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We have owned five RVs in our lifetime. Each of them was purchased with specific configurations to match whatever lifestyle we were following. When the children were little we had bunkhouse models, when they all left home we had units with bigger bedrooms and living rooms.
We have never purchased a new RV. In our experience it seems like lots of people purchase an RV and do not use it as much as they thought they would. Many of these units end up on the used market in great condition.
We just purchased a 40' 5th wheel and we will be full-time in the unit. It is four years old, but I doubt it has more than 1000 miles on it. The carpet and upholstery look brand new. No one has ever cooked on the stove. It still smells new. The only difference between our 5th wheel and the new models is that new RVs often come with flat panel TVs. We addressed that issue by installing our new flat panel TV in the place of the older model.
We had an RV shop go completely through the unit, replacing any pipes, hoses or other things that were worn simply because they were four years old. We put a larger water pump into the unit and new batteries. We bought a 36 month warranty for $2000. Even with all these expenses as well as taxes and insurance we paid less than 50% of the cost of a new RV.
My advice is to shop the used RV market. There are great buys out there.
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