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Sell truck and camper together or separately?

Bruce_H_
Explorer
Explorer
I have a question for you truck camper folks. My sister in Oregon will be selling her pickup truck and the camper. Currently the camper is off the truck. My question: Is it better to sell them together as a unit, or sell them separately?

The truck is a 2003 Ford F250 4X4 8 ft. bed with the PowerStroke diesel. 6.0 liters, I believe. Excellent condition with 60,000 miles. I assume she won't have any difficulty selling the truck as a standalone or getting a decent trade-in allowance.

The camper is a 2000 SummerWind. It has a dinette slide-out. Aluminum frame with fiberglass exterior. I will look at it tomorrow and see what condition it is in. It has had very little use. The main issue is whether there has been any leakage. She has it stored at a RV dealership and in previous discussions a few years ago they told her that they may be willing to sell it on consignment or buy it outright from her and resell it.

Looking forward to your recommendations on which way to go on this.

Thanks,

Bruce
2012 Lance 1575 TT pulled by 2013 4WD Expedition with HD Tow Package
13 REPLIES 13

jefe_4x4
Explorer
Explorer
I have found, over and over when selling some big item, it just takes one serious buyer, either way you go. The market will take care of the price, no matter how good you think your stuff is. I think there is a cadre of folks out there who would appreciate a combo with the bugs worked out if they do not currently own a truck or camper and are starting with a clean slate. I would start there first. And, I keep hearing the phrase, "Are you feeling lucky?" when it comes to trusting the leaky 6.0L Navistar engine. I read that it was the first Warranty group ever to surpass the $1B mark. Ford pointed the finger at Navistar and Navistar pointed the finger at Ford.
I just sold my classic 1982 CJ8 Scrambler rock crawler for $12K, delivered. Whoda thunk? It just took one buyer.

jefe
'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar

mkirsch
Nomad II
Nomad II
I agree that finding someone who will take the truck and camper together is far more difficult than finding people interested in each separately.

Being in Oregon she will have an easier time selling the camper, and getting a reasonable price for it. The dealer will soak her on the camper if she sells it to them outright.

The truck is a total dog on the market no matter where you are. There is no getting around that fact. Not many people want the 6.0L and those that do expect to get a "smoking deal" on it.

Trade the truck in. Let the dealer sell the camper on consignment.

Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.

Bruce_H_
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks, everyone, for your insightful responses. It has definitely given us a better perspective with which to move forward with selling the camper and pickup.

Bruce
2012 Lance 1575 TT pulled by 2013 4WD Expedition with HD Tow Package

KD4UPL
Explorer
Explorer
A Ford 6.0 truck will be hard to sell to anyone who knows anything about trucks. If you must sell the combo as a unit then the truck and it's reputation will make the camper hard to sell.
The simplest answer is of course to list is both ways: "combo for sale or will separate, must sell camper first if separate." I've looked at a lot of used TC adds and many of them read just like that.

Grit_dog
Navigator
Navigator
Less people are going to buy a Truck/camper combo than one or the other separately. And a package deal needs to be cheaper than the sum of its parts to be attractive.
The camper won't be worth much being 15 years old and presumably sitting outside. $5-7k? if it's all working and not leaking.
The truck looks good on paper, but it's arguably the worst Diesel engine produced in the last 15 years so don't expect the same $ you'd get for a Dmax or Cummins of the same year and conditions unless you get an unsuspecting buyer who does zero research before buying.
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dakonthemountai
Explorer
Explorer
...On the other hand, I sold my 1996 Weekender to the first person that came and looked at it (I also had many calls after it sold). the buyer literally begged me to sell him my truck also. I declined and delivered the camper to his home and at that point he actually offered, again, to buy the truck and had a LOT of cash to pay for it over what it actually is worth (I still declined) Point is, it just depends on what the buyer and seller need to do what works for them. The only actual advice I would offer is that I also would not sell the truck first in case she needs to move the camper herself, unless she can just sit and wait for it to sell. Best of luck to your sister!

Dak
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RoyB
Explorer II
Explorer II
Those heavy truck campers almost always require the truck be equipped with dual rear wheels. I suspect the truck probably has duallys... The truck campers with slide-outs really adds to the overall weight...

If the truck does have dual rear wheels might be a great sales incentive to be paired with the camper shell... I like the idea of listing it both ways but if the truck camper sells by itself you may have a problem selling the truck with duallys - not everyone would know what to do with dual wheels in the rear.

Just a thought
Roy Ken
My Posts are IMHO based on my experiences - Words in CAPS does not mean I am shouting
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Photomike
Explorer III
Explorer III
List it together but also state that you would sell it separate if offered. You may find a person that would want a complete package and not have the hassle of setting up a truck for a camper.

Myself I would NOT sell the truck before the camper sold as I would want to be able to move the camper and if I sold the truck then I would be stuck.
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deltabravo
Nomad
Nomad
I's try selling separate.
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trailgranny50
Explorer
Explorer
We just bought a 2003 Ford F350 crew cab, long bed dually with the same 6.0 engine. The one Ford got sued over. If the after market fixes have all been done, thousands of dollars or your sister got lucky and got one that is good, there were a few, then with the low miles it should sell OK. Buyers are cautious with those trucks. Ours was priced low as a trade in and a one owner truck with proof in writing of all the fixes or we'd have passed on it, but it was bought for a work truck not a camper packer. Camper, well, ours is 25 years old and not rotted or leaking and was a good buy at $2,700 in its good but not pristine condition. If hers isn't and hasn't been plagued with any leak issues, all systems functioning, and no big owies, it should sell just fine. I'm with another poster, list as a pair and seperate if buyer desires on either. A mated package with a good track record and no issues might be exactly what many folks just getting into TCs would like as it takes the guesswork out of which truck and which camper work together since that set up is already working. Good luck
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Devocamper
Explorer
Explorer
I recently shopped my trailer truck combo at rv dealers and they came close to the trade in value I had wanted but said they would not keep the truck, saying they are not in the truck business and would wholesale it out and sell the trailer on their lot . They said most people already have a truck when they are shopping for a trailer and it would sit to long trying to sell as a combo. Selling it privately you may find a buyer that's wants both . the four dealers I had gone to all said the same thing.
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3oaks
Explorer
Explorer
I think there would be a larger market for the truck alone, than for the combo and don't expect to get much $ for the camper.

Kayteg1
Explorer II
Explorer II
First if 6 l is easy to sell in California, that would be first I hear about.
The truth about selling combo is that you never know.
Truck will always sell when the price is right, but 15 years old camper in not pristine condition might be unsellable.
I would start advertising combo and camper alone to see what will go first.