New or 2nd Hand Jayco Eagle off-road?

I have owned a Jayco Eagle Outback before and personally think you can get a better deal by getting a one (1-2yrs old) which is still 'as new condition' but with any bugs sorted out and usually a few extras to go with it.............depends how much time you have and whether one comes up that you like.

I realise the Jaycos are cheaper than the Goldstream and Coromal but they are clearly inferior in the suspension department (which is crucial when talking off-road) unless they have improved the latest models. The sturdiness of the overall construction is not as good in my opinion either. I do not like the new fibreglass Coromals but the earlier aluminium models are well constructed and importantly the canvas is in sections that can be removed if a repair is needed like the Goldstream.

I must declare a vested interest in Goldstream as I have my own for sale in the Trader section of this site because we have just purchased our dream caravan........ I bought Goldstream because after much homework I considered them arguably the best in this style of camper ...........you do pay more for them however. Good luck what ever you decide.

Geoff

Kristi Just be aware that you are not by any means looking at the "top of the range" - see comments in other post.

Gday Kristi. Contrary to what others may say,,,,the Jayco can be and actually is quite a of equipment if treated properly.
comment on the new ones as i have not had a look. You seem to have decided on your choice so now it comes down to second hand or new.
Second hand has plenty of advantages with the biggest being price differences. From there you get into what has been added by the previous owner,,,and where the camper has been.
Our personal experience is as follows.
We have a Dove Outback, 2001 model. The previous owner took it to Broome one,,,,the wife didn't like it,,,so we got it from a dealer at about $3,000 less than new. The big thing was that the house battery had been done, a full annexe came with it, front and rear bed fly's were also with the van. Having these things added onto the cost of a new one made the price difference allot more.........
Since owning it, the suspension was reset a inch higher with an extra leaf ( to allow Patrol rims and tyres to fit) for the grand price of $110. The battery was finally replaced last year,,,,another $100, and of course i changed all three rims/tyres to suit our Patrol.
Travelling with SWMBO and three kids saw us all in comfort and enjoying our little getaways.
These are not true offroad campers in the sense of the word,,,,however with a bit of planning and careful driving, they can be towed allot of places.
Would i buy another one,,,,,,,,,yep,,,,,,and nup,,,,,,mainly because we are happy with the one we have. :):)

meow.

rick.

If you don't need one RIGHT NOW, you will find a lot of people are on holidays up north while it's cold in Perth Melbourne Sydney Hobart and there will be many to buy when the southern summer gets nearer. A lot of people buy them for one-off holidays and sell them as soon as they get home.

We bought a brand new Finch in 2005 but sold it late last year and bought a second hand 2005 Dove [slightly bigger].

We sold the Finch for almost what we paid for it but obviously the people who bought it got the extra's we'd put on and a new one would have cost them a few thousand more.

I personally don't like the new fibreglass ones, but if you don't mind them try Page Bros Caravans in Seaford.

I think the 1998 to 2002 models are well made but the suspension needs beefing up. Our 2005 isn't as well made but the suspension is much better. As an example, before Xmas a new 2006 Dove was almost $23,000 and we got ours second hand for $17,500. These are Perth prices. They are usually cheaper in Melbourne.

Cheers,

Muzz

Hi Kristi
You can save quite a few thousand dollars by buying second hand. Jayco campers seem to hold their resale value, perhaps because of the fact that they are only used infrequently and not like a car which is used day in day out. Our Eagle is nearly 12 months old, purchased new from local dealer, and has had numerous warranty claims and recalls. Without this warranty we would be up for extra expense. The main draw backs, to buying used, are no factory warranty and the fact that it is not new. Dodgy modifications to the electrical, suspension or gas systems could make your camper dangerous to yourself and family. For peace of mind I will always go new.

Regards Zodarp

Just like a new motor vehicle, it's the first buyer that generally has the biggest percentage loss of depreciation. In cars etc it can be more than 30% in the first year. Buyers of 2nd hand (12 - 15 month old vehicles) can get the best value. Not too sure of the rates for depreciation on vans but guess it depends on make, model, accessories and usage. Really depends on how much you are willing to pay and whether or not you particularly want a new one. New is always very nice to have (so long as all of the teething problems are correctly sorted for you).

Hi Kristi,

We purchased a second hand Jayco Swan (2005) in March this year for $18,000 off ebay, luckily it was only up the road so we checked it out several times before purchasing it. It had been away for 1 big trip up the centre to Darwin and only off road to Kings Canyon and little local holidays at caravan parks. It came with a extra big full annex, bed flys and battery backup.

The only problem we have had is there is something not quite right with the lights but I think we have found the problem. It most probably occurred since we purchased the van.

We are going away for 5 months in August and will we sell it when we get back for about the same price as we bought it.

So my advice is buy one second hand and put those saved dollars towards a trip.

Also check out Ebay we found quite a few to choose from. It is now peak season for people to travel north so there might not be as many available as there is in summer.

Good luck!!

GeorgieGirl

Hi Kristi,

I purchased a brand new Jayco Eagle Outback for $19500, all you need do is use a bit of pressure when you go to buy. With the fact that for this you get 3 awnings, and we squeezed some other extra's, to around $400 worth from them and it then gets full warranty, I don't believe you can beat a new purchase. Sure the S/H one will have some bugs sorted out, but it may also have some that have occured whilst being used by the owner.

We thought S/H and for a real good quality one it was around $18500 so the extra $1000 was worth it to go new.

I have answered else where on this site about pro's and con's of Jayco, just do a search on Jayco or Blaze... Cheers

Thanks everyone for your feedback and ideas.

I just love this way of 'kicking tyres' with others. In the end we have decided to go the new one, and have been looking around for the best deal. Have secured one for $19,500 with end flys and an innerspring mattress.

What has decided us is that Jayco cleverly don't allow their warrantee to be transferred from the original owner, so if something does go wrong we'd be paying to fix it. We figure that the price difference between new and 2H is not enough to make heaps of difference, AND as we definitely want an Eagle and they don't come up all the time....we've ordered one.

Alan (lsp=long suffering partner) is having a good old time at work, telling them all how his wife was 'feeling trapped' so talked him into buying a camper trailer. But then, he continues, we had to buy a new car to pull it ($46,000). Then of course the car wouldn't fit in the garage, so he had to get the door widened and a new remote tilt-a-door installed ($1,750). He goes on to talk about the costs of fitting tow bar, electric brakes, trip to Melbourne to pick it up and bring it back to Tassie... well by the end of this everyone is rolling around and patting him on the back, and calling him a poor old bast**d.

I don't know about you, I think he's over-reacting.

Hi Kirsty I have just this very day placed an order for the 2007 Jayco Eagle Outback with quite a few options and after much research and scouring the ads for secondhand units, decided that there wasn't a whole lot of difference in $$$. I hope to take delivery of my new unit mid September so looking forward to it.