Prices are dropping!

[Barn Owl]

This post is for a reference of a current asking price.

RV 40' 1978 MCI 9 Bus conversion with slide out and raised roof - $49k  OBO!

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/rvs/582534013.html

-or-

http://www.arizonasuperads.com/Motorhomes_and_RVs_Classifieds_3_MCI9_Conversion_C506A78574P1/index.aspx

[tekebird]

man someone ought to snatch that up......

Supprisingly (said with sarcastic tone), no mention of generator or mileage, something anyone would want to know.

Would be interesting to see the quality of the slide install and other things.

providing it is in good shape will make someone a fine buy

Donlt think that is a good representation of the market though.....unless something is wrong with it or...they need to sell it

[Barn Owl]

Some of those thoughts ran through my mind to.

Regardless, it is what it is.

[Barn Owl]

After watching prices for the past several years I have noticed a sharp decline in the asking prices over the past several months. I also think we are only seeing the beginning of this trend.  I believe there are many factors contributing to this. Maybe a lot of bus conversions don't look professional enough for today's RV buyer; they might want more bells and whistles. Fuel prices might be a factor, the credit crunch, fear of a recession, etc. How many other things might be contributing to it? What do you all think? Has anyone else noticed this? Looks like it will be a great year for buyers and will leave a lot of sellers crying.

[tekebird]

RV sales have dropped a bit but not as much as I would have expected.....so I doubt it is fuel costs....

I do think the RV buyer is not impressed by alot of home conversions as they are dazeled with some very nice looking but POS sticks and staples at shows......with attractive new RV financing...remember we are a society of people living on credit.

also, when you drive around town next time...take a gander at how many cars are newer vehicles.......trend has gone away from driving older but still reliable cars....and getting new ones every 4-8 years.  this has probably grown since the popularity of the lease and certified preowned cars from manufactueres.

I also think alot of people are just not aware of the Converted coach market.

additioanlly, I think the Used coach market as far as shells is frought with alot of run out rode hard put away wet stuff...

alot of little stuff factors into it.......but I think the majority of it is generally when someone puts their converted coach on the market...it's because they have or are going to buy a replacement (they need to sell it), they are getting divorced or a spouse passed away ( they need to sell it), they are sick of it ( generally unfinished projects) ( again they need to sell it) so on and so forth.

if you need to sell something you often just keep dropping the price until you think you have enought traffic looking at it.


I always find it interesting when something that is not so nice of a conversion, beat up body, rusty, crappy paint, with a worn out motor...brings 2-3 times what it is worth......while just up the road is something that needs nothing for 10k more....perhaps there is some invisble price barrier.

I think the key is to have it for sale when you don;t NEED to sell it.

I had my 04 for sale fro several years......didn;t cost me anything but my parking spot fees.....so I didn;t need to sell it.....even after I got my MC-8...why would I want to?  It gets better gas mileage, ran like a raped ape ( would regularly pass newer coaches with 350+ HP with my lil ol 6-71) I was intimate with it having worked on it since I was 7 years old (38 now), better than 30 years in the Family and was about as perfect as you can find a 4104........but along came someone and gave me my asking price (54k) with no haggle after looking at more than 100 not so nice coaches that were much cheaper

[Dave C]

Here is a different view.  Early on my wife liked the idea of a RV.  Bathroom, kitchen, own bed, etc.  Then she had an epiphany.  My budget was $40,000 + $100/mo storage + fuel/maint.  All of a sudden she decided with that kind of money, that represents a bunch of exotic vacations all over the world.  Flying and staying in swanky hotels.  She quickly cooled on the RV idea.   

So here I sit still wanting a bus but I guess I will have to wait until retirement and I can do my own thing. 

I did look a number of buses and so many were poorly constructed home conversions.  I'd rather buy a clean newer RV for the same money and do as Takebird suggests, " just keep it running for a few years" and ditch it.   But deep down I prefer a real bus!

[plyonsMC9]

Dave,
Don't give up on finding the perfect bus!!  There are some real gems for the price.  You just have to keep looking - sometimes it can take years - and you will find what you are looking for, because by then you'll be able to spot the real "diamond in the rough"

Welcome to the board!

Kind Regards, Phil

[HighTechRedneck]

So here I sit still wanting a bus but I guess I will have to wait until retirement and I can do my own thing. 

