RV values

[Lin]

I was talking with a guy who brokers rv's for private buyers through auctions around that state.  He claimed that used rv values are going up due to the lack of new production.  How does that wash with your experiences?  Do you think that this phenomena effects our buses also?

[johns4104s]

I am told by a reliable source that in Florida you can buy a 2 year old fifth wheel with slides for 10 to 12k. Not for me, but the economy is bad all over Florida.

John

[jackhartjr]

I talked to a guy that purhased a new Airstream for half the asking price!
Jack
I'm trying to sell a nice John Deere lawn tractor, got one call...two years ago it would have been gone FFAASSTT!!

[cody]

One thing I have noticed over the past year is the steady upwards climb of surplus parts prices, this can be explained fairly easily by the market slowly drying up, I make regular trips to elkhart and hit the surplus outlets about every couple of months, with the turmoil and decline of active rv companies the inventory isn't being turned over at the same rate it was just a year or so ago.  Most inventories were scheduled on a 90 day rotation for many of the components that go into S&S units, a factory didn't hold onto parts inventory beyond that mark mainly due to the changes that design engineers were incorporating into the units, at the 90 day point or around it, Bontragers would pick up the surplus and sell it thru their store, thats the relative cycle of the industry until recently, I would get a call from them telling me what the new stock was and I'd schedule a trip based on what I needed for the work I was doing at the time.  I can see where the price of used units would be changing as well due to the slowly declining availability of new units, that could certainly affect the prices, that combined with the economic uncertainty makes a difficult market for everyone.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

My buddy has a niece who went to a boat show with her husband earlier this year and saw a yacht, (yes, they have money), that they liked and made an offer of $845,000 on an asking price of $1.4 million. Sales people laughed at them.....2 months later they get a call asking if they are still interested in the boat. Guess who has a new boat and guess what they paid.  Must be nice.

[cody]

One thing I've found is that people are rebuilding before replacing for the most part now, I used to get around 12 to 15 calls a year from people that wanted some updates done, didn't matter if it was new valences or a new vanity, just updates of some sort, I've had that many calls now since june, people are being very cautious now on major expenditures, for a lot of things now it's a buyers market and people with money can really get some bargains, for the rest of us I'll oil the hinges one more time lol.

[BG6]

I was talking with a guy who brokers rv's for private buyers through auctions around that state.  He claimed that used rv values are going up due to the lack of new production.  How does that wash with your experiences?  Do you think that this phenomena effects our buses also?

Sounds like either wishful thinking, or he wants to offer you a "steal" on something he can't sell.

[buswarrior]

More BS from a salesperson.

If they say it enough, it will be true.

Ever hear the real estate sales establishment say anything negative?

"It's always going up, and there's no time like right now"... for the last 20 years?

harumph.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[belfert]

Try telling all the folks complaining about no responses to their Craigslist RV ads that used RV values are going up in price.

Most of these folks seem to be pricing fairly, but many of them aren't even getting low ball offers.

[krs2fer]

If the prices are going down so much, why can't I find a low, low price on a use RV? Everybody seems to want top dollar for what they have for sale.

[loosenut]

Last October through November banks began liquidating the bad loan toys.  In CA the prices of RVs, boats etc. dropped as the process continued.  This has really helped the used dealers and put the new dealers in deep dodo. 

I talked to several dealers at a recent RV stadium extravaganza and the used only people are having the best year of their lives.  The prices have fallen faster than the market's expectations so the dealers are getting great markups while the shoppers are getting great deals.  I know starting in February I saw a lot of inventory at killer prices.   

As of last fall I couldn't find an RV that I could afford and my wife would sit in.  I purchased the nicest RV I've looked at in April.

To krs2fer, if you want the cheapest possible price look for a person who will take you to an auction and charge you a set fee for the service.  You will be able to purchase at the auction price.  It is hard to get much cheaper than that.

Mike

 

[HighTechRedneck]

If the prices are going down so much, why can't I find a low, low price on a use RV? Everybody seems to want top dollar for what they have for sale.

Wanting top dollar and getting top dollar are two different matters.  Most of the time, a seller posts a high price, expecting to negotiate down.  It is a harsh and sometimes heartbreaking reality for inexperienced sellers, but asking price is almost never the selling price.

[jjrbus]

 Go to the eplace and look at RV's!!!! Then click on the completed listings, many are not even getting bids!!

[cody]

I've talked to a lot of people that are actually trying to sell and a lot that are trying to buy, you would think that they would find each other easily but what I"m finding is that, money is just not available. This is a small town with basically 2 banks that I live in, the population depends on the day of the week lol and whats going on at the time but hovers around 2500.  When people walk into either of the 2 banks the clerks, up to the bank president know you by your first name, they know if your working and where, they know your parents and whether you bought that new toaster that the hardware store had on special last week, it's a throwback to simpler times and I like it, when a person goes to buy something now around here the bank actually looks at your ability to pay, something that they had put aside for so long, they actually make you fill out an application and you need to wait while they give it some thought, the days of easy money never did reach up here.  There will always be a segment that has the money to do what they want whenever they want but I'm part of the group that has to balance the check book and compare prices and what I'm seeing up here is that people are holding onto their cars longer, they are getting them repaired instead of getting rid of them and they arn't buying much that will tie up money for a long time.

[RichardEntrekin]

A nice fantasy, if only it were true.

I noticed that the bus conversions held their value for long after the general RV market collapsed. But alas, they didn't hold up forever.

The problem has three big vectors. One, no lending institution wants to lend money on a rig less than five years old, and they want a lot more than 20% down. They'll loan the money IF you can show you have enough money in other assets to cover the loan.

Second, prices are wicked low on some mighty nice pieces, but if you already own one, you have to give it away or own two.

Three. the folks with enough money not to be concerned with one and two, are buying new. I know two different buyers of new, and the convertors are making some incredible deals just to keep something moving through their shop.


I think Cody is right on the money, If the rig has a good frame and drivetrain under it, folks are much more inclined to just do some spiffing than the buy another one.