Trade In Values

Since you are buying from an owner, I'm assuming he is not going to accept a trade. ASs for a value, the low retail figure is probably closer than anything. NADA estimates the figures based on a formula of so much off of MSRP, and not actual sales.

Typical? No. A rough rule of thumb use to be a percentage off of low retail, but the bottom line is whatever the dealer has set aside for overvaluing your travel trailer. Of course, the added amount is just added to the purchase price of your new RV. It is the easiest and simplest way of moving up, but you're going to pay for the privilege.


You are so much further ahead selling your trailer yourself, such as on Craig's List. Clean it up like it had never been used and price it right. Search the internet to see what others are trying to sell their travel trailers for and price your unit accordingly. You'll sell it, but it has to be priced right.

Why do ya need trade in value if buying used from owner ?

If you trade in a camper at a dealer, they are not going to offer you only so much on it. That same trailer will be sold by the dealer with a value that you will think to WAY to much. Somewhere in-between those two figures, is a price that private sales will set. Regardless, the value of the camper is determined ONLY by the price the buyer is willing to pay, NOT the price the seller is listing.

If you are buying from a private sale, make an offer that YOU think the camper is worth. See if they take the bite. If not, start negotiations. You've got nothing to loose. If the seller refuses to meet you at your price, then WALK. There's another camper "out there" somewhere. Eventually that seller WILL lower the price to get rid of it.

Re-read the original post.

Blunderlist is looking for a "value" of the trailer he is looking to purchase for negotiation purposes.

He is not trading in anything.

Nada and actual sales in your area are the only sources I know of.

Good luck.

NADA is rarely precisely accurate for what a RV is worth in value in current market situations. Doing an internet search for similar RVs can yield a realistic price range for current market conditions. Everybody believes their rig is worth more than what the current market dictates, plus if they are upside down in their financing they will price it high hoping some unknowing sucker will bite and that does happen more than some would think.

Dealers can sense when somebody is infatuated with a particular rig and routinely make a killing way beyond their minimum profit margin. It's very seldom that 2 identical rigs on a dealer's lot sell for the same exact price. The more research you do beforehand will net you a better price and probably a nicer used RV to boot. It may take a bit of effort but usually a better deal can be had purchasing directly from owner, with dealers always ask for the out the door price.

"Blunderlist is looking for a "value" of the trailer he is looking to purchase for negotiation purposes."

Agree! So make an offer what he thinks the camper is worth (to him). Either the seller will like the price, or they wont'. It's a starting place for negotiations.

fyrflie wrote:
Blunderlist is looking for a "value" of the trailer he is looking to purchase for negotiation purposes.

Any new trailer will depreciate the first year (i.e. the moment you tow it off the lot!) ~ 20% and 10% each year thereafter until it's ~ 5 years old, after which it's residual wholesale value is so little that it's retail value truly is determined by how much some one else is willing to pay for it and little to do with so-called "market value". Of course we all like to believe our assets are worth more than they really are, can set our advertised selling price at whatever point we want, but eventually reality sets in and either reduce the asking price or in most cases just keep it. Dealer selling prices on used units should obviously be higher, after all it's a business that has to cover the costs of staying in business and hopefully show a profit, without that there's no point in even being in business. :R

The only way to get a guesstimate value on an RV is to find as many similar RV's as you can and then do an average. You'll get close in price and then will need to determine condition versus others and what options have been added.

DSDP Don wrote:
The only way to get a guesstimate value on an RV is to find as many similar RV's as you can and then do an average. You'll get close in price and then will need to determine condition versus others and what options have been added.

Options make little difference in the value of a used trailer and will only impact the selling price if a prospective buyer for some reason has decided they really want that option, otherwise it's meaningless ... in fact, sometimes an "option" may be considered a detriment. An example - advertising a trailer for sale with an Equal-i-zer weight distribution system included would seem to be a good idea but in fact can discourage a sale if the prospective buyer already owns a suitable WD system or otherwise has no interest in the EQ. If anything that prospective buyer will insist on purchasing without the system and as a consequence have the selling price reduced significantly. Another example - I've upgraded my own trailer from a Winegard Sensar III to a Sensar IV and wired in a Winegard SensarPro but if selling the trailer no prospective owner would pay a penny more just because of this upgrade so I'd be far better off to remove these items and either use them myself on my next trailer or sell them off separately. If you've swapped out all the interior lighting with LED bulbs, remove them and put the originals back in, as there's no way you'll recoup the cost of those LED bulbs in the sale of the trailer as most prospective buyers will give this any thought at all. Some changes made to a trailer of course can't be removed - i.e. cabinet doors added to a bed platform for better access - so leave them as is, point it out when showing the trailer, but don't expect it's going to increase the value of the trailer in any way. Bottom line - remove those upgrades & modifications that are practical to remove, forget about those you can't, and base your selling price on it's stock condition as you originally purchased it.

wanderingbob wrote:
Why do ya need trade in value if buying used from owner ?

To more accurately assign a value to a used trailer. When buying used cars I look at the trade-in value and the low retail value and choose a value somewhere in between to start price negotiations.