What is YOUR OPINION as to the ideal age of a used MH to buy?

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MollyDog

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May 10, 2015
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...considering depreciation, wear and tear vs nicely broke in, valuable upgrades vs out-dated items, and/or any factors that adds or takes away from many additional years of enjoyment.

Let's assume we aren't considering any with a rubber roof, any that have been abused or wrecked, and any except those with lower mileage.

Let's stick to these time frames and average depreciation based on what was actually paid (not MSRP which normally represents a 30-40% mark up over dealer's actual cost):

A. 1-2 yrs old - 22%
B. 3-5 yrs old - 25-35%
C. 6-7 yrs old - 38-42%
D. 8-10 yrs old - 45-60%
E. 11-20 yrs old- 65-85%

State your ideal balance/choice A through E, with brief reasoning. For instance, one of many trains of thought might be to buy one that is not long out of warranty, assuming that an alert owner would have attended to any and all issues while still under warranty.
 
The biggest obstacle will be financing after 10 years.
Have whatever you are looking at thoroughly inspected.
Look at better quality coaches that have depreciated down to where you can afford them.
Bill
 
Personally I say about 15 years, or more importantly something built after 1996 when the US government mandated the inclusion of the OBD-II diagnostic port as most mechanics now days don't have a clue as to how to diagnose a problem without one.  If shopping Chevy Workhorse gasoline platforms, then post 2001 when the 8.1L Vortec engine was introduced, not only does it output 40 more HP than the 7.4L Vortec, it also has much more sturdy internal construction.  if looking at a Ford gasoline chassis it will be sometime after the PI head 6.8L engine was introduced which I think was 1998 or 99.  If looking at diesels, it comes into much the same age range, but due to a variety of other factors, for example 2001 was the government compliance mandate year for an engine to be able to run on modern Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel, some companies met this requirement early.  Sometime around then there was also the mandate for using bio-diesel compatible seals, hoses, etc in the fuel system, which is important given how many places sell bio diesel blends these days.

p.s. another potential advantage is that fewer people can get financing at this age, so those that can pay cash, or arrange some other form of financing have more buying power.
 
Having owned both new and used RVs, camper, pull trailer, 5th wheel, class C, class A (gas )and now class A diesel.  I can tell you that a class A diesel is the best quality, inside and out, than any other RV I have owned. I bought a new 2013 gas Class A Fleetwood a few years ago and got rid of it after two years. It was so cheaply made, loud and rattled.  Just not fun to drive.  I decided to try the diesel route but could only afford a mid 2000s. 

I bought a 2004 Itasca Horizon for under 65k and still cannot believe the value. The fit and finish is amazing, a real game changer. It doesn't feel like any of my past RVs, it feels like a home.

When I bought my 31' 5th wheel brand new in 2004, I noticed it detiorated so fast over the years, by 2012 everything was breaking or leaking. From the exterior stickers peeling off, to the interior falling apart, it is just not high quality like my diesel pusher.

So I've found that the only time I've seen true quality is with the diesel pushers.

 
Based on depreciation starting to level off and the unit still being young enough to be (relatively) reliable, I'd say 5-7 years  would be ideal. 
 
Frizlefrak said:
Based on depreciation starting to level off and the unit still being young enough to be (relatively) reliable, I'd say 5-7 years  would be ideal.

From what I have seen over the last month, I am leaning toward this also.  It seems a lot of one owner MHs are being sold at the 2010-2012 range, and most seem to be in like new appearance with a good amount of add-ons and upgrades already, plus very low mileage still. The $150k MSRP coaches of that era seem to be going for $50-70k, and are new enough to have all or most of the modern materials and options.  The MHs that are newer than that seem to still approach the $80-100k range and don't seem to offer anything the couple year older ones don't have.  Plus some of the 2-3 yr older ones often have less use and/or miles.  Just gotta look and not be limited to just your area or state.

That is just what I have noticed so far.  By the way, I will be selling my home to go full time, so I will have plenty of money to pay cash.  I don't really want to pay more than needed however, for the remainder will be what I live on these last few years of my time on this planet.  The more the MH costs me, the fewer cruises and breaks away from RVing I will be able to afford.
 
