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Old 01-28-2006, 02:31 AM   #1
Montana_5225
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new vs used unit?

Hi to all MO, my husband and I are preparing to retire and go full timing in our RV. We are in the looking stages of purchasing a new/used unit. In your opinion what is better, getting a used unit that has all the bugs worked out or going with a new unit and praying that you don't have any bugs to work out. I would hate to hit the road with a new unit and have to look for someone to do repairs on the road. Any thoughts on the subject?

Happy RVing
mcarth
 
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Old 01-28-2006, 03:08 AM   #2
jrgwdenner
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Mcarth, I can't recommend buying a new or used rig. It depends on what is available at the time you're looking. I definitely recommend that, if you buy a new one, you buy a year or several months ahead of your takeoff date and then spend a lot of time in the unit before you actually leave on a long trip. We did it this way before leaving on a five month trip to Alaska and we were much better prepared because of that decision.
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Old 01-28-2006, 04:08 AM   #3
Wrenchtraveller
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There is nothing wrong with a good used unit but try to find one. Donna and I spent a lot of time and money looking at used units. If people fry food in an RV it is almost impossible to get that smell out of a unit. I have sold 5 RVs privately because I look after them and most of the time it was the first people that looked at the unit that bought them. We always get compliments how clean our used RVs are and we never fry food indoors. We just maintain the unit and when we sell them I completely detail everything. I throw away the used sewer hose and put a new one in the compartement. The toilet and shower get a lot of detail and the 93 Okanagan we just sold looked like a brand new unit even though we had 100 nights with 2 dogs in there.

I honestly don't know how some people trash their units so badly because some 03 fifth wheels we looked at were very rough inside and we found they wanted not that much less than I paid for my new 06 that comes with a warranty on everything. Good luck in your hunt for a good RV.
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Old 01-28-2006, 04:33 AM   #4
Sunshine
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Can't really give any advice. We were lucky enough to find a used Montana that was in very good condition. I guess it depends on your budget, what model you decide you like, and what's available at the time you are ready to buy. Good luck in your search - it's kind of like house hunting, you'll know when you find the right one.
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Old 01-28-2006, 04:42 AM   #5
Bill Frisbee
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My basic philosophy when purchasing a car, truck, or RV is to shop first for dealers that stand behind the products they sell, have a solid reputation for customer service, employ talented and dedicated teams of mechanics, and (above all) have earned reputations for honest and fair dealing. We were fortunate to find a Montana dealer that met those qualifications and have not been disappointed.

With due respect for Wrenchtraveller (who I suspect is the exception rather than the rule), I also have a bias against used units (cars, trucks, RVs) unless the units were originally purchased from and serviced by the dealer who is selling them - a dealer who meets the above criteria. I want to be able to see a complete, unabridged history of the unit and any problems it may have encountered from service people I trust. In general, however, I prefer to purchase a new unit along with extended warranty coverage. I like to purchase exactly what we want and not be concerned about unexpected "financial hits" if and when mechanical or other problems develop. As an old USAF aircraft maintenance officer, I am an experienced victim of the old "two-rule" maxim:

Rule #1: despite the best efforts of mice and men, machines sometimes break

Rule #2: there is nothing you can do to alter Rule #1.

Bill
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Old 01-28-2006, 04:55 AM   #6
Wrenchtraveller
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Bill, as a millwright I certainly agree with you 100 % on machinery breaking and this is what keeps me working and my phone ringing in the middle of the night.

The different Paper mills I have worked in all have preventive maintenance programs and these do help but no question, stuff still breaks down unexpectedly and it always will. Take care.
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Old 01-28-2006, 04:58 AM   #7
RADHAZJOE
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I agree with all the above comments. It took us 10 months to work out 98% of the bugs, but now that that is done, life is wonderful.

If at all possibe, go on a lot of shake down crusies, run all systems, inspect stuff again and again, and GET an EXTENDED Warrenty. It pays for on line service calls when Keystone and/or your dealer won't or are not available.

I was pretty frustrated with Keystone in the beginning, but I have found out the entire RV industry has similiar service problems and Keystone actually is better than most. Out Dealer has been outstanding but he does need prodding on occasion. That is Dixie RV Superstore in Newport News, VA.
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Old 01-28-2006, 08:10 AM   #8
dsprik
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We have looked for used 3400RLs. Very unsuccessful time spent. Looked valiantly for days on the internet and calling dealers. No luck. Then we tried expanding our model range and found some. But the prices on used Montanas forced us to lose patience and finally give up. We are ordering a new one.

