selling a 36' Alpine Limited

[ClarkBowen]

Unfortunately, one week after we bought our 2007 36' FDTS Limited we had significant changes in our life and will no longer be able to take the extended trips we had planned.
Any suggestions for getting an accurate/realistic price for what a 2007 36" FDTS with many options and 5,000 miles should sell for? Any recommended venues for selling it?

Thanks,

Clark

[TXiceman]

You can list it on the Classified section on iRV2. You will need to register for that site as a separate registration but can use the same user name and such.

You can also go to www.craigslist.com, or RV Trader for a few places.

To get an idea of it's market value, check www.nadagudes.com and do not plan to get much more than low retail in this market.

Sorry to hear about your unexpected change of plans.

Ken

[michelb]

With Alpine having gone out of business earlier this year (not to mention that the whole RV industry is pretty much dead) it's very hard to determine a good selling price and it might be very hard to find a buyer for yours. NADA says $210k (without add-ons) but I don't know if it's very realistic.

For what it's worth, I think that at the Alpine assets auction, there were 3 brand new 2009 mhs (2 34s and 1 36) and they sold for between $125k-$145k if I remember correctly.

From that I think that if you can get $150-$175, you're probably doing very good but I hope you can do a lot better. Also depends how much in a hurry you are.

Good luck.

[ClarkBowen]

Thanks for the listing and price ideas....

Fortunately I have time and your estimates seem realistic to me.

Clark

[LVJ58]

Clark, here's another place that lists coaches for sale:

http://www.rvonline.com/

So sorry to hear you'll no longer be able to travel, I wish you the best.

Jim

[RV Wizard]

Clark, sorry to hear that you won't be needing the coach. I hope that everything works out for you.
There are many classified sites you can list the coach on. Just do a Goggle search for RVs for Sale and you should find a couple dozen avenues you can pursue. There is even Craigslist and ebay that folks use to sell there rigs. Unfortunately there are a lot of them on the market right now. Good luck and keep us posted.

[RVThere]

Clark,

Another option you may consider is renting your RV. There are a number of companies out there that will rent your RV for you and handle all the logistics. Others are just referral services. Friends of ours rented a Class A for Memorial Day from a guy who bought his RV and then was shipped out to Iraq for an extended tour. In a market flooded with RV's for sale, this may be a viable option for you until the market comes back.

A financial point to consider is the loss you may take unloading your coach in this market. Suppose you find a buyer and sell it for $24,000 less than you owe (a very likely situation in this market). Depending on your monthly payments, the $24,000 loss could equate to 1 to 2 YEARS of payments. You will have to dig into your pocket and pay the bank that $24,000 when you sell. Also, I don't know your situation, but in 2 years things may change again for the better and you might be able to travel again.

Our prayers are with you!

[ClarkBowen]

Thanks Tom and Katharine for well thought out advice.
On the numbers side it is always a race against depreciation and there will be a huge overhang of unsold RVs when and if the current situation changes. I suspect your two year time frame may be too conservative. If that is the case, then a distress sale now can look good in retrospect (selling Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, WaMu, Bear Stearns, IndyMac Bank 6 months ago).
But your mention of companies that would handle the rental paperwork and logistics sounded very good. Then, if and when it sells I would have a taxable loss to offset other gains and some regular income. In the meantime, I'd have some additional depreciation and expenses to help with taxes. Do you know any companies that you could recommend?

Thanks very much,

Clark

[RVThere]

Clark,

I don't have experience with any of the rental companies out there so I can't give a reccomendation.

Maybe some of the other iRV2 members can add their advice.

[drhumphrey]

Clark: Don't know if you are still out there reading the post on this site, but just thought I would ask what might have happened to your 2007 Limited Alpine. How did you do with it, or are you still using it.

This is an old post I am answering, so don't know if Clark is still around the site. Thanks. DrH

[Cat320]

IMO, the best way to determine the value of a coach is to check out the prices for similar models that are for sale. NADA, etc, will give you a value, but it is not as realistic as those actually trying to sell one. Of course ACTUALLY selling price would normally be a bit lower than asking price.