Camper Prices

[Bird]

I'm interested why so many people are not snapping up the plethora of used trailers thousands sometimes 10k cheaper than new WITH all the goodies done to them.. is it that important to buy new I do realise that some people have their hand welded to their sausage with pricing expectations on used trailers but after 12 mths on the market, Im sure they will drop a thou or 5...

...I'm always happy to have others pay the 'turn key tax'.

[GraemeL]

I am struggling to put this into words, but here goes...

Is it worth the money? Well for what it is, no. For what we want, yes.

I think it has a lot to do with what a buyer wants and whether or not there are cheaper alternatives. Also it would have a lot to do with how many times a year it will be used and whether you intend to sell it after a few years.
If you don't use it all that often then something cheaper may get you by, and if you intend to sell it after a few years then something that tends to hold it's value may be a better option.

For me there was no other alternative for what I wanted, the design of the GT is not found in any other CT as far as I am aware. Even with the top of the line GT, it still didn't have some things we wanted, so it cost us more to have those options included.

I am restricted as far as choice goes, therefore I am forced to pay what the manufacturer wants for it. I could have chosen a different design and probably a cheaper CT but then I would not have been 100% happy. The CT would more than likely not get as much use as a result and therefore would have been a waste of money.

By paying the extra, we end up with something that we are 100% happy with. It will get used on a very regular basis, because we all love camping. It is not something that I intend to sell so the resale value/depreciation is of no concern.

At the end of the day, it's not how much you pay for something, it's how much enjoyment you get from it. You only live once and you can't take your money with you.

[gibbo301]

The only answer to the original question i can think of is if you didn't think it was good value you woudn't have bought it 

[scarps]

I'm interested why so many people are not snapping up the plethora of used trailers thousands sometimes 10k cheaper than new WITH all the goodies done to them.. is it that important to buy new I do realise that some people have their hand welded to their sausage with pricing expectations on used trailers but after 12 mths on the market, Im sure they will drop a thou or 5...

Our new Trackabout CT was a long term investment and I didn't want to feel like I was buying someone else's.  The new CT is ours, came about after 3 years of caravan and CT research and is being built to suit the way we camp, and as has been mentioned here a couple of times, resulted in happy wife. This last point I think is one of the most important in this thread's initial question.  When I go fishing/camping with my sons, we take a quick set tent or swag, an esky with ice, a butane cooker and a fire griddle. Am looking forward to spending some quality time with my partner now that the boys have grown up and this investment was the best solution.

I've also pulled from experience in buying and owning both new and second hand boats.  My current toy (boat) was a one owner 5yo sports fishing estuary boat.  Best one I've owned, but I've easily spent $5k fixing up the things the original owner added or didn't look after. The new one's I've owned, rarely cost me anything extra.

[GeeTee]

I agree with the value in buying 'pre-loved' but it's a bit difficult comparing new with second-hand.

For example, for $10K I can buy a new Cheri.. or a stunning decade-old Lexus LS400 V8 that will do 250km/h reliably for the next 300,000km...

[Pipeliner]

Is it worth the money?  In my case I look at the way the Odyssey is designed and built, and the materials used  such as stainless steel sheeting, heavy Australian canvas, aluminium cam-lock poles (just the fridge, solar panel and twin batteries are around $3000 retail on their own), and I can see why it should cost considerably more than a Cub or similar low-end hard floor.  And as someone else said, if I hadn't thought it was worth it I wouldn't have bought it!

As I said earlier, if you look at the asking price for second-hand Odysseys they are around the same that they cost new - in my case $40,000 for a camper that cost me $43,000 in 2007 and sells new today for $53,000+.  So I could sell it today and lose less than $3000 - can the owners of 6 year old $10,000 campers say the same?

[kiva]

I often see Aussie made campers for sale for over $20k and much more that are only a couple of years old and I ask myself has the seller over-capitalised and can now not afford to go camping.

Perhaps the owner might have worked out what they like or do not like with their current $20k trailer and are looking to upgrade. Knowing what they like/dislike would not have been possible without first having used the $20k trailer to begin with. It is like anything I guess. Sometimes it is very difficult to know what you really want without first getting one and using it.

[Marschy]

Perhaps the owner might have worked out what they like or do not like with their current $20k trailer and are looking to upgrade. Knowing what they like/dislike would not have been possible without first having used the $20k trailer to begin with. It is like anything I guess. Sometimes it is very difficult to know what you really want without first getting one and using it.

That can be a very expensive lesson by the sound of it.

[Bird]

Perhaps the owner might have worked out what they like or do not like with their current $20k trailer and are looking to upgrade. Knowing what they like/dislike would not have been possible without first having used the $20k trailer to begin with

Thus why i reckon your better off to start with a cheap used trailer, find what you like/dont like and go from there.... even better, hire them for a few trips first.

[Barry G]

I agree with the value in buying 'pre-loved' but it's a bit difficult comparing new with second-hand.

For example, for $10K I can buy a new Cheri.. or a stunning decade-old Lexus LS400 V8 that will do 250km/h reliably for the next 300,000km...

Are you saying that a 'new Cheri' is over-rated.  ...