Montanas are the leading selling 5th wheel, and the 3400RL is the best selling model in the Montana line. If a used 3400 comes into a dealer, it goes out almost immediately - unless it's totally trashed. Anyone ever see several used 3400s sitting on a dealers lot, like some of these other brands do??? I didn't think so...
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Old 01-28-2006, 10:32 AM   #9
richfaa
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In our area is is difficult to find a Montana of any kind.We rarely see one let alone a used one.We did however do the Used Rv thing and if you look long enough and hard enough you CAN find a good unit. sometimes at a very good price.If your budget does not allow a new unit take your time and you will find one...Just my opinion but the best ones we saw were from private owners.Laid off, Hard times, death of spouse, Just quit camping.
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Old 01-28-2006, 11:24 AM   #10
Joyce H
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We traded in our 2003 3295RK for our current unit in October at Camper City in Buford, GA. We have no pets, are not smokers, and never fried anything indoors. We also did all our steamed seafood outdoors. When we traded the unit the dealership was amazed. They said it looked like we had never used it even though we explained we had spent a total of about 16 accumalative months in the unit. Maybe we should have tried to sell it ourselves, but we went back to the deaqler we had purchased from and traded enroute south for the winter. By the looks of these posts it is probably already sold, but you may want to check if you are interested in this floorplan. We had no major problems with the unit just wanted a newer one with a few additional options. You may want to check with Jeff Wright at Camper City 770-945-2435. Good luck in your search.
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Old 01-28-2006, 01:44 PM   #11
Northstar
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I would suggest buying new coach. That way you can break your coach in the way you want. Later on you won't have any surprises. Welcome and good luck.
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Old 01-28-2006, 01:59 PM   #12
Montana Sky
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In my opinion I would say buy what you feel comfortable with. I had a used car once, and that thing cost me more to maintain than the monthly payment would have been on a new one. For my personal feelings, I would rather have a new rig with full factory warranty and get a few problems fixed before I head out. I do not think it is going to matter if you buy new or used, they are both going to have some problems along the way, just depends on who you want to pay to fix them. The factory warranty or extended warranty or ones check book.
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Old 01-28-2006, 10:29 PM   #13
stiles watson
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All the comments made reflect the experiences and/or opinions of the folks who made them. All of us can only give you anecdotal information. So my experience has shown me that one can find a pre-enjoyed unit for a significant savings.

The unit we bought was well maintained by a meticulous aeronautic engineer and ex-fighter pilot. This Big Sky unit looked like it came off the showroom floor after 18 months of fulltiming. It had many additional bells and whistles that the guy had added to the unit, i.e., second A/C unit and stacked washer/dryer units. The TV only had 45000 miles which is nothing on a diesel engine. It also had been maintained with the same care. Before delivering the truck to us, he mounted four new tires of quality and replaced the batteries, fuel filter, and had it serviced.

We were able to purchase this entire package for about half the combined cost of the rig if it had been bought new at a fair price. New would not have had the upgrades which I estimated at $3000 or better.

A seven-year extended transferable warranty with 5.5 remaining years was included and he paid the transfer fee. The only problem we have had was to replace the front landing leg motor and gearbox. Even though I was a second owner, the manufacturer of the motor covered it under the original warranty provisions and even upgraded it to the high capacity unit.

I found it one day looking through internet advertizing. My first thought was, "What is wrong with it?" We traveled 300 miles the next day to see it and after going over it thoroughly, we bought it on the spot ahead of two other buyers due to come the next day.