5-8 years would be my prime target range, but I would choose most any age if it delivered the features I wanted and was in excellent condition. I would have no qualms at all buying a 10-15 year old that was well-maintained and suited my wants & needs.
 
Gary Ex-RVer said:
5-8 years would be my prime target range, but I would choose most any age if it delivered the features I wanted and was in excellent condition. I would have no qualms at all buying a 10-15 year old that was well-maintained and suited my wants & needs.

This.

I would rather have a  well maintained and loved 12 old motorhome than a neglected 5 year old unit.
 
I don't think there is a one size fits all answer to this question. It depends on the camping history of the buyer, it is the first RV or the tenth? It depends on how rich the buyer is, filthy or on food stamps. It depends on what the buyer will be using the RV for, full timing on one weekend camping trip per month. It depends on where the buyer lives, east coast or west coast. It depends on the number of campers in the party, solo or large gang. It depends on whether or not the buyer is a DIY guy or needs a warranty.
Edit: Removed political references.
 
SeilerBird said:
I don't think there is a one size fits all answer to this question. It depends on the camping history of the buyer, it is the first RV or the tenth? It depends on how rich the buyer is, filthy or on food stamps. It depends on what the buyer will be using the RV for, full timing on one weekend camping trip per month. It depends on where the buyer lives, east coast or west coast. It depends on the number of campers in the party, solo or large gang. It depends on whether or not the buyer is a DIY guy or needs a warranty.
All that.
Edit: Removed quoted political references.
 
We bought our 94 Fleetwood because we could afford it and it basically had what we wanted (not knowing what we needed exactly). It didn't hurt that it only had one owner before us and was a limited edition 25th anniversary model with relative low miles of 65,000. We have been to numerous RV shows and the models and styles really didn't fit our style and I could tell the construction was subpar on most of them.
 
MollyDog said:
From what I have seen over the last month, I am leaning toward this also.  It seems a lot of one owner MHs are being sold at the 2010-2012 range, and most seem to be in like new appearance with a good amount of add-ons and upgrades already, plus very low mileage still. The $150k MSRP coaches of that era seem to be going for $50-70k, and are new enough to have all or most of the modern materials and options.  The MHs that are newer than that seem to still approach the $80-100k range and don't seem to offer anything the couple year older ones don't have.  Plus some of the 2-3 yr older ones often have less use and/or miles.  Just gotta look and not be limited to just your area or state.

That is just what I have noticed so far.  By the way, I will be selling my home to go full time, so I will have plenty of money to pay cash.  I don't really want to pay more than needed however, for the remainder will be what I live on these last few years of my time on this planet.  The more the MH costs me, the fewer cruises and breaks away from RVing I will be able to afford.

Here is a site to watch, because they have a area that shows what coaches sold for. You can look at floor plans and see what might work for you.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/preowned-motorhomes-rvs.htm?source=google&jt=1&jap=1t1&js=1&jsid=36861&jcpid=8a8ae4cd468849b401468f42e5ee2e3c&jkId=gcp:se_36861:t_kwd-1349867429:ag_6875677719:cp_116283999:n_g:d_c:cr_20815210959:fi_&gclid=CjwKEAjw4IjKBRDr6p752cCUm3kSJAC-eqRt5Ra29KGs63Hxdni_1K7kmzwVPWcmBg8OzJ-xpbN9nhoC4tTw_wcB
Now if you want to look upscale a little you can look heare for some ideas.
http://motorhomesoftexas.com/
But as you haven't told us what you are looking at/fore and what price range it is hard to be more accurate in recommendations.
Bill
 
Well the choice was easy for us. We knew pretty much what we where getting into. A good friend of a friend so we had it easy. We have an 2001 that was always garaged or in a shelter. Now being covered every day when not in use. Oh it has a few small things that need to addressed but over all in good working condition. It does not have any slides in it but with 2 people and a mid size dog I think we will be ok with it. I think the  P/O had the worst of it. He did have some bad luck with it put some $$ in to it. As Gary said if it is old and good shape you should not pass them up if you like the style and comfort of it.
 

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