NADA vs ASKING vs Selling PRICING -- ????

[Road-Chi]

We are in the market for a good used diesel pusher Class A, and using sources such as rvtrader.com, craislist, etc. To get an idea of how the coaches are priced, we compare the asking prices with the NADA (RV Manufacturers Directory | RV Manufacturer Prices | RV Makes List | NADAguides) low and high values. Almost without exception, the asking prices exceed the high NADA values by several thousand dollars. So, are the NADA values not based on the true market values? Or, are the RV owners and dealers pricing the coaches extra high to be able to hopefully find someone willing to overpay, or are the sellers discounting the pricing (often the prices need significant reduction to get within the NADA guidelines) and usually end up accepting lower offers; i.e., allowing negotiating room in the pricing? Many sellers seem to have a hard time realizing that coaches depreciate with time and use. Would appreciate hearing other people's experiences with this issue.

[pmfischer61]

Check out RV pricing and values on facebook. Closed group just ask to join. You can get real RV values there.

[jim27358]

Check out RV pricing and values on facebook. Closed group just ask to join. You can get real RV values there.

Not trying to be a smart a$$ but what would make a group on FB the place to find a true value?

[okcnewbie]

My rough guess is that new MH's sell for about 75% of MSRP.
I also suspect that used MH's sell for 90% of asking price MOL. I just can't believe that listing a MH or anything else for way more than you're wanting is going to attract more buyers.
My research also seems to say that most MH's depreciate about 5% a year after the first five years or so. (admittedly small sample size)
You could check Ebay; I believe you have the options to look at closed bids. If so, you might be able to see what they sold for on Ebay. The problem is that this may be slightly lower than what it could have sold for.

[Craig36]

We just went through this! Looked for almost a year to find exactly what we wanted, but most turned out to be located out of state, which would require a plane ticket to check out. Then.... what if you spent $1000 on plane tickets, and you didn't like what you found?

Then one popped up locally, but the owner still owed money on his loan, and wanted $20K more than NADA. It was in good shape, but clearly a "wishful thinking" kind of price.

A friend who works at a MH dealership told me that they always make the most money on their used coaches, typically $20-40K over what they have in them. You may get a good coach, but you will never get a good price from a dealership.

The coach we finally ended up buying was local, and from a private party who told me the history. I was able to spend a lot of time looking it over, and haggling price with the owner. By buying local we saved the cost of a plane ticket, as well as fuel to get it home.

[TripleGGG]

25+ years in the automobile business. No way would I ever pay NADA retail and forget about looking at anything over retail. It should be used only as a guide. I saw several motor homes I liked but when listed over NADA I kept looking. Found our current MH on Craigslist locally. It has so many upgrades and most are not even options on NADA. Bought it for less than half of NADA retail. Had a mobile RV repair man look at it recently and he was truly impressed. All the wiring is meticulously labeled and organized.

Basically look until you find the perfect MH for you and then do not overpay. Walk away if you must.

[Bigd9]

I used the PPL sold diesel coach listings to price a coach. The owner was asking $10,000 over what he owed. When I showed him what similar coaches were actually selling for he came down almost $20,000 and we made a deal! Then after the handshake deal was made, he said he would throw in everything inside the coach also. I was shocked, and I offered money in addition to the coach deal for the contents. He said "no" a deal is a deal!!!!!!

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[Isaac-1]

With NADA I think it really depends on the model, as it seems to take no account of actual demand for specific brands and models. As to accuracy, I shopped for about 5 months before making my purchase, I fairly quickly narrowed my shopping list down to a handful of brands and models. NADA claims the value of my motorhome was about $16,000, in my shopping I never found one from private parties or dealers where that was even close to the asking / selling price. I missed out on a few that I did not jump on fast enough, that were farther away than I thought practical to retrieve, etc. The lowest price of a supposedly functional coach I saw sell was $19,000, I ended up paying $20,500 for mine (2002 Safari Trek 2830 with over $10,000 in parts / upgrades since 2014 not counting labor) and the initial asking was $25,000 and it was a thousand miles away, so add $1,200 for retrieval cost including $450 airfaire one way to Orlando bought on short notice.

