Market Value vs. Blue book value??

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nana3

Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Posts
13
Please bear with me if this is a silly question, but I am trying to sell my RV and I came across a website called Cash4rvs and they will give me cash at market value.  I don't know if that is the same as the Blue book value.  Can anyone explain if you know? 

If anyone has heard anything about these people "cash4rvs" please let me know your opinion too.  Thanks.

I really appreciate it.  I can't seem to sell our RV and we really need to sell it.
 
Market value is essentially a meaningless term - market value is whatever somebody will pay. If they make an offer to buy your RV, then whatever they offer is the "market value" at that instant. It may be that someone else, somewhere else would offer more - or less - but that's a "different market".

"Blue Book" specifically refers to the Kelly Blue Book of used vehicle values, a publication that tabulates values for new and used vehicles by region. There is a Kelly Blue Book for RVs but it not widely used in the RV industry. Most RV dealers use the NADA RV Guide, which is similar and published ny the National Auto Dealers Assc.  The NADA Guide does not use actual sales reports for RVs - instead it estimates average depreciation by year.  I'm not sure if the Kelly Blue Book for RVs is actual or estimated.

Bottom line is that the book values represent some sort of published consensus on values, whereas "market value" is whatever people will pay.

No dealer/buyer is going to pay more than wholesale when he buys because he has to cover his expenses and wait for a buyer to recoup his money. You will be lucky to get 60% of the retail value. That's assuming the whole thing is not a scam to steal your RV or just a sales ploy to get you to contact them in hopes of selling you a new one.

Tale a look at www.nadaguides.com and click Recreational Vehicles to get an idea of what you RV might sell for IF the right buyer comes along. But if no buyer shows up, it's all academic.
 
   I know nothing about the company mentioned, but I would proceed very carefully.  Those types of businesses, be they for RV's, homes, cars, or boats are fraught with fraudsters.  I would never deal with any of them.  List the unit on line, go see a reputable dealer and see if they will set up a consignment deal or buy it outright, but use someone that has an actual address and people that you can see & touch.
 
RV Roamer said:
...Tale a look at www.nadaguides.com and click Recreational Vehicles to get an idea of what you RV might sell for IF the right buyer comes along. But if no buyer shows up, it's all academic.

In my experience, over the years, I have usually found that the NADA guides show a value higher than the market will bear - and I would guess that is even more true in the economy/market.  :(
 
I have usually found that the NADA guides show a value higher than the market will bear

Hard to generalize on that, Joe. NADA applies a standard depreciation rate across the board, which will be too low for some and too high for others. High end rigs of popular brands tend to be undervalued, while others may be overvalued. Plus there are regional differences that can be substantial - a 24-28 ft stick & tin trailer that is in high demand in the northeast or midwest is a drag on the market in Florida or Arizona.

We usually say that NADA Low Retail is fairly close to a realistic price, but that too is a broad generalization that doesn't hold up in every market..
 
Thank you so much Gary and for those that responded to my question.  I will check out NADA.  I know that I will take a lost of what I still own on my loan.  I was told by someone who use to sell RV's that I paid way to much for the RV to begin with, but we were new at it and naive.  We learned a hard lesson.  We should have never have bought it with our physical problems anyway, but now my husband is worse and I won't drive that thing, it is too big.  I know a lot of women drive it, but I am too scared to. 

Anyway, I will try a dealer.  It is that we tried that once before and they wanted to give us $30,000.00 for it and we just owned it for two days and we paid $80,000.00 + for it.  We were shocked.  I wasn't willing to take that much of a lost.  I do want to sell it, but not at that much of a lost.  :eek:

Thanks again for explaining market value and I think I will take all of your advice and stay away from this website. 

 
To help muddy the waters, keep in mind that the NADA values you see on the Internet are considered "retail" values and are quite different than the ones the dealers use.  If they want to buy your trailer, they will be expecting to sell it for "retail" and will need to put some money into it and then make a profit.  Don't be expecting to sell it to a dealer for anything near what the Internet shows.  If you suspect the prices are not legitimate for your area, you could spend time on the Internet, checking dealers and private sales to see how they match up.  You will always do better selling it yourself but there are also several issues you will be faced with.  Sounds like a difficult situation you are trying to deal with and put behind yourself.  Good luck.
 
Nana3,
You will be lucky if a dealer will offer even 60% of the NADA retail value. He is buying at wholesale and selling at retail and the spread is large on an RV. You are better off selling it privately at a price somewhere between wholesale and retail. You can use an online classified service such as rvt.com or rvclassified.com to advertise it. You could also try a consignment sale. PPL Motorhomes is one reputable place to do that, but don't expect to do a whole lot better on price once their commission is paid.
 
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