michaelj

Many rv manufacturers have closed these past couple of years. What are your opinions as to how that effects the value of used (orphan) 5th wheels?
I'm shopping for a used 5'r, but reluctant to purchase an orphan. Am I too paranoid? Please give me your thoughts.

checkster

This is just my .02 But the problems I have with dealing with warrenty work you might as well buy it. Half the time I end up fixing stuff myself because it just takes the manufacturers to long to get things fixed or heck even order parts for that matter. When I bought my toyhauler one of the tables was messed up.......took the dealer 3 months to get a replacement from the manufacturer.......thats just the table top, nothing fancy or hi tech, just a piece of particle board with some laminate. If i didnt have the warrenty i coulda fixed it myself for 30 bucks but i held out and made them get it for me since that was part of the deal.

michaelj

Thanks for your reply checkster and I agree 100% on the warrantee work. All components (fridge, water heater, etc) are covered by the manufacturer anyway. I am concerned about the value though. Just wondering if the value may be diminished somewhat since it is now an "orphan".

hotdram

A friend just bought an used Weekend Warrior toy hauler. They closed shop sometime this year I believe. It is a 2009 that was used about 6 times. Bought an aftermarket warranty and didn't think twice. Got a heck of a deal on it (38' 5'ver loaded for $30K).

~Rob

WestTN

Most of the RV's are built with the same parts. Only the trim is really different.

67HotRod

I don't think think it affects the price, because the parts are used by so many rv manufactors.

Jeff in TD

Really I think the only thing having an orphan would effect would be a structural/delamination type problem.

Generally the makers of the water heater, furnace, water pump, and maybe even the frame of the trailer have a manufacturer warranty.

I've also heard lots of stories about driving 5 hours and burning a bunch of fuel to get this trim piece fixed, stop that water faucet from dripping, and other minor things under warranty that if I had a new rig I'd probably deal with that stuff myself.

Just make sure you go over it well, especially anything that could leak water and cause mould or rot.

12valve@heart

Buying used like you mention may be better than buying new because the first round of warranty issues/bugs should already be handled. You may get a better price on an orphan but check it out closely and you should be OK if you are willing to do your own repairs. As far as resale value, yes, it may be lower but you'll probably pay less when you buy too so that's a wash and no one considers an RV to be an appreciating item so you just have to evaluate your cost of ownership and decide based on that.

Just my

supr

I would not worry about it. I would have the RV thoroughly inspected, eprhaps even pay a professional. Make sure everything works. You can get afetr purchase warranties, as discussed earlier. Good Sam has a reasonable one. The biggest issue is roof damage/mold. I would get one with metal walls & roof, wood rots.

Darryl&Rita

OPs' question was in regard to value. The only way I would buy an orphan would be if the price was low enough to allow room for repairs. This means that I would not pay full list price, therefore I would say that value has decreased from dealers point of view, but may be increased from my point of view, as the price is now a lot more negotiable.