Greetings from Virginia,
We had the same question almost two years ago and after talking with Cary from Campinn, he suggested that we look for a nice used CI. We found Dave and Dixie’s Cat’s Meow (2012 550 Ultlra # 554 and made an offer on it based on many phone calls and pictures that he had. Waiting for a new unit would have required about 8 months of waiting. Note that Dave and Dixie live in Oregon not too far from the Pacific coast.
Some might think that’s a silly purchase, being that we live only a couple of hours from the Atlantic Coast; about as far apart as one can be. So the options were to have the unit shipped across the country which in our mind was boring . The second option was to fly out to the west coast and purchase a vehicle and then drive back to Virginia with the CI or the third option was to drive out and pick it up ourselves. We decided on the third option and boy were we glad we did . We took 5 weeks off from work and drove out to get the (Butterbean- our new name for the CI). The trip was amazing and we visited Whidby Island ( missed Jenn as she was traveling in Wisconsin) and crossed into Canada and stayed a few days on Victoria Island. Visiting the National Parks all cross this Country was wonderful.
Needless to say I’ve digressed from the question- new or used. The CI unit came loaded with everything but the Maytag washer and dryer. When we got to Dave’s home he began giving us more items that he said he could not use any longer. The unit was clean and well kept. It was stored in the garage when not on the road. Dave said he had about 100 nights in the unit and I could find hardly any indication that he used it. Pots and pans, three tents and two solar panels, camp storage table, rugs, etc. came with the camper for a small cost.
We didn’t have to purchase anything more and to say the least , we were happy campers. We are very happy that we bought used and are continuing to put more nights on the Bean. Four trips to Flordia, three trips to Nags Head NC, five trips for rebuilding homes for disaster relief in Virginia and surrounding States are just a few big trips we have done since our purchase and cross country adventure 2 years ago. We have a planned trip to Maine in late summer and hope to get to the Natches Trace Parkway for some biking in late Spring early summer this year.
Additionally, buying “used” does not prevent discussions and problem solving with the Mothership In Wisconsin . Both Cary and Craig have been wonderful helping solve little issues that have come about since owning the CI. We can’t say enough about the camper’s quality and detailed construction, the company that built it and the fun we have had dragging it down the road to places far and near.
Hope this helps ....
Will and Diane
