The Difference Between Purpose Built Specialty Vehicles vs. Refurbished or Upfitted
At Mobile Specialty Vehicles, we often get asked questions about the difference between specialty vehicles that are 1) Purpose Build, 2) Refurbished, and 3) Upfitted. Here is an example of our team addressing the difference between purpose built vehicles vs refurbished or Upfitted, and why we believe that purpose built vehicles are the best choice for overall price and long term costs to operate. If you are choosing between purpose built, refurbished, or unfitted, speak with our team first to make sure you have all the info you need to make an informed decision by contacting our team of experts today
If you are searching for other manufacturers, please make sure you are asking the following question, “Is your vehicle purpose built, refurbished, or upfitted?” This question is most important as it impacts the overall price and long-term cost to operate your vehicle.
Is your vehicle purpose built, refurbished or Upfitted?
Purpose Built– We build purpose-built vehicles that are designed for the equipment that goes inside of the vehicle. These are new and all the warranties carry over to you as the end user. Each vehicle specifically designed for your application and built by our company to withstand the wear and tear these vehicles are put through each day. When finding purpose-built vehicle manufacturers please research the structural differences between them all. We build the best structure in the business. (ask the manufacturer to show you their structure and design and you will clearly see a difference) This is important to keep your long-term costs down. The built vehicle is not an RV or box truck.
Refurbished-These are older vehicles that are modified or tried to make look new. Often don’t carry warranties on the chassis (vehicle) or the re-work of the clinic. The vehicle is often an older RV or box truck.
Upfit-These are purchased vehicles that an upfitter has purchased from an OEM that has finished everything except the inside of the clinic. The Upfitter then finishes the inside of the clinic and sells it to the end user. Often the warranties don’t all transfer to the end user. When issues occur, you will have to work through 3rd or even 4th party providers to try and get what is needed. The vehicle is often a used RV or box truck.
You will also need to understand that each manufacturer including our company purchases the driving portion of these vehicles. We then build and attach the structure (clinic) to the vehicle. This vehicle then becomes the product of the final stage manufacturer. If you have issues with the vehicle portion, that warranty comes from the chassis manufacturer. If you have issues from the clinic portion that warranty comes from the builder. The manufacturer must ensure that these warranties will get carried over to the end user. We ensure this happens.
In our opinion, purpose-built vehicles are best for your application. Our standard floor plan and structure of our build has been designed with the 30 plus years of listening to our customers tell stories on how they use their vehicles in the field. We also can modify or design to fit your needs if this floorplan doesn’t do everything for you that is needed. We want to partner with our customers.
