Community Forums

brobox · 04-03-2015, 07:03 AM

Picture, pictures and more pictures. Do a real price based on NADA, not what others are "asking" Buyers use NADA before making calls and sellers need to do the same thing to get those calls.

If you have all of the maintenance records be sure to mention that in the beginning of your ad. Very important to most buyers.

deandec · 04-03-2015, 10:05 AM

I just looked at NADA for a low retail value of your 2003, 35' Adventurer.

It is about $35K whether Ford or Chevy without knowing the odometer reading.

Your rig should be a very attractive unit to buyers if well cared for. Hang in there.

Psekins · 04-03-2015, 10:15 AM

Again thanks to everyone for the great comments. I will go to RV Monday and take lots and lots of photos.

msturtz · 04-03-2015, 11:40 AM

A few other posters mentioned this but I will elaborate. They said you need to clean it up. You need to make your unit as close to perfect as you can reasonably make it. The term in the industry is "Front line ready" which means fully detailed inside and out. All the cabinets should be thoroughly wiped down and all dirt removed, under all counters should be very clean, floors should be mopped and very clean, carpets should be steam cleaned and sanitary, outdoor storage compartments should be spotless and clean. Holding tanks should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized including the freshwater tank. The engine and generator oil, filters etc. should be changed, engine bay should be clean. All maintenance should be completed and any needed repairs done or you will get significantly less. All linens should be very clean and they bed(s) should be made and have clean linen. When you are showing the unit if it is cold make sure it is warm inside, if it is warm outside ensure the AC is running and it is cool inside. Make sure there are no off smells. When showing the unit put freshly baked cookies on the counter. Add to this make sure you take a multitude of pictures and write a very comprehensive advertisement to get interest. Think that you only have a few seconds of time to get attention make your ad count. Don't use poor grammar and spelling in your ad it is an immediate turn off to many buyers. When we traded our last unit in they asked if we had even used it camping! It really needs to be that clean to get maximum value. Best of luck!

two2go · 04-03-2015, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsheetz

Craigslist is where I sold our last coach. Bought current coach via RVtrader.com.

I provide lots of good pictures and ample info on things I am selling. Be realistic about condition and what is right and wrong. Be aware many buyers may be first time RV's, so don't assume the understand the value or benefit of certain features, or that they understand the terminology, when creating ads and supporting info. I want quality contacts, not quantity.

Same experience-sold '05 Class A on CL in 4 days to third looker. Bought Class B on RVTrader. Both sites get action, and you can search for local on RVTrader, which is what I have done. If you have any issues that affect price, be straightforward on them but no need to say too much in ad. We had a cracked windshield which was not in the field of normal view and I said so, and was represented in my price. Emphasize anything that adds value, like newer tires or recent service. We cleaned and detailed our coach. Interior shots were done at night with all lights on and no flash which gave a warm homey tone to the pictures. I listed a few of the 40-some improvements we had done. The cleanliness, condition, and features sold our coach, even though there was a comparable on CL for $10k less.

LeeSusan · 04-03-2015, 12:29 PM

My favorite post was 89sandman's. I do think that for a lot of people it is an emotional buy and if you can find a way to tie into that in a broad sense, you are 80% there.

What 89 said is similar to what I have read where one looks at motorhomes as short-term investments to be resold at a profit. A lot of people will really get upset over that, but I'm sure he is right, it can be done and I'm about to the point where I'm ready to attempt to do the same as I have figured out what I think are some of the key angles to make that work. I will call it the 89er challenge.

I have seen where someone buys new, travels around the U.S. for a couple of years and then sells it off attempting to get a high price despite putting a high amount of mileage on and time in it, since the dp NADA pricing is not based on mileage and there is no correction for full time usage...so buyer beware there.

In this instance I think informing the buyer and convincing them it fits their dream is the ticket, and this includes being reliable and free from problems.

So, I take this all as an art of the sale challenge.

Note: I look carefully at the seller's representations of maintenance, but I'm primarily concerned about being able to verify them and make my own judgments based on my knowledge.

89sandman · 04-03-2015, 10:12 PM

Then the challenge is on! My purchase this year is a 2003 Fleetwood Flair 33r. Paid $23,500 in close to excellent condition. When I'm through with it, it will be in excellent condition. With 2 huge slideouts, in my market it should sell in the 32-34k range. Will post a thread at the end of the season when its sold

ZOOKER · 04-03-2015, 11:30 PM

i would agree with some of the other posters. craigslist is just had to beat,it's free and has great exposure with the many search engines. can now ad 24 photos to ad. also inside and out side shots. have had better luck putting my phone number in the reply area. email replies from my listings were going to spam? the ads can be renewed as it will get buried by the new ads. the right person will love it and have to have it. keep trying it will happen. new rv owners are born everyday and start to search. good luck.

kdzgon · 04-03-2015, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 89sandman

Then the challenge is on! My purchase this year is a 2003 Fleetwood Flair 33r. Paid $23,500 in close to excellent condition. When I'm through with it, it will be in excellent condition. With 2 huge slideouts, in my market it should sell in the 32-34k range. Will post a thread at the end of the season when its sold

Could you tell me where you found this deal? We are looking for a similar coach in a similar price range, but I have to say it seems a lot of the older rigs are overpriced. Others are right though, I'd be reluctently to travel too far to look for a coach in this price range, mostly because most of the ads are bs compared to true condition or specs.

**CLIFFTALL** · 04-04-2015, 04:57 AM

Reminder.
Our Community Rules do not allow offers to buy or sell in the open forum. Our Classified section does.
Thanks
Cliff

Knightab · 04-04-2015, 05:32 AM

Search out some racing forums that allow advertising. When I was racing finding a motorhome was important because myself and the guys helping me could stay at the track and not a hotel, saved me money and was way more convenient than walking a half mile to the toilet and shower!

I was racing in the SCCA, our races were almost always a weekend event, but a lot of fans like to spend the weekends at Drag races, indy car and nascar races. Gotta go to the source of customers.

DDDonkey · 04-04-2015, 07:07 AM

I know I had a hard time selling my last MH and almost gave up. I only had 4 people look at it in 7-8 weeks and all but one were tire kickers. I sold it on CL with lots of photos, and an honest description and records. The people that bought it said they were really not interested in it at first but because it was so clean for a 25 year old coach, had all the records, and I could help them with storage for 2 weeks they would take it for $500 less than asking. On their second trip to see it, I did have it nice and cool (the first time they wanted to see it cold for the start up), and they asked to see a clean title so I knew they wanted it and I had them.

My wife just bought us a 'new' used MH across the country and we asked for lots of pics, everything from the under carriage to the roof, inside the cabinets and all. I have 40 plus pic's from the owner and an inspection before we could do the deal. Seems the hard time people are having today is paying for the MH's. Many bank have very high interest rate on them and the insurance is not cheap either. Hope you get it sold soon, and give it time camping season is almost here as well as tax day.

Finally Time · 04-04-2015, 09:47 AM

Here's an off the wall idea. There are a lot of people from the UK that buy a motor home here in the US, vacation travel around the US, then sell it when they they go back home. You might try listing it on this UK website, Motorhome Facts.com Motorhomes For Sale - Motorhomes For Sale

rkainsworth · 04-04-2015, 10:10 AM

I bought a 99 Adventurer 2 years ago from EBay (sale not auction). I was interested because it was only 1 hour away. I think buyers of older RV's want to check it out in person and don't expect to fly across country. I think local advertising, craigslist, etc. work best for older RV's. Just a thot.

Rich