Buying from a private party

[Scottiemom]

I'm interested in moving from the Class A to a B. My husband just passed away and I want something with less work.

So I see this Class B advertised near my home. They want %109,000 for it. It's a 2016. I looked it up on Nada and low retail is 79,600 and average retail is 95,900. That's without adding extras, of course, but even then, that's a lot of money for extras if there are any. And they don't list any.

Do I even bother going to look at it? I mean, when I sell my Class A I would like to get a ton of money for it, but I'm sure that's not going to happen, even if (and she is) she's in good shape.

Is Nada a good gauge? I thought it was. . . at least gives you someplace to start. But when the asking price is $30,000 above low retail, it kinda seems pointless to even look.

Dale

[ppine]

It is easy to look up any MH on google and see what they are going for.
Be careful of private party sellers. Don't meet them in remote locations. Take someone with you. Best to not take cash except for purchases less than a couple of thousand dollars.

If you want to buy one, take the seller to the bank and get a cashier's check.

[pasusan]

I agree with your assessment that a B would work well for you.

We had a similar situation of wanting to visit family in another state and not having any close campgrounds and not liking to stay in hotels. We wanted something we could park in my MIL's driveway for us to sleep in. This is actually why we got our B. Then we got comfortable with longer trips in it - now it is our go to RV. Our poor trailer has been just sitting for the last couple of years - probably should have sold it this summer with the high RV demand, but we aren't quite ready to part with it.

Anyway - we bought our B at Sunshine State RV - which was mentioned earlier - and we couldn't be happier with how it all turned out.

Good luck with everything - it's good to hear you have lots of support - take care.

[Scottiemom]

winnietrey wrote:
I am a member of the club. My DW died unexpectedly last year. So I would offer these thoughts. I think it is good you are looking forward as to what you want to do next.

I would say this, don't listen to closely to those who have never lost a spouse, no matter how well intentioned they don't really get it.

For me, selling the MH was a very hard thing. I unloaded it and sold it by myself. I do not recommend that, as it was very painful. Looking back I would have put it on consignment, or at least had a friend or family member help. Way to many memories, way to much pain

I think first order of business is get the class A sold. Then take a breath, look into your heart and let a few months pass. You will have a better idea of what you want to do.

I have no advise on that. For me I decided, no motorhome for a few years. But each individual is different

I wish you the best, hang in there, it does get better with time

Thank you so much for your thoughts. My Mom is still alive (and kickin) at 95, having lost my Dad 4 years ago. She has been a big help to me. And I have 3 other close friends suffering similarly. . . one just lost her husband 6 months ago.

I am going to try and sell the big motorhome. I still have the little one and plan to do some camping with friends in our community. I'm done towing. . . had to have help hooking/unhooking the toad. Just no strength in my arthritic hands. And I am done fueling at truck stops. Three trips into the building today to get it prepaid, then she never reset the pump, so another trip. . . then to get my final receipt. . . I am so done with that.

I want to have a motorhome because I plan to visit my Mom and sister in Indiana when I can and I don't do motels well. I want like a van camper with a macerator to simplify the sewer. Won't be fulltiming anymore. Have a nice house here in Florida. I made it here today after 3 days on the road from Virginia. Friends helped me pull in under the port and all is well. Taking my time emptying it.

I know some people that put theirs on consignment and that wasn't as smooth as they liked, but it did work. May do that. The lady across the street whose husband died 2 months ago sold her Roadtrek in less than 2 weeks.

Have plenty of time and right now my plate is full, so I will do what I can when I can. No need to punish myself getting things done.

Thanks again for your comments and all the others who have commented. You've all helped.

Dale

[winnietrey]

I am a member of the club. My DW died unexpectedly last year. So I would offer these thoughts. I think it is good you are looking forward as to what you want to do next.

I would say this, don't listen to closely to those who have never lost a spouse, no matter how well intentioned they don't really get it.

For me, selling the MH was a very hard thing. I unloaded it and sold it by myself. I do not recommend that, as it was very painful. Looking back I would have put it on consignment, or at least had a friend or family member help. Way to many memories, way to much pain

I think first order of business is get the class A sold. Then take a breath, look into your heart and let a few months pass. You will have a better idea of what you want to do.

I have no advise on that. For me I decided, no motorhome for a few years. But each individual is different

I wish you the best, hang in there, it does get better with time

[Scottiemom]

mumkin wrote:
Since you will be in Florida, if you are near Gainesville, there is a good dependable dealer called Sunshine State who has mainly Class B's. Of course they like to sell new, but they get lots of trade-ins. Good service department and for sales, I would talk to Nick. Probably a good place to check out a few different options.

Good Luck!

Thank you for the info! Gainesville is 115 miles away, not too far to go look! Thanks for the reference!

I'll be through there tomorrow, but won't be stopping, but I will check it out sometime. Just landed in Jacksonville at the KOA. Spending the night, then home tomorrow. Been a long ride alone.


Dale

[mumkin]

Since you will be in Florida, if you are near Gainesville, there is a good dependable dealer called Sunshine State who has mainly Class B's. Of course they like to sell new, but they get lots of trade-ins. Good service department and for sales, I would talk to Nick. Probably a good place to check out a few different options.

