Do you remember when you bought your RV? Were you excited to bring it home and take it out on its first trip? We’re sure you were! That’s one of the best feelings…
Will you tell us in the poll below if you bought your present RV new or used? What about your RV before that? Did you buy it new or used, which swayed your decision for buying your present one new or used?
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Bought my motorhome used. A friend who has is fighting cancer , decided that he didnt really need it any longer and we jumped on it. It is a 1998 Coachman Santara with 36000 miles on it. It was kept in a barn by the Original owner and maintained meticulously. We love it, have had it 2 years and have made lots of trips to Louisana and Texas to visit family.
Purchased our 27 foot 2003 Winnebago Itaska two years ago from the original owner whose health issues overcame his desires to travel. Low miles(24,000), all owner manuals, maintenance records were included and the motor home was stored inside a metal awning.
Used from factory. A trade in on a newer one. Four years and many miles later, no problems.
Micro Lite 22TBS brand new this year and so far on 3 trips no problems.
We’ve had our TT for four years this month. It was 15 years old when we bought it from the previous (and only) owners. They babied this trailer. For $5k, it came with a Hensley Arrow, McKesh mirrors, Honda generstor, etc, etc, etc.
Bought the 1st used in 1976. The next 8 have all been new.
I said new, it was a 2008 we bought in 2010. Dealer went broke, manufacturer took back the units and sold them for build cost. We got ours for less than 50%. We love it, 24ft but has two slideouts. Hard to find.
New and should have bought used. We got a great price at year end and even after two years it is still holding it’s original purchase price,. But, I would have liked someone else to go through and fix all the manufacture’s issues, not us.
We’ve bought all 3 of our RVs new. Same as most of our automobiles. We just like to have something that no one else has used. Have had minimal issues. Thank goodness.
We bought a 2018 Holiday Rambled 40E new. Loved the floor plan, very spacious and a great deal of convenient storage. The overall coach is solid with minimal quality control issues that were all cosmetic not functional. However, one major issue that was not the fault of the RV manufacturer was the refrigerator. The Whirlpool residential failed twice during the first 4 months. Fighting with Whirlpool to eventually get the fridge replaced was a nightmare. They were definitely not RV friendly.
Bought our 04 Mountain Aire MADP 40′ 400 hp ISL Cummins rear engine diesel, 3 slides, almost all the amenities, many things updated in 2012, in 2017 from our friends in FMCA. And yes, they’re still our friends. I wouldn’t have been able to afford a new one of this caliber.
It had 148k miles at the time. Now, we’ve got 186k miles, overall trouble free. Shopping for tires and an alignment this year. Replaced the front shocks right after we bought it, I’m replacing the rear shocks this summer.
We’ve had many RVs over the years, only bought one of them new. Our 13′ Scamp trailer in ’79 when I reenlisted the first time in the Navy.
Our current RV is new, bought in 2013 after 2 years of research and traveling in our used TT. After towing this 35′ Heartland Bighorn 5th wheel all over the country and into Canada, we’re still loving it.
Ours is a new 2019 Renegade Valencia 38RW. Because the 2021s were already coming out we got a fantastic deal. Only one issue with a brake but fixed fine by Freightliner under warranty.
My wife and I had a Carriage 5th wheel and were actually considering going full time when in 2011 she passed away. I still wanted to travel but I didn’t want to do it in the 5th wheel. I had always been interested in truck campers and decided to investigate more fully. I ended up buying a new Lance 1050 truck camper and could not be more pleased with that decision. I met and became very good friends with a lady that has traveled with me to 43 of the lower 48 states and Alaska in that truck camper. I like the fact that I can go so many more places, get in and out of gas stations, and stay in campgrounds that I could not stay in if I were in the 5th wheel. (And yes, even after weeks on end in the close confines of the truck camper we are still very good friends.)
Bought our Glendale Titanium (2002) used from the original owners in Arizona. Saw it first on eBay (I knew what fiver model I definitely wanted…32E37DS) but then owners decided they didn’t want to sell it. Several months later, they reconsidered and asked if I was still interested. I definitely was so my son drove over from Las Vegas to give it a once over and after giving it his approval, I made arrangements to have it towed from Arizona to my brother’s house in Ohio. I lived in NE PA but there were no RV storage places near me. Drove out to see it and, as they say in the story books, the rest is history. Still living full-time in it (currently in Texas) and plan to do a lot more traveling with it.
The reason we purchased our latest RV new was because we could not find a used one. It is an Arctic Fox 990 truck camper. We saw a few used ones probably over 1,000 miles away. And they sold fast. We had been looking for over a year. So because we wanted this particular brand of camper; new was the only solution. And we LOVE it!!!
