We Bought a New RV, Here’s Why We’d Do It Again
Buying a new RV gets a bad rap on online forums. From warranty issues to price depreciation, RVers love to digitally vent about their personal horror stories.
But, is it all bad?
Honestly – we don’t know. We’ve only purchased vintage camper trailers with the intent to renovate.
Today we’re teaming up with our full time RV friends , Jason & Rae Miller, to learn about their new-RV buying experience and understand why they’d buy new again.
Without further ado, meet Jason & Rae!
The Miller’s New RV Buying Story
In May of 2017, we bought our first RV; it was a gorgeous, brand new 2018 Grand Design Solitude 375RES. Before we made this jump, we researched floor plans, pricing, and so much more the previous year and a half. One of the topics we kept coming back to was if we should buy new or used.
We looked at all different types of new and used RVs over the course of a year. After much deliberation, we finally decided that new was the right choice for us.
Even now, three years later, if we had to buy another RV it would absolutely be new. Here’s why:
Being the First Owner of an RV is Awesome
This might be an odd reason, but there’s nothing better than owning something for the first time.
There’s no weird smells, no unknown issues, you don’t have to deal with old decor or paint! New RVs are turnkey ready. This was the largest purchase Jason and I ever made so having it be brand new was really exciting for us.
RV Manufacturer’s Warranty
New RVs come with a manufacturer’s warranty. They typically range from 1-3 years depending on the type of RV and which manufacturer you go with.
It’s nice to have the peace of mind of coverage your first few years on the road. We used our manufacturer’s warranty a year after owning our fifth wheel and the bill was over $2,000.
Yet thanks to our manufacturer’s warranty, we walked away paying nothing. Let me tell you, that’s a good feeling!
However, you won’t want to take your RV to a dealership to fix every little thing that goes wrong. Which is why we wrote an article that has three tips to avoid headache on your next RV repair.
Most Recent RV Technology & Updated Features
New RVs will have the most recent technology in the RV industry. It’s not hard to notice the advances made in RV technology when comparing and old RV with a new one. With Jason being the tech nerd that he is, having the newest technology (or at least prepped for it) was a big factor for us.
It’s been very exciting for us to watch the advances in the RV industry just in the past two years. We can’t wait to see what else manufacturers come up with. If you’re interested in Smart RV projects, you’ll want to check out our Guide to Making the Ultimate DIY Smart RV.
It was also important for us to have updated features. While we didn’t get the exact interior we wanted (it just didn’t exist in 2017), we are drooling over some of the new decor that’s been introduced to the RV world in the past year.
We would much rather buy new again with the interior we want than buy used and renovate.
What You See Is What You Get
When you buy a new RV, you are lowering your risk for surprises down the road significantly. We were very wary of buying used because we didn’t know what to look for when it came to long term problems.
We’ve heard the horror stories and didn’t want to become one ourselves.
Additionally, we fell in love with a floorplan that was only available in newer models (we have the 375RES). Again, the advances made in the RV industry are impressive, and that includes creative and contemporary floor plans.
Used floor plans that we looked at always seemed to have something missing. Or the layout wasn’t quite right for our needs. When you buy new, you are getting exactly what you want.
If you’re not sure what to look for in a floorplan, read our article about the things you need to consider when choosing a floorplan.
Better RV Finance Terms
We understand that not financing is the best option for everyone, but not everyone has that option. We knew we were going to finance our RV when we started shopping.
When we started researching loan amounts, terms, and rates we learned that financing new was a much better option. Not all, but some dealerships won’t even allow you to finance a used RV! Used RVs are higher risk, so you aren’t offered the best terms and interest rates when you finance used.
Personally, we were able to get a low rate and a longer term by buying new. If you’re not familiar with RV loans, there are many options out there and you can even get terms up to 20 years. If you want to know more about RV loans, read our article here.
RV Depreciation Isn’t As Bad As People Say
Yes, your new RV will depreciate. But it doesn’t have to be as bad as some of the rumors are out there. We heard repeatedly from folks that we’d go upside down on our RV and the depreciation isn’t worth the hassle.
To be honest, this negativity around the depreciation of new RVs really got us worried. Looking back, it was a good thing because it made us extremely thorough when researching RV pricing on new rigs.
We learned some really useful negotiation tips and looked at what similar models were selling used.
I’m happy to report that when we look up our rigs estimated value on NADA Guides, it’s used value is only $2,000 less than what we paid for it brand new! Additionally, we’ve added some awesome upgrades. If we wanted to sell our rig today, I know we could make money on our RV. So don’t let depreciation scare you off from buying new.
Learn More About Jason & Rae Miller and Their Full Time RV Life
If you’d like to learn more of our tips and tricks related to the RV lifestyle, you can visit us at www.getawaycouple.com or watch our YouTube channel.
Whether You Buy A New or Used RV, You Can Access These Free Campsites!
To be honest with you, we hate paying for camping. There are so many free campsites in America (with complete privacy). You should give it a try! A matter of fact, these free campsites are yours.
Every time you pay federal taxes, you’re contributing to these lands.
Here’s our list of the 20 Best Free Campsites in the USA.
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The biggest lesson we learned about RV depreciation is that, regardless of what ‘blue book’ or estimated values are, all an RV is truly worth is what people are willing to pay for it. That value is highly dependent on not only the economy, but your physical location. Selling in a high volume area like Florida or Arizona? Great. But if you are in a less hot spot area (say Maine like we were) where there is not a high demand and it’s not an easy area for potential buyers to get to, your selling price is highly impacted.
We took a BATH. Just my 2 cents.
There is no world in which you will make money on your RV through a resale.
Ah, but there is Phil. Bought a used Scamp fifth wheel, our first RV, in 2015. Sold it in 2018 for 50% more than we paid for it. And didn’t do any “major” upgrades or anything like that. Just maintained it very well and kept it clean and shiny.
Check out the Leisure motorhomes. High end and very high quality. 1-3 yrs old going for retail new amount, or very close. So some brand definitely do not depreciate much. Leisure probably an exception.