A used or “previously loved”, RV can be the best RV for most consumers looking to get the best RV value on the market today. Dealers will depend on the NADA and Kelly’s Blue Book for establishing values of all RV’s. However, there are many other variables to be considered when trying to find the best RV for you. Studies show that the total cost of owning a used RV can be as little as half of the cost of owning a new RV. For some people, money is not the main consideration. Then tend to look at factors like; the brand new RV “smell”; not wanting to sleep in someone else’s bed; the pride of owning a bright shinny new RV. For some, it’s about not wanting to buy someone else’s problems.
So, if you are stuck in this place where you are trying to choose weather a new or a used RV is the best RV for you, the first thing you should consider is DEPRECIATION! It is important when shopping for the best RV to understand the effects of depreciation. Reference books like the NADA RV guide provide only a basic idea of deprecation. You need to understand a basic formula starting with the MSRP. The standard rate of depreciation is 30% just for driving a new unit off the lot, another 10% at the end of the first year, and 6% for each year following. Now it is important to know, once you’ve found the best RV for you, that no one should ever pay the MSRP even for a new RV. Typical discounts should be around 15% to 25% depending on models. So an actual depreciation schedule would go something like this:
If the NEW VALUE is $80,000 (that means MSRP was $100,000), then after one year the value would be
$65,600. After three years it would be $52,000. After five years, $42,400. In ten years, your RV should be worth about 25,600. That is 32% of the NEW VALUE. So if you decided that this was the best RV for you but waited to purchase it when it was a year old, you would only see a 59% depreciation on your Rv at ten years rather than 68%. Purchasing at three years would only produce about 51% depreciation for you when it was ten years old.
Now remember, this is just a basic example of depreciation values. There are still MANY factors to consider when deciding which is the best RV for you. If you are serious about purchasing an Recreational Vehicle, you MUST read the RV Comparison Guide from J R Consumer Resources. There is no other reference on the market today that will better educate you on choosing the best RV for you!
