Pricing on used rv...bargaining etc

[dcason]

Okay going to be upsizing to a small class A and bought last one (class C from private individual). If their dealer sticker "sale: price is $94,999....what should I offer? The young newbie sales person let fly that he gets 20%...what can I expect to get this for? Any rough ideas of what they could have gotten this for...don't know if it was trade in but I do know they are always looking for more rv's because they sell a lot. Its a 2018 winnebago sunstar 27pe or vista same size.

[ajriding]

How many miles on the RV?

[Grit_dog]

^Good point. And to that I’d expect anything in the 2018 vintage to either be somewhere between like new and gently used , or a “steal”, with obvious issues.
Little stuff that breaks isn’t “issues”. And aside from leaks, most other issues are pretty evident. Another advantage of used, if it all works and looks good, it either is quite likely good, or has been fixed already.

[Veebyes]

If if looks like a steal it probably isn't. Be prepared for all kinds of issues that need dealing with that are going to cost big $$$. Your time is worth something too.

Factor that into whatever is offered & do as best that you can survey to find issues before making an offer. How bad you want that particular model makes a difference too, along with how plentiful it is in the market.

So much to consider before putting the money down.

[Grit_dog]

Good point aj, you can sometimes wheel n deal a better deal if you're financing with the dealer. Just make sure you know the terms and calculate the cost of that vs how quick you can dump that loan without penalties.

[Grit_dog]

dcason wrote:
Okay going to be upsizing to a small class A and bought last one (class C from private individual). If their dealer sticker "sale: price is $94,999....what should I offer? The young newbie sales person let fly that he gets 20%...what can I expect to get this for? Any rough ideas of what they could have gotten this for...don't know if it was trade in but I do know they are always looking for more rv's because they sell a lot. Its a 2018 winnebago sunstar 27pe or vista same size.

I'll preface with, I've bought about 95% of the vehicles and toys I've ever owned, used. And 95% of those were private party. In fact, I'm far more comfortable buying private party because first, there's actually a chance the seller is honest and second, whether they are or not, you can also judge the seller and not just the vehicle.

Regardless, the RV you're looking at is fairly new and certainly not rare. Just spend a little time finding the asking price of as many of the same or similar RVs as you can. Super simple online...
That will give you an idea of your dealer's asking price vs the market. Then start breaking it down from there.
But in the end, it's a balance between the market and what you're willing to pay.
Who knows what the market will be like this year. I feel like it's not going to be near as ridiculous as last year, although the "buying season" hasn't really begun yet.
Likely, a majority of the new "covid campers" have already blown their wad, combined with most sane/intelligent people now realizing that covid is just the next flu and not impending zombie-land. I certainly wouldn't overpay to "beat the rush."

[ajriding]

The dealer has a magic number they will sell for, and you have a limit on how high you will buy it for.
Do homework, and we cannot tell you what it is worth. Look nation-wide for similar units for sale (or ones that actually sold, not just ones that are priced high and sitting unsold).
You can play the numbers game and that might work, might not work so well.
RVs are tricky as there is more potential problems than a car would have. RV is a vehicle plus a camper.

I just go in and tell them what I will pay and that is that. They can figure out that Im not into games. They take or or leave it.
I bought a used truck from a dealer for 50% less than it was worth somehow, then handed them cash after we agreed on the price. If you plan to finance with the dealer then they will like you more than if you have cash because they make interest off of the financing.

[valhalla360]

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:
Keep in mind that this is a USED unit, not a new one. All dealers pay the same price for new units, so the markup is pretty much identical.

When it comes to used units, however, you have no way of knowing what that dealer paid for that unit. He may have gotten a killer deal on it, or, he may have stepped up to the pump and paid a premium for it just to have it in his inventory.

Don't worry about how much a dealer makes on a unit, or how much a salesperson makes. None of your (our) business. Are you concerned about how much your doctor, or plumber, or grocer make?

Just pay what you feel is fair to you, no more and no less. Factor in how many of the exact type of unit you are interested in are available within a reasonable distance of you, and buy accordingly.

The dealer is unlikely to care what they paid for it. That's more the mindset of a FSBO deal. Owners are emotionally invested and often have no clue what the real market value is. So if they bought for $X, they expect some percentage of $X.

A dealer on the other hand is most likely going to look at the market value for what people are paying for similar units:
- If the market value is $50k and they bought it for $30k, don't expect to buy it for $35k. They are going to be selling it for pretty close to $50k.
- Likewise, if he sweetened the deal offering $60k trade-in to get the sale on a new $500k diesel pusher, the dealer is unlikely to push really hard for $65k, so he can claim a profit on the flip as the unit will be overpriced and sit on the lot forever.

