Buying private vs. new. Pro's and con's?

[kfreedman]

We are interested in a relatively new 17B, but also considering a new model. There are some obvious pro's and con's regarding wait time and price.
Do people have comments regarding the lack of warranty that would be a "con" for a private sale?
Any obvious areas that should be inspected on even a "perfect condition" trailer?
The trailer is only 6 months old.
Thanks!

[MrLynn]

Is Escape's warranty not transferrable?

[kfreedman]

From the Escape site:
"Escape Trailer Industries (‘ETI’) warranty covers this recreational vehicle (‘RV’) for a period of two (2) years from the date of purchase by the first retail owner. "

Not sure if that means it only covers the first retail owner, or is just the start date for a warranty that might be transferred.

We have sent questions to Escape so should get clarification early next week.

[Rossue]

Dometic doesn't allow their Fridge Warranty to transfer:
https://www.dometic.com/extranet/doc...ty-_-62300.pdf

Airxcell does.
https://www.airxcel.com/docs/default...rsn=5ff50e6b_4

[Eggscape]

For me it would come down to the price.
The 2 year warranty goes by so fast that most stuff will work for that long.
If you have not ordered yet then the price could go up several times before you get a new trailer as the price is not locked in right away.
You are a distance away so transportation cost is also a factor to save on.
Look at the tires and make sure there is no abnormal tire wear which could indicate a bad axle.
Life is also short...start your adventures as soon as you can. I am so glad I retired at 45 instead of 65.

[reetired]

Someone’s got a newer 17B in Mesa.. almost 10K more than their build sheet. Some may pay for and get their trailer without the lengthy wait.

Fine tooth comb even on the “perfect condition” trailer, which would also include a new one right from ETI and then have someone else who doesn’t have an interest in it..go over it! It all depends on what YOUR comfortable with.

Warranty “first retail owner” is huge..get the clarification in writing.

[Bobbie54]

I bought my 15A used and my 17b new. Used: pros are everything worked (someone else had been using and keeping it running and had dealt with any recalls.) Price was lower (not necessarily true now.) No worries about first ding! No major faults or a previous owner would have corrected them. Condition was great. Bought my 17b new. Pros- got what I wanted in options that I missed in the 15A and left out what I didn't want. Warranty?? nope, wasn't worth much, no major problems that were covered until the stove was finally recalled, no help at all with minor ones. I had to do my own tweaking of anything that didn't work quite right. Pro, got my choices in upholstery and floor and counter and colors. Paperwork was slightly easier.

So my take is buy used if it has what you want or what you want is easily added. Buy new if you want it a specific way and it isn't that way now and changing would not be easy and maybe not even possible. If price is higher than new, go for new and get what you want.

[lonewolfjb]

Originally Posted by kfreedman

We are interested in a relatively new 17B, but also considering a new model. There are some obvious pro's and con's regarding wait time and price.
Do people have comments regarding the lack of warranty that would be a "con" for a private sale?
Any obvious areas that should be inspected on even a "perfect condition" trailer?
The trailer is only 6 months old.
Thanks!

At 6months old I would consider it a new trailer. We purchased a 2017 E19 in mint condition and it was almost 2 years old. The trailer has been great with no problems and the way Escape trailers are made I would not worry about buying and older trailer. You just need to check them out. Also, you don't have any wait time and the value has gone up way more than what we paid for ours. It was a win-win.

[Tosh]

We bought our 21 6 months used. It was a turn-key setup, as first owner's truck was very similar to mine. I didn't have to change anything there.


The interior was in great shape. It wasn't exactly what we would have ordered, but nice. As I expected would happen, we are now in the process of taking things apart and making our personal changes. This would have happened even if we'd bought a new one making our own choices.


I'm glad we got lucky and were ready to buy when this one went up for sale. No regrets at all.

[cpaharley2008]

I have always enjoyed ordering and customizing my new Escape, placement of outlets and 12v can make use much more enjoyable.

[Keith3]

I want to vehemently agree with both Tosh and cpaharley2008.

We went the used route, but I had a lot of fun with the build sheet before we pulled the trigger on a used one. Now we are just making mods.

[Perry Butler]

We had a chance to buy a lightly used 2018 5.0 for well over $10,000 less with similar options as the 2018 5.0 we ended up purchasing new from ETI. We didn't buy it because it didn't have AC. It took months for him to sell because of the lack of AC, but that could have been installed for under $1,000 at the time and would have brought him an extra $5,000.

Four years later, we never have needed the AC in our 5.0 and wish we had the Maxxfan in that spot instead of the AC.

