Best Resale Value Class Bs?

[meoraine]

Greetings All,

Newcomer here.

My wife and I are planning a 1 year road trip around the U.S. and we have decided on a Class B Van for our excursion. Because we know we will only own the camper for a little over 1 year, we are trying to choose our Make and Model strategically, keeping in mind the resale value.

We are wondering the best approach for determining this metric and figuring out which models have the best resale as either "shortest time listed on the used market" or "percentage of premium lost" in a 1 year time frame.

I'm curious what approaches you all might use to determine such a thing?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thank You.

 

[Isaac-1]

The deprecation curve is just that a curve, and can be rather steep the first few years, the result is that the older the coach is the less it will lose in value over a 12 month span, excluding external factors, for example there tends to be a fairly sharp drop in RV values around the 12 year age mark as this is age at which most lenders will no longer finance a used RV, which of course tends to greatly shrink the size of the pool of potential buyers. This then leads to balancing age vs condition vs reliability of an RV, when it comes to purchase choices, but as long as you stick to under about the 10 year mark, as long as there has been proper maintenance, you should not have to worry much about components aging out, or decreased reliability with the exception of batteries and tires.

Now let me ask, do you have any experience traveling in an RV, because 12 months is a long time for a couple to travel in something as small as a class B coach.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Sound advice from Isaac-1. I'd guess that a 2-3 year old model probably isn't going to change much in a year as long as the mileage is what most buyers would perceive to be a relatively low, say less than 50k miles. RV values are much more dependent on condition and popularity than cars & trucks. The other end of the scale works too. RV values usually level out after about 15 years, but you probably want a newer model for more "peace of mind" on a year long journey.

Some good friends did what you plan and bought a 3 yo Pleasureway for a 6 month tour of the USA. They paid cash and recovered their purchase cost (except for taxes & vehicle fees) when they sold. However, they did NOT recover the money spent on maintenance & repairs, which amounted to over $3000 in the 10 months they owned it. A major generator problem was a big $ hit. They also spent well over $1000 on personalizing it for their wants & needs, e.g. bed coverings and some furnishing enhancements. And operating expense, if of course not included. They found they needed to make regular motel stops to have a nice shower (& hair wash for her) and just spread out a bit for an evening, but that's a personal lifestyle choice and yours may differ.

 

[meoraine]

The deprecation curve is just that a curve, and can be rather steep the first few years, the result is that the older the coach is the less it will lose in value over a 12 month span, excluding external factors, for example there tends to be a fairly sharp drop in RV values around the 12 year age mark as this is age at which most lenders will no longer finance a used RV, which of course tends to greatly shrink the size of the pool of potential buyers. This then leads to balancing age vs condition vs reliability of an RV, when it comes to purchase choices, but as long as you stick to under about the 10 year mark, as long as there has been proper maintenance, you should not have to worry much about components aging out, or decreased reliability with the exception of batteries and tires.

Now let me ask, do you have any experience traveling in an RV, because 12 months is a long time for a couple to travel in something as small as a class B coach.

Thank You for the feedback. I did not know about the 12 year mark. We were hoping to find something from 2020ish or newer so we should be safe in that regard. But definitely good to know to treat it more as a curve for depreciation that makes total sense.

As for our experiences, my wife did 3 months straight living in a camper van traveling around New Zealand. I haven't done an extended van excursion myself, per se, but she and I are very familiar with month long road trips together, sleeping out of hotels + tent camping. Combined, we've been to over 20 countries and done quite a lot of traveling together. We've also spent decent chunks of time, up to as much as a week straight, in back country camping situations with zero grid. We're certain that 12 months is going to be a challenge in a camper van, even for experienced travelers, but we're confident we can take the good with the bad. We also fully intend to switch from on grid to off grid, to even staying at a hotel for a night, if we need to take a break from the van. All in all, I'm nervous but I'm also very confident that she and I can pull it off.

 

[meoraine]

Sound advice from Isaac-1. I'd guess that a 2-3 year old model probably isn't going to change much in a year as long as the mileage is what most buyers would perceive to be a relatively low, say less than 50k miles. RV values are much more dependent on condition and popularity than cars & trucks. The other end of the scale works too. RV values usually level out after about 15 years, but you probably want a newer model for more "peace of mind" on a year long journey.

