I see the question of buying a new or used RV on social media quite frequently. I am writing this article to capture my thoughts and research on the topic. Ultimately, it is a personal decision that the buyer(s) will have to make. However, being informed can help you make the best decision for your needs and desires.
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COST
The first factor, most of the time, is the price. There is no doubt that a used RV will be less than a new one. Just like anything on wheels, an RV will depreciate very quickly once it is driven off the lot. According to a New York Times article, the average new RV loses 25% – 40% of its value almost immediately. They also report that good brands hold their values for the next two years, but drop after that and be worth 35% – 50% of their original values after 5 years.
Depreciation
Here’s a comparison from the NADA guide of four 2019 RV models: a 5th wheel/toy hauler, a diesel class A, a class C, and a travel trailer. The used price is the national average used sales price in 2021.
| RV | Price New 2019 | Used Price 2021 |
| 2019 Heartland Cyclone 4200 | $101,577 | $59,900 |
| 2019 Tiffin Phaeton 36GH | $310,697 | $227,250 |
| 2019 Winnebago Aspect M-30J-Ford | $109,991 | $80,600 |
| 2019 Keystone RV Cougar Series M-29 RBK | $38,085 | $23,850 |
The depreciation over two years for the 4 RVs averaged 33%. The 5th wheel/toy hauler had the highest depreciation at 41%. The diesel class A and the class C, both had a depreciation of about 27%.
Dealer Discounts
To offset the depreciation a little, many dealers will discount below the suggested retail price. Sometimes you can get large discounts on new RVs at RV shows such as the one in Hershey, PA, and the RV Super Show in Tampa, FL. Many times these discounts can add up to several thousand dollars, but you have to be patient and seek out the deals. You can also get discounts off of the suggested prices of used RVs, but often they will not be as significant as the discounts on new RVs.
Availability
Numerous reports, and my personal experience in buying our RV, indicate that many people trade in or sell their RVs after the first 2 years of ownership. This leaves a lot of RVs available in that sweet spot of depreciation of 2-3 years old. Many will be only slightly used and in great shape.
Condition of New and Used
Most people think that a new RV will not have any problems. That is definitely not the case. I know that in our first year after purchase, we had a lot of warranty work done. We also fixed a lot of minor things ourselves to avoid the hassle. These vehicles are assembled in a “factory” and then put on the road to travel at highway speeds and through rough campground roads. Anything that was not tightened down or had faulty parts should be discovered in that first year. Many dealers will recommend taking that weekend “shake-down” cruise to discover any immediate problems. Needless to say, the first year of owning a new RV requires patience and consistent inspection and repair. Especially since you want to take advantage of the original warranty, and identify any issues before it expires.
With a slightly used, 2 year-old, RV, the problems with the manufacturing should be resolved. This will leave you with only routine maintenance, assuming the RV was taken care by the previous owners. If you are not buying it from a reputable dealer that performs a thorough inspection, take it to someone who will. This will allow you to identify many of the problems before you decide to purchase.
Our Experience
We looked for many years before purchasing our RV. I still feel like we made a mistake. We purchased a new 2015 Heartland Cyclone 4200. The first year was just as I described above. We had several items that needed repair, tightening down, or replacing during the first several months. We even lived in the maintenance bay at the dealership for a few days while they performed warranty work. As we sit today, our RV is worth 41% less than when we bought it but is still in fantastic shape as you can see in this video. We take good care of it and make sure all of the maintenance is performed. It is in almost the same condition as it was when we purchased it, but the market value has dropped by almost half. I would purchase it used today for the recommended price and feel good about the deal.
It’s Up to You
In the end, it comes down to personal feelings and convictions. I know there are some that will never want to put their butt on the same toilet as someone else or sleep in a bed that has been slept in by someone else. For them, purchasing new is worth the peace of mind. Also, the fear of something going wrong with a used RV (especially without a warranty) is a factor for some. There is no need to judge anyone’s reasons for their purchasing decisions. It is how they feel about it that matters.
For us, if we ever buy another RV, we’ve decided to seek out a 2-year-old diesel class A. We will be sure to get it thoroughly inspected before the purchase. The drop in value those first two years is just not worth it to us when we know that many of these trade-ins have not been used very much.
Want to Learn More?
If you’d like to learn more about saving for your RV purchase, budgeting for the RV lifestyle, earning an income on the road, and minimizing expenses on RV travel check out our book Full-Time RV Finance (available on Amazon).
Why would you get a motor home if you decide to purchase another RV? Just curious. Karrie
We’re not sure yet. There are things we love about both. We love the feel of the fifth wheel when we are parked, but it would be nice to have a car instead of a truck to drive around town. If we got a motorhome, it would be the Tiffin Phaeton. However, it is much more expensive than even the high end fifth wheels, and we’re not sure we want to spend that much money. We’ve looked and other motorhomes and the Tiffin Phaeton is the only one we’d consider over our fifth wheel.
Take a hard look at the Winnebago Forza 38R we bought ours over the Phaeton, we did not want all the wood up grades. bigger engine ( but a Banks Water/Methanol system push a button and 1700 more Horses and about 400 ft pounds the cost about $1600 plus install) Cummings engine, Allison Trans, and Freightliner chassis. for about have the cost of a Phaeton,
Love this timing! We were actually looking at Forza’s this week!
Why would you get a motor home if you decide to purchase another RV? Just curious. Karrie
We are still undecided if our next RV will be a motor home or another fifth wheel. We do know it will likely be something around 36′. We really like the Tiffin Phaeton, but they are so expensive to us.
We are not full time, but so far we have bought new, and sold the first 2: 1990 (in 1989) Alpine Light Camper 9′ (resold at 80% purchase price in 1995), 1994 Travel Trailer with Slide (purchased 2003 end of season don’t remember brand, sold in 2005, 55% of value; hubby did live in this one for 24 months for work). Currently own 2008 Komfort Travel Trailer 24′ with slide; and is still in excellent shape, well okay needs new batteries. First 2 we started looking for used ones. MOST were open door, and immediately turn around and “nope”, didn’t even look inside. Don’t know if it is the area we live in or what. Obviously good used RV’s are available, see above. But you can’t be picky on floor plans and those that are available get grabbed in private sales very quickly. Both the ones we sold went within days of placing the Ad. Your mileage may vary.
I’m glad you had good luck with your resales. I have seen a lot of comments from people on Facebook who really have to search hard to find the best “used” RVs.
Thanks for the tip about checking whether the used RV one will buy has routine maintenance history in order to avoid getting more money out just to get it back into working shape. If I were to sell an RV, I would not only get a printed list of its maintenance history but have an expert help out in selling it. That way, one can identify parts to be fixed before the sell and know the right price that can get one’s return of investment on it.
Great advice!
Thank you for pointing out that when it comes to buying an RV you need to get what is best for you. My husband and I are wanting to buy an RV and need to find the best one for us. Hopefully, we can do some research and find the right RV to travel the country in.
I like that you mentioned that an older RV will most likely have the beginning issues taken care of. My brother loves camping and he wants to invest in a fifth wheel, but he couldn’t decide if he wanted to buy used or new. In my opinion, he should be a used fifth wheel.
I always say buying an Rv is like buying a house you have to turn into a home. There is no perfect RV. You have to find one that has potential. Have a list of must haves and wants. Buy the right RV for your lifestyle and budget not for anyone else. If they want to come visit you’ll make room or they can get a hotel.