Hello All,We're in the process of looking for and purchasing a new MH. Our current coach is old and we just don't want to deal with tire kickers, we prefer to trade it. So the question came up about trading in the MH and purchasing new. So, our questions are, Our current MH is 16yrs old, will we have a hard time trading it in?We understand that the dealer is NOT going to give us much for the old MH, but will this effect the purchase price on the new MH greatly?Biggest question - Will they even want to take our current MH in as a trade for a new MH? Current MH will require some work so this is why we want to trade and not deal with tire kickers.It's been 16yrs or so since we bought our current MH so I'm trying to get educated and up to speed on the issues surrounding a large purchase again. Heck, we bought our house almost 30yrs ago, so our skills need to be sharpened a little.Appreciate your input.-paul

Most dealers will take it. If you want the best value clean and detail it carefully. That way they will see the value. Go in knowing the NADA value of your current unit.

msturtz wrote:Most dealers will take it. If you want the best value clean and detail it carefully. That way they will see the calue. Go in knowing the NADA value of your current unit.Thanks msturtz - That's what I figured, but I've never traded a MH before. I'm mostly curious as to the negotiating power I'll have because I have a trade. Will it make things difficult even thou I'm not expecting much for the MH I'm trading?On other forums I've seen were posters claim that some dealerships don't want to deal with you if you have a trade. Seems kinda crazy, but I'm sure it happens.-paul

You're going to get the lowest NADA number whether you detail it or not. Anything above that will be tacked onto the price of the new rig.The way I've always dealt with trade ins was to get the best price for the new vehicle without mentioning the trade in (say you're giving it to your son/daughter/nephew/neighbor) and when he's done "checking with his manager" and you've walked off the lot a couple of times, ask him how much he'll give you for the old rig on trade.

Negotiate a cash price first, and then talk about trading with them. At least that way, you know how much they are willing to come off the sticker. Some salespeople will either give you a huge discount off sticker price for a straight cash sale, or they'll offer you a larger value for your trade-in but won't discount the sticker. It's a numbers game that they try to make you feel like you got the best of them.

jplante4 wrote:You're going to get the lowest NADA number whether you detail it or not. Anything above that will be tacked onto the price of the new rig.The way I've always dealt with trade ins was to get the best price for the new vehicle without mentioning the trade in (say you're giving it to your son/daughter/nephew/neighbor) and when he's done "checking with his manager" and you've walked off the lot a couple of times, ask him how much he'll give you for the old rig on trade.Well it'll be tough to walk off the lot since this will most likely be done over the internet and via phone conversations. I really don't have a problem not getting much for the MH. We've had it since new and have enjoyed all 55K miles we drove it. I still may put it up for sale privately and explain the issues, but I'm afraid it won't generate any lookers or it may even scare them away. It'll need work and I'll price it that way.-paul

Purchasing a New Coach -> Trading Old | Good Sam Community

Flanz
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
deandec wrote:
You seem to fear not getting the best discount from MSRP on the new rig.

Your fear seems to be that the old rig has so little value that the dealer will effectively charge you for taking the rig in on trade by reducing the available discount.

So you will deal with tire kickers to avoid the above fears.

Why not negotiate with the lucky dealer for the purchase price of the new rig trying to achieve your desired % discount.

Then offer the dealer your $19,000 rig for $7,000?

I would think the dealer would love that simple scenario.

Since you have not shopped yet, go get your feet wet with the dealers while the snow is on the ground.

No real fear here. I just want a fair deal either way, trade or no trade. Since I haven't done this in a long time I'm trying to figure out the BEST way for me with minimal hassle.....That's all. I've been a lurker here and other sites for sometime (many years) and find that there's hundreds of years worth of REALTIME experience here. I'm trying to post and understand ALL scenarios.
Flanz
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
jplante4 wrote:
Well, I went out to RVT.com and the 2000 National RV Sea Views there are all btw $19 and $26 k. Now, I'll admit that RVT and RVTrader are all on the high side of retail because they know twice 2.5 - 3 times what you think it's worth.

Heck, sell me the danged thing for $7k and I'll flip it

That's because of the NADA. Go look at the NADA and you'll understand why there that price on RVT. Now that's asking, you never find out what they actually sell for OR for how long the MH sits on the web site.

Most people want TOP dollar because that's what they think the MH is worth. Worth is what people are willing to pay and I'll bet that those MH's that you looked at have been there for awhile.
jplante4
Explorer II
Jan 14, 2015
Well, I went out to RVT.com and the 2000 National RV Sea Views there are all btw $19 and $26 k. Now, I'll admit that RVT and RVTrader are all on the high side of retail because they know twice 2.5 - 3 times what you think it's worth.

Heck, sell me the danged thing for $7k and I'll flip it
deandec
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
You seem to fear not getting the best discount from MSRP on the new rig.

Your fear seems to be that the old rig has so little value that the dealer will effectively charge you for taking the rig in on trade by reducing the available discount.

So you will deal with tire kickers to avoid the above fears.

Why not negotiate with the lucky dealer for the purchase price of the new rig trying to achieve your desired % discount.

Then offer the dealer your $19,000 rig for $7,000?

I would think the dealer would love that simple scenario.

Since you have not shopped yet, go get your feet wet with the dealers while the snow is on the ground.
Flanz
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
Mr.Mark wrote:
Flanz, I've seen it over and over again that people will be what maybe you and I wouldn't. Some people will only look at cars with 100,000+ miles, etc.