After many, many years of looking, researching, and reflection on how we would use an RV, we bought a new 2020 Leisure Travel Van B+. Having never owned a motorhome before and being very aware of many manufacturers and their defective products, we decided we wanted a new, quality vehicle with a warranty and good reputation for manufacturing excellence. We bought a 2019 Leisure Unity Twin Bed B+ campervan at the show price, got an excellent deal on the updated 2019 Sprinter, all within our budget. Although we had to wait 10 months for delivery, it was worth it as we ended up getting the new production year for the coach with upgraded electronics at no additional cost. So we ordered a 2019 and ended up with a 2020 for the same price. We’ve had no problems with our rig and look forward to many years of ‘looking for America’ in RITA (Retirement Is Totally Awesome). Can’t say enough good things about LTV…quality product and excellent customer service.
We bought our previous class A new in 2015. The same year some friends also bought new. We had problem after problem with our new and where our friend had some problems, not nearly as many. We also liked the layout of his better than ours. Cutting to the chase, he decided to sell his because of non-use due to health issues. After a year trying to sell ours (he was trying to sell his as well), we finally sold ours and was able to buy his. So, it was a long deal in the making but the better class A is now sitting in our driveway.
1st class A was a 70’s Winnebago Brave, then a FourWinds class C new in 95. In 2015 w needed an accessible motorhome. Winnebago has specialty vehicle unit that has been making them for years. Visited Winnebago factory with our equipment and requirements and felt they could build it. My wife is in a powerchair and can move about the 30′ Vista. Happy with our purchase!
Visited different factories in Indiana, 98/99/00 while traveling in our gas RV, looking for a diesel, and liked Monaco & Newmar. In 2001, at home, a local dealer (since gone) was having a “free” tri-tip sandwich day. We started looking at the Country Star. Immediately saw the quality, feature difference in the Dutchstar. The one on the lot was the floor plan we wanted, but didn’t care for some of the interior (beige carpet, furniture, changed to gray carpet, J lounge in black leather, black cockpit chairs) & wanted some of the available Mountain Aire options. Sat down with Ray, the salesman, who was just a regular family man, easy to work with, and did a custom order. In Feb 2002, thanks to a “free” lunch, LOL, took delivery. After 200,000 miles we put in a new engine. Also did new paint and upgraded interior. Still love it, wouldn’t trade it for the world.
We were looking for a used fiver. We knew which model we wanted, but wanted to save a few thousand bucks if we could. After a frustrating search, my wife called the manufacturer and asked them where to find a good used trailer.
They said they’d call her back, and when they did, they told her they could arrange for us to get into a new rig for a ton less money than we were expecting to spend. They contacted a dealer on the other side of the state from us, and made the arrangements. I’m guessing they released the dealer from some of their floor-planning obligations, and we saved a boat-load of cash in the process.
We picked up the rig, and took it to a state park a couple of miles down the road for a four-day shakedown cruise, then back to the dealer with a very short punch list. They took care of all that, and we were on the road full-time less than a year later.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to all the players. It may not be as useful in today’s seller’s market, but you never know
Bough a new, year old MH from dealer and saved many $s over new.
I bought a new unit in 1989 a Weekender Travel Trailer and the a frame on the front failed 3 times and in 1990 I bought a Itasca Class C within 2 years the engine air quit the heater quit and the roof a/c quit. I have never and will never buy new again. The poor quality has been around for a long time, which just didn’t have the ability to b**** about it so publicly.
Bought our first 5 th wheel new had it for 13 years sold it to my brother and he’s still using it bought a new momentum 397th for full time living 3 years ago only had minor fixes love full timing been doing so since 2010
We have had two used Class C’s, a 2004 and 2015, then we decided to do more travelling for longer periods of time and I wanted something larger, so we bought a 2015 Class A, Fleetwood Bounder with 2 bathrooms. The Bounder was used and we bought from the original owner in another province. It is extremely hard to find a Class A in Manitoba new or used that isn’t 20 or more years old. People keep them forever . We love it and the 2 bathrooms has probably saved our 44 year marriage … I am not sure if we would ever buy brand new – we like the kinks and quirks worked out ahead of time.
In January 2019 we bought a rental 2019 Forester used the previous 2018 summer. Overall, the unit was not abused in rental, looked great and had 17,000 miles on it. Went back to the dealer for fixes 4 times, but I doubt any of the fixes was due to rental. Just poor built problems that should have been fixed before being sold. I’m sure if we bought new, the same problems would have needed these fixes. Saved $40,000 from retail. The biggest pain was the auto level. Giving up making that work correctly. Now use the level tablet and level manually and it works perfectly and lots faster. Bought at Lazy Days in Ramsey, MN location and the minute the papers signed, the salesperson offered no help and disappeared. This is my forth rig, and all the dealers operate the same wherever you buy.
In 2008 we bought a rough looking 1965 Airstream that we completely renovated in 2009 and began living in full-time since 2016.
