Older Tiffin Class A vs. newer models - advice?

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Values are even more distorted right now. During the pandemic RV prices went thru the roof as demand for exceeded supply, but now they are sliding back toward a more normal range. Maybe even below normal as recession fears drive the market, but now inflation is counteracting that. Further, older RVs, say 18+ years, tend to reach a point where there is a floor value and won't go lower as long as they are functional. For a gas powered Class A, that's probably in the 10k-$15k range. Condition is even more critical at that point, so the price difference between a "well kept" coach and a "handyman special" might be 2x.
 
Gary from what I am seeing those same well maintained late 1990s gas coaches that were selling for $18,000 five years ago are now being listed with asking prices of $25,000 - $28,000 on a regular basis, if they are selling for that I don't know. Handyman specials may be much less
 
Without a long history of RV shopping, it's really hard to know what's a good price now - given this new post-COVID world we all live in.

What do you guys think of this one - found it locally, so we're going to look at it in a bit.

It's a 2009 Coachmen Mirada 310DS. It "looks" to be in great shape with a floor plan we like. 42K miles and has a lot of 'added' features. It's a little longer than we wanted - 32 ft, but we can work with that.

I ran it through NADA - Avg retail was $57,000 and Low retail was $47,000. Again, I know those numbers probably don't mean a lot, but where else do you start?

They are currently asking $47,000 - down from $57,700.

I can send a link if you would want to look at the specs and pics...
 
Be ware there are lots of horror stories out there about pop's RV they seem to make camping world look ethical by comparison
 
Oh no - seriously! I haven't read anything yet...what should I be aware of??
 
We looked at it this afternoon and left underwhelmed! I don't know about the price - didn't seem too high to me compared to what else I've been looking at - but as already stated, I have no idea what prices are reasonable.

Granted, he would have to come down quite a bit before we would be interested, but we're moving on. BTW, the guy from Pops was great - no complaints.
 
Isaac-1 said:
Gary from what I am seeing those same well maintained late 1990s gas coaches that were selling for $18,000 five years ago are now being listed with asking prices of $25,000 - $28,000 on a regular basis, if they are selling for that I don't know. Handyman specials may be much less
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Likely so. Prices of new gas coaches have skyrocketed, so could well be dragging the older ones higher. NADA/Powers still says $10,000-$12,000 is typical for a 20+ yo non-slide coach, but I'd call that a minimum or base price that goes upward from there.

I did not claim the $26,000 price was excessive - just that it was not a "bargain". IMO everything would have to be top-notch to command that price. The age & condition of tires & batteries alone could make a big $$ difference.
 
Gary, while my gut agrees with you, that $26,000 seems excessive for a 20 year old gas class A, and does not seem like a bargain, the reality of the market I am seeing out there disagrees with this.

I paid just over $20,000 for my 2002 Safari Trek when it was 14 years old in 2016, at the time NADA listed it for $15,150 which was well below market conditions which were more like $19,000 - $25,000 at the time for these coaches in good, well maintained condition. During the covid camping craze, I saw half a dozen listing in the online Trek groups, etc. for 2002 Treks identical to mine, most with no upgrades, selling for between $29,000 - $34,000, most selling within a week of being listed. While the market seems to have cooled down some, it still seems that the going price for a 2002 Trek in the real world today at 21 years old is around $29,000, and finding one for $26,000 would actually be a bargain, even if that is $5,000 more than I paid for the same coach when it was only 14 years old.
 
rgnprof said:
we're moving on
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Probably a good move. It's kind of like buying a house I suppose. You know the right one when you see it.

I do think the book value...along with what the actual price a particular model is currently selling for...gives you a decent ball park idea of value to begin determining value. Of course, actual condition (poor, fair, average, excellent) is key...not only for pricing but also for deciding how much effort (diy is the way to go if you have the skills...labor costs are crazy high and its hard to get good quality techs these days) and money you want to spend in addition to the initial upfront cost. Maintenance history is critical (as with any purchase) as you know at this point in life but often hard to know if you don't have actual receipts. Without receipts, you will need to figure in costs to start fresh such as fluid changes, wear parts, etc... It's not rocket science to get a good idea of value and as stated... the market seems to be moving to down to earth/normal, which is great for buyers.

