BLOG RV buyers shift to used market; Winnebago rethinks its lineup

[Neal]

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-buyers-shift-to-used-market-winnebago-rethinks-its-lineup/

 

[Jonf254]

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-buyers-shift-to-used-market-winnebago-rethinks-its-lineup/

I believe a slightly used RV or Motorhome is a much better spend then anything brand new.Warranties today are not worth the paper written on, and new RV’s are slammed together and pushed out the door as fast as possible with very poor workmanship and quality.We are hearing this from every new RV owner we have talked to regardless of brand.Just what we are hearing and seeing out here in our travels with a 2025 RV plagued with issues being dump on the dealerships to repair under warranty which should have never left the manufacturer.

 

[Underboss]

Seeing what so many amateurs do with/to their rvs, I prefer new. All you need to do is read some of the questions posted on fb pages to realize some folks never spent a second educating themselves on their units.
Look at the Newmar page, how many times a week do folks ask, slides out or jacks down first? How many newmar owners claim jacks down first? Way too many. So imagine what else some of the amateurs do wrong.
Do not get me wrong, we all have questions and need help but some questions make me wonder what else are they doing wrong. I have been at campgrounds and have seen folks disconnecting the sewer hose, then shove their fresh water hose through it to clean it out.
I have bought used in the past, done inspections and found some serious issues on year old coaches that were due to the previous owner touching stuff he had no business touching.
Now the exception, a friend buys and sells almost every two years. Goes through every inch, adds so many upgrades, then orders another coach built, his I would buy. He knows every inch of his coaches and does not cut a corner or shoves his fresh water hose through the waste hose

 

[Boat Bum]

How many newmar owners claim jacks down first? Way too many. So imagine what else some of the amateurs do wrong.

<raising my hand> Are you saying this wrong? My Newmar manual would beg to differ.

 

[JBright11]

My manual explains that Newmar recommended jacks down then slides out until 2015....then changed to recommend slides out then jacks down. Unless, of course, you can't get level, then put the jacks down first.

 

[Underboss]

<raising my hand> Are you saying this wrong? My Newmar manual would beg to differ.

Bingo, the manual is what is the answer. Almost every newer Newmar DP for the last ten years, is now slides out, jacks down. Older coaches are the opposite. So posting on a forum asking is not going to give you the answer for your coach. How many swear its jacks down first for ALL newmars. Go read and how many are adamant about it when someone with a new Dutch Star asks, claiming jacks down.
Read the manual, do not listen to folks that do not own your coach.

 

[Jonf254]

Seeing what so many amateurs do with/to their rvs, I prefer new. All you need to do is read some of the questions posted on fb pages to realize some folks never spent a second educating themselves on their units.
Look at the Newmar page, how many times a week do folks ask, slides out or jacks down first? How many newmar owners claim jacks down first? Way too many. So imagine what else some of the amateurs do wrong.
Do not get me wrong, we all have questions and need help but some questions make me wonder what else are they doing wrong. I have been at campgrounds and have seen folks disconnecting the sewer hose, then shove their fresh water hose through it to clean it out.
I have bought used in the past, done inspections and found some serious issues on year old coaches that were due to the previous owner touching stuff he had no business touching.
Now the exception, a friend buys and sells almost every two years. Goes through every inch, adds so many upgrades, then orders another coach built, his I would buy. He knows every inch of his coaches and does not cut a corner or shoves his fresh water hose through the waste hose

I totally agree there are RV owners that never read their manual,have no idea what they are doing,and should never attempt repairs on their RVs or anything for that matter.Most of us were new at rving at one time so I understand there is a learning curve,that being said….has nothing to do nor changes the fact RV manufactures quality control is horrible at best.They are pushing employees to produce units as fast as possible and paying the, incentives to get the rv done and out the door faster.Retiring after building a business for 40 years I often would tell new customers…… You want it FAST, RIGHT, or CHEAP pick 2, because if you want it right it won’t be fast or cheap, or if you want it cheap it will either be fast or right.Just sayin

 

[Boat Bum]

Bingo, the manual is what is the answer. Almost every newer Newmar DP for the last ten years, is now slides out, jacks down. Older coaches are the opposite. So posting on a forum asking is not going to give you the answer for your coach. How many swear its jacks down first for ALL newmars. Go read and how many are adamant about it when someone with a new Dutch Star asks, claiming jacks down.
Read the manual, do not listen to folks that do not own your coach.