I bought a brand new 2015 Dynamax DX3-37RB in May, 2014. I LOVE the true Super-C platform (as opposed to the “wanna be’s” which are really MEDIUM Duty Trucks). Back then, Moe, Larry and Curly were building the RV boxes on top of a Freightliner Class 7 HEAVY Duty Truck cab/chassis. I wanted the particular floor plan which, after four years of searching, was the best floor plan I’d seen. The DX3 -37RB was 98% usable with the slides IN! That’s something few other coaches can match. Dynamax has “improved” that floor plan but, in the 2015 model, NOTHING IMPORTANT MOVES with the slideout. ALL water lines, propane lines and appliances STAY PUT. Each slideout has a 110VAC duplex outlet and 12VDC LED lighting (wires handle flexing MUCH better than propane and water lines). Knowing what I know now, I probably would NOT have bought that DX3 but, would have done more searching in the Super-C field. My dis-satisfaction could have been avoided if only Dynamax had done a PROPER Quality Control check.
Our first was a 18 foot Prowler~ 1991 bought in 2008~ we knew nothing but loved everything about it but making up bed every night & morning. Bought new Nash in 2010. fifth wheel 21.5 We love and will keep till we hang up the keys.
We have purchased three NEW RV’s over the years. First it was a 1978 Itasca Class C on a Dodge Chassis and it did us well for a long time. Then we switched to a 30 ft Winnebago Class C but after a couple of years we found that the shower arrangement was not really satisfactory and Helen had difficulty reaching the cabinets. In December of 1999 we traded it in for a brand new 1998 Class A 35 ft Itasca SunCruiser and we are still driving it now in 2020. All three rigs were purchased from Poulsbo RV in Kent, WA and they have done all of the service work and repairs, including LOF on all three units for the 42 years we have been RVing. We like them very much and they like us and take wonderful care of us!!
We bought a 2016 Wildcat 295rsx new at United RV, Ft. Worth TX. It was a ‘SOLD’ show special that they ordered a copy for me from the factory and we got it a couple of months later (at the show price of course ;-).
As usual in today’s RV world, there were a handful of issues that required fixing. A few (like loose coax outlet) were easily done by me. The rest were all done quickly and to my satisfaction by FR and United. While attending the Forest River International Rally in Goshen a couple years later, FR did a front to back inspection and fixed a couple of things I didn’t even know needed fixing.
It’s now been 2 years since any repairs were needed and we couldn’t be more pleased. Every time we decide to visit a local RV show to see the models, we can’t get passed the fact that what we have is now perfect! Sure some of the styles have improved, but the floor plans look the same. I guess the saying holds true, “There’s only so much you can do in box”.
3 motorhomes bought new. The first bought at a dealer show was basic No slides, no levels but a decent chassis (WorkHorse). After 2 years we decided we liked RVing and spent the next year picking our ’04 Southwind from the same dealer. I don’t remember any serious problems with it from day one. WE loved it for 8 years and 105,000 miles including Alaska from Rochester by way of Florida and SanDiego, it took a while. Decided I had to have a diesel and because our son’s yard will not accommodate anything loner than 36 feet w e were limited to the Phaeton or Winnebago Journey in shorter diesels. The saleman with the ‘bago could never get the coach where we could drive it. Bought the 2012 Phaeton brand There have been subsequent problems but only a couple of show stoppers. The most recent had us dry camping on the side of the road waiting for a tow and then in the repair shop yard over the weekend. 30 to diagnose and 30 to install the replacement part and then back on the road.
So far, all of our camper have been purchased used. We had 4 Pop-us and now one Hybrid. We love our Jayco 23B that we have had for the last 4 years. We are fairly handy and are able to keep up, repair, and modify all our units so far, so used isn’t too much a problem for us.
We purchased a 2017 23MRB new. I subscribed to the forum 6 months before we purchased and was able to assess what a fair price would be. We waited until late November to purchase. After one negotiation where we left the dealership to show we knew what we were doing, they called us and asked us if we wanted to come back in and make the deal. We were Newbies. As handy as I am decided I would rather spend my time do mods rather than repairs. So grateful to all those on the forum who publish their mods. We are going on 3 years of ownership and absolutely love the TT.
Took us 30 years to wear out two pop ups while the kids were growing up. We left the last one with our oldest son for his use. In fall of 2016 we found a 2015 Wilderness 2750RL new on the lot and priced well as 2017`s were just out. It was actually 2 ft longer than I had decided while looking but the wife loved the rear living. It has been a good buy with only a couple of mid sized type repairs needed over the course of the three years.
We bought a 37 year old motorhome 5 years ago for $400. The coach appeared to be in pretty good shape and being a retired mechanic, I could handle most of the repairs. Long story shortened, a few weeks and about $300 later we were traveling. Been having fun running the wheels off it, but not too far this year (because of the virus). Still going strong after 12,000 miles with no major issues so far. Just wish I would’ve done this in my younger days.
We went from pop up in 2006 to 10 years later a travel trailer sleeps 3 then 2 years later with sad regret a 21 foot travel trailer bunk bed. Fully loaded. I love it. I do miss my smaller trailer but am realizing I can give it to my daughter and get a smaller one if need be. Not looking to go any bigger.