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Why not a used one?
Due to the fact that the "state of the art" kits only got on the market in the 80's and most builders put a couple of years' work and even more energy into their projects, only very few RV's are being traded on the market. Once there is one up for sale it's only a matter of days until it is sold to a new owner. Sadly these sales are usually related to some unfortunate event like divorces, lost medical (another reason to build when young and not only when retired) etc... As sad as this is, it might also be a good indication because sales without reason for sale could cover builder errors, too heavy of an empty weight etc...
In fact, market demand is so high, there are quite a few people living off of constructing one after the other RV. Legally, this is very much a grey area as it is not the intention behind the experimental category and work "for hire" not allowed. As always there are some loopholes, however maintenance will be more complicated in any case since only the original builder(s) get the repairman certificate.
One exception on the used experimental market are the long/vari ez's, some of which were built as early as the 70's, beginning of 80's. The issue with them is, that each airplane is a prototype really, much more than a complete kit like an RV is. Maintenance can become quite intensive, in depth knowledge about the individual airplane is required and even construction materials are not the same between different EZ's. As they were built in the advent of composite construction, long term condition/preservation is yet unknown.
You will find lots of classifieds like "kitfox project for sale, wings 90% done" etc... such project takeovers should not be underestimated. As you have to prove that you built the airplane yourself / the previous builder did his share at the final inspection, it might get tricky if the previous builder didn't document well enough. Also the percentage indicates that the wings are probably rather 90% done, 90% to go, there is no standardized measure for % of completedness... Just save yourself trouble!
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