Put your RV up for sale, list all the particulars including the needed repairs and I bet you will find a buyer. As long as you are realistic on price, it will sell.

I know it's a '96, what brand?

MM.

No - it's a 2000 NRV SeaView with ~50K miles on it. It's been used and taken care of, but it shows its age in some areas. I plan to put a realistic price on it. Since NADA has it for ~$19K low retail, I'm figuring somewhere around $7K. That gives some room for negotiating.
Flanz
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
btilfan wrote:
When I was negotiating the price of my new Moho, I sent the salesmen my Craigs list with pics for my old Moho (1990 I was asking $7000 obo) I would have taken $1000 as it needed alot of work and had leaks. He offered me $5000 sight unseen. I jumped on the offer as I would have felt bad selling it to someone and I was able to subtract the trade in price from the sale price for tax purposes.

Thanks - It's defiantly a viable plan. One we're going to explore and possibly use. I would only sell my MH to someone (privately) after showing them the work needed. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that I didn't show them. Then, it's their decision to move forward and buy our MH.
Mr_Mark1
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
Flanz, I've seen it over and over again that people will buy what maybe you and I wouldn't. Some people will only look at cars with 100,000+ miles, etc.

Put your RV up for sale, list all the particulars including the needed repairs and I bet you will find a buyer. As long as you are realistic on price, it will sell.

I know it's a '96, what brand?

MM.
btilfan
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
When I was negotiating the price of my new Moho, I sent the salesmen my Craigs list with pics for my old Moho (1990 I was asking $7000 obo) I would have taken $1000 as it needed alot of work and had leaks. He offered me $5000 sight unseen. I jumped on the offer as I would have felt bad selling it to someone and I was able to subtract the trade in price from the sale price for tax purposes.
Flanz
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
Hikerdogs wrote:
Flanz wrote:
Hello All,

We're in the process of looking for and purchasing a new MH. Our current coach is old and we just don't want to deal with tire kickers, we prefer to trade it. So the question came up about trading in the MH and purchasing new.

So, our questions are,
Our current MH is 16yrs old, will we have a hard time trading it in?

We understand that the dealer is NOT going to give us much for the old MH, but will this effect the purchase price on the new MH greatly?

Biggest question - Will they even want to take our current MH in as a trade for a new MH? Current MH will require some work so this is why we want to trade and not deal with tire kickers.

It's been 16yrs or so since we bought our current MH so I'm trying to get educated and up to speed on the issues surrounding a large purchase again. Heck, we bought our house almost 30yrs ago, so our skills need to be sharpened a little.

Appreciate your input.

-paul

We were in a similar situation a couple years ago. We traded in our 2001 Adventurer with over 100,000 miles on the odometer without any problems. The key is to be willing to talk to more than 1 dealer.

The first dealer we talked to wasn't really interested. They made that point clear by only offering $5,000.00. The second dealer we contacted was more than happy to do business. We sent them current pictures of the interior and exterior. They gave us a tentative offer based in an inspection.

After a couple more rounds of negotiation we agreed on a price. We got way more than we were expecting plus a 28% discount on the new motorhome. They must have priced it right because it only sat on the lot for 3 weeks. The new owner was a happy camper when he called us for some information. They planned on adding another 100,000 miles before retiring it.

That's great, glad it worked out for you. The problem that I have is that the coach needs work. So, I'm going to have to find someone that's willing to buy it a reasonable cost and do the repairs themselves or trade it.

Did your coach require repairs that you knew about it? If so, was the repairs needed going to be extensive?
Hikerdogs
Explorer
Jan 14, 2015
Flanz wrote:
Hello All,

We're in the process of looking for and purchasing a new MH. Our current coach is old and we just don't want to deal with tire kickers, we prefer to trade it. So the question came up about trading in the MH and purchasing new.

So, our questions are,
Our current MH is 16yrs old, will we have a hard time trading it in?

We understand that the dealer is NOT going to give us much for the old MH, but will this effect the purchase price on the new MH greatly?

Biggest question - Will they even want to take our current MH in as a trade for a new MH? Current MH will require some work so this is why we want to trade and not deal with tire kickers.

It's been 16yrs or so since we bought our current MH so I'm trying to get educated and up to speed on the issues surrounding a large purchase again. Heck, we bought our house almost 30yrs ago, so our skills need to be sharpened a little.

Appreciate your input.

-paul

We were in a similar situation a couple years ago. We traded in our 2001 Adventurer with over 100,000 miles on the odometer without any problems. The key is to be willing to talk to more than 1 dealer.

The first dealer we talked to wasn't really interested. They made that point clear by only offering $5,000.00. The second dealer we contacted was more than happy to do business. We sent them current pictures of the interior and exterior. They gave us a tentative offer based in an inspection.

After a couple more rounds of negotiation we agreed on a price. We got way more than we were expecting plus a 28% discount on the new motorhome. They must have priced it right because it only sat on the lot for 3 weeks. The new owner was a happy camper when he called us for some information. They planned on adding another 100,000 miles before retiring it.

Forum Discussion

Purchasing a New Coach -> Trading Old

About Motorhome Group

Related Content

Trade in question

purchase

Trade In?

To Trade or not to Trade?

TV trade in....