Fair price for 1998 Terry 34P travel trailer

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sandyb53

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Posts
13
I'm looking at a 98 Terry 34P travel trailer. Its at a dealer on consignment and has been sitting awhile. Original asking was 9995.00. Its been reduced to 7600.00. There is one questionable soft spot in the corner of a kitchen cabinet. The dealer tells me all the appliances work as does the slide. There is no mattress. The caulking around the top of the shower/tub is pretty cracked. The exterior has a few issues. The tires look okay. The owner reattached one of the awning arms at the bottom of the camper. I think I would have this repaired by a qualified mechanic. I didn't inspect the propane tanks. Its a rubber roof and would need it inspected. The awning over the slide needs reattached. The water heater has the usual rust. I like this camper pretty much. Its very similar to the one destroyed by the superstorm. I'm thinking of offering 6,000.00. Would appreciate any feedback regarding price. I did look up the NADA price which is lower but its my understanding that dealers look at a different version of the NADA guide.
thanks
Sandy
 
First Thing
Have someone experienced in RV repairs review the unit before purchase is essential.

To answer your question, I think the price is high, A few things to consider;

This is a 15 year old unit, Travel Trailers don't last forever without some maintenance(and replacement) and care. A whole list of things need to be considered.

Just a couple  to starts with;
The tires look may look OK, but exactly how old are they? Many Trailer tires die of old age before the treads wear out. If you are planning on towing this is could be an added expense, not so much for parking on a seasonal site.

Wheel bearings are another, similarly if the trailer has sat for an extended period these might not be any good or just need repacking

Ref. "all the appliances work as does the slide" This is a "show me" issue. Again, without maintenance it can get costly fast.

The roof issue would be a deal stopper for me, I've dealt with it and things can get can complicated, or intensive (or expensive) fast.

How handy are you at repairing things? This is a big consideration before buying a unit this old.



Mike
 
The online NADA RV Guide puts the range at $4500-$5500, and the condition clearly puts it at the low end of the range, but that does not necessarily reflect the actual market in your area. Still, I would think that somewhere around $5000 is the right price, assuming you are willing to pay for the needed repairs. Obviously the owner thinks it ought to be worth a lot more, but eventually they will realize what the market will bear. Or you might try offering $6000 or so but contingent on a written list of repairs (or verification that no repair is needed). The seller can then negotiate either the price or the repairs. Or perhaps neither.

Here are a couple data points from PPL Motorhomes consignment sales (actual selling prices, not "asking")
- A 1999 Terry 27 w/slide and in excellent shape recently sold for $5500
- A 2006 Terry 34 footer w/2 slides sold for $15,500
 
Thanks for the information. I thought the price was high but it seems to be in line with the asking price I'm seeing for comparable units in my area. I was thinking of offering 6000 with 6500 being my limit. This would be contingent on seeing that everything functions. This includes a careful examination of the roof. I will be putting it on a seasonal site so the tires are not critical but I can get the numbers off them and figure out how old they are. The dealership where this camper is being shown is family owned. One of their family works at a sister company to where I work. Her husband is a salesman at the dealership and she does some of their billing. I made sure to mention jokingly where I worked and does that entitle me to a break. I'm hoping the relationship will decrease being taken advantage of. I did look up the NADA value and the asking price is high in comparison. There were no obvious additional options to add. Before I agree to a deal I would insist on observing that everything is functional. Since its at the dealer they would be able to pull it inside and do this. I agree that the price would be contingent of everything being in working order. I would ask the dealer to further investigate the roof. I'm willing to make minor repairs especially since the unit will be stored with them until the spring. I don't tow so once its at the site I use a mobile RV service. The camper I purchased this past June was a 97 similar to this unit. I paid 5300.00 and thought I got a good deal.  So maybe I could offer 5500 contingent on seeing everything being in working order and no roof leaks. I'm not sure how costly it is to reseal the roof but it seems this is routine maintenance. I have friends who would help us do this. The mentioned 5000.00 being a low ball offer so I wanted to go in higher than that. I'm a beginner at negotiating  :). Does this sound like a good plan? This is what my budget will support. This will be my third travel trailer. I did roof repairs on the first one after a tree branch went through it so I'm a bit handy. I didn't own the second one long enough to have to work it on it. I'm not looking for any projects.
Thanks
Sandy
 
My thought is don't get hung up on one RV. I would keep looking as this one sounds pretty iffy to me. If you are determined I would low ball it somewhere around 4k keeping in mind you will probably have to do much servicing to make it safe and dependable.  If this is a dealer don't worry about hurting his feelings, like car dealers they have none. Be very careful.
 
If it's on consignment, the dealer doesn't own the trailer, he's just showing it for the actual owner who has the final say in whether or not to accept a given price.

So don't be surprised if the dealer doesn't immediately accept a low offer - it may be below the minimum the consignee has said he will accept.  But I'd still make it, and I'd tell the dealer you're willing to wait for the consignee to lower his price.
 
I'm not proficient at posting links but if you wouldn't mind looking here is the address for pics of the unit http://www.maidencreekrv.com/rv/allimages.cfm?RVID=04152011135104. These would have been taken when the unit first came in. It was then moved outside and I assume didn't sell because its overpriced.  I'm not hung up on this particular unit or worried about hurting feelings just don't want to miss a potential good deal. So at this point if I did go forward I'm thinking 5500 and any issues resolved would be a fair price.
Thanks
Sandy



 
The pics certainly look nice, but they usually do. Your own appraisal indicated there are some known and some potential problems and the working condition of the major systems and appliances has not yet been verified. It's too early to tell if this is a "good deal" or not.

This rig is located in central PA, right? It probably isn't going anywhere soon, during the winter season.
 
It seems I've come across an even better deal . I'm going to look at a 2001 Prowler listed for 5745.00 which is way below the NADA listed value. The guy is just looking to get rid of it. His uncle left it to him and he's not a camper. He says its in perfect condition. Was garage kept when not being used. Can't wait to see this one! Gotta make sure I do a thorough inspection and look past the decor. I'll be sure to let you know what I find.
thanks
Sandy
 
I'm pleased to report that I'm the new owner of a 2001 Fleetwood Prowler. The inspection went well. All electrical systems worked fine including the slide. The refrigerator was already running when we arrived and was nice and cold. Worked on LP. Heat worked great. AC worked. Fans worked.Stove burners all functional,  All cabinet doors fully functional. No water damage. All walls and ceiling smooth. Battery charged and lights worked off battery. Tires look good but are old. No body damage noted. No peeling of graphics. Inspection is current. Couldn't test water heater etc because it was winterized. He is guaranteeing everything works. It was left to him by his uncle. It seems they were all a camping family but age and health has kept them from continuing. He is familiar with my campground(I'm a seasonal), camped at nearby campground and is good friends with the owners of another nearby campground.  He had the camper inspected when it came to him and had it winterized at the same time. He will be towing it to my campground for the cost of his gas. I paid 5745.00. I think I did good. I hope I feel the same way six months from now!
 
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