Buying van at Camping and 4WD show?

Luckymum,
Our friends bought a Jayco Swan Outback with all flys, full annex and 12 volt battery ect, for just over $25000. Brand new. I know of others who have spent close to $30000 for the same thing. The only thing i got wrong was that it was last years show and not the one just gone.

Its lovely buying new but is it really worth it? You can save lots and lots and lots...... by buying near new if you want the latest models. The Jayco campers vary little from year to year. It is a comment I have heard (and made myself) when talking to people walking around the shows. They usually vary colours, patterns on fabrics, some very minor inclusions but the general layout is exactly the same and at a premium price for being new. Just jump on ebay as a starting point and see how many near new are available and at considerable savings over new prices. You can then use the savings to buy extras you may want that are not normally included. And as others have said, do plenty of research, even hire one first, so you know exactly what you want and buy what you want and not because of emotion when the salesman/woman shows you all the pretty points and "huge" show specials that make you think "I gotta get it now" when in fact you dont and may even do better private and second hand. Plenty available for hire to see if you really like the layout and if it suits your family circumstances, tow vehicle, storage position et. cheers....

PradOz yes that is very true. We were thinking it would be better to buy brand new for the warranty and also for resale value. If we buy a new Flamingo for $30K and then use it for only 6 months we should surely be able to sell for high 20's thus only costing us a couple of grand. Originally we didnt want the newest and best, we dont need all the extras but we also dont want something that may have mechanical issues that will in the end cost us more money. We wont keep whatever we buy as we are usually campers however putting up a tent every night for 6 months is a real pain (as we have previously found out 10 years ago when we did the trip before kids)

Oh what to do!!!!

I think it would have to be a real lemon or trashed by a previous owner to worry about a near new van. Not sure how good the new warranty is either - something you need to research further and judge for yourself. Plenty of people have made comments before about it good and bad.

Spending $30K so therefore needing high finance doesnt seem to make sense to me (sorry not wanting to offend) Why not buy late model around $16k to erly $20K and within 6 months sell for nearly similar price and save on high finance costs. The finance costs will negate any savings you think you will get by buying the new one wont they.

Not sure what your travel plans are, but "then use it for only 6 months" makes me think you maybe doing a long lap?? If so, it will depend on if you get any damage from your adventures as to whether you will "only costing us a couple of grand". Also if you have kids they may accidently damage the goods and then, well you get it. I think you would have more to lose on a nice new van for your circumstances, but thats just my opinion and of course I do not know all your circumstances etc. Anyway thats what this is all about - research. I am sure you will have fun in whatever you use, new or used Jayco, or tent for that matter :))) cheers....

Hi Lucky Mum

Thing about your resale value after 6 months - would YOU buy a new one for $30G or a 6 month old one for $28G ?? I know if I was buying a 6 month old second hand item I wouldn't pay more than $25G.

Cheers

Darryl

PrazOz- not offense taken, Im here to get a whole range of ideas and opinions. Yes we are doing a lap probably for around 6 months. We may not need 'high finance', possibly extending the home loan or borrowing equity may be a better option. As I said Im just looking at different options thats all. Our kids may damage the van brand new or not, I dont think that makes a difference. If they damage a brand new van vs an old van we would still need to repair before sale.

Dazmit- I would buy a 6 month old van, still under warranty for 28G easy.

With new cars, a lot of the depreciation happens as it is driven out of the dealer (ie. the transition from 'new' to 'used') - I understand caravans are depreciate slower than cars, but I still would have thought this would something worth considering - I'd expect there would be more price difference between a new van and a 6m.o. van than there is between a 6m.o. van and a 12m.o. van.

Given that you only seem to intend to keep it for 6 months, it would seem even more reason to buy second hand (ie. you're not going to need something that will last you for the next 20-30 years).

You might also consider the usefulness of a warranty while you're on the road anyway - you don't want to have to interrupt your trip for visits to the dealer (even if you're not paying the repair bill) - better to get a near new van where someone else has had the fun of sorting out the teething issues (but beware - you don't want the van that someone gave up sorting out!)

Having said all that, the advantage of buying new is that you probably get more choice on what you get and when you get it (particularly with respect to optional bits & pieces) ie. you might not be able to track down the ideal second hand van at just the right moment (then again, there can be big delays in delivery on new vans too!).

I wish it was me facing this decision! :) Hope you have a great trip...