That should be part of a normal Pre-Delivery Inspection by the tech. I never found leaks on anything done by the factory, but they were common place on units with repairs done by owners.

 

 

I would have bought the last one I bought first !! Prob was I wasn't making the salary I was when I bought the Arctic Fox.

 

My wife thinks I should only buy used RV's because her hair stylist only buys used RV's. Yeah, that's what I'm up against.

My toy hauler was 10 years old when I bought it. It came from my brother's best friend so I was confident that I was getting the straight poop on what issues the trailer might have. There were a couple issues that he didn't know about. The most serious was that the crossmembers holding the fresh water tank were bent.

If I were to buy used again I would have to spend a LOT of time going through the trailer. A thorough service record would be good to see. I'm thinking that my next one will be ordered (new) because I'm going to be very picky about features. I doubt that I'll find one on the lot configured to my specifications.

 

Made me laugh. Both because it's funny, but understandable.

Dave

 

Awesome tips guys really appreciated

 

Went to the large RV shows and really liked the Cougar 327 RES, Well built and everything we needed. Local dealer was a ***** and no way I would ever buy from or have warranty work done by them. Im one of those people that would most definitely pay less for something without a warranty, Maybe my area but to get something fixed right is very difficult. Anyways bought from a large online dealer and had it delivered. Did a quick inspection in the driveway before I took delivery and went to work. Its been one of the best experiences I have had on a larger purchase. I think it was petes RV and I will buy from them again, even the driver was super nice and I would request him also. MSRP was 62k the local dealer was asking MSRP and would not budge. We paid $35k delivered out the door, 3 years latter and we could sell it for that we paid. It didn't make cense to buy a used camper for what we got a new one.

 

Wow, that's a heck of a discount! Thanks for the tip.

 

Search some of the RV owners forums and read on the likes and dislikes from actual owners, problems ,etc.
Fill EVERY holding tank with water to check for leaks. Empty holding tanks
Any organized Rv'er will have good records of maintenance.
Have trailer fully set up for a PDI ( pre delivery inspection) , Lists are usually available on RV owners forum.

Best of luck in your search!

 

We bought our Cougar High Country from Pete's RV in Burlington VT. They also have one in Indiana and ours was delivered from there. We paid about $32K with a TT trade in, but hard to say exactly as we also had rails, hitch and Reese Sidewinder installed, but MSRP was close to $52K. Pete's has been great for warranty work including getting Keystone to warranty broken steps 2 years later.
What would I do different? The wife actually bought the fiver as I was tapped out with mortgage and bills. She went 15 year financing to get the payments low and that was a mistake. 7 years of payments and we are seriously underwater. In retrospect, I would have subsidized her with a 10 year. However, we make repairs, do maintenance and we have years of RVing ahead.

 

The wife and I won't have anything other than a rear kitchen, seems they have more storage and counter space. The next fifth wheel I buy, I also want a bedroom slide out that has a real queen size mattress. Imma getting kind of tired of having my ankles hanging off the end of the bed!

 

Avoid any and all Trailer or 5th Wheels that use a Lippert Frame. You can fix Refrigerators and A/C's. Pretty hard to fix an inferior frame.

 

I had to chuckle at this. When I was looking at new toy haulers, a Lippert frame was a definite negative and moved that trailer lower down the list.

 

My first trailer was used. It was a really nice bumper pull. We learned a lot with it like how important to us the opposed living slides with an island was, how much maintenance can cost, what worked and didn't work for my family, etc. We bought it for 20K and sold it a year and a half later for 18k. The original owner paid closer to 40k. With what we learned we went out and bought a brand new trailer. We would probably have gone used again but the floorplan we liked is very scarce on the used market and we were ready to place an order.

I would recommend buying what you think you want used. Odds are you will sell it in 1-2 years and then with what you have learned get another trailer that suits your needs. At that point you can go new if you want because you are going to know a lot more then than you do now.

Also, if you have to get a new tow vehicle at the same time, get the trailer first. Don't be like my granddad and get an F250 at a good deal, then turn around and get a DRV Mobile Suites at a good deal only to find out the dealer was full of crap and the empty weight of your new trailer is too much for your hitch, and your truck, and that is before adding a single piece of gear. Once you know the trailer, you will know what kind of truck you need.

 

I have bought used, but my last two campers were bought new. It is nice to own something that a previous owner hasn't jacked up with his idea of cool mods. It's very common to find extra lights and outlets simply tapped into existing wiring without regard to load or purpose.
A lot of people purchase new at (or very near) MSRP then try to sell or trade two or three years later only to find they are upside down on their loan. Smart shopping with modest negotiation skills can net a price reduction that will negate any depreciation in value the first few years.
Very few people purchase their last camper first, plan on selling or trading yours in the next 5 years.
MSRP is really a worthless value. In order to truly negotiate a realistic price, ask to see the dealer's invoice. I deliver campers to dealers and have taken the opportunity to look at the invoice accompanying the camper I am transporting. It is surprising what the factory charges the dealer for and how much they charge.
The value of used campers varies with age. Some depreciate very quickly while others hold their value very well due to market demand and availability. The Forest River Aviator is a good example. Relatively few units were ever made, and while early purchasers paid a premium, later buyers got a huge discount. However, the prices stay pretty high because they are, in fact, very good units and highly coveted.
The best way to arrive at a price for a used camper is to shop that model, taking note of the average asking price and, where available, the actual selling price. You are then armed to negotiate your best deal.
The best way to inspect a camper is to operate every single device/appliance. Of course, this only proves that a given item worked when you tested it. They can all quit any time without warning. Make sure everything works before you take possession, or that you have some kind of agreement concerning non-functioning items. I would take note of the appearance of the underside of the camper, then fill the water tank full. Make sure it doesn't sag under there. Operate the water pump. Check the water heater. If it has electric, fill it and turn on the element, you should feel warm water within 20 or 30 minutes. Turn on the propane water heater and make sure that part lights properly too. Test the heater, air conditioner (hard to do if it's freezing outside), television antenna and amplifier. Make sure the slide(s) operate smoothly. Check all lights. Look for leaks under sinks, shower, and around the water heater. Make sure the seal on the toilet valve holds water. If it leaks out odor from the black tank can enter the bathroom. Finally, pressure test the camper. There are several youtube videos on DIY pressure testing.
The best warranty option is the one that leaves the most money in your pocket. There are several books available that make RV maintenance and repair pretty easy. There's a document floating around the 'net called "The 12 volt Side of Life", it's free and priceless. These things are basically aluminum, wood, paper, staples and glue. It's not rocket science.
Definitely avoid Camping World. Unless you really like wasting your time, money and being treated like crap.
Best Dealer is kind of subjective. Like all people, they have their good and bad days. Some are better than others, but none are perfect. My last dealer was almost perfect. I bought the camper and left. It was perfect until he started sending me emails that they had some really good deals I should know about.
If you are mechanically challenged, don't take your repairs to a dealership. They are dealers, not repairers, otherwise they'd be called repairerships.... or something like that. The point is, there are lots of independent repair techs that will come to you and repair your camper in a single day for a reasonable price. Most (if not all) are even able to complete warranty work.
The rig you choose is going to be largely influenced by cost. This is why there are so many different models to choose from, otherwise they'd all have welded and glued aluminum superstructures with Adzel siding and 10 inch 'I' beam frames with painted exteriors.
Find the floor plan that works for you the best and then start shopping for price. Naturally, you don't always get what you pay for, but you will always pay for what you get!