Selling RV advice
 

My parents have reached a point where driving their RV is no longer a viable option for them. They have been approached by a RV dealership but as expected their offer was insulting. That said I don't think RV's exactly fly off the shelves these days but I'm no expert in that regard.

So I am going to help my Dad sell his. He lives 200 miles North of me so I won't be able to help showing but I can handle the online aspects. The RV in question is a 2009 Roadtrek RS Adventurous. Low 10,200 miles with all the options and gizmos. Excellent condition and kept under a cover in Santa Barbara.

I went to RVTrader and came up with the following search result . If anyone has experience selling RVs I am all ears. My Dad has the title and is ready to sell it but at the same time is not desperate - he can sit on it waiting for the appropriate deal. I have cautioned him that actual selling prices are probably far away from asking price - but again I am not informed in the RV market. Oh the local RV dealership offered him $40K...

Thanks for any suggestions.
David

Move the RV to your house. Sell it from there.

Much like selling a boat, I would think spring to early summer would be prime buying time. I would wait until then and clean it up nice, take a ton of pictures, and list it everywhere you think will get it exposure. Craigslist, Ebay (free ad if you do buy it now), RV Trader, and anything else that seems effective. The same stuff that sells a car should sell an RV.

Just by doing a quick search on the ole' interweb I'd guess real world value some where around mid 60's to low 70's. I've seen a few 08-09 Roadtrek RS with 60-70K on them for mid to low 50's We sell sprinter parts to a company here in Kansas City that does conversion work on them. Changing them from work vans to high-end rv cruisers.

I agree with taking it to your place and selling it, if possible as many cities have rules against any kind of RV parking for any length of time. If that is the case then a storage yard is in order and that adds up fast. I sold my 5th wheel toy hauler early last year and used Craigslist to sell it but found it was listed on 3 or 4 sites that sell RVs? They basically copy the existing ad and after I called to complain they removed them. These were in the LA area it seems?

I did some searching to get a rough price, decided on mine and then stuck to it as most callers will want to knock the price down but since mine was modified to be able to carry a 914-6 with GT fenders I just waited. I sold it after a few months to a guy from AZ and he was happy with it. I had to make sure everything worked and that meant keeping some fresh water in the tank to show the toilet, hot water heater and plumbing all worked and no leaks. I used a bunch of chlorine to prevent a fungus and when it was sold I drained and flushed it for him, showing how to do it. I did put the ad in the San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orange County and Riverside versions of Craigslist and it was the Phoenix one that sold it.

Though it would be easier for me to deal with the buyers, moving it down here is not really an option. I have a large driveway that would work but my Dad has the RV safely stored on his side yard under a metal garage canopy that he had erected. He has run dedicated electricity & water with drainage (sump) to the site as the RV has been used for overnight guests. Lots of custom stuff. Pretty fancy setup - but then he's a retired engineer/machinist whose only limit is $$.

My biggest challenge will be to talk him (for the 100'th time) through emailing me some pictures from his iPad. :)

I will definitely use RVTrader and Craigs but will direct all responses through me. He's definitely at the point in awareness where he could be taken advantage of.

That sounds wise David. I'm shopping for a bigger boat right now and have encountered a lot of, um, communication challenged people. Even getting an email reply is a challenge, and getting pictures requires an act of God. Some are probably just flakes, but it occurred to me that others might just be older and not internet/tech savvy. Lots of retired people own recreational equipment, didn't seem like too big of a leap.

I sold my Roadtrek 190 Popular on eBay 10 years ago. First try I put a reserve of $15000 on it and didn't get a single bid. I tried again, no reserve, sold it for $21,000. I was contacted by four or five people (dealers?) who wanted me to take it off the auction and take the low ball price they offered. "Look, I'm not going to keep this offer out there long. $10,000 is more than you'll ever get for that." Blah blah - really hard sell POS people emailing me.

Sold my MB Sprinter 2500 22' motorhome in local Craigslist for $78k, paid $90k, after 1 year of ownership.
First caller paid full price.
It had 9,800 miles, suspension upgrades, and an ext'd warranty.

Looks like a nice rig for extended traveling. I may be back in the market for something like this in a few years but not yet.

Go for the "wow" factor to get top dollar from a private buyer. A lot of private sellers don't do their homework and the rig is dirty, cluttered, with non-working equipment, and deferred maintenance. This turns off most buyers and results in lots of tire kickers and lowball offers. Spending a few days and $1000 on preparation may return as much as $10,000 at time of sale. A good investment.

1. Make sure everything works like new, mechanically sound with no leaks or issues. Good tires that are not too old, and recent fluid changes.

2. Unload all the personal camping stuff and have it professionally cleaned inside and out.

3. Take it on a photo trip to a breathtaking ocean view or mountain retreat and take amazing pics inside and out with a quality camera and good lighting. This allows buyers to visualize themselves in those great locations. Quality pics bring quality buyers. I might also include a link to a youtube video tour to give potential buyers a virtual preview of a similar layout like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIQeqU4RZaY

4. Price it to sell based on actual selling prices of similar rigs in the market.

The goal here is to make a very attractive ad that really stands out from the crowd, and the first qualified buyer will want it because it is better than expected, his wife loves it and appreciates your attention to detail. This will move it quickly at a fair price so you can avoid showing to a 6 month parade of lookyloos. When they love it they stop grinding on the price and it allows you to negotiate from a position of strength.

If it sounds like too much work, imagine the annoyance of showing it to 30 potential buyers over a 6 month period only to receive lowball offers close to wholesale trade in. Less painful to just sell wholesale directly to a dealer and avoid the nonsense.

There is a place in Thousand Oaks called Conejo Wholesale. They move a lot of RV's. I do not know if they do consignment, or try to make profit on a purchase. I'd think they would pay more than a dealer. Conejo Wholesale Auto & RV no affiliation, but have looked a few times.

Don't forget eBay. There's one closed auction/ad on eBay for a 2008 with 65K miles. They had it listed for $62K or best offer. The selling price on OBO sales is not listed, but if you sort closed auctions by price it becomes apparent that this one sold for somewhere between $54,500 and $62,000. I'd think the ultra low miles would be a big plus.

One active auction for a 2008 with 23K miles is currently bid to $40,200 and closes on 02.04.14.

I listed and sold my parents 5th wheel last year. I used the Kijiji local listing site.
They had a price in mind and that was based on what they thought it was worth.

After a few price drops they eventually got about 1K more than the dealer had offered them.

It was worth it to list it for them and to do all the screening of potential buyers. Now that my folks are in their mid 80s, they didn't need the stress.

Checked the auction that lee had posted. That is a pretty cool looking rig.
Good luck with the sale.