Trailer demand and prices

I just found the 03 Cross Roads I sold last year for sale on Facebook. It was on for 2 days and marked sold

The RV industry is selling every unit they make. Most go to the bigger dealers. Used units are also available. However, bargain prices are not that common.

Covid has introduced a lot of new folks to RVing, the campgrounds are as busy as ever.

If you know what you want and find what you want, buy it or be willing to wait several years.

Nothing mystical happening, just the response to cabin fever and I doubt it is going to change any time soon.

Good luck

Grit dog wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I think it's going to be another bad year for me. I am trying to find a different used Travel Trailer and the supply of them is limited and the prices are just crazy. I still have hope that in a year or two things might get better.

Yes prices are higher. That said, there is NO shortage of used TTs and even some decent priced ones (not steals by any means, but not high priced like many out there).

And you're in the midwest.
I've been shopping used private party trailers for a month r 2 now, and in the much limited market I'm in (bumper pull toy hauler), if the timing worked, I would have drove to Minnsooota for a couple different rigs.
It's all relative. I sold our 18 year old TC last fall for the same price I paid for it 6 years ago and sold the 14 year old truck under it for $4k less than I bought it for 13 years ago.
If you perpetually play the market and buy at the right time, sure you can come out "ahead". But how long you wanna wait?

Now if I could get the flakes on FB or CL to call me about a couple rigs currently advertised, I'd be making a road trip next weekend with a shoe box full of benjis and coming home with a fair priced trailer!
PS, if anyone here knows a guy in Reno with an Attitude TH for sale, tell him to call me if h actually wants to sell it! LOL

As you said it's all relative. Ten years ago I bought a 18 year old TT 30 miles from me in good condition for 3500 dollars. That is the one I am still using. But, I use my TT's hard and go out every weekend. Ten years, and a couple of hail storms later, it's now 28 years old and needs to be replaced. Looking on the internet now I can't find a similar 18 year old TT within 300 miles of me for less then 7500 to 8000 dollars. If you can find one at all.

I am having a hard time spending 8 grand on something that is almost 20 years old or older.

I am kinda picky though and want a certain style.

Gleaner wrote:
Is the suggested list on NADA the MSRP when it was new?

Seems pretty clear to me.

Left column is the original MSRP price WHEN UNIT WAS NEW.

Middle is "low" RETAIL RESALE PRICE (DEALER SALES Lowest reported sale price)

Right is the supposed Average Dealer Retail sales price (average of all reported sales on that model).

That example is for a 2008 and as far as I am concerned, those prices are way overstated for a 13 yr trailer of any kind..

But folks insist on using those prices reported in NADA.

Have to understand, NADA guides are designed for DEALER RETAIL PRICING, they use data reported back from participating dealers and do not reflect the real and true market of what sells in non retail environment (person to person).

That gives folks an inflated sale price and then those folks get disappointed when someone comes along with an offer of 30%-50% less than the NADA guide claims..

Realistically for a 13yr old trailer in my example above, I wouldn't spend more than $3K on.. That is less than half the reported dealer low price..

RVs are a depreciating asset, they loose considerable amount of value over time and by the time you get to ten or more yrs old, there is not much value left in them due to age, wear and tear, damage ect.

The worst is the hidden water damage and I guarantee that nearly every 10 yr old or old RV WILL have water damage that will need to be attended to. Very difficult to keep RVs from leaking.

Forget about the NADA guides, instead use your own comfort level, what are YOU willing to spend on a asset that will never return your money. Only spend what you are comfortable at losing..

At this time, because of many factors from current health crisis which has put a lot of manufacturing on hold or drastically has scaled back production, soaring costs of keeping employees safe, major materials shortages and soaring costs of materials there is no inventory "glut". Without that glut the demand has far outstripped supply. Sort supply and high demand = escalating prices. You may need to pay much more than you would have a yr or so ago.

As long as your comfortable with the higher cost then go for it, it isn't going to get cheaper to get into a RV for quite some time as it will take a long time for the supply chains to recover in material availability and lower pricing.

Is the suggested list on NADA the MSRP when it was new?

philh wrote:
My crystal ball said sell TT RIGHT NOW, while we wait for a new 5er ordered several months ago. Two years of ownership, and my take home AFTER consignment was 90% ROI. That is basically unheard of.

Sure hope when your new ordered 5er arrives you don't get a shock. Everything I see coming in to dealers lots looks like it was assembled by some class of 2nd graders out in Indiana. I walked through about 12 new rigs on a dealers lot in a torrential downpour the other week and 8 of them were leaking somewhere.

Gdetrailer wrote:

Manufacturers are still not producing at normal rates, lots of material shortages right now putting a squeeze on new units being available for the demand and that pushes the prices up.

How much do you think the above will add to the cost of a new RV?
Prior to Covid you could find that OSB on sale for $4.99 and right around $7.00 anytime/anywhere. The $3.78 2X2 was @ $1.29. Not expected to drop anytime soon. A lot of steel items such as concrete mesh and rebar are going to become scarce if not impossible to find, and that will ripple to anything else made of steel fast. Anything containing silicone or polymers are going to go through the roof in price and have already begun to do so. Paper, paint, caulk, you name it.

I heard from a local RV dealer that within 60 days he was told to expect to get nothing for the foreseeable future due to the RV Industry grinding to a halt due to shortages and astronomical material prices. Nada/Zilch/0 incoming inventory.

If you take that OSB price as an example, that is @ a 400% increase. Is anyone going to pay $75,000.00 for a $15,000.00 stick and tin trailer? Everything in one from the frame to the plastic trim is going to be affected by shortages and the resulting price increases.

With the government spending money like water, and attacking the energy sector, you can count on a huge market correction soon, if not a full blown depression. It's going to make 2008/09 and Covid both look like a church picnic. Buying RV's will be the last thing on folks minds when they're standing in line for a bowl of soup. This is what folks voted for, hope they enjoy it.

This is unsustainable.

My crystal ball said sell TT RIGHT NOW, while we wait for a new 5er ordered several months ago. Two years of ownership, and my take home AFTER consignment was 90% ROI. That is basically unheard of.

Might as well spend the money before inflation hits and it won't go as far!

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I think it's going to be another bad year for me. I am trying to find a different used Travel Trailer and the supply of them is limited and the prices are just crazy. I still have hope that in a year or two things might get better.

Yes prices are higher. That said, there is NO shortage of used TTs and even some decent priced ones (not steals by any means, but not high priced like many out there).

And you're in the midwest.
I've been shopping used private party trailers for a month r 2 now, and in the much limited market I'm in (bumper pull toy hauler), if the timing worked, I would have drove to Minnsooota for a couple different rigs.
It's all relative. I sold our 18 year old TC last fall for the same price I paid for it 6 years ago and sold the 14 year old truck under it for $4k less than I bought it for 13 years ago.
If you perpetually play the market and buy at the right time, sure you can come out "ahead". But how long you wanna wait?

Now if I could get the flakes on FB or CL to call me about a couple rigs currently advertised, I'd be making a road trip next weekend with a shoe box full of benjis and coming home with a fair priced trailer!
PS, if anyone here knows a guy in Reno with an Attitude TH for sale, tell him to call me if h actually wants to sell it! LOL