I do agree, the profit the dealer makes is irrelevant to the buyer. The dealer has the option not to sell if your offer is too low. If they aren't budging on price and you have made similar offers to 2-3 dealers on similar units, you are probably too low and need to decide if you are happy to make higher offers.

Better to start lower than you want to pay. If the dealer would be happy with $50k and you offer $60k, they will jump on it and it's too late to lower your price. They are dealers, so if they get offended, assume it's a ploy.

[C_Schomer]

I wouldn’t offer a dime until I inspected it better to see how bad the water damage is or any other damage. From what I’ve seen of all of my friends motorhomes, they are plagued with electrical problems because of exceptionally poor workmanship. Inspect thoroughly and deal accordingly. Good luck! Craig

[Sandia_Man]

Whether purchasing a car or an RV from a dealer, they use similar tactics to make you believe you got a great deal, or a certain % off. The first question dealer will ask is if you have a trade in, that is where the game begins. If you are really focused on a particular rig gather as much info as possible about the unit including current market pricing, many buyers are woefully uninformed, be sure to know your vehicles towing limits if purchasing a towable RV.

We have purchased 6 RVs in 3 decades of RVing, 3 new and 1 used from dealer lots. The other 2 used units including our current class A were purchased from private sellers, by far we got better prices, more time to view/inspect RV, and without out all the hassles of shopping on dealer's lot. With used motorized RVs maintenance of powertrain, chassis, and current condition of coach is more important than branding, get an inspection before buying.

[theoldwizard1]

"Buyer Beware !". Any bargains on RV likely will need repairs and some may be hidden and/or very expensive to repair !

[way2roll]

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:
Keep in mind that this is a USED unit, not a new one. All dealers pay the same price for new units, so the markup is pretty much identical.

When it comes to used units, however, you have no way of knowing what that dealer paid for that unit. He may have gotten a killer deal on it, or, he may have stepped up to the pump and paid a premium for it just to have it in his inventory.

Don't worry about how much a dealer makes on a unit, or how much a salesperson makes. None of your (our) business. Are you concerned about how much your doctor, or plumber, or grocer make?

Just pay what you feel is fair to you, no more and no less. Factor in how many of the exact type of unit you are interested in are available within a reasonable distance of you, and buy accordingly.

Good advice and how I have always shopped for RV's. I know what the price of every one of that same year and model is going for and I pit dealers against one another. A tactic that has served me well. Gotta do your homework. That said, during the COVID demand you could throw all that out the window. High demand for used RV's means they know someone will come along and pay what they want. In other words, RV dealers are not desperate to earn your business. Too much demand and not enough supply.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Keep in mind that this is a USED unit, not a new one. All dealers pay the same price for new units, so the markup is pretty much identical.

When it comes to used units, however, you have no way of knowing what that dealer paid for that unit. He may have gotten a killer deal on it, or, he may have stepped up to the pump and paid a premium for it just to have it in his inventory.

Don't worry about how much a dealer makes on a unit, or how much a salesperson makes. None of your (our) business. Are you concerned about how much your doctor, or plumber, or grocer make?

Just pay what you feel is fair to you, no more and no less. Factor in how many of the exact type of unit you are interested in are available within a reasonable distance of you, and buy accordingly.

[p220sigman]

As you continue looking, always keep in mind that this is a business transaction. In actuality, you have all of the power in this deal as you have the money that they want and you can simply walk away. Unfortunately, you really have no way of truly knowing what they have in a used unit. I am much more likely to make a low-ball offer on a used item for this reason. I don't know that I would have offered 50 on the unit they had, but I probably would have offered 60 with the goal of buying around 75-80. If they get insulted and don't want to sell to me, so be it. They aren't selling unicorns and I just move on. I've never failed to buy a vehicle/camper that I wanted. Also, I only deal in out-the-door price. For me, it makes the transaction easier and ultimately, it is the only number that matters to me since it is what I have to pay.

Good luck in your search.

[schlep1967]

"The young newbie sales person let fly that he gets 20%..."
I wouldn't take that to mean he is getting 20% of the 100K price tag. He may get 20% of the profit.
Start wherever you want to. I would make it below what I am willing to pay so they have the chance to counter offer. Also do a good inspection. If there are repairs needed and they're price is a little over what you want to pay, fix that first and we will sign for that price.