BTW...my original estimate of what I needed to put into my recent purchase of an older class A was a vast under estimate (pipe dream) even though the original mileage was extremely low at 17,000 (of course low miles can be an issue with a unit just sitting like any vehicle but I lucked out on this issue). Tires were original so those had to go right away. Six tires were 3.5K and about 700 to install and balance. Wheel alignment was about 200. Along with new wheel simulators/hub covers for the front wheels and fancy value extender for the duallies were an additional cost. So tires/wheels alone were about 4.5K. I originally figured I needed to put in about 5K. I was wrong. I've spend about 10K so far. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...I hope (may be I'm fooling myself). May need to spend another 2K in for other fixes (i.e., looks like 3 double pane windows have failed, etc..). With that said, with the original price and including what I'll end up putting into it, I could likely sell for what I've got into it..even make a few small bucks. I did get a great price on this thing and ended up needing that good initial price more than I realized originally. I've restored several cars and houses and it's the same idea of not wanting to be under water as far as actual turn over value goes at the end of the day. I never wanted to be one of those guys who spends twice as much on a car or hot rod restoration than it ends up being worth.
 
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Professor David, I can understand and agree on the desire not to waste money on a money pit, however I have also learned that there is a certain ongoing treading water cost to owning an older motorhome, just to keep it at a certain level of condition as components age out. For my 2002 P32 coach with 8.1L Vortec engine which I bought in 2016, my ongoing annual expense for maintenance has average out around $2,000 per year with most jobs being DIY, not counting upgrades I have done to either the coach or chassis (ie LED lights, rear suspension helper air bags, LiFePo4 batteries, etc.) This year so far the big ticket item has been $1,250 for a new roof top heat pump, last year there really was not one, but 2021 saw a few including upgrading to LiFePo4 batteries, 2020 was a new tire year, 2019 was rear helper airbags and replacing rear brake calipers (front calipers are likely going to be done later this year). about the only appliance that is still original on the coach is the water heater, and I keep getting more and more rust flakes when I blow out the burner tube with fresh air, so I suspect it will be going sooner rather than later, in fact I may try to pick up one to have it on hand if I find a deal.
 
Isaac-1 said:
certain ongoing treading water cost to owning an older motorhome, just to keep it at a certain level of condition as components age out.
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yes, I imagine this would be true just like a house. My house was built quite well back in the 1930's but needs constant maintenance and upgrading...while keeping the character and benefits of an older home in a historic neighborhood. As I get more into this motorhome business, it seems like a combination of keeping up a house and a vehicle with a very unique twist specific to only motorhomes. As I dig more and more into the body, suspension, house part, electrical, HVAC,etc of this older motorhome...I realize that it is unique but also shares quite a few similarities to both the houses and vehicles I've restored in the past. It certainly is an interesting project that can take one to cool places and keep a guy like me out of trouble .
 
We have just about given up (for now) - just can't find the right fit right now. I've been checking numerous used models against JD Power/NADA and almost all are way overpriced. The Mirada above was not, but it's just about the only one we've looked at that was not 'upside down'. The Neptune diesel I mentioned earlier average retails for 26K and they are asking 46K - and most have been similarly priced. Again - I realize that condition etc. matters but the ones we've been looking at are all asking 10K plus over average retail. It seems to be more of a problem with the older (>15 years) models.

We will continue to take our time. Thanks!
 
rgnprof said:
We have just about given up (for now) - just can't find the right fit right now. I've been checking numerous used models against JD Power/NADA and almost all are way overpriced. The Mirada above was not, but it's just about the only one we've looked at that was not 'upside down'. The Neptune diesel I mentioned earlier average retails for 26K and they are asking 46K - and most have been similarly priced. Again - I realize that condition etc. matters but the ones we've been looking at are all asking 10K plus over average retail. It seems to be more of a problem with the older (>15 years) models.

We will continue to take our time. Thanks!
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Be patient. Eventually, you'll find the right RV at the right price. Best wishes.
 
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