Trade in question

[gary85]

We are in the initial phase of trading our motorhome for a new fiver. When we were given the proposal I asked the salesperson what we would be paying for the 5er, i.e. discount. We were then told that when working a "trade" they sell the trailer at list ($58,000) price. So, not only is the dealer giving us low retail (w/o options) for the M/H, we have to pay full list for the trailer. Does this sound right?

[gary85]

We are in the initial phase of trading our motorhome for a new fiver. When we were given the proposal I asked the salesperson what we would be paying for the 5er, i.e. discount. We were then told that when working a "trade" they sell the trailer at list ($58,000) price. So, not only is the dealer giving us low retail (w/o options) for the M/H, we have to pay full list for the trailer. Does this sound right?

[fixintodoit]

NO, it does not sound right to me-- We traded in out M/H on a new 5th wheel, the dealer figured the discount from the MSRP, which we thought was fair, from our research, then he gave us low retail W/O options for our M/H. I would look for another dealer.

[afrank1971]

I would agree, the dealer is blowing smoke at you. However, if you work a good deal on the new trailer (at least 25% off MSRP), do not expect more than Kelly or NADA wholesale without options for your trade. It would be good to look that up yourself before talking to that dealer again, or any other dealer. I have seen in many posts where wholesale is around 10% to 20% below low retail in the NADA guide (which can be optained online), but to get any more accurate than that, you'll have to invest in buying the NADA or Kelly book, which may well be worth it in order to make sure you don't get taken. Especially in these times, you should be able to work a great deal on the new trailer, but used motorhomes just don't seem to be selling, so the dealer probably really doesn't want it, and will try to give you as little as he can get away with and still make the deal. Knowing its real value will be good information to have on your side. Good luck!