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LSC9901 · 03-13-2012, 11:34 AM

My only suggestion is to look at units from '93 and up. That is when most manufacturers switched to fuel injection and 4 speed transmissions. You might see a little better mileage.

RVNeophytes2 · 03-13-2012, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funfor4

Nada seems to be alot lower than what people are asking. Also, which is better, owners or dealers?
Thanks

Among friends, rigs have been bought from between 10% below NADA Wholesale (approx 78% of Avg Retail) and Low Retail during the last year and a half.

BTW, in general, the prices seem to come down as fuel prices go up.

Ideally, your rig will have never been smoked in, stored indoors, used regularly, maintained in strict compliance to manufacturer's standards and have tires that read "DOT... 1012" on the sidewall: the tenth week of 2012

Vickiedrouin · 03-18-2012, 03:47 PM

I would get online and research the leading motor home companies, then look for one that has what you want. Good luck, Vickie

scenic route · 03-18-2012, 05:27 PM

It took us almost a year of lying on beds, standing in bathroom showers, sitting on toilet bowls and generally just looking at floor plans to see what we thought would meet our needs. We looked at a lot of new and used MHs at local shows. We also cruised auctions, Craig's List, E-Bay and many other sites while trying to keep track of what models we liked and what they sold for...we felt those resources were the real indicators of what the market values were.

We checked NADA(I bought the books) with what we knew some of the MHs we were watching sold for and it looked as if NADA was high...and that's using NADA's low retail prices/no options. We never considered using the 'retail' column. We bought our MH for $38K less than low retail listed by NADA(this was over 2 yrs. ago)without considering options. Some of these private owners can ask what they want but, asking and getting are sometimes two different animals. I sometimes thought that they were adding some 'past experiences' value to the MH's value. We looked at a lot of worn out RV's with premium prices attached.

In the end, we bought from e-bay...nerve wracking. But the ad did have some very good pics(could even see the nap in the carpeting) and the unit only had 17K miles on it. It had exactly what we (with loads of patience) wanted in a class 'A' MH. Sometimes, things just work out.

Amen on the 'paying in cash' thing! Bob

Vickiedrouin · 03-19-2012, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scenic route

It took us almost a year of lying on beds, standing in bathroom showers, sitting on toilet bowls and generally just looking at floor plans to see what we thought would meet our needs. We looked at a lot of new and used MHs at local shows. We also cruised auctions, Craig's List, E-Bay and many other sites while trying to keep track of what models we liked and what they sold for...we felt those resources were the real indicators of what the market values were.

We checked NADA(I bought the books) with what we knew some of the MHs we were watching sold for and it looked as if NADA was high...and that's using NADA's low retail prices/no options. We never considered using the 'retail' column. We bought our MH for $38K less than low retail listed by NADA(this was over 2 yrs. ago)without considering options. Some of these private owners can ask what they want but, asking and getting are sometimes two different animals. I sometimes thought that they were adding some 'past experiences' value to the MH's value. We looked at a lot of worn out RV's with premium prices attached.

In the end, we bought from e-bay...nerve wracking. But the ad did have some very good pics(could even see the nap in the carpeting) and the unit only had 17K miles on it. It had exactly what we (with loads of patience) wanted in a class 'A' MH. Sometimes, things just work out.

Amen on the 'paying in cash' thing! Bob

Thanks for your info, we did have a 2009 Cameo fifth wheel, we bought in 2008, we did lots of research and we bought new and we were living in it for a year. We loved it but decided to sell and we decided to go the motor home way. As for, laying on beds, well we bought a memory foam mattress and put it in our Rv, worked great for us, and in a couple of years we will be ready for full time again. Thanks again, will get the NADA book.

greatlakes · 03-19-2012, 08:06 AM

Here you go. this is a great entry level Class A.
Very clean 1994 Damon Challenger - RV & Motorhome Classifieds

Need to sell it as we bought the DP.

