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xWJKx's avatar
xWJKx
Explorer
Aug 26, 2020

Fair offer '02 Fleetwood Tioga M-24D-Ford 6.8L(?)

Looking for advice regarding how much over used NADA RV prices would be considered a fair offer in the current 2020 used RV market(?) Found a '02 Fleetwood Tiogoa M-24D-6.8L (25ft) that falls close to my budget. NADA shows $5300 - $6500 Low/Avg retail and the seller's asking $11,500 with 110K on the OD... curious to know what some of you would consider a fair offer taking into cosideration the Tioga is a 7 on a scale of 1-10(?) - Thanks!

5 Replies

  • Double NADA’s number? Nope. $7k first and final with no water damage.
  • In my opinion the seller is hallucinating. When the asking price is that far over retail, especially with that many miles on it, I'd walk away. Certainly there are better options available. And, factoring in that it's a shorty (25 ft), surely there are plenty of people wanting to trade up in to larger units. I'd think you would have better choices at substantially less money. I'd never pay over NADA retail in any event. If the unit was totaled or stolen, you need to consider what an insurance company would pay out on it.
  • Consider that it's an 18 year old unit and the average life expectancy on an RV fridge is 12 years, with a new one in the $1000 range, or $500 to DIY a new cooling unit.

    If you are shopping for an RV in this price range I would strongly suggest that you invest $50 in a non-invasive moisture meter. Even if exterior delamination or interior leaks are not yet visible, this meter will tell you if there is water in the walls. RV walls are like sponges...they can absorb a leak for literally years and it only becomes visible when the wall has reached the saturation point and the leak becomes visible. By that time there is considerable rot and repair is a big project.

    Also consider that tires age out after 7-10 years so even if they aren't worn 6 new ones may be in order.

    IF it's in pristine shape and the moisture meter shows it's dry and everything else is in good working order, I might go $10k.

    That's my $.02. The link in my signature is our 2002 truck camper water damage rebuild project, and with no drivetrain or running gear I'm about $4k into the project in just parts with me DIYing the whole thing.
  • Disclaimer: what follows is my own opinion, nothing more.

    In my mind, value depends primarily upon condition. If the house is clean and solid and in nice shape, and (most important!) there are no leaks or water damage, the asking price seems perfectly reasonable to me. If there's any significant water damage, I'd think long and hard before making any offer.

    110K miles on the chassis is nothing to worry about, generally speaking. Wear items (shocks, ball joints, spark plugs, etc.) may well need replacement or servicing, but the basic drivetrain is quite capable of many more miles. However, that many miles often also means many nights of camping and many footsteps on the carpeting and many rears sitting on the cushions and so forth, so the house part could be very used and tired. That sort of thing can really only be evaluated by checking things over in person.