Don't understand dealers

[jondrew55]

Originally Posted by bulldog2

but iam raising two grandkids by myself and god knows I don't trust them ( 15-16) for more then a day by them selfs I guess there is always DUCT TAPE ,if I had to really go cross country to get one just kidding

Haha. I feel your pain my friend. I should be retiring myself, not raising a 6-year old. Good luck with the MH hunt

[Mike and Cha]

Problem is that a lot of private sellers are holding out for the price they want, as there is no urgency to sell and they may just be testing the waters(either to see what it's worth or if they want to move up/down). Whereas a few years ago people were giving them away, losing money, to avoid having it repossessed. We actually bought ours New for few thousand dollars less than the used ones with same equipment that we looked at. Two Dealers even agreed with us but said someone would buy it at their price. The bottom line the owner sets the price, they buyer tries to negotiate a better price, and both get to decide how much they are willing to bend.

[maxwell18]

I just went through that deal, had a pre-approved loan setup, looked within a hundred miles and found some within my guide lines. Had to chase down the sales people, no customer service, really felt like Who are these jerk's? I knew they could not afford a hub cap off a DP. Anyway found a 2005 Monaco Diplomat very nice and within my price range. One thing I want to say about NADA, the CU I use and USAA uses these numbers to put together loan packages, so they are pretty important. Just my input.

[bulldog2]

Originally Posted by jondrew

Haha. I feel your pain my friend. I should be retiring myself, not raising a 6-year old. Good luck with the MH hunt

my friend please make sure there is someone for the 6yr old if something happens to you , we (my late wife and I ) never thought about this , and its really hard when there is just one ,to do so much ,you can get dragged down very easy (I know )

[stoners]

An important note is that it is a NADA Guidebook not a rule book. Having worked in automotive finance and as General Manager of dealerships the "book value" is subjective. In autos for example there is NADA, Kelly Blue Book an one popular in the south is Black Book. Look at each of them and "book" the same vehicle and you will see widely varied values. Often by thousands of dollars.

Trade values must also always be looked at with the understanding that the value is after any needed reconditioning, inspecting, detailing, etc. So if you know the cost of some of the repairs often needed on a RV it doesn't take much for those costs to be fairly high. That is deducted from "book value".

Also important is that RV's and cars values are constantly changing. Supply and demand have an effect. On the wholesale level some are worth more, some not worth it and others book value is where you want to end up with your investment. For example if you had to guess which way do you think an Alfa Seeya MH might fall? Not disparaging Alfa just an example.

[89sandman]

I buy a used motorhome every spring and resell at the end of summer and always make a 5-10k profit on a 20-35k motorhome. You need to know your market and and spend a great amount of time looking to find a good deal. You're not going to walk onto a dealers lot and get a good deal, that's not what they are there for. Not saying you can't get a good deal from a dealer, there are certain situations you can. I have bought more than one motorhome from dealers well below low book value. They either didn't have the space to keep it or it had been on the lot awhile and they wanted to get rid of it. New dealers aren't interested in keeping units in my price range around so this is to my advantage. Being around at the right time is just luck usually.


Look online and see what kind of prices they have, if they are all retail plus then don't waste your time there. More people than you think see these prices and just figure that's what they go for and don't think twice about being gouged. Or the convenience of having to only go to one place and have a large selection is worth the extra money to them. Shoot some offers online and see if they will come to a price you can live with before you step on the lot. If they refuse to talk money online or over the phone they are more than likely just trying to get you on the lot to try and hard sell you something. Dealers who don't list their prices are always a waste of time.


Units that private sellers have inherited are usually a great find. Most of them have never owned a MH and have no interest in keeping it. After a few tire kickers have wasted their time they are usually happy just to get rid of it. Don't be afraid to offer well below what they are asking, especially if its been up for sale for awhile. Set a price, year range, mile range and options list before you go. If you can stick to it you will be happier with your purchase over time than if you had to compromise.


You should always keep the NADA prices in mind. When you go to sell this is going to be a big part of how much money someone can be financed to purchase your unit. if you pay 30 to 40% above book unless what you bought is in very high demand you're gonna loose big at resale. Some people don't care they just want what they want no matter the cost, this is how the overpriced dealers stay in business.


