Purchase Price advice on 2 yr old New TT

[MacMcCaskie]

I've run into a 'deal' I'm seriously considering. A lot has a 2012 New (as I assume unused) TT. MSRP is ~$23.5K, asking was >$18K and he is willing to take ~$13K with my pup trade in (about $1,500).

First off, is this a smart move or not? Supposedly I still get the full warranty, but is the age going to adversely affect any resale value down the road? Or if I get into an accident will the pay off be poor?

Sorry I'm being so vague, but I am being a bit protective of this deal.

[JJBIRISH]

dadmomh wrote:
OK, so you really do LOVE this trailer...that's good news. Now the tough part, and I can understand because often I'll just pay a bit more and let it be.....hate negotiating! However....IF there is any roof problem or leaks, you really need to know this before rather than after the fact. You could have a several thousand dollar problem on your hands. They may have already done routine maintenance, but I'd doubt it. Water leaks are your worst enemy, so take a deep breath and make that part of the deal. Tires...you're going to be in for $500 give or take in a couple of years. The dealer isn't going to pay nearly that amount, so go ahead and ask...can't hurt. Also, confirm that the manufacturer's warranty starts from the time you sign on the dotted line and run the full length it was due to run. If a "start-up kit" is not included, might as well toss that request in, too. You'll be in for around $100 at Walmart RV section for those basics. If they say no, you haven't lost anything. If you can live with the asking price and get these things handled satisfactorily, I would say yes. If they say no, then suggest you offer a couple thousand less and see what happens. This dealer has an older model that they've been paying flooring on for a couple of years. They want it off their lot, so I really think you can tweak this slightly to your advantage. Hope it works out.

Chances are at 2 years it is no longer on the floor plan, still being floored would be a bad thing…
if it is, the dealer is going to try and recover his cost including the floor…

more likely

it’s not been on the floor for a long time and the dealer has his money invested in it…
he really needs to sell it and put his money back to work…

there is little chance he will make much money on it at this point, but the dealer will definitely do all he can to protect his investment and/or limit his loss to…

even if he sells it at breakeven, he might still be eligible for the holdback, and even that might be lost if he don’t sell it soon…

[dadmomh]

OK, so you really do LOVE this trailer...that's good news. Now the tough part, and I can understand because often I'll just pay a bit more and let it be.....hate negotiating! However....IF there is any roof problem or leaks, you really need to know this before rather than after the fact. You could have a several thousand dollar problem on your hands. They may have already done routine maintenance, but I'd doubt it. Water leaks are your worst enemy, so take a deep breath and make that part of the deal. Tires...you're going to be in for $500 give or take in a couple of years. The dealer isn't going to pay nearly that amount, so go ahead and ask...can't hurt. Also, confirm that the manufacturer's warranty starts from the time you sign on the dotted line and run the full length it was due to run. If a "start-up kit" is not included, might as well toss that request in, too. You'll be in for around $100 at Walmart RV section for those basics. If they say no, you haven't lost anything. If you can live with the asking price and get these things handled satisfactorily, I would say yes. If they say no, then suggest you offer a couple thousand less and see what happens. This dealer has an older model that they've been paying flooring on for a couple of years. They want it off their lot, so I really think you can tweak this slightly to your advantage. Hope it works out.

[Kevin_O_]

It's is definitely worth taking a longer drive to get a better deal. I drove 5hrs away(Pete'sRv Vermont) and saved over $6,000 from the best price i got locally.
My trailer is a early 2012 and Keystone ended up changing the outside graphics and inside cabinet color slightly halfway through the year. So even though mine is a 2012 it has the graphics of a 2011 but i ended up getting a great deal. The wife and I loved the floorplan so it didn't matter much to us about the few changes. The MSRP on mine was $34,000 and my purchase price was $19,990..

[MacMcCaskie]

Wow, some excellent advice from all of you. Thanks to you all!

A) Yes, this is model is currently on the top of our list. We are checking it out because it's what we think we want, the "deal" makes it attractive. It has everything we need and a few we don't. We have a show tomorrow to check out other locally available brands, this model may or may not be present.

B) A point blank question "has it ever been slept in" is superb, thanks!

C) National RV dealers want about $17K +/- $100 for new, and I have to go get it. This one is four hours away. Locally it is a little less than $18K. $14.5K seems reasonable to me.

D) Humm, I have a hard time confronting people with things like: It needs new tires, you must caulk the roof, etc. But that's me and I know it. When we go look at it both of us will be able to gauge the seller for honesty and forthrightness. Neither of us will buy from a pushy salesperson who is not on the up and up.

E) Sounds like an excellent idea to get dirty and crawl around and under the thing. I may not know what I'm looking at but if lots of dirt or mold shows where it shouldn't for a new TT, flags will be hoisted.

Again, thanks all, any more tips will be greatly appreciated.

[LarryJM]

MacMcCaskie wrote:
I've run into a 'deal' I'm seriously considering. A lot has a 2012 New (as I assume unused) TT. MSRP is ~$23.5K, asking was >$18K and he is willing to take ~$13K with my pup trade in (about $1,500).

First off, is this a smart move or not? Supposedly I still get the full warranty, but is the age going to adversely affect any resale value down the road? Or if I get into an accident will the pay off be poor?

Sorry I'm being so vague, but I am being a bit protective of this deal.

Here is how I would go into it with the dealer. Typically one should be able to get 30% off so now that 23.5K is down to 16.5K. Using JJBirsh's depreciation of 10% the first year (assuming the 10% is on the MSRP $ 16.5K-2.35K= 14.15K ) and 7% the second year (14.15K - 14.15-1.654= 12.5K) the day you drive it off the lot the value is now only worth 12.5K. Assuming you think the 1.5K trade in value for your current unit is reasonable I would way a 11K to 12K number would be a good starting point. I would start at 11 or 11.5 and scream if they wanted more than 12K and my old trailer in trade.

