New Vs. Used - Your Take On It?

I am certain this has been a thread before so I apologize in advance for the question-if it has been beaten to death in this forum already (newbie here). We are in the market for a Camp-Inn and have to pose the question. New Camp-Inn or Pre-owned Camp-Inn- what is your story? I have seen many posts where those seeking used ones ended up purchasing a new one and those who were planning on buying new found a used unit to call their own. We are still on the fence. Pro’s and con’s that you have found? Would you do it differently if given the chance?

 

I'll kick it off with the obvious answer. When ordering, you get exactly the options that you want including any customization such as a specific solar port, stereo, etc. Some options can be added after the fact, but many cannot.

For me, the only options I regret are the couple that I didn't get!!! (sure wish I would have ordered those grab bars!). Watching the build progress and anticipating the completion date is also a lot of (agonizing) fun.

Hope that helps,

Randy

 

Think resale value. Since CI's have such a good resale value a person doesn't save all that much buying used.

For example in 2001 I bought a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria with 4,500 miles on it. The MSRP was around $27,000 which meant it could be bought for around $22 to $25 thousand. I purchased the car with low miles for $16,800 because it did not have a good resale value. I was also looking at other cars with good resale values. A new $27,000 car with good resale value would have cost me $25,000.

Just my two cents worth but because of inflation I'm charging a nickel.

 

A big advantage to used is the instant gratification, assuming you can find one in the spec you want. If you buy new, expect to wait about six months for it to be built. The anticipation can be maddening, and camping in a tent after making the decision is really hard.

 

Greetings from Virginia,
We had the same question almost two years ago and after talking with Cary from Campinn, he suggested that we look for a nice used CI. We found Dave and Dixie’s Cat’s Meow (2012 550 Ultlra # 554 and made an offer on it based on many phone calls and pictures that he had. Waiting for a new unit would have required about 8 months of waiting. Note that Dave and Dixie live in Oregon not too far from the Pacific coast.
Some might think that’s a silly purchase, being that we live only a couple of hours from the Atlantic Coast; about as far apart as one can be. So the options were to have the unit shipped across the country which in our mind was boring . The second option was to fly out to the west coast and purchase a vehicle and then drive back to Virginia with the CI or the third option was to drive out and pick it up ourselves. We decided on the third option and boy were we glad we did . We took 5 weeks off from work and drove out to get the (Butterbean- our new name for the CI). The trip was amazing and we visited Whidby Island ( missed Jenn as she was traveling in Wisconsin) and crossed into Canada and stayed a few days on Victoria Island. Visiting the National Parks all cross this Country was wonderful.
Needless to say I’ve digressed from the question- new or used. The CI unit came loaded with everything but the Maytag washer and dryer. When we got to Dave’s home he began giving us more items that he said he could not use any longer. The unit was clean and well kept. It was stored in the garage when not on the road. Dave said he had about 100 nights in the unit and I could find hardly any indication that he used it. Pots and pans, three tents and two solar panels, camp storage table, rugs, etc. came with the camper for a small cost.
We didn’t have to purchase anything more and to say the least , we were happy campers. We are very happy that we bought used and are continuing to put more nights on the Bean. Four trips to Flordia, three trips to Nags Head NC, five trips for rebuilding homes for disaster relief in Virginia and surrounding States are just a few big trips we have done since our purchase and cross country adventure 2 years ago. We have a planned trip to Maine in late summer and hope to get to the Natches Trace Parkway for some biking in late Spring early summer this year.
Additionally, buying “used” does not prevent discussions and problem solving with the Mothership In Wisconsin . Both Cary and Craig have been wonderful helping solve little issues that have come about since owning the CI. We can’t say enough about the camper’s quality and detailed construction, the company that built it and the fun we have had dragging it down the road to places far and near.

Hope this helps ....
Will and Diane

 

Thanks Randy! Are there other options that now you wish you had ordered (Besides grab bars?)

 

Will and Diane: Thank you for taking the time to post. I see advantages to both new and pre-owned. We are hoping to find the right unit, with the options we would like, or the ability to add them but are not opposed to buying new if need be. We are not on a time frame - so waiting for a new build isn’t an issue. I continue to be impressed by the units - I have yet to hear an owner have any complaints. Happy traveling!

 

I didn't have a long wait at all. CI started to build within a week of me sending the money.

 

Hey Tour- were you always planning to buy new or had you look at pre-owned as well?

 

I only considered new because of all the choices of the options like the color of leather and the paneling upgrade that I wanted. Also there was certain things I knew I wanted like the A/C and furnace and others that I specifically didn't want like the TV.

Mine was built to my exact specs and I bought a Subaru Outback that compliments it. The car in black looks good with the aluminum and the interior colors match.

 

Oh wow sounds like a sharp set up - do you have pictures posted anywhere? How often do you use the furnace? That is an option I am considering since I want to do late fall or early spring trips as well as the summer months.

 

I have only owned 931 since December and have ten nights in it not counting bringing it home. But every night in it the furnace was on or I had an electric heater. The real pleasure of it was the two or three hour stops during the day where we could warm up while enjoying home-cooked soup and a cup of tea.

I hope this link works.
http://campinnforum.com/community/media/users/tour-931.1347/albums

 

Oh man - I can see the advantage to a heater in the winter months for certain. I click on the link and it says - you limit who can see full profile? Odd ...I’m only mobile app perhaps that’s why.

 

Only members can view them. Must be your app because you are a member. Here is one picture.

 

Oh Man that’s sharp!!

 

Thanks. I bought the Outback 3.6R Touring which has the aluminum luggage racks. In this picture I photoshopped them black to see what it would look like. Next week I'm taking it in and having them painted black. I'm also working on some graphics to make the CI look steampunk. And I'm not against flames like they had back in the 50's. No modern flames though.

 

I have a Jeep Wrangler and have had some custom decals made for it-I can see flames on yours! LOVE the steampunk idea!

 

Post a picture of the Wrangler. They make a good tow vehicle especially for secondary roads. I pulled my Little Guy with a 1987 Bronco II and it was a good combination. I could turn it around on a two lane road if it had just a foot or two of shoulder.

 

Here she is. This is before her decals.

 

Nice. It should pull a CI anywhere you want it.