Price Guides

[Pilothawk]

Not to mention any specific service, but there are agencies which offer to provide guidance re the worth of used RVs.

I am struck by the difference between listed value and what owners are asking for their used coaches.  Differences of 25% and greater appear commonplace, and even 50% not unusual.  My question is how close to the listed price guides do coaches actually sell? 

Am I off base telling an owner the coach for which they are asking $26000 has a listed value of $17,400?  And, that is high retail...which is not what I would expect to pay in a private sale especially for a coach that is less than perfect.

I am not trying to take advantage of anyone, but at the same time I want to pay a fair price. 

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The NADA RV Guide is not very accurate and I doubt if others are any better. There simply is no organized collection of dealer or auction RV selling prices, so all such guides are estimates at best. The free online NADA RV Guide is strictly estimated depreciation (the subscription version is somewhat better, but still approximate).  Further, there are often regional and seasonal difference in RV pricing that are not reflected well in the guides.

However, asking prices are also all over the map. Especially private sales prices. Owners either have no idea of market value or are largely driven by what they owe, often far more than the RV is worth.  And of course dealers use high asking prices so they can offer the discounts and higher trade-in values that buyers seem to love.

You need to use multiple sources for market value info and do some guesswork on your own.  Look at lots of asking prices, not just one or two. And private, consignment and dealers pricing if you can find them for the type and model you are interested in.  PPL Motorhomes, a major consignment agent, lists the actual selling prices of every coach & trailer they've sold in the last two years. RVT.com and RVTrader.com are good places to view what others are asking. Ebay too, sometimes.

 

[Alfa38User]

Many price their rigs high because the owners are "under water", that is they owe more on the balance of financing that the vehicle is worth in the market place. Others may price their vehicles using NADA or similar services and add in all the options, many of which were standard to start with and are worth nothing in the used market. Note that for an RV, the online NADA service is a straight depreciation calculation using the MSRP as a starting point, it has nothing to do with the market value of any particular vehicle, unlike a car where sales figures are used to determine the going price of any particular model. The fair price for an RV is largely determined by condition, condition, condition.

 

[SeilerBird]

What I do is tell the owner exactly what I will pay for it. If he says no then I move on to another RV. There are way too many RVs for sale to play games.

 

[darsben]

What I do is tell the owner exactly what I will pay for it. If he says no then I move on to another RV. There are way too many RVs for sale to play games.

This is the answer )
Figure what it is  worth to you. Make an offer and accept the owners answer.

 

[Tsgarvey]

Patience... research and willingness to travel.. pays off. I had been looking for the perfect trailer for me.. for a good while. Finally came across one a few weeks back. It was 4.5 hours away from me (Maryland) up in NY. They were initially asking $9500.. lowered to $8500.. and I told them I'd come get it for $7800. They accepted and I did! Low retail is listed as $9700 and high $11700. The few other same model campers I could find listed for sale were in the $10500 - $12500 range. I couldn't be happier. Good luck with your search!

 

[garyb1st]

Lots of factors to consider.  Look at the tires and batteries.  Check their dates, if they have to be replaced, then that is a cost in addition to the purchase price.  If the coach has relatively new tires and batteries, then you should be willing to pay a bit more.  Same with general condition.  If the coach looks like it's 20 years old then it's worth less than one that has been taken care of, maybe kept in a garage or otherwise maintained very well.  Those are legitimate reasons for a seller increasing the asking price.  If the sell owes more than the motorhome is worth, move on.  However if the owner is unable to pay off the loan, maybe the lender will accept a cash price for less than the loan amount.  But do your homework.  There are lots of good coaches out there that can be purchased for a fair price.  Look for the coach that fits your needs, floor plan, amenities, etc., then negotiate.

 

[rbrdriver]

Like they say, whatever you're selling is only worth what someone else will pay you for it...?. :

 

[Isaac-1]

Just to follow up on the other posts, NADA is nearly useless on an older RV, sometimes it will be high, sometimes it will be low, however either way condition is everything.  Personally I would rather pay way above NADA for a well maintained older RV, vs below NADA for one in average condition.  The problem here is average condition is often, abused, neglected and poorly maintained.