ga traveler · 03-19-2012, 08:48 AM

As a ser. mgr. my advice is to go with a 96 or newer chassis, if you want a P30 chevy. Chevy went to real fuel inj. in 96. The throttle body was cheap fuel inj. make do. They only used two injectors, which meant the inj. had to fire 4 times more than a normal fuel inj. If you go a hundred thousand miles in a throttle body, the inj. has fired as much as anormal inj. in four hundred thousand miles.

greatlakes · 03-19-2012, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ga traveler

As a ser. mgr. my advice is to go with a 96 or newer chassis, if you want a P30 chevy. Chevy went to real fuel inj. in 96. The throttle body was cheap fuel inj. make do. They only used two injectors, which meant the inj. had to fire 4 times more than a normal fuel inj. If you go a hundred thousand miles in a throttle body, the inj. has fired as much as anormal inj. in four hundred thousand miles.

I could be wrong but I though most TBI's didnt actually fire like modern injectors. It was more or less a spray nozzel and sprayed fuel as long as the engine was running and not intermitantly.

BoJango · 03-19-2012, 04:55 PM

If I was looking for a used motor home, I would check out pplmotorhomes.com.
I have a 1996 P-30 Chevy. It is the last with the throttle body.

ga traveler · 03-20-2012, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bo Walker

If I was looking for a used motor home, I would check out pplmotorhomes.com.
I have a 1996 P-30 Chevy. It is the last with the throttle body.

I just looked at my service manual for a 1996 chevy. The 96 had 8 injectors. It did not have a throttle body. If you have a throttle body, You have a split year motorhome. ( chassis 1995. motorhome 1996)

ga traveler · 03-20-2012, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greatlakes

I could be wrong but I though most TBI's didnt actually fire like modern injectors. It was more or less a spray nozzel and sprayed fuel as long as the engine was running and not intermitantly.

The throttle body used injectors. The injectors fired for longer periods to give more fuel and shorter bursts for less fuel. If you think about it, if you sprayed fuel all the time, it would be too rich at idle and too lean at cruising speed.

UltraKen · 03-22-2012, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greatlakes

The problem with NADA prices is they are developed by actual sales figures. So the older the vehicle where people are paying cash the numbers can be skewed because private sellers trying to help out with taxes.
Its not legal, but that doesnt mean it doesnt happen, and so a guy sells his RV for 12k but puts 5k on the title so the new buyer saves a bit in taxes. Problem is that loweres the NADA value to 5k when it actually sold for more than that. Plus RV's can vary so much in later models. One well taken care of can sell for 18K then one of the same year and accessories might have water damage broke appliances and bald tires and sell for 4K thats a huge gap. So the NADA is an avg of all sales.

RV's like boats and anyother toy, are worth whatever people are willing to pay. The NADA is a suggested retail price and isnt a direct indicator of what you will find. As with so many things you get what you pay for. So something maybe a bit more than the NADA $ but in really good shape will probably make you happier than a bargain priced RV that is under the NADA $.. Just make sure you check it out.

I disaree. NADA car prices reflect sales, RV prices don't because there are too few sales to make any reliable estimates for each possible model.

For RVs NADA uses a straight-line depreciation from original MSSRP. If you use NADA don't check any "options" since in many RVs the listed options are actually standard features. Options cost the original owner money but generally do not influence used value.

When I was searching I used around half a dozen different classified lists focusing specifically on the make, model, and floorplan I wanted. I compared prices to get a feel for the "asking" market and tried to keep track of which units sold and which didn't. It took a while but I think I developed a good sense of reasonable pricing.

I also made use of a motor home check list when I went to see prospective coaches. You can find one by using Google or pm me and I'll send you a copy of the multi-page checklist I used.

deaton · 03-23-2012, 08:23 AM

I agree with Mr D that your best guide is actual completed sales on a site like PPL. They push a lot of units off their lot every month and is all real data from real owners and buyers. You will also see a big cross section of the market,
You can also call them to talk about prices. They are honest and no pressure.

greatlakes · 03-23-2012, 09:03 AM

Clip Quote" I disaree. NADA car prices reflect sales, RV prices don't because there are too few sales to make any reliable estimates for each possible model.

Yea thats what I meant, they are pretty good indicators for car sales but for RV's there are too many other variables that effect price, Options and condition can vary dramatically.