Written By Greg Long
If you’ve been considering buying a “new” RV, you’re probably noticing you can buy 2024 “new” RVs or 2023 “new” RVs – or you may even find “new” 2022 RVs or older.
Are the most recent year’s campers better than the RVs from previous years?
Bish’s RV has been selling campers for nearly 40 years. We know the changes RV manufacturers make to their campers each year depend greatly on current market conditions.
We’ve seen all kinds of market conditions throughout the years, but we’ve never seen a stronger buyer’s market than right now.
As an RV dealer, this is a rough situation. Our profit margins are shrinking – but on the plus side, we’re helping lots of families get into campers who otherwise might not be able to afford to buy a new RV.
For RV buyers like you, this is a great situation. You can now find “new” RVs for the same low prices as “used” RVs.
This article will cover the differences between RV models from different years, including prices and features, so you can decide if an older “new” RV is worth the investment for your camping adventures.
Watch Video Reviews of Your Favorite New RV Models from Josh the RV Nerd.
Looking for a “new” RV but want to compare prices based on model year? Check out NEW RV Prices Now.
Table of Contents
De-Contenting: RV Makers cutting features to cut costs
Pros and Cons of Buying 2023 vs 2023
Saving Money Buying Older “New” RV From Previous Year
Why are RV Prices so low and Why won’t they stay low?
RV Dealer Secrets: Business Deals between Banks
Curtailment: Dealers Paying Interest on Unsold RVs
How You Can Buy a New Camper at Used Prices Right Now
De-contenting: RV Makers Cutting Features to Cut Costs in New RVs
Most people think the current year RV is always the best version of that RV available.
This is not always the case, especially since many RV makers have recently started the practice of de-contenting.
De-contenting is when RV manufacturers strip an RV of certain features so they can spend less money on its construction and keep their sales prices low.
Prices are lower, but the camper may come with fewer features.
When looking to buy a “new” RV we recommend you check out older versions to see if any features were cut by the manufacturer to save costs and keep prices low.
In many cases, it’s hard to tell the difference between campers that are the same model, but different years.
Pros and Cons of Buying a 2023 Camper vs a 2024 Camper
When reviewing the following Pros and Cons, keep in mind what may be a “Pro” for you may be a “Con” for someone else.
Pros of Buying a 2023 (or older) Camper vs a 2024 Camper
- Lower Price: You can sometimes find previous years’ “new” campers for up to 33% less than the 2024 versions of the same models. That’s 1000s of dollars you can save right now.
- No Decontenting: De-Contenting is a more recent tactic RV makers are using to save money, so older year models may have more features and higher craftsmanship due to being built before manufacturers started de-contenting strategies.
- Readily Available: Immediate availability without pre-order waits.
Cons of Buying a 2023 Camper (or older) vs a 2024 Camper
- Lot Wear: Potential for some wear and tear from being stationary for over a year. Most dealers. like Bish’s RV, give all units a PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) to ensure all units sold are in the best condition possible.
- Accelerated Depreciation: Likely to depreciate faster due to being an older model once it’s off the lot.
- Possible Warranty Issues: Depending on the dealer and manufacturer policies, warranty periods might have commenced.
When deciding between a 2023 RV and a 2024 RV, weighing these pros and cons with your preferences and budget will help you make an informed decision.
Always inspect any RV you’re considering in person – and be sure to ask your RV Outfitter any questions you can think of so you feel good about buying your new outdoor homebase.
Thinking of trading in your current camper and upgrading to a new RV?
Find out how much your Camper is worth with our FREE RV trade value quote.
Pro Dealer Tip: How to Get Most Money For Your RV Trade.
Saving Money by Buying an “Older” New RV
Many RV dealers, like Bish’s RV, need to get rid of their older “new” RVs to make room for newer inventory. To give you a good reason to buy the older RVs, they sometimes sell these campers Below Dealer Cost.
This means you can sometimes buy an RV for less than what the dealers bought the RV for from the manufacturer.
The dealers are willing to take a financial loss and you’re getting a new RV!
Find out when to buy a camper. Read our Article: When is the Best time of Year to Buy an RV?
Doing RV Research? Compare New Camper Prices and See the Difference.
Why are RV Prices so Low and Why Won’t They Stay Low?
RV Prices were slowly but steadily rising from 2010 to 2020, but then BAM!! COVID turned the RV industry on its ear!
COVID’S BIG EFFECT ON THE RV INDUSTRY
Despite the pandemic, people wanted to get away and go on vacations – but they needed a safe alternative. The answer was simple: buy an RV!
In May of 2020, RV sales exploded. By June, RV sales were 33% higher than June of 2019. This is a huge increase and not one the RV manufacturers ever imagined.
The demand for RVs began to greatly outweigh the supply. RV prices began to increase. More RVs were being sold than were being produced and 2020-2021 became a strong “seller’s market” for RV dealers.
More RVs were sold in 2021 than any other year in history.
2023: A Strong RV Buyer’s Market
To cover inventory needs while they waited for their orders from manufacturers to be fulfilled, dealers began buying less popular brands of RVs. They figured having a less popular camper brand to sell was better than having no inventory.
However, when pandemic restrictions lifted, RV sales began to drop.
Too Many RVS!
With the combination of increased inventory of less popular brands and the incoming sales orders of the more popular brands, RV dealers found themselves with an abundance of 2022 and 2023 campers.
It became clear: The RV Industry had quickly shifted from a Seller’s Market to a Buyer’s Market.
RV Dealer Secrets: Business Deals between Banks and Dealers
RV dealers don’t pay cash for the RVs they buy from manufacturers. RV dealerships work out sweet deals with banks and other money lenders – and get loans to pay for their RV purchases.
Dealers are able to just pay the bank a small fee for these big loans. And trust me, these are BIG LOANS.
Think about it, some of these loans are for 100s of 1000s of dollars. At Bish’s RV we sell hundreds of RVs each month. That adds up to a huge chunk of change the banks loan us each month.
Typically, dealers like Bish’s RV pay back each loan once we sell the RV – and we make a profit on the sale.
The bank makes money, we make money – business is good – unless the RV doesn’t sell after a year.
Curtailment: Dealers Paying Interest on Unsold RVs
If an RV a dealer bought with a loan doesn’t sell after 1 year, the dealer has to start paying the bank interest on the loan. This starts eating into dealer profits.
Imagine paying back interest on hundreds of RV loans. Ouch!
It gets worse!
If an RV doesn’t sell after 2 years, the dealer has to pay the bank the remaining principal of the loan.
Not good! Outright purchasing hundreds of RVs at once would destroy most RV dealerships. We’re talking millions of dollars.
How You Can Buy a New Camper at Used Prices Right Now
You like saving money – and you want to buy an RV if you can find the right one at the right price.
With the current RV Buyer’s Market conditions, It’s quite possible that there’s never been a better time to buy an RV.
Many RV dealers, like Bish’s RV are offering previous year RVs at crazy low prices – some are even selling below dealer cost!
RV PRICING FACT: Once the “Post-Covid” RV supply and demand market conditions balance back to normal levels, camper prices will start to climb.
GET THE RIGHT NEW RV FOR THE RIGHT PRICE!
Want to talk to a real person about New RV Prices and Features?
Schedule a FREE consultation with one of our RV experts and ask us anything. We love RV questions!
Further Your RV Education
When is the Best Time of Year to Buy an RV?
How do I Get the Most Money for My RV Trade?
RV Loans: Get the Best Financing Deal
Greg Long
Bish’s RV Content Manager
Amateur adventurer; professional dreamer.
aka: The Bish-Blog-Guy