Trade In Value

down home wrote:
There are two sets of NADA books. If you can get hold of theirs you have a chance of a good deal.
They are very careful to not leave them laying around. Most may use NADA on their Phones or computers now.

NADA value guides are far from being secret. Anyone who is willing to pay the subscription price can go on-line and purchase one or as many as they like. Dealers who wish, can subscribe to electronically delivered guides for the convenience and so they are not misplaced and lost continuously.

Being able to read and purchasing a guide will not necessarily tell you the actual value of your unit. Most all people making the final decision of value for the dealer are being paid in six-figure terms and simply being able to read is not the reason.

down home wrote:
There are two sets of NADA books. If you can get hold of theirs you have a chance of a good deal.
They are very careful to not leave them laying around. Most may use NADA on their Phones or computers now.

Sometimes your local library has a copy of the commercial edition.

There are two sets of NADA books. If you can get hold of theirs you have a chance of a good deal.
They are very careful to not leave them laying around. Most may use NADA on their Phones or computers now.

The biggest challenge for dealers, is the possible defects lurking in the trades they accept ("buyer beware" applies to dealers too). Couple this with buyers that expect used units to be brand new and it's easy to understand low prices paid for trades. Dealers sometimes incur significant expense repairing trades, even to the point where they are forced to cut their losses and simply sell the unit to a wholesaler just to get it off their lot.

Just like any retail business, rv dealers must buy at wholesale and sell at retail. If they don't, their doors will quickly close . . . and many do each year. One mistake I read all the time, is how consumers think dealers should treat the profits from the trade and the new sale as one. Well, they are truly two separate inventory items and each must earn a profit on their own.

So, in the end, don't expect even low retail when trading. Anything at, or above, that number will be recovered on a higher price you pay for your new unit.

Here's a little article on the topic: RV Values: How Much Is My RV Worth for Trade In, Used and New

The NADA book dealers use will show the same price you see as low retail without any options. We were quoted $10,000 all across the board for our Wildwood. With the options selected on NADA (most of them being repetitious) our 2011 booked out almost at 22,000 this week, more than you could buy a new one for. I took out tbe slide and fridge (built intp the floorplan) and it came in at $18,000 for average retail. I listed it online for $15,500 and sold it for $15,300 in less than an hour.

I advertised my 2005 HR Ambassador on RVTrader in Sept. 2013. I was contacted by LaMesa RV and was offered $50,000 for it. I sold it my self for $71,000 and that was about $4,000 above low retail. Looks like trade-in is about 25% below low retail.

another way to find out what its actually worth is to call your bank and see how much money they're willing to loan you for it. 70% of NADA? hmmm see what your banker says.

Actually, low retail may be a bit high. Good luck.

Bumpyroad wrote:

wbwood wrote:

rkortes wrote:

Boxer Lovers wrote:
A 2000 Country Coach H345 Prevost conversion recently sold at a Mecham auction for $155,000. 14 years ago that coach stickered for nearly $1,000,000.

Well there ya have it... Looks like RV's actually appreciated over time! lol:)

How do you figure that? I see a $845,000 deficit

he works for the US govt. accounting office
bumpy

Now that is funny!