Some good friends did what you plan and bought a 3 yo Pleasureway for a 6 month tour of the USA. They paid cash and recovered their purchase cost (except for taxes & vehicle fees) when they sold. However, they did NOT recover the money spent on maintenance & repairs, which amounted to over $3000 in the 10 months they owned it. A major generator problem was a big $ hit. They also spent well over $1000 on personalizing it for their wants & needs, e.g. bed coverings and some furnishing enhancements. And operating expense, if of course not included. They found they needed to make regular motel stops to have a nice shower (& hair wash for her) and just spread out a bit for an evening, but that's a personal lifestyle choice and yours may differ.

Appreciate the feedback Gary!

She and I fully intend to break things up with the occasional hotel stay, for similar reasons as your friends. But I appreciate you mentioning your friends story, as I would have been foolish to not calculate for maintenance expenses - something that is hard to quantify but should probably be accounted for.

Would you say budgeting $200 a month towards maintenance and repair costs is sufficient when budgeting for a Class B?

I think we're set on trying to find a newer model - something around 2020 or newer, if we can.

 

[Isaac-1]

Our coach is significantly older, it is coming up on 22 years old, and was 14 when we bought it, and the most we have ever used it is about 75 nights per year, our average annual maintenance budget has been in the $2,000-$2,500 ballpark, though this combines repairs, with preventive maintenance, as well as upgrades, many of these items are associated with things either wearing out or aging out, something you are less likely to have to deal with with a circa 3-5 year old coach. For example this year I have spent around $1,800 already, with $1,290 going to a new roof top air conditioner as the original 21 year old unit finally gave out. Beyond that the rest has been on an assortment of things, some engine related stuff (new ignition coils, and new fuel pressure regulator), new engine starting battery, and a few other random things.

Let me ask, do you have a reason for not considering something slightly bigger than a Class B, is it concern about parking, or ability to do general sight seeing, etc? I ask because something even in the 24-25 ft B+ or small class C range will have a LOT more cargo carrying capacity, as well as larger tank sizes, more living area, etc. than a 19-21 ft class B, and a small class A in the 26-28 ft range would have even more room still, while still maintaining some ability to fit into standard parking lots. See attached photos of our 28 ft class A parked places, though I will admit when traveling without a TOAD car I have felt myself wishing our coach was a couple of feet shorter when dealing with parking from time to time.

 

[Kirk]

I did not know about the 12 year mark.

Most lenders stop financing RVs at an age from 10 to15 years and the length of time that they will finance for gets shorter as the RV gets older. Most have an RV age by which any loan that they write must be paid off.

I would have been foolish to not calculate for maintenance expenses - something that is hard to quantify but should probably be accounted for.

One thing that you could do to help with that budget item would be to shop for a good "Extended Warranty" policy that amounts to repair insurance. But shop carefully as you want one that covers all items except those listed, not the other way around.

Would you say budgeting $200 a month towards maintenance and repair costs is sufficient when budgeting for a Class B?

If by $200/month you mean to begin your year with $2400 set aside for maintenance you might be OK but if you only have $200 dollars available when a major breakdown happens in your first month on the road you would have a problem. A lot also depends on what maintenance you are capable of doing for yourself and on the age of the RV that you buy. In case you have not looked into the prices, check out these in RV Trader to get a feel for the cost of the available units.

 

[Isaac-1]

When it comes to maintenance budget, just be aware all bets are off if you have a premature engine or transmission failure. We had one member on here who had 2 engine failures on a diesel pusher class A back to back at over $40,000 per pop.

 

[Jennago]

Greetings All,

Newcomer here.

My wife and I are planning a 1 year road trip around the U.S. and we have decided on a Class B Van for our excursion. Because we know we will only own the camper for a little over 1 year, we are trying to choose our Make and Model strategically, keeping in mind the resale value.

We are wondering the best approach for determining this metric and figuring out which models have the best resale as either "shortest time listed on the used market" or "percentage of premium lost" in a 1 year time frame.

I'm curious what approaches you all might use to determine such a thing?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thank You.

I have a class B van Conversion, and I absolutely love it. The size, versatility, ease of driving and getting in and out of anywhere. I have taken it to the grocery, parked beside a river, down a dirt road to a remote camping area, parked it in a friends' driveway, and have had no problem getting to where I want to explore. I bought a new Dodge Ram Promaster in Tempe AZ, and then had it converted right there in Tempe by BoHo Camper Vans. Total cost two years ago was about $82,000. I could sell it right now for the price I paid or more, with 16K miles on it. Vans are very desirable now, and the market is great. I find I don't need to travel with a house on wheels, with a bedroom, multiple TV's, and everything but a hotub. I find for me it is more about experiencing what's outside my little abode than in it. I am a retired woman, and travel alone with my dog.