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Old 04-13-2008, 10:25 PM   #4
Mr. Adventure
TrailManor Master
 
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Williamsburg, VA
Posts: 668
Default Time to buy...

We've always felt that the best time to buy new is in the early spring when you can get the show prices. We also found that you can get dealers to bid against each other, and the Internet is a great way to find several who will be competitive.

With TrailManors, there are not such major differences from year to year, and you might be able to get an '04 or '05 for about half the price of a new one (obviously, you need to know both the new market and the resale market in order to evaluate your purchase options). Our observation is that the resale market peaks in the front end of the camping season, and then bottoms out in the late Fall. Either way, I'd say that the thrifty buyer should be either buying right now, or waiting until the end of the summer for resale or early next year to get the 2009 model at the show prices.

The advantage of working through a dealer is having someone to fix things before you arrive, having quick/easy access to a financing arrangement, and having a responsible business to come back to with a grievance if necessary. The advantage of working with a private party is avoiding the dealer's markup and having the chance to actually talk to the people with the most experience in your prospective RV. Most buyers have a good experience either way, but you always have to be cautious, of course, about major purchases.

We bought a 2005 3023 last September on Ebay for $13000, and it looked like it had never been used. Recently there was one sold on Ebay for 19,000 and at least some of that price difference was seasonal. For resale, try a Google search on "for sale" "TrailManor" and your favorite model numbers to see what's out there!

For options, we prefer the microwave to the oven because it is also works as a regular oven and a toaster oven. Mostly though, we use one button a lot for warming up cups of coffee or tea. In our area, you have electric hookups when you camp 90% of the time, so that's the preferred fuel source anyway. And of course when you camp near towns and cities there are places to eat nearby that don't involve RV ovens very much, no matter what kind of ovens they are.

Best of luck, and let us know how you come out.
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