No argument here, I am aware that the recommendation is model specific and always stated what my model called for. Same with slide supports, some of the older models benefitted while the newer models could be damaged by them.

 

[Underboss]

I totally agree there are RV owners that never read their manual,have no idea what they are doing,and should never attempt repairs on their RVs or anything for that matter.Most of us were new at rving at one time so I understand there is a learning curve,that being said….has nothing to do nor changes the fact RV manufactures quality control is horrible at best.They are pushing employees to produce units as fast as possible and paying the, incentives to get the rv done and out the door faster.Retiring after building a business for 40 years I often would tell new customers…… You want it FAST, RIGHT, or CHEAP pick 2, because if you want it right it won’t be fast or cheap, or if you want it cheap it will either be fast or right.Just sayin

Thats mostly brand dependent. My 21 Ventana did not have one issue. My new SS had a bad starter. Is that a quality control issue? No, things like that happen. There are any that should research before buying certain brands. I also did not address that, I addressed why I do not buy used. Too many jacks of all trades, masters of absolutely nothing thinking they can do repairs and mods.
You can buy used, I choose not to for the reasons that I stated.

 

[Holdmybeer]

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-buyers-shift-to-used-market-winnebago-rethinks-its-lineup/

It's cyclical, when new prices get crazy buyers turn to used, when the demand for used rises ( used prices rise), the market reaches a tipping point where the value of used in comparison to new doesn't add up and the market swings. Additionally the market is saturated with all those RV's sold during the pandemic greedfest. It has little to nothing to do with quality. The overwhelming majority of new RV buyers don't check and don't care. Were it otherwise who would would ever buy a mobile home?

 

[Joe Hogan]

Unfortunately the QA of most manufactures has suffered for various reasons more so since Covid and government policies.
The 2024 DS still has major issues that require attention. Been working down a long list of issues. So far just inconvenient issues.

Steering box subject to recall, thankfully addressed quickly, but required a several hour trip to dealer and a several day wait. Endless electrical issues, some Operator induce faults.
Replaced the Battery Isolator, twice.
Misaligned wheelchair lift door still working on it.
Slide problems, multiple attempts to remediate. May just have to live with the rattles.

Then the chassis issues,
radiator lines leaks large quantity of fluid. These leaks required three trips to mitigate. Finally went to Cummins engine repair shop several hours away and another week out of service plus a $900+ bill for service.
Oil leaks corrected at annual inspection.
Several wheel alignments. This was at my cost.

The vast majority of the work performed was thankfully covered by Newmar warranty. Time and mileage not covered.
The $900+ Cummins bill was eventually reimbursed by Spartan.

Luckily I have purchased from manufacturers that stand behind the product. Newmar and Spartan have been very good about supporting the customer in this way. Consequently all annual service is performed at the Factory Service centers. We try to make an interesting trip of the service trips. This year is no different.

At Spartan we are attending the chassis training school for the week while the chassis service is completed. In Nappanee we will find fun things to do.

 

[Headhunter]

Well I always like to look at the used Tiffin Motor home market. One of the biggest RV Dealers within 2 hrs of me is General RV of West Chester. They also have other locations. Another is Colton RV with three centers in NY and a small one in PA in Wind Gap. I also check out Lazy days and NIRVC and a few others.

When I browse their sites for used motor homes I usually look at the Tiffin Bus or the Phaeton in the 35 ft models.. Years raging from 2022 to 2025. I got to tell you they have VERY LITTLE selection. Maybe one or two coaches in that category.

Even Rvtrader.com doesn't have a lot of the desired Tiffins. So where is all the glut of used RV's in the used Market Place. When I purchased my last two motor homes brand new from the factory, I only paid a few thousand more than what used motor homes were selling for that were one or two years old. That was 4 years ago, so maybe the times have changed. I know manufactures have taken some huge price increases in the past few years.

I know many RV owners who have let their motor homes slide, little or no maintenance, left things broken and so on. I think not ALL previous owners got the bugs out of their coach. I know that's what RV inspectors are for.

I would purchase a used coach if it was well taken care of and inspected, but so far I haven't seen many around.

HH