[dons2346]

NADA sucks

[Gary RVRoamer]

So, are the NADA values not based on the true market values?

Right, the ones in the free online NADA RV Guide are NOT based on market values. They are estimated depreciation based on industry averages for all makes & models.

The paid subscription edition of NADA has better information with market value factored in, but there is a lot more variability in RV used pricing than with cars & trucks. Local market conditions and the lack of a high volume wholesale auction system means that prices can and do vary widely. Further, there is no nationwide sales reporting system to base market values upon.

[StephenW]

During my 12 month search, the biggest pricing issue I constantly ran into was the seller using NADA and treating the standard features as options, resulting in a very high asking price. Made for some very interesting conversations.

[Charlie 5320]

Originally Posted by StephenW

During my 12 month search, the biggest pricing issue I constantly ran into was the seller using NADA and treating the standard features as options, resulting in a very high asking price. Made for some very interesting conversations.

Dealers try to do it too. I've seen coachs for sale by dealers that add every item as an option. Some come with awnings and levelers some do not. It's best to try and find out just what the coach came standard with yourself. It's out there you just have to find it.

[MisterT]

NADA, like any other 'pricing' service, is a 'historical' figure only, it cannot and will never determine the 'true' value of any vehicle that YOU want to buy, it is ONLY A GUIDE, a benchmark that people use to determine a starting point, or maybe an ending point, similar to MSRP(MfgSuggestedRetailPrice) for new vehicles.

No one is getting 'screwed' if they feel that a purchase is worth it to THEM. No one who buys from a used car dealer is getting 'screwed' if they make a purchase that makes sense to them. You can't get 'screwed' if YOU are the one making the decision to make a purchase, nobody is 'forcing' you.

I only say all that because it aggravates me that folks are so quick to put down any sales business, or a person selling a vehicle, just because they are out to make a profit. You have to START the sales process SOMEWHERE. Numbers don't just fall out of the sky. It's up to the BUYER to make sure it's what THEY want, what THEY can afford, and what THEY think is the right price for them. Nothing more.

I also find the new 'car buying service' seen on TV ads so often, TRUE CAR, as one of those services that the public might buy into, but may find that is actually to help DEALERS sell more cars!
Actually, the service IS for DEALERS, not really the public. It helps dealers attract customers since it ties you, the user, to the dealer when you use it. You only "get access to more than 13,000 Certified Dealers" as the service says. And, the participating dealer now knows you are interested and automatically has your information to communicate with you. They also see the numbers that you have been presented by the service, and know where your 'mindset' is when it comes to price. It's all about the dealer, not really about the buyer.
TrueCar's dealer website also states that they are helping dealers in "Reducing Price-Driven Focus" and to "Enable You to Optimize Volume and Profitability" and "Showcasing You, our Dealer, in Our Advertising"

it seems like they're out to 'help', but they are 'helping' the dealers...

[Isaac-1]

2 comments about vehicle sales (note I have worked in sales, just never vehicle sales)

1, Making a profit on a sale is one thing, marking up a vehicle that you gave pennies on the dollar for at trade in to near new car pricing is just insane. About 15 years ago (circa 2003) I was in a used car dealers office (on other unrelated business), a young woman came in asking about the cheapest car on the lot, a 1989 Ford Tempo, I was shocked to hear the asking price for the car was $6,499, keep in mind I bought a Ford car new in 1989 (not a Tempo) , and at that time the Tempo's were selling new for $8,990.

2, All too often salesmen LIE, when I was shopping for my motorhome I ran across a perfect example of this at a local RV dealership that sells used motorhomes. I was looking at one coach, saleman claimed it was at a great price, that it had been owned by a widow that found she never used it anymore, .... While looking around in it I found the email contact information for the previous owner, I sent them an email asking about issues with the motorhome, and I received a reply of course there was no widow, they told me that it had been totaled by their insurance company after a tree fell on it, .....