Is new better than old?

Performance aside, if you want to keep speakers long-term, newer is probably the best option. There are many variables, and many different opinions based on personal experience, but my own experience as well as information from manufacturers and various forum discussions is that 20 years is a reasonable lifespan for a speaker before it starts needing some work. Rubber hardens, foam rots, adhesives lose their grip, enclosures rattle and leak, crossover components age and fail, etc. Nice thing about Vandersteen is that they can repair/restore any speaker they've ever made (my Linn Saras could not be repaired due to lack of parts, but I enjoyed them for 20 years).

Considering roughly 50% of the cost on 'new' speakers go to the distributor, store owner, etc...I personally prefer 'older' vintage classic designs and think many of them are actually 'better' than many of the newer design which I find rather tilted up in the midrange and designed to have thinner profiles to make them more WAF acceptable. Plus, considering I like (often) trying different designs (I've owned over 150 different high end speakers in the past) I don't lose a lot of money when I want to try something new. I couldn't afford to do that buying everything at full (new) price and selling at roughly 50% of new. I currently own the classic Martin Logan CLS, Klipsch Chorus (great with tubes), DefTech BP2000TL's (great for home theater) Infinity Modulus System (original, early 90s), KEF Reference 102/2 and Von Schweikert VR 4s. All of these do certain things as well as anything made today and yes, I do listen to the new offerings and go to the big audio shows for comparisons.

Of the several pair you mentioned, the Energy Veritas is an excellent design that you definitely should audition. Very fast and articulate with good, tight bass.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to buy new speakers given the bargains out there. One of the nice advantages of buying used is that when you decide you don't like them, you can sell them for what you paid. Yes, you do have potential problems with capacitors and foam surrounds, but if you buy "recent" rather than vintage, you won't have those problems.

Twosuggestions: 1) keep an eye out for large/heavy speakers that are near you (ebay search based on distance)....many times you can get a real good deal because you are local. 2) Be patient...it can take six months or more to find a good deal.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to buy new speakers given the bargains out there.

I don't think the OP was considering anything brand new; the example given was something 13 years old vs. something 2 years old. However, one nice thing about buying new is that it's an opportunity to support the manufacturer, importer/distributor, and dealer of a product you care about. Sales of new items are probably important to the health and longevity of this hobby.

Older speakers in good working order in general may represent better values but that really doesn't matter. Nor does it matter that in general speaker technology may have improved over the years, albeit for a premium The devil is in the details. You can do equally well either way. The key is to do your homework to determine the best fit for you at a particular price point. If you buy used and do not overpay, you can try something different without taking a big financial hit. Speakers should fit into your room and listening habits like where you listen from well. You should have an amp capable of driving them to the max. Often you will not know what they really sound like in your setup until you try them.