The hunt is on!

[mikeypj]

After over the span of awhile ive been watching and looking class As. Its now time to get serious. Want my rig by March-ish. Full timer Aug. 1st 2018.
So, whats the deal with some of these rigs that are worth 3 to 4x the asking prices? I realize that it will need some work.. but enough to knock it down to $30k below nada.
We are looking for a gasser to start out and get mobile with. 36ft is perfect for now. Also im concentrating on rigs with 55k or less miles on it. I know if they sit for long periods of time it causes problems. So, i figured i would pose my quandary to tap into the vast knowledge of things RV that is possessed by the members of this forum..

[mikeypj]

Originally Posted by mikeypj

After over the span of awhile ive been watching and looking class As. Its now time to get serious. Want my rig by March-ish. Full timer Aug. 1st 2018.
So, whats the deal with some of these rigs that are worth 3 to 4x the asking prices? I realize that it will need some work.. but enough to knock it down to $30k below nada.
We are looking for a gasser to start out and get mobile with. 36ft is perfect for now. Also im concentrating on rigs with 55k or less miles on it. I know if they sit for long periods of time it causes problems. So, i figured i would pose my quandary to tap into the vast knowledge of things RV that is possessed by the members of this forum..

Also! When looking im taking into consideration the GVWR. What should i be looking at for dry/load weight. Thats with a toad. 5000lbs? (Wife has lots of clothes..lol)

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! You've got a lot of tire-kicking to do!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Clay L]

Originally Posted by mikeypj

Also! When looking im taking into consideration the GVWR. What should i be looking at for dry/load weight. Thats with a toad. 5000lbs? (Wife has lots of clothes..lol)

Many full timers find that they need at least 1500 pounds of cargo carrying capacity (CCC) for each adult. The CCC or the newer designation OCCC will be on a sticker somewhere in the motor home - usually in a cabinet or closet.
I have seen a number of motor homes (including some diesel pushers) that have as little as 360 pounds of CCC. That is hardly enough for a weekend much less full timing.

You can see the definition of CCC HERE,
and New OCCC HERE.
Scroll down to "2009 New weight label" and download the pdf file.


To get CCC subtract the weight of water you will carry and the weight of the people you will carry from the OCCC.


We had 2800 pounds of CCC and would like to have had 3500. We started with a 30 footer with no slides and after a year traded it in on a new 35 footer with two slides.

[vincee]

Greetings. Your initial question probably would be more suited for the "Motor Home" section to get more conversation on motor homes. You will need to do some research on used prices to get a feel for what a particular rig is worth. Twice now I've used N.A.D.A. to get the original MSRP. From there I deduct 30% off for the first year, then deduct another 10% off each decreasing year. An example in round numbers; $100K New MSRP less 30%= $70K appx. what it should've sold for. The following one year old rig than should be worth about $63K, two years old $56,700. Like I said, not rocket science but helped me on my first class A not knowing a darn thing, using it five years, than trading in with nice positive equity. The rig I own now I used the formula again and the dealer wanted $88K, I offered $72K, they balked and said the price is $88. I then told them I don't care what they say the their price is, but the price its worth to me is $72K, we settled on $74K. Got a one year old rig with 4601 miles on it. I also that formula on my trade, what I thought it was reasonable worth from the dealers stand point, no argument or negotiation. Worked for me. RV's of any nature are way over priced because you don't have the simple resources to check out pricing like cars. Don't be afraid to shoot a price $1000's under what a dealer or more so private owner is asking. Unless the rig you find is an absolute jewel, no one is going to be beating their door down to get it. Good Luck.

[saddlesore]

Here is an example of the data sticker you are looking for ..It "should" be similar but with the "data" for your coach/TT/5'r
And I also posted the "rest of the story" your coach/TT or 5'r should have listed.
The only data plate I didn't post was the Combined gross veh wt sticker. (in our case it is 52k)

Happy Hunting....

[Gary RVRoamer]

So, whats the deal with some of these rigs that are worth 3 to 4x the asking prices?

Asking prices don't mean much, except maybe the seller's dream price. Your challenge is to figure out what it's worth, both on the open market and to you personally. RV prices are a lot more variable than cars, with sometimes major differences in region, season, and house style/condition.

im taking into consideration the GVWR. What should i be looking at for dry/load weight. Thats with a toad. 5000lbs?

The toad has virtually no impact on GVWR - it is towed, not carried in/on the coach. However, you do need enough GCWR and trailer hitch capability to cover the towed weight. Learn the difference between CCC and OCCC (see previous posts). You will almost surely be carrying between 1800 and 2500 lbs of your own gear, food, water, clothing. etc., plus yourselves (your family's body weight). OCCC lumps that into one number, but CCC tries to split it out into categories.

