Best time of year to buy?

[bassin_man]

In your opinion what is he best time of year to buy? Does it make a difference if it's new or used?

[Bass Junkie]

I bought my last one at an RV show in the late spring. The show allows you to look at a lot of different brands and models from different dealers in one locale and they are all discounted to a certain extent. They will act like if they mark them down any lower you will be taking food out of their kids mouths but I assure they can still wiggle on the price some. I got mine for a couple thousand below the "show price" and they acted like it was already marked down so slow I was stealing it.....whatever. I did talk to a different sales guy later and he said I did in fact get a really nice price on it. I know I looked at another brand with the same features and construction and it was about $7,000 more "show price".

[Bass AHolic]

Actually almost dead of winter to buy, after deer hunting season over and before fishing season starts. Used look for estate sales, where the parents did RV'd trips. Never buy a used one just been sitting in some ones back yard and granny or Uncle Josh lived in for years. Be diligent about roofs and condition.. Rubberized Roofs the worst for water leaks. Do a search for rubberized roof leaks in a search engine and the damage. p.s look on florida craigs lists for RV's for ideas etc.. Elephants Grave Yards, so to speak.. they grow old and nursing home and eventually Die and the kids sell em off for the $. And lot of them live in them there as Housing is sky high

[rustedhooks]

I would buy in late fall/winter, and also look at any last years holdovers. You can get some really good deals. I would be leary of buying used, unless I knew the owner personally. Be prepared to eat alot of depreciation on new one though.

[Bamaman]

I bought my new fifth wheel in August--next model year. We made a commitment to use it often which is a lifestyle change many are not willing to make.

If you are a first time RV buyer, look for late model used units where the family never committed to the RV lifestyle. Or where the owner got sick or died. Hopefully any problems they may have had.have been fixed and you will have many years usage left. Let others Take the big deprecation hit.

[bassin_man]

If we go travel trailer it will probably be new. If we go 5th wheel it will probably be used due to the increased cost difference.

[BigSexyPhoenix]

Markup on RV's is huge. The MSRP that they will show you can vary from dealer to dealer and it's not uncommon to get 30 percent off of the MSRP price that they will show on the price sheet.

[SCfisher]

IMO..go used, you can find tons of nice used campers that have hardly been used. Lots of folks buy thinking they will use it every weekend and then use it 3 times in two years. Let someone else take the hit on the price. Also alot of times they will leave it with everything they bought for it(wheel chocks, extra tv's, rugs, sewer hoses, etc).

[riverc]

IMO..go used, you can find tons of nice used campers that have hardly been used. Lots of folks buy thinking they will use it every weekend and then use it 3 times in two years. Let someone else take the hit on the price. Also alot of times they will leave it with everything they bought for it(wheel chocks, extra tv's, rugs, sewer hoses, etc).

Yes used is a good way to go.But without a good inspection you could also be buying somebody else's problem.

[SCfisher]

Yeah, anyone should hook it up and let you check everything out before buying. Good luck on finding the right one for you!

[randy_almeida]

I bought my new camper around memorial day when the dealership started receiving the new 2018 models. They had a few 2017's on the lot when the 2018's came in. I looked around the country to find a dealership that was dumping the older models and had my local dealership price match.

[Bamaman]

Recreational vehicles are like the marine business in that it's a 6 month business where most sales are made from February until August. Chances are any leftover inventory this time of the year will be sitting on their lot drawing wholesale interest payments. It's better to cut the price to move'em rather than spend a bunch of money for interest and insurance over a long Fall and Winter.

The RV shows start up in October in many parts of the country and some go as late as April. A large big city RV show is a great place to buy if you're going new.