Are you planning on leaving her when you retire?   

A lot of spouses start out opposed, but in time warm up to the idea of at least an RV.  For one thing, after a couple of "exotic" vacations, I think that fascination is fulfilled.  Also, major exotic vacations take a lot of planning and time away.  With an RV you can have spontaneous weekends away whenever you want in addition to the vacation use.  Once acclimated to having an RV, then you can take her to a rally and get her hooked on the idea of a bus conversion.

[NewbeeMC9]

Here is a different view.  Early on my wife liked the idea of a RV.  Bathroom, kitchen, own bed, etc.  Then she had an epiphany.  My budget was $40,000 + $100/mo storage + fuel/maint.  All of a sudden she decided with that kind of money, that represents a bunch of exotic vacations all over the world.  Flying and staying in swanky hotels.  She quickly cooled on the RV idea.   

So here I sit still wanting a bus but I guess I will have to wait until retirement and I can do my own thing. 

I did look a number of buses and so many were poorly constructed home conversions.  I'd rather buy a clean newer RV for the same money and do as Takebird suggests, " just keep it running for a few years" and ditch it.   But deep down I prefer a real bus!

I got a 12 - year loan on mine and it is treated like second home at taxtime,  mine was also 100%,  so i didn't shuck out a bunch of cash upfront. 

Go to rv show and  look at the crappy 100K stick and staple, then swing by the car dealer ship and look  at new vehicles in 40 k range.  Once shes going for that , bait-n-switch,  I d rather have a bus and the impact is less.

my wife ignored it for a while then figured out it wasn't going away and then bought into getting a bus

[Barn Owl]

There have been a lot of people living beyond their means and they have lived it up with easy credit. There are houses, cars, boats, RVs, that are all being sold as distress sales. I see more and more of them everyday. We are only seeing the beginning of it.

[skipn]

Barn Owl,

  Don't disagree at all.......it is a lot easier to do now days.

So Did the government and big business teach people to live beyond their means or
are they providing what the people want or did we vote people in who see no problem
in the government over spending.............

   Once your money is no good then what?  garage sale at the Smithsonian?

    Actually a bigger cancer than I want to discuss(brains for).

   I just pray our family here is safe and hopefully have the ability to snatch up the good deals

Skip

[jjrbus]

Not being a structural engineer, how did they chase the load around the wheel well? Also I see no braceing in the A/C compartment?

[Songman]

Here is a different view.  Early on my wife liked the idea of a RV.  Bathroom, kitchen, own bed, etc.  Then she had an epiphany.  My budget was $40,000 + $100/mo storage + fuel/maint.  All of a sudden she decided with that kind of money, that represents a bunch of exotic vacations all over the world.  Flying and staying in swanky hotels.  She quickly cooled on the RV idea.   

So here I sit still wanting a bus but I guess I will have to wait until retirement and I can do my own thing. 

I did look a number of buses and so many were poorly constructed home conversions.  I'd rather buy a clean newer RV for the same money and do as Takebird suggests, " just keep it running for a few years" and ditch it.   But deep down I prefer a real bus!

Dave,

Feel free to use my experience in world traveling to let your wife know that $40k is not going to do very much toward extravagant world travel. My wife and I have been overseas 7 times in the past 4 years. We just returned from 16 days in Egypt. The entire cost of the trip, including airfare, hotel, Nile cruise, tours of the pyramids and other Egyptian sites, food.. and the minimum amount of gifts we bought for family was just over $30k!!! Granted this was a top of the line trip with no expenses spared, but of all of our other trips not one of them came in much under $20k. And you said exotic trips. Exotic means more expensive.

So you might get 2-3 good overseas trips for the money you planned to spend on your bus... Or a lifetime of enjoyment from a bus. If it's one or the other - take the bus. It's more bang for the buck.

[bobofthenorth]

Not meaning to preach but the real issue is whether SWMBO buys into the dream.  Absent commitment from both partners any lifestyle choice as major as RVing is doomed to failure.  An RV is a small space - if two people are going to live comfortably in that space they need to both want to be there.

[niles500]

<<<< An RV is a small space >>>>

But there are 2 things with each coach that makes close quarters pallatable - 1) a 'family room' as big as North America, and 2) a couch when the 'family room' is too cold, hot, or wet!