Our top 5 reasons for purchasing a used rv
(specifically a FIXER UPPER class B motorhome)
#1 Price / Initial Investment Cost $$$
If you have been following our journey from the beginning, or at least from our shopping Vlog, 
We didn't start out knowing we wanted a fixer upper. We actually looked at a beautiful brand new class B Rv, the Winnebago Travato 59G. You can read the article and watch the video on this site here. That unit was at 143000$ tax including tax .
In the same article we took a look at a used 1998 pleasure way class B motorhome that was in or condition. It was still 33000$ canadian dollars and we still had about 6000$ in changes we wanted to make. That was out of our 25000$ budget. 
So how in the world were we going to be able to afford a decent class B motorhome? Build our own? Well almost, we found a fixer upper Roadtrek class B motorhome. Instead of building a unit and not knowing where to start, we had an outline that actually worked. Well doing a rebuild or renovation was our solution. So we could keep some control over costs.
Please note that we are not in a rush to get on the road, so keeping our home on wheel in our parking while we renovate it, by bit. A mix of going to professionals and getting stuff done ourselves. If you are in a rush to move into your Van, do not pick a fixer upper option, you will get frustrated and overwhelmed with all the things that need to get done.
#2 Engine Repair Cost $$$
After doing a ton of research we found out that diesel engine are not only more expensive to maintain but also to repair. We decided to pick an older gas engine, with less electronic components. Electronic components have a tendency to break down quickly. If we decide to replace the engine it will also cost a great deal less versus a diesel engine.
#3 Most of the Unit Depreciation has already Occurred
With a 1999 class B rv, most of the depreciation occured in the first 15 years. There are even well kept 1989 Roadtreks that sell for oven 17000$. Vintage Dodge Ram Vans with no or little rust well maintained mechanicals and nice interiors fetch a decent amount of initial investment. Now even though the depreciation has mostly decreased, it is important to note that repairing these units will still cost a pretty penny. Maybe not as much as getting a Sprinter Van repaired, but still costly. Since we are not on the road at the moment, we can shop around for our other repairs. This may not be your case. We do not have a monthly payment plus a repair to budget for. Only the repair. This allowed us to be able to afford the unit.
#4 Replacing Broken Items with the ones we want
We didn't want to purchase a motorhome, only to rip out perfectly fine appliances. that work. This seemed redundant and a waste of money to us. It was one of the reason we didn't pick the 1998 Pleasure way video. We wanted to pick our mattress, fridge, electrical panel, cabinet colors etc... and choose where our money went in the luxuries. It also seemed ecologically irresponsible of us to destroy working appliances. There was no guarantee that we could sell functional appliances and we have no place to really store things.
#5 Less Risk of Unit being Stolen due to Lower Value
As first time RV owners, new to driving a van. We didn't want a unit that looked shabby but we also didn't want a unit that was at risk of being stolen or even broken into, especially if we decide to park overnight in city locations. Our exploration goals may leads us to places we don't necessary know if parking an expensive vehicle on the street is a smart move. Older vehicles (that are not vintage of course) are usually less attractive for thieves and break ins.
Remember we are newbies, there is also an emotional benefit, in driving a vehicle that we are not scared to drive around. Driving around an expensive vehicle is just a little to scary for us to drive. Just at first.
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