shop. Fit and finish issues are just aggravation's that can wait until it is convenient to get the coach into an authorized repair facility.

And, again, if you keep putting off a long trip until you have enough short trips to identify any issues, you will never make that first long trip. Go out and enjoy the new rig from the get-go. If something happens, deal with it at the time.

One final suggestion; having good road-service coverage can provide lots of peace-of-mind. We have both AAA RV and CoachNet roadside coverage. They are not as duplicative as you may think; each is better a some coverage aspects for the coach and towed. And, in the overall picture, are not really that expensive. You may want to look into those, or similar, coverages.

TJ
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Old 01-01-2018, 07:10 PM   #11
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We ordered our 2017 Ventanna LE 4037 in May 2016. Picked it up at dealer in mid August. Left From dealer and went on a 3 month 5000 mile shakedown trip. Yes we had some minor things that were handled at the international rally in Pueblo and further along in the trip at the Hoots rally in Texas.
I say go for it, the sooner you find the flaws the sooner you can get them taken care of.
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Old 01-01-2018, 09:02 PM   #12
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Thanks everyone.

Ok, we've decided to contact the dealer tomorrow and see if we can get one of those remaining '18 slots.

We both decided the "lost" opportunities like the trip to Branson this week we had to cancel because my ACE couldn't handle the cold, is far greater than buying at the end of the model year or possibly missing out on some nice new feature (which could also bring early adopter issues as well).
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Old 01-02-2018, 01:38 PM   #13
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We went full time immediately after pick up of our Bay Star on Dec 8th. We've got a problem with the shower drain leaking but it's nothing we couldn't deal with, and are dealing with, over the course of a few weeks.

Honeslty, a problem might crop up immediately after pick up or one might develop months later. I don't know if a brand new coach is any more problematic than one that's a few months old. In fact, if the dealer does a through PDI, a brand new coach might be less trouble.
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Old 01-03-2018, 08:17 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim View Post
Here's my take. If you focus on what you might miss in the next year's model, you will never buy a coach! The manufacturers change something every year. As has already been mentioned, your buying decision should be driven by your current wants and needs, not features that might show up in the next year's model. If a substantial change does crop up that you just can't live without, trade your current coach in and get the new one.

As for setting out on a long trip in a new rig, why not? Depending on where you buy your coach, it will have from a few hundred to a couple thousand "delivery miles" on it. If the coach left the factory with a major chassis flaw, it will show up quickly; quite possibly during delivery to the dealer. Appliance glitches can occur at any time and are usually either easily dealt with by the owner or corrected at a local RV shop. Fit and finish issues are just aggravation's that can wait until it is convenient to get the coach into an authorized repair facility.

And, again, if you keep putting off a long trip until you have enough short trips to identify any issues, you will never make that first long trip. Go out and enjoy the new rig from the get-go. If something happens, deal with it at the time.

One final suggestion; having good road-service coverage can provide lots of peace-of-mind. We have both AAA RV and CoachNet roadside coverage. They are not as duplicative as you may think; each is better a some coverage aspects for the coach and towed. And, in the overall picture, are not really that expensive. You may want to look into those, or similar, coverages.

TJ
This is great advice. I can understand why Jim has the handle Tranquil. This counselling is . . . . well tranquil.
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