Don't understand dealers

[bulldog2]

ok so I have my money all set ,and I go shopping ,4 dealers all within about 100 miles of me ,found 6MH -4 gas and 2 DP that I would be interested in from 2002 to 2007 all priced in the low 60s to about 70K write all info down come home look on nada ,ALL prices about 20K over book ,call 1 dealer up on a DP and he says we price all DPs higher than gassers YA but the book says 48K for this unit in good shape and your asking 69K DUH hello whats up with these people ,do they think we all fools

[CLIFFTALL]

You have their money in your pocket. Don't let them take it. Keep trying to get what you're comfortable with.

[DonaandDon]

Shoot low and let them chew on it for a day or two. Or as some may say "let me talk to your boss".....

[Gordon Dewald]

They are trying to make a living and some of them it looks like a very good living.

If they ask higher they can always go down, but if they start low I am not aware of any buyer who will say I think I should pay you more. You have the money and they have the toys. It is up to both of you to come to a point that you are both happy.

Pricing high is somewhat like MSRP. You can expect about 30% off of MSRP, why not a similar amount for the used.

One more thought. Who says NADA is the be all and end all? It is a recommendation by some folks who make a living at it. Who says they are right?

[KIX]

Maybe you should buy from NADA.

[datrbone8]

Keep looking until you find what you want at the price you want to pay. I have no idea if NADA book values are representative of true real world value. Each person determines what something is worth to them at that time. Find the one that satisfies you and go for it. You could spend years shopping (not that there is anything wrong with that).

I would think you'd do better trying to buy from a private owner who's not interested in making a profit but just not interested in owning his MH any longer

[brobox]

Private party. Why deal with over priced dealers?

[Mike and Cha]

The money is yours and can only be spent if you allow it to be. The only problem is that from what I hear from my brother in law who owns two dealerships that buys/sells/refurbished used MH's is that things have changed since the economy has been recovering. The deals that once were are now hard to find and it is a sellers market to some degree. He does a great business and is pretty reasonable in his prices, but even his prices have increased due to his purchase costs and finding quality used MH's that haven't been abused.


The bottom line is Nada is an estimate, and the market at the time is the reality. If a dealer wants to sell something he still has to make a profit and will try and get whatever the market will bear. I would suggest looking elsewhere and see what is on the market in your price point, if they are all over the Nada estimate then you have to decide which MH is the best value for you or if you want to buy at all.

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by datrbone8

Keep looking until you find what you want at the price you want to pay. I have no idea if NADA book values are representative of true real world value. Each person determines what something is worth to them at that time. Find the one that satisfies you and go for it. You could spend years shopping (not that there is anything wrong with that).

I would think you'd do better trying to buy from a private owner who's not interested in making a profit but just not interested in owning his MH any longer

Be patient and buy wisely but. . . . . Every day you are sitting at home is a day you will not be able to use your RV.

[Old Car Nut]

Originally Posted by bulldog2

ok so I have my money all set ,and I go shopping ,4 dealers all within about 100 miles of me ,found 6MH -4 gas and 2 DP that I would be interested in from 2002 to 2007 all priced in the low 60s to about 70K write all info down come home look on nada ,ALL prices about 20K over book ,call 1 dealer up on a DP and he says we price all DPs higher than gassers YA but the book says 48K for this unit in good shape and your asking 69K DUH hello whats up with these people ,do they think we all fools

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.

[StevieG]

I try to sell my stuff outright instead of trading in and buy from private parties. Dealers have staff and a lot of overhead that private parties don't have. That's why, IMO, you'll usually get a better deal and a better RV when buying used from a proud owner.

[Old Car Nut]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

Pricing high is somewhat like MSRP. You can expect about 30% off of MSRP, why not a similar amount for the used.

One more thought. Who says NADA is the be all and end all? It is a recommendation by some folks who make a living at it. Who says they are right?

Gordon I agree about the 30% or some such number. I like where your head is at.

As for NADA, since they use the wholesale trade in guide from NADA to base the offer for your trade, I'd say it's fair to toss NADA back at them when buying from them. NADA gets it's figures from actual transaction data so....

Anyway bottom line is if you offer what they are willing to take or vice versa it really doesn't matter what the book says or the price paid. You have to be willing to walk away from a deal you don't like.

[bulldog2]

thank you all for the feed back, I know he has to make money ,but looking on line for the same makes of MHs across the country ,all my local guys are over priced ,and yes its a good thing to go find one in another state 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

[StevieG]

Bulldog, look on Rvtrader, EBay, Craigslist, and in the Classifieds on this site. After looking at a zillion motorhomes, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want and their general asking prices.