[mikeypj]

Originally Posted by vincee

Greetings. Your initial question probably would be more suited for the "Motor Home" section to get more conversation on motor homes. You will need to do some research on used prices to get a feel for what a particular rig is worth. Twice now I've used N.A.D.A. to get the original MSRP. From there I deduct 30% off for the first year, then deduct another 10% off each decreasing year. An example in round numbers; $100K New MSRP less 30%= $70K appx. what it should've sold for. The following one year old rig than should be worth about $63K, two years old $56,700. Like I said, not rocket science but helped me on my first class A not knowing a darn thing, using it five years, than trading in with nice positive equity. The rig I own now I used the formula again and the dealer wanted $88K, I offered $72K, they balked and said the price is $88. I then told them I don't care what they say the their price is, but the price its worth to me is $72K, we settled on $74K. Got a one year old rig with 4601 miles on it. I also that formula on my trade, what I thought it was reasonable worth from the dealers stand point, no argument or negotiation. Worked for me. RV's of any nature are way over priced because you don't have the simple resources to check out pricing like cars. Don't be afraid to shoot a price $1000's under what a dealer or more so private owner is asking. Unless the rig you find is an absolute jewel, no one is going to be beating their door down to get it. Good Luck.

I always post in the wrong section, will repost inital question in the MH forum..i figure buying a MH will be the same as dickering for a car.

[mikeypj]

Originally Posted by saddlesore

Here is an example of the data sticker you are looking for ..It "should" be similar but with the "data" for your coach/TT/5'r
And I also posted the "rest of the story" your coach/TT or 5'r should have listed.
The only data plate I didn't post was the Combined gross veh wt sticker. (in our case it is 52k)

Happy Hunting....

I have only seen the gray info plate. The other answered my questions..thanks for posting those pics!

[mikeypj]

Originally Posted by Clay L

Many full timers find that they need at least 1500 pounds of cargo carrying capacity (CCC) for each adult. The CCC or the newer designation OCCC will be on a sticker somewhere in the motor home - usually in a cabinet or closet.
I have seen a number of motor homes (including some diesel pushers) that have as little as 360 pounds of CCC. That is hardly enough for a weekend much less full timing.

You can see the definition of CCC HERE,
and New OCCC HERE.
Scroll down to "2009 New weight label" and download the pdf file.


To get CCC subtract the weight of water you will carry and the weight of the people you will carry from the OCCC.


We had 2800 pounds of CCC and would like to have had 3500. We started with a 30 footer with no slides and after a year traded it in on a new 35 footer with two slides.

Thanks for the links. Ive searched everywhere and have found bits and pieces of my question..

[Half Dimes]

Originally Posted by mikeypj

I always post in the wrong section, will repost inital question in the MH forum..i figure buying a MH will be the same as dickering for a car.

Don't repost. Ask a moderator to move the thread.

[vincee]

To the OP, the only difference from negotiating a deal on a car/truck vs. an RV is with the RV you will be shooting offers $1000's off of the asking price. Most private owners will use N.A.D.A as their guide to what they will ask. Also, private owners tend to get a little to passionate of their rig and way over value its worth. Dealers will try to sell you junk like it is brand new. In my example, $88K the dealer wanted for the one year old rig was way more than what the original selling price should've been brand new. Even then, I probably over paid by the $2K I went up in price, but I blew it with my initial offer not being low enough to afford me wiggle room. However, very happy with the rig and what I paid considering other dealers were showing me 5-7 year old rigs at pricing greater than what I paid for my exactly one year old model.

[Fiesta48]

The interior layout is far more important than the chassis unless you doing many hills. 98% of the time your sitting, 2% moving. Small issues at purchase may become major issues necessatating another purchase. Being handy to fix problems saves much bucks. Meaning complicated systems are expensive to repair if you cant. Age is not important if RV was cared for. Meaning a newer coach neglected is worse than older cared for.
Do much research and inspection before buying.

[mikeypj]

Originally Posted by Fiesta48

The interior layout is far more important than the chassis unless you doing many hills. 98% of the time your sitting, 2% moving. Small issues at purchase may become major issues necessatating another purchase. Being handy to fix problems saves much bucks. Meaning complicated systems are expensive to repair if you cant. Age is not important if RV was cared for. Meaning a newer coach neglected is worse than older cared for.
Do much research and inspection before buying.

The lay out is whats going to sell us, but the motor and chassis has to be able to pull us with no issues. Luckily im very mechanically inclined. Ive never dealt with an RV systems, but im up for the task.