Over the years we've had 15 previous campers, all purchased used. After the first camper (a black hole), we did our due diligence and those 14 purchased laster never had problems we shouldn't have expected.

We buy used whenever we can, but I know how to inspect campers. When we purchased our 25' Bigfoot I spent at least 3 hours inspecting the camper. When we get there it has to be near 120v power, the fridge is to be warm, and the water cold. I always ass u me the batteries and tires will need replacing in the next year.

OTOH, some campers didn't make it 5 minutes and we quickly ran away from those purchases!

Buy Used If Possible!

Perry

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by Perry Butler

. . . OTOH, some campers didn't make it 5 minutes and we quickly ran away from those purchases!

Buy Used If Possible!

Perry

Tell the seller you want the camper closed up with no ventilation before you get there. Then open it up and walk in. If you smell mold, goodbye!

[oldwave]

At the moment used values are near the cost of new, especially late models. I expect that market to soften a bit. The disadvantage of ordering new is price instability and the no guarantee of what you will actually pay and Escapes prices have risen somewhat faster than the competition. We sold our 21c for18000 less than what it would cost new but 6000 more than we paid in 2017. Though now that trailer would bring 40 instead of the 34 we sold it for. The wait time is another factor, we are still waiting for our new rig at 13 months, hopefully next month. I passed on two or three used late models that were the same or more expensive than our new price. When I sold our 21 I had updated the power center, installed an inverter, added under bed slide out storage, replaced the battery box, and a few other improvements. There are those factors also. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.

[Donna D.]

IF possible never, ever delay pleasure.


I really enjoy the fabric I choose for my trailer. It makes me happy. But one thing I'm certain of, it doesn't take me more places and I don't create more memories because of it.


When I say don't delay pleasure, in this context you only have so much time and we're only given so many days to camp (some of that is weather related). Do you really want to delay pleasure (and making memories) because you're waiting for a trailer to be built with YOUR upholstery choice? Or one that has electric plugs where YOU want them. Seriously think about it...

[cpaharley2008]

Very true, Donna! So often we plan for the future and then our health gets in the way...do not delay, do it today!!

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

IF possible never, ever delay pleasure.

I really enjoy the fabric I choose for my trailer. It makes me happy. But one thing I'm certain of, it doesn't take me more places and I don't create more memories because of it.

When I say don't delay pleasure, in this context you only have so much time and we're only given so many days to camp (some of that is weather related). Do you really want to delay pleasure (and making memories) because you're waiting for a trailer to be built with YOUR upholstery choice? Or one that has electric plugs where YOU want them. Seriously think about it...

That's why of the 16 campers we've owned only one was purchased new, our current 5.0.

We placed an order for an Escape 21 in July, 2018, changed to a 5.0 in August 2018, and picked the camper up on October 26, 2018. There is no way we would wait nine months to buy a camper, much less 2-3 years. Used is fine with us, but in 2018 used 5.0's were hard to find.

We sold our Lance in August, 2018 and missed camping in two of our favorite months, September and October (Ok, we did get a few days in October).

Because we like camping so much, we usually own the older camper to camp until the new camper is purchased. We usually wait until spring to sell the previous camper when we purchase a used camper in the fall. The prices are so much lower for a used camper in the fall. We've only sold one camper at a loss and that was only slightly over $1,000 even including the sales tax when the camper was purchased.

We're not rich, but frugal with our money, and have only had one car loan and one home loan at any point in time. If we don't have the money to buy a discretionary item we wait until we do. We also have a camper fund and a pedal bike/trike fund.

Again, buy used if possible,

Perry

[Eggscape]

The used trailer may still have the old style screened emergency window which the new builds don’t have. Being able to open this when the bugs are out is a bonus!

[dlakeman]

In my State of Nevada, if I buy new, I pay an 8.75% sales tax no matter if I buy the RV in Nevada or not. If I buy used, I don't pay a sales tax.

[Jean]

For me, a big factor of buying used was who the seller was - could I trust them to be honest about condition, did I like their upgrades, etc. I owned a 2009 13B bought from my cousin and a 2011 17B from these lovely people who'd posted 2 videos - a tour and on on upgrades. I loved everything they'd done and trusted them implicitly. Of course I also did my own inspection, to the extent of knowledge I'd gained from 5 years with the 13B (love, love that trailer!....too bad only 9 made).
I could not afford a new one. Had great experience with both used ones, would not have bought new given the value I got for much less.
Different times - both purchases pre-pandemic. So, don't know how helpful my comments are to your situation.