Knoll-new or vintage?  

There are other options as well
What is you expanded your choices to perhaps include designs by Warren Platner, Florence Knol or others? Both those designs are pedestal tables and, like the Saarinen, come with 54" tops. Surely with a little patience you can find a vintage table that suits your needs.

Knoll
I have been looking at these as well. I like the Platner, but not the glass top. The vintage with wood tops run close to $10,000 which is much higher than I'm willing to pay. Most of the vintage Florence Knoll available are the oval and that is too big. I also find that often the metal bases are rusted and pitted. The Saarinen really is my first choice.
I have been using a table that is too small and after looking for over a year I am ready for the right table. I would love for someone to explain their thoughts on vintage over new. I s it preferable for design reasons, environmental, or something else I haven't thought about?

Some people like the patina o...
Some people like the patina of a vintage piece, sometimes new versions don't come in the same wood or other finish as vintage (like teak, for instance), sometimes it's the sense of place or whatever that a vintage piece has.
And sometimes a vintage piece with wear or maybe even a little damage can be had for a lot less than new if you keep your eyes and ears open and are very patient. Some people, like me, love the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of getting something beautiful and valuable for a song.

I have many antiques in my ho...
I have many antiques in my home and do appreciate their look and patina.But none of them are in production today. This table is replacing an 1860's French farmhouse table that is just too narrow to be functional. What I am seeing on the Knoll tables I find online is not the beautiful patina of wood but more like rust and damage. I would love to find vintage but the ones I have found cost much more, not less. Perhaps, it is because I have the misfortune of living in an area with almost no 20th century furniture. The Knoll I do find for sale in my region has consistently been purchased in the last 5-10 years. I don't see how that is much better than buying new, especially since I would have to get a top or base that was not my first choice.

Just a note, the teak has...
Just a note, the teak has been reissued for the past couple of years, since the 50th anniversary of the tulip table.

I recall
reading somewhere on this forum that the vintage Saarinen tables have a heavier base, making them less susceptible to tipping. Or maybe I'm wrong.

Yes Mark
the bases on the older production tulip tables are heavier.
noladesign, your post began with the question "New or vintage" but you have only cited reasons not to buy vintage and to rather buy new. It sounds like you have already looked into it and made your mind up so I don't understand why you post and request feedback.
All the new product from Knoll is quite pricy, but I rarely if ever have seen a vintage Knoll piece exceed the cost of new. Most times you can buy vintage, restore it if need be and still save considerable money. On many occasions I have given a number of reasons why I think buying vintage is better. I think the quality of construction is better, you are recycling, they hold their value better, a lot of us like the patina of age, etc.
However, if you want a table in perfect condition, need to have a certain species of wood top and want to specify the color of the base, then clearly you should go ahead and by a new one.

Oh, and
regarding your comment about the bases of the Florence Knoll tables being rusty...
Most of the vintage Florence Knoll pedestal tables I've handled had bases that were stainless steel, not the less expensive chrome plated version (a more recent offering if I'm not mistaken) and therefore not rusted in the least.
It's true that they are easier to find in oval than round, but I don't think it would take terribly long to source one in the shape and size that you need.

Do you consider vintage...
Do you consider vintage Knoll as anything not new, or before a certain year? I am trying to make a fully informed decision, I have certainly not made up my mind. If buying new was an easy choice for me, i would have been enjoying this table for a year now. I am seriously wondering where people find these bargain saarinen tables? I am willing to be flexible about the type of wood, but i can't be flexible about size.
I have spent 18 months looking and this is what i have found:
Local shops-nothing
Craigslist- maybe 3 saarinen tables-1 knockoff, 1 smaller laminate dining table, 1 54" laminate purchased a few years ago at Design Within Reach.
Ebay: very few 54", all marble or laminate, all within a few hundred dollars of new Knoll price (plus shipping) or in very poor condition
1st dibs and vintage shops with online shopping- Prices equal to or greater than new. Some bargains with laminate top tables.
If a new table is a lower quality product, then even buying used won't help-most used i see are from the last 10 years.
I feel like finding a vintage one that isn't pricey is like finding the holy grail. At the heart of it this is a practical object that I will use everyday. Is a continued search the best option or just going without because of my own snobbery?

Buy a new one today.
Order exactly what you want, get it in a couple weeks, and enjoy owning it every time you use it.
You'll forget about the potential cost difference between it and some imaginary vintage table almost immediately.

Funny, that's almost exactly ...
Funny, that's almost exactly what my mother said, right down to "imaginary vintage table." I'm 40, but she still gives very good advice. I'm going to order it. I think the wood and less common black base will be gorgeous. Maybe I'm not a purist but when I'm having a dinner party at my new table next month, I don't think its lack of provenance will bother me.

Knoll sale
Ends today.
But of course, there will be another.