Recreational Van for Your Summer Trips: Buy New or Buy Used?

Used or New: Which way to buy a Recreational Van

Nothing is as valuable as the time spent with pals and siblings. Most of us don't realize it until you have a full-time job that's threatening to eat up all our time, or you're solo because loneliness is the only friend you know.

Spending quality time with loved ones is an excellent chance to forget everything else-- and pitching camp outdoors, away from home, can make the moments even more memorable.

Comfort and survival are your priorities when planning a family recreation or scavenging the wilderness with buddies. No wonder most people buy a recreational van or, at the least, get a used one.
 

Recreational Vans: More than Just Transport

A recreational van is more than just a means of transport to travel to your camping site. It can serve as the resting area when you're not outside hunting.

RVs can also provide ample cooking space when it's too wet to make a fire outside. And, of course, they can make a comfortable sleep zone for the crew.

When out in the wild, an RV serves as your center of operation. In essence, you purchase a home away from home when you buy a recreational van.

A recreational vehicle also eases the packing and preparation process and carries everything you need for your trip.

With that in mind, you want to check all the features to get the best coach for your vacation trips. Plus, you want to consider the best purchase option. With an RV, you can go three different ways;
 

1. Buy a new RV get a zero mileage van from a vehicle dealership.
2. Hire a recreational van lease a camper van for the vacation period. You only pay the hiring fee and cater for fuel expenses; the owner does all repair and maintenance.
3. Buy a used/refurbished RV purchase a refurbished or used recreational vehicle from a registered used-car seller.

With all these RV alternatives, you cannot be spoilt for options when searching for a companion to the wilderness.

Each approach has its pros and cons, so buyers must dig down to the facts before deciding which way to go.

This article will focus on "buying new" versus "buying used" and highlight each's benefits and demerits to help you make an informed decision.
 

Which Way to Buy a Recreational Van: New or Refurbished

RVs are things of beauty and the best places to be with your friends and family during recreation. But it isn't easy to decide whether to buy new or used, especially if you want something sleek on a tight budget.

Image Alt Tag: Buy a Recreational Van for fun

Still, you can't turn down a little financial advice even if you had the dollars to throw on any new RV. Yet refurbished coaches are also receiving bad publicity for one or two valid reasons. However, those who are spreading the word that secondhand types are a no-no haven't had firsthand experience with these tracks.

Anyhow, whichever decision you make, there's always a downside to deal with and a positive side to enjoy. Let's go through the different pros and cons of the two RV purchase options we have:
 

Advantages and Downsides of the new purchase

Are you considering the new buy, or are you stretching your budget too much to make it? Well, most people fear buying used RVs for fear of inheriting a faulty vehicle, so they opt for a brand-new van. Well and good, there is a list of advantages of making the new buy, but there are some downsides you probably don't know of.
 

The Advantages

Here are some of the pros of buying a new recreational vehicle for the next trip with the love of your life.
 

1. A spanking new Interior: It exhilarates to buy a recreational van; the aesthetics and cleanliness stun the eye. After all, no one else has been in it.
    
2. Warranty: You also get a 1 to 2-year warranty so that the manufacturer addresses anything that goes a mess. However, it would help if you dug deep to find out which dealers offer quick and responsive warranty service.
    

Maybe that's all you can get if you buy a recreational van. Will its downsides below outweigh these positives?
 

The Downsides

Buying new is an excellent idea, but you want to watch out for the following loopholes.

1. Buying a new RV is bank-breaking: Let's face it; you lose a lot of money purchasing a new RV that begins to lose value as soon as you drive it off the store. Even if you sell it later, the buying and selling price gap will still be too broad.
    
2. Little breakdowns lead to multiple warranty visits: Warranties are excellent, but with a new RV, you seem to get small faults within the first year. These faults may get you visiting the dealer multiple times. It can be very off-putting to have minor breakdowns in your top dollar RV.
    

Advantages and Downsides of a Used RV

According to many savvy owners (new and used), used coaches are still a wiser purchase. Their RV experiences reveal that it makes more sense to buy a used recreational vehicle instead of a new one. Discover some benefits of secondhand RVs.
 

The Advantages

1. You save money: Cost remains the bottom line when making this comparison. Used coaches will save you tens or even hundreds of thousands. Plus, affordability here doesn't come at the expense of quality. You can find refurbished RVs and others that have only been in use for 1 to 3 years. In other words, you save a lot of money and still get pretty much what a brand-new coach-owner gets if you buy from a reputable dealer.
    
2. An upgraded RV: Having gone through the many year-one problems, the previous owners had made different upgrades and fixes that may cost you extra dollars or get you making several warranty visits. Your new RV may not come with upgrades like up-to-date technology or solar panels and satellite dishes for extra comfort out of doors.
    

But these coaches, like their new counterparts, come with a few disadvantages to owners.
 

The Downsides

1. A hasty purchase can be costly and annoying: Used RVs, if hastily bought, can be the start of all troubles in your home. Previous owners sometimes fail to disclose some damages or necessary repairs during the purchase. You only realize you have a lot of fixing to do when you've closed the deal and driven your coach home.
    

Counter this downside: You can always avoid making this mistake by requesting to thoroughly inspect the RV before you part with your hard-earned dollars.
 

1. Can be costly if not carefully bought: While you can save some cash purchasing refurbished, you could end up paying in the skies for it. Perhaps the owner just made some costly upgrades and is looking to recover the money out of the sale, or a broker/sales agent is only charging a high price to get extra money out of the deal.
   
   Counter this downside: Do not fall for the praises the seller utters. Assume that the extra touches are just part of the coach lest you end up paying a fortune just for the final touches. Before choosing to buy a recreational van, be sure to do thorough research on market prices.
    
2. You don't have a warranty: Refurbished or used RVs do not automatically come with a warranty. But you can always purchase a separate warranty package depending on where you buy the coach. The cost of this still doesn't compare to a new purchase.
    

Counter this downside: Buy as low as possible, keeping in mind that you will need to buy a separate warranty.
 

In a nutshell

RVs are things of beauty and the best places to be with your friends and family during recreation. Comfort and survival are your priorities when going for relaxation or scavenging the wilderness with buddies. No wonder most people buy a recreational van or, at the least, get a used one.

Both purchases are okay depending on your pocket or preference as the buyer or as a family. Only, in the end, those who buy a recreational van realize that used coaches still offer the same luxury, comfort, and usability new RVs provide; sometimes even more. So, instead of waiting to look at your RV as a waste of money years later, get a better deal now in exchange for exceptional quality.

Concentrate on researching before deciding on a used RV. It helps you get the best price; you reduce chances of purchasing a troublesome coach, and you get referred to up to only one-year-old RVs. Purchasing coaches we've driven in before or from the people we know is also a good idea because you can negotiate a fair deal and that the coach does not have severe repair and maintenance needs.