My conclusion is that under the right conditions, you can buy a quality pre-owned unit and save considerable funds that can be used on the road or for additional upgrades without taking undue or foolhearty risks.
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Old 01-29-2006, 01:22 AM   #14
old turbo
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If you buy new take some shakedown cruises and get familair with the unit. I would not buy an extended warranty on the date of purchase because it is no good until the factory warranty expires.You wind up giving an insurance company your money for a year and they wind up getting your money and a year of free interest on your money. It takes time to find a good used unit,sometimes you can find a unit that is a year old and never used.Be a smart buyer on a year old or never used unit when dealing with a salesperson. Find a price that you will pay. Never act like you really like a unit,take some cards with your name and phone number on them,tell the salesperson if they are interested in selling, call you back.Good Luck.
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Old 01-29-2006, 05:11 AM   #15
HamRad
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There are some really good deal out there on used rigs. Don't discard that idea. Often the $$$$ you save by going used will be more than enough to compensate for any work that may need to be done. And if you are "handi" with tools and like doing stuff yourself then again you can save a lot. If you're not in a hurry just start checking out used rigs. Of course it helps if you are mechanically inclined so you can check out the important features underneath the rig. You do need to know or know someone who does know what to look for. In my case I'm lucky. My brother lives relatively near and is great at all that sort of thing. He keeps me straight on all that mechanical stuff. More importantly when we fix something we KNOW it has been fixed. We're not just guessing. There is some real "ease of mind" in knowing.

If you're in a hurry or if you just can't find a decent rig. Then by all means go with a new one. We looked for about 3 years off and on and had a hard time finding a decent used rig with the features we wanted. So we ended up going the new route. Now we would be able to find what we're looking for since there are so many well taken care of Montanas out there.

Good luck and please let us know what you end up deciding.

HamRad
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Old 01-29-2006, 06:42 AM   #16
campbud
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I think that you can find a good used unit. It just may take alot of hunting, but it will be well worth it in the end. In a way it will be like house hunting...some will be terrible kept and others will be in perfect condition. More important it has to fit your budget so that you to will enjoy it. Good Luck
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Old 01-29-2006, 03:16 PM   #17
Montana_4221
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mcarth,
Welcome to the forum and good luck in your search.

We traded a great 5th wheel when we bought our new 3295rk. It was a 2005 Holiday Rambler Savoy that was bought new in 2004. This unit looked nicer than the 2006 models that they had coming in. We upgraded primarily because Diana has back problems and was having difficulty being comfortable in a smaller unit like that. The couple that bought it got a great deal on that unit so I know that there are deals out there.

Take your time and look. You may want to walk through some that have been trashed. It won't take you long to get to where you can identify the smoker's unit or one that hasn't been maintained.

People sell them for different reasons. All pre-owned units are not bad.

Again welcome to the forum.
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Old 01-29-2006, 04:29 PM   #18
fulltimedreamer
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We have purchased two used units and two new units. We were pleased with all of them. Each time they have been a little larger. I sold the first two myself and traded the third. You just have to do the math and check the used ones for any hidden problems and a good PDI on the new ones doesn't hurt either.
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Old 01-30-2006, 02:44 AM   #19
Wordsmith
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I think it really comes down to level of comfort. If the dealer from whom you purchase a unit stands behind it with warranty concerns, which there always appear to be some, then that is something to consider. A good dealer is paramount. We bought used, but the unit had only been used half a dozen times and looked and smelled like new. Honestly, we found a good unit at a good price, though of course not having a warranty was a chance we had to take.
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Old 01-30-2006, 05:10 AM   #20
drhowell
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As everyone has already pointed out there are pros and cons to any purchase. It really comes down to you and if you are comfortable with your purchase. Probably the best advice whether it is new or used, you need to do shake down trips to get the bugs out and learn your units hidden issues.

We were not looking at full timing when we upgraded our 27' single slide Wildwood to a used 2001 3280RL. I started my search on-line and researched market prices for new vs used. Since we only use the RV 6 weeks in 12 months I couldn't justify spending $50,000 for a new unit. I was leaning toward Montana and narrowed my search to a used unit in the 30' range. Every time I located a Montana within 500 miles it would be sold before I could contact them. I finally found one that was still available about 300 miles from home and immediately went to look at it. It wasn't clean or like new but it had some possibilities. I made a list of every possible issue and the estimated cost for me to make the repairs. I included replacement costs for all the furniture and mattress. I spent hours on MOC looking for information and advice. I finally made an offer ($22,000) that I could live with and they accepted. I have owned the unit approximately one year and am extremely happy with the purchase. Ended up spending about $2,000 to bring it up to like new condition (even better than new with upgrades). I expect to keep this unit for a few years and when we can justify more on the road time probably will upgrade to a new Montana. In the mean time we are enjoying our Montana with our grandkids.

Enjoy your quest and good luck in your purchase.
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