I'm confused about NADA values

[steveatpa]

I'm not really sure if I'm doing it wrong or if the sellers are doing it wrong. I know dealers are "generally" going to ask far to much for their inventory simply because they have overhead. And let me say, thats OK. Thats their business choice. But I'm finding that lots of private sellers are asking WAY to much for their trailers. At least this is what NADA is telling me and apparently NADA is the source for RV values, right?

So my question is, when figuring out a trailers value, are we supposed to be clicking on all the items which the trailer currently has (stove, fridge, A/C, tires, etc.) or.....are we supposed to be clicking ONLY on the stuff which was an option for that model?.....which isn't much, if anything depending.

I see so many times someone list that they're asking below NADA but when I look up the value.....I find that they're far above, if not a lot. So who's right and who's wrong?

Thanks for the help.

[stephen44]

Originally Posted by steveatpa

I'm not really sure if I'm doing it wrong or if the sellers are doing it wrong. I know dealers are "generally" going to ask far to much for their inventory simply because they have overhead. And let me say, thats OK. Thats their business choice. But I'm finding that lots of private sellers are asking WAY to much for their trailers. At least this is what NADA is telling me and apparently NADA is the source for RV values, right?

So my question is, when figuring out a trailers value, are we supposed to be clicking on all the items which the trailer currently has (stove, fridge, A/C, tires, etc.) or.....are we supposed to be clicking ONLY on the stuff which was an option for that model?.....which isn't much, if anything depending.

I see so many times someone list that they're asking below NADA but when I look up the value.....I find that they're far above, if not a lot. So who's right and who's wrong?

Thanks for the help.

so two things I have found - people add items as extras - when they are already included in the standard price - as if they are options. This gives an artificially high price

Secondly - people are upside down in their loans - and are asking what they 'need' out of the coach rather than what it is worth.
Generally - I think low retail gives you a good idea where you should be in my experience.

Stephen
1999 Tradition.

[TXiceman]

The REAL market value is LOW NADA Retail with NO options added. If they won't deal on that number, walk away and find another one. Another source is to ask you bank what it is worth in their books.

A lot of owners paid too much in the first place, and still owe more than it is worth. In order to sell, they will have to add cash to the deal.

There are plenty of good deals on them so keep looking. It is a buyers market.

Ken

[steveatpa]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately its hard to explain this to sellers without making them defensive. But I also agree with you in that most people are upside-down and need to get X amount to pay off their loan.

[jeryan59]

My brother and I have purchased motorhome in the past 5 months below low retail. The ones I attempted to purchase near low retail and owners wouldn't negotiate are still sitting on their units, at least they are still advertised whether private sellers or dealers.

[Mr_D]

YEP, the NADA prices are for the model stated without any options. The base price includes things like slides, etc, it does not include true options like awnings, Fantastic Fans etc.
On our DSDP 4090 the price includes the three slides, 10 gallon water heater, 350 ISC engine, Allison 3000 MH trans etc. It does not include the hard wood cabinetry (some $3,600), heat pumps over the standard air cons, motor aid for the water heater, storage bay freezer etc.
If the dealer won't add for oprions when talking trade then find another dealer, the dealer certainly will use the options when setting his selling price and I'm not going to give some $36,000 in options away!!

[jzick]

Unfortunately its hard to explain this to sellers without making them defensive

DW and I recently acquired a motorhome that we had no need for and sold. We were in no hurry to sell, and priced the unit at retail as it was a popular model for a segment of the market. I'll bet at least 20 folks tried to "explain" to me why the price was too high, including many with visual aids consisting of copies of NADA pricing. Not one of them seemed to understand that I did not care or want something explained - our price was our price. It sold in two weeks for the price we were asking.

If you feel the price is more than you are willing to pay, make your offer and move on if it is not accepted. If the price is too high the buyer will eventually learn that and may even call you back. If your expectations are right you will find your perfect unit. If you have misjudged the price you will have to pay you will find out soon enough and adjust. Good luck.

[Theluckys]

With regard to NADA values I found that most dealers were well above the average values for their units.

I finally found a MH that I like, that the Mrs. liked but the dealer was asking 10K above what NADA had listed.

I asked the salesperson why their asking price was so much higher than NADA. The sales person pulled up the NADA on their computer and input the extra items that the MH had and poof....The NADA was 10K below their asking price.

I looked at the screen and asked him, "so why are you asking so much more than it's average value." He then got the NADA book, which was like 12 inches thick and began to tell me that their did a safety check, etc.,

To make a long story short I asked him to write an offer for the NADA value on his screen, he was reluctent but did so - shortly thereafter I became the third owner of the 1998 Mountain Aire.

To my surprise the dealer changed the oil in the MH and the generator, detailed the vechicle and generally exceeded my expectations. In fact the roof ladder was broken, something I didn't even see, and the dealer called me and let me know that they had ordered the ladder and replaced it.

Regardless of what you think, don't fall in love with anything that is over-valued. It really IS a buyers market. Unfortunately sellers need to know that even if they are upside down the value is what it is and that asking more than the vaule is usually a futile effort.

[coachmanrvr]

My painful gift in this world is to buy high and sell low....The value of any rolling stock is exactly what you can get someone to pay for it. No more, no less. I own TWO Isuzu Troopers that my wife absolutely loves. One is a manual 2000 model with 25K miles the other is a 2002 auto with 85K miles. We paid way too much for both, but their VALUE was what we paid. She loves them, I'm happy. If you don't like the price, make an offer and move on.

[steveatpa]

Thanks again guys. I'm trying really hard not to fall in love with something overpriced but even though its a buyer market, there is a lot of garbage out there.

One thing I'm finding is, my wife and I have done what we feel is the right thing and saved our money until we could get what we wanted. We dont want to finance anything unnecessary like an RV. Living paycheck to paycheck is no fun.....even if you have all the toys.

So what I'm up against is the people who are financing. They obviously dont mind if something is overpriced because they're only talking a few more bucks a month over however many years. No big deal to them. But for me it means more cash out of my pocket.

[TXiceman]

I'd still stick to my guns on low retail without any options added on as a maximum. We bought our trailer in January for under low NADA retail with no options added on.

So shop and be prepared to move on.

Ken

[Davdeb1]

Did you ever notice that when someone wants to buy a coach, they are advised to pay no more than low retail, but if the same person giving the advice were selling the unit they would be asking average retail?

Human nature, go figure.

[Theluckys]

Originally Posted by steveatpa

So what I'm up against is the people who are financing. They obviously dont mind if something is overpriced because they're only talking a few more bucks a month over however many years. No big deal to them. But for me it means more cash out of my pocket.

Not necessarly true - depending upon the year of the vechicle.

We in fact had CASH, when we went to look at our vechicle. We knew exactly how much we had to spend and that was it.

We didn't want to deal with private dealers because simply put most people think what they're sell is worth more than it actually is, plus an individual has no 'support' once the sale is complete.

The other thing to consider is this - if you can wait until later in the year (november/December) you'll find that traffice for RV's slows and you're likely to get a better price. Remember it's supply vs. demand

[steveatpa]

Originally Posted by Theluckys

Not necessarly true - depending upon the year of the vechicle.

We in fact had CASH, when we went to look at our vechicle. We knew exactly how much we had to spend and that was it.

We didn't want to deal with private dealers because simply put most people think what they're sell is worth more than it actually is, plus an individual has no 'support' once the sale is complete.

The other thing to consider is this - if you can wait until later in the year (november/December) you'll find that traffice for RV's slows and you're likely to get a better price. Remember it's supply vs. demand

You mentioning waiting until Nov/Dec. Is that pertaining to new or used, or all?