Good Luck!

[Scottiemom]

Thank you all for your responses. A lot to think about. I have to first get home. Drove the first leg today. Tomorrow I will be at the Jacksonville KOA, then home from there. Really can't do too much till I get there. Thanks again. It's given me a little something different to think about right now.

Dale

[mumkin]

Scottiemom wrote:

My Phaeton is a Cat diesel, but I know nothing about the MB diesel. Are they reliable?

Is the Sprinter reliable... much depends on the year. I've avoided owning one because of a few friends who had nothing but problems and traded theirs. Yet many (most?) have few or no issues. Another downside to me is that because of the star in the front, you pay through the nose for maintenance. Someone on a Facebook Roadtrek page just reported a $12,000 bill for an exhaust system repair. Reports of $300-600 oil changes... and service centers can be hard to find. (but they do give you a latte while you wait.)

I would check out the Sprinter forum to see what both RV owners and fleet owners are reporting. There are actually a couple forums.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Scottiemom wrote:

A1ARealtorRick wrote:
Since nobody has asked the obvious question, I'll do so. What make, model, and mileage is this particular B?

It's a 2016 Coach House Arriva with 12,500 on the MB diesel engine. It's not the molded type box like you see on the Platinums.

My Phaeton is a Cat diesel, but I know nothing about the MB diesel. Are they reliable?

Dale

Coach House builds an exceptionally high quality product, and the Mercedes is a very good quality drivetrain.

The fact that it's almost 5 years old with only 12,500 miles is another plus.

And, look at supply and demand. How many Coach House Arriva's are available in the pre-owned market nationwide? -- practically none.

Then, compare the seller's price (of course, there's always room for negotiation) to the price of a new Arriva ($160,000+), and bear in mind that the brand new one only has 12,000 fewer miles than the used one.

To me, all of a sudden, that 2016 looks like an exceptional buy. Don't pay too much attention to the NADA book, or any other book for that matter. In the automobile business we had a saying: "The only 'book' that has ever bought a vehicle is a checkbook!!"

Best of luck to you -- Happy travels!

[Scottiemom]

A1ARealtorRick wrote:
Since nobody has asked the obvious question, I'll do so. What make, model, and mileage is this particular B?

It's a 2016 Coach House Arriva with 12,500 on the MB diesel engine. It's not the molded type box like you see on the Platinums.

My Phaeton is a Cat diesel, but I know nothing about the MB diesel. Are they reliable?

Dale

[Scottiemom]

wowens79 wrote:
Sorry for your loss. Depending on how recent it was, I'd suggest maybe waiting a bit before you make any big decisions.
Going from a 40' A to a B is a huge difference. I might suggest renting one for a trip just to see the difference. Also depending on you situation, I might think about looking at selling the A while prices are up, and buying something else when prices settle some.

Thank you for the suggestions. I also have a B+. It is an R-Vision Trail-Lite 22 1/2 foot B+ we bought to take to Alaska. We liked her so much that we kept her and have used her multiple times. She is waiting patiently for me to get back home. My thoughts were to empty the Phaeton and sell her, then when I find the layout I want, I will be selling the little one. I have numerous people who have asked us to let them know when we are ready to sell her because she is in really great shape and low miles. I want to go a little newer and a different layout which is why I am looking. Adjusting to the size will be no problem.

Dale

[Scottiemom]

BurbMan wrote:
Nada is a good resource, but demand is thru the roof due to COVID. Dealer inventory is at an all time low and the factories can't keep up with demand. The flip side is that you can ask a premium price for your RV too, so it's all relative.

RV Trader website is a good resource, you can look up the make/model B that you are looking at locally and see what other similar ones are selling for around the US.

You should also run your class A thru NADA as well and get an idea of what they say it's worth, then look up your model on RV Trader and see what they are selling for. That should give you some idea if the seller's "asking premium" is reasonable in this market.

Never hurts to go look at it, if you like it, offer what you think it's worth. There are a lot of variables like low mileage, stored indoors, new tires, transferrable warranty, luxury upgrades, etc., that may justify the asking price.

I have the printout on my Class A Phaeton.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Dale

[Scottiemom]

midnightsadie wrote:
take a friend or two with you,thats pushing the price of a new one.

My son is willing to go.

Dale

[Scottiemom]

mumkin wrote:
Personally I always found NADA pretty useless for Class B prices. Especially right now when there is an unusually high demand. People are getting top dollar.

I would recommend going to look at it, just for the experience. BUT...I think I would get that A sold, and window shop for a bit. See what is really out there in the market now and find the one that works best for how you want to use it. You don't want to spend $100K for a 4 year old rig when there are new ones out there for that price.

(Sorry for the loss of your husband... can you drive the Class A since you are full time)

Thank you for your thoughts. I have been the sole driver for the last 11 years when Terry had a series of heart events on the road. He gave it up voluntarily, but was still comfortable driving the cars. He hasn't driven much at all for the last 2 years. He just didn't feel up to it.

Dale