Should we trade?

Candie4749 wrote:
We have a 2011 Coachmen Catalina very nice but no slide and starting this spring we will be seasonal camping so I wanted something a little bigger and found a 2004 Jayco Eagle really nice but seven years older. The dealer said they will trade even minus sales tax and some other fees. Would this be a mistake?

We used to have a 2010 Catalina TT, and looked at trading it in at our local KZ dealer. Despite spending several thousand $$ on mods and upgrades, the dealer simply looked up the blue book value and said that's all they could give us which was not much. Tried selling it on CL with no luck due to all the competition out there. Fortunately, my BIL was looking at buying a TT so he ended up with it. Still lost a ton of $$ but were way ahead of the dealer's offer.

Some have had good luck selling privately on CL, but it depends on where you are, time of year and the competition. Personally, I wouldn't trust the dealer and I'd either buy the new one and put the Catalina up for sale yourself or wait until it sells before buying a new one. As mentioned, check it carefully for water damage, esp. if a 2004. Just because a dealer is selling it doesn't mean it doesn't have hidden damage. Years ago, someone once told me that there's always a better deal down the road. I've found over the years, he was right if you are willing to wait and keep looking.

BTW, when I look back, the Catalina was fairly decent as far as build quality goes compared to other TTs and although too small for us, I do miss it at times...