Craigslist is your best friend, good deals go fast, very fast, so when one comes up be ready to look at it that day or the next and ready to buy if its what you want. When I'm looking to buy I check every listed town within my travel range 2-3 times a day. There are a ton listed and a lot of them are crap, you just have to invest the time to find the one gem hidden in all the turds

[vsheetz]

Originally Posted by brobox

Private party. Why deal with over priced dealers?

X2!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Old Car Nut

I had one dealer when I asked him about NADA v his sticker price he said, It help us with the financing/downpayment on the rigs. The do some creating accounting to make the deal come together and you still get near NADA price in the end. My thought, ummm, isn't that fraud? But I didn't say that out loud. The unit in question was advertised at 285K. Case price (or our own financing) was 199K. Needless to say we walked.

The Magna we just bought was advertised at $349,000, NADA was $399,000 plus some change. We got it for $329,000. For us trading was the only way to go as WA state charges sales/use tax only on the difference. If we sold, then bought then it would be on the total amount and at 8.4% that's a bunch.

[Gary RVRoamer]

First of all, the online NADA RV Guide is not based on actual market date (sales reports). It's just an estimate based on predicted average depreciation and doesn't account for local differences, seasons, or more desirable models. Sometimes they can get far from reality, especially after several years. If you want real data based on actual RV sales, buy the subscription version of NADA RV, It's not perfect, but much closer to reality. That (or the similar Kelly Blue Book RV) is what the lenders use to evaluate a loan request.

Second, a dealer (or private seller) can ask whatever he likes, and you can offer whatever you like. If your offer is high enough to cover his costs and yield some profit, he will sell regardless of the asking price. A higher asking price works in his favor - he can give you a better looking trade allowance or "cash discount". And who knows, maybe somebody will pay that higher price?

[Old Car Nut]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

The Magna we just bought was advertised at $349,000, NADA was $399,000 plus some change. We got it for $329,000. For us trading was the only way to go as WA state charges sales/use tax only on the difference. If we sold, then bought then it would be on the total amount and at 8.4% that's a bunch.

There should not be ANY sales tax on the sale of a used vehicle. They collected the tax on the original sale. To tax it again is a ripoff. But someone has to pay for the multi billion dollar light rail project that no one uses.

[LeeSusan]

What you are missing is historical recent prices on similar motorhomes, whether you buy from a dealer or from a private party. If you buy Bill Myers book on Buying a Used Motorhome, you will learn how to research actual prices and how to buy used from either a dealer or a private party. Plenty of private parties will try to sell high and above NADA just like dealers to try to cover their upside down loans or for other reasons.

What is just as important as the price is your personal knowledge and ability to evaluate the condition of the motorhome and use other independent professionals. A well maintained motorhome, at the pricing levels you mentioned, is from my point of view, the most important, starting with the roof and top couple of feet of the sides and around the windows.

[R2Home]

Just because the dealer has a price on a MH, does not mean that one can not make a 'counter offer' and see what the dealer comes back with. Our current MH, we worked with 'on' the dealer for several months before we agreed on a price. We ended up paying several thousands less then what the dealers sticker price was. My feelings are that the dealer will put a price on a MH to see if they can sell it as that price. It does not mean that they are not willing to come down. We also check with our credit union to see what we can afford and go from there.

[Tom N]

Originally Posted by bulldog2

DUH hello whats up with these people ,do they think we all fools

Dealers are in business to make $$$. The most $$$ possible.

The free enterprise system. It works well and has provided for one of the greatest counties in the world. Currently, the value of the US $ is very high.

-Tom

[BPoland]

As others have said, if a dealer has a coach that's really worth $100K, and he can sell it all day at $100K, then by pricing it at $100K, he is automatically eliminating the uneducated buyer that comes in and is willing to pay $120K for it. I still know people that view the MSRP as the best price on a car. These same people shopped at JC Penny's even though the same item was available at the K-mart for 20% less. Their thinking was that JC Penny meant better quality .

Find the coach you want. Do your homework and know what it's really worth, and make an offer. The absolute worst thing that can happen is they say NO.

The only thing I don't like about private party sales is lack of recourse. That being said, everything is a roll of the dice.