Larry

[dadmomh]

APT got to my response before I did....do you LOVE this trailer?? Would you consider it if it were not with this deal??

I think we have to assume it's been sitting outside for 2 years, so at the least I would ask that the roof be checked, recaulked and ask for a pressure test to check for other possible leaks. If that dealer can't do it, surely they know where there is one that can.

You're 2 years closer to having to invest in new tires...they should be replaced about 4 -5 years, so I'd ask for the tires to be replaced. Never mind that they haven't been on the road....that doesn't count with trailer tires.

Never thought about the "has it ever been loaned out, slept in, cooked in or anything resembling actual use"....really good thing to know.

The price doesn't sound bad, but suggest you check NADA online to see how it compares. If you can say you really love the trailer and can resolve the questions to your satisfaction, I'd say "Happy Camping"! Let us know.

[SprinklerMan]

offer 10K and see where it goes .

[wannavolunteerF]

once you agree on price, you can then negotiate with dealer to add extra things on. I bought a TT that had sat on dealers lot for a year, but was new. It did still have plastic on mattress and the million stickers everywhere. I had the dealer include filling my propane tanks, adding an electric tongue jack, and an agreement for him to do a roof clean/treatment the following spring. He also agreed to install for free the accessories I purchased that day (including roof vent covers and a large level)

[JJBIRISH]

If you’re going to use the MSRP you have to remember no one actually pays that price…

So if you are going to go by that, the MSRP less 30% when pulled off the lot, - another 10% by the first years end… deduct another 6% for the second year for easy math…

the math would be the same, MSRP – 30% - the first years 10% – another 6% for the second year… or approximately $12,700 give or take $500… once you pull it off the lot it’s still a used 2 year old trailer…

But no one buys at MSRP… so the depreciation curve I use from new that seems to work on almost all types of RV’s from their selling price, works something like this through and to salvage value…

1 - 18%
2 - 10%
3 - 7%
4 - 6%
5 - 6%
6 - 5%
7 - 5%
8 - 4%
9 - 4%
10 - 3%
11 - 3%
12 - 2%
13 - 2%

[j_p_f_]

hey mac,
glad you didn't get mad with me over my first comment, the devil made me do it!
I think if you buy it and then decide to trade or sell in the next 2-3 years you will take a beating.
if you like it and keep it for ten years, it wont make any difference to your sale value.
after a camper is ten years old the value is based only on condition, not age.
so I think you should think about if the trailer will still fit your family and likes in 5 years or will you be wanting to take the beating and "upgrade"?

[beemerphile1]

If it is what your want, and you can afford it, buy it.

Don't worry about getting a deal, you will lose a ton of money no matter what you pay. RVing is very expensive.

Better to pay more and get what you want than pay less for what you don't want. Next year when you trade it for what you really want you will lose even more money.

Number one rule when shopping is leave the emotions at home. I could be mistaken but your original post reads like you have already decided and are looking for confirmation.

[APT]

Are you buying because it is a "deal"? Do you even like that model? It will cost you far more buying the something and changing within a couple years. Get what you want first. You do not think about the cost when you don't fit in the bed or cramped on the toilet.

$14.5k (no trade) with $23k MSRP is 37% off MSRP. Pretty good, but not unheard of for people buying custom order brand new RVs. So I expect more of a discount after sitting so long. Get a quote from one of the bigger wholesale RV dealers in the midwest on that same model, fresh custom order. Compare the difference.

[JBarca]

loulou57 wrote:
Been There!!!!


The most important question you can ask is...has anyone slept in this unit?
The vehicle can be new, never registered but...he could have lent it out.

We got caught, unit was new never registered. Looked good. After we took ownership, paid for it we brought it home. As I was cleaning it to load it up I found an onion, cheese that was smeared and kleenex stuffed behind mattress.
We loved the trailer. After we talked to the dealer he said it was never registered, it was new. I asked him directly....has anyone slept in it. We got a yes but to this day no apology. We insisted on brand new mattresses. Being new to this we were naive we figured we were stuck with it, he had the money. We will never trust the dealer again.
It has full warranty as it should.

Question the dealer, check every inch and if your gut instinct is to walk
then run!

H'mm never thought of this one. Good point and good heads up to ask. Thanks for sharing.

While for us it may not have been a deal breaker that it was slept in, BUT, trust is something once lost is never coming back. I agree with you on your other post comments. If the camper was set up as a show trailer and potentially used a week etc, then declare it. The buyer is going in eyes wide open informed and may still very well take it and the dealers reputation is intact. We did buy a show PU this way, was delcared, never titled and we got a good deal. But it was delcared.

When we bought our F350 used, it was a lease turn in. I went all over that truck as I knew it was used and the mileage was just under 30K. The 4 main tires all had even wear for 30K miles. The dealer made a big point that they went over the whole truck by their service group and even put new brake pads on the front and the tires where all good.

Well they got me. A month later I crawl under the truck, dang... the spare is shot. OK on a truck with this many low miles on it from new how does one get a spare that had 70K miles on it...? An 18" load range E LT tire has no problem being $200 plus to replace. That dealer lost me for life over a spare tire. Learned from it and I will always stick my head under there the next time.... But not from that dealer.

[loulou57]

We had them put new mattresses in. In fact we picked them up directly from the manufacturer. We also had them clean everything over again.

It was the fact that the dealer lied to us and never said sorry. He didn't offer an excuse which was likely a good thing.

We will never buy again unless every piece of protective covering etc is in place. We had seen other units where the plastic was gone off the carpet and the seals from the fridge, sink etc.