DO NOT LOOK FOR A LOW MILEAGE COACH. Low mileage on a motorhome is bad, as it usually is a sign of non use. Yes, the interior will look real nice, but it will be problematic. It is very hard on an engine to sit for extended periods of time. The water never gets boiled out of the engine, the cylinder walls rust, the seals dry out, electrical connections become intermittent. Low mileage on a motorhome is much different than low mileage on a car, because motorhomes tend to be parked for long periods of time.
Daveinet wrote: DO NOT LOOK FOR A LOW MILEAGE COACH. Low mileage on a motorhome is bad, as it usually is a sign of non use. Yes, the interior will look real nice, but it will be problematic. It is very hard on an engine to sit for extended periods of time. The water never gets boiled out of the engine, the cylinder walls rust, the seals dry out, electrical connections become intermittent. Low mileage on a motorhome is much different than low mileage on a car, because motorhomes tend to be parked for long periods of time.
Hi, I did not realize that low miles was bad for a coach . It sounds sensible enough. Why does NADA give such $$ credit on a low mileage coach then? For example, for the Suncruiser we are considering, it was over $3K more because of the low miles.
My advice would be to be patient. I did the research and decided on what I was looking for brands, age, floorplan, mileage, options, etc. This net was very helpful in getting up to speed. One of the coaches that I liked but was considerably higher than budget was a 2003 HR Imperial-loaded with everything including AquaHot. (I was originally looking for a Septer or equivalent.) It had been garage kept and had 22k on the odometer and even came with a transferrable extended warranty. I told him what I was willing to pay ($170K-well below book). He acted insulted but called me back 3 months later and took my offer. He was upsided down on his financing and ended up having to take out a loan for the difference on what he owed vs. what I paid him. That was a year and a half ago. We have been using it for my wife to live in during travel nursing assignments. Just brught it back from NH over this past weekend. It has worked out great for us so far.
Daveinet wrote: DO NOT LOOK FOR A LOW MILEAGE COACH. Low mileage on a motorhome is bad, as it usually is a sign of non use. Yes, the interior will look real nice, but it will be problematic. It is very hard on an engine to sit for extended periods of time. The water never gets boiled out of the engine, the cylinder walls rust, the seals dry out, electrical connections become intermittent. Low mileage on a motorhome is much different than low mileage on a car, because motorhomes tend to be parked for long periods of time.
Hi, I did not realize that low miles was bad for a coach . It sounds sensible enough. Why does NADA give such $$ credit on a low mileage coach then? For example, for the Suncruiser we are considering, it was over $3K more because of the low miles.
NADA is about price, not about value!!
The NADA values are arrived at by calculating depreciation from the original MSRP, unlike the car NADA's which are derived from auction sales. However, so many people use them that they have become a good guide to inherent value. Now, with experience you will discover that some brands and models will consistently sell above the point that their NADA value would suggest, and some will sell below.....which would make you think that the above-NADA ones are better coaches and are standing up better.......but in fact it just shows that some of the really better coaches are overpriced from the manufacturer, so they have farther to fall. And since all brands are depreciated in the NADA book by the same percentages, an overpriced new coach will hold its value in NADA better than in reality.
BTW, I'm not sure where you got your NADA values from. The current book lists the Itasca at wholesale between $13,000 and $14,000, while the 92 Brave is about $7,000 wholesale. So the dealer would have paid that for them, or perhaps slightly more if he's had them awhile. And more to the point, if you buy one and trade it in on something better that's the best you will get!
As far as his having spent money on them, that value is after he fixed them. He should have deducted the value of needed repairs from the numbers above. He also should have deducted the value of the tires it needs, and so should you!
EDIT: In today's market, I find the NADA values are pretty high. so wholesale is probably a fair selling price unless it's really a cream puff and you WANT it! Just remember motor homes are like any other large purchase and the best way to survive long term is not to overpay for them.
I would consider about $1500 above NADA wholesale an absolute top price, with new tires and any other fixing done, and a 30 day mechanical warranty from the dealer. If he can't sell for that because he paid more for it he's running a charity, not a business. I'd ask to see the homeless kids!
fulltime 5 months a year
FMCA 368297
1990 Beaver Marquis 40'
Gillig MHA 3208T chassis, 300 HP Cat 3208, Allison MT647
Daveinet wrote: DO NOT LOOK FOR A LOW MILEAGE COACH. Low mileage on a motorhome is bad, as it usually is a sign of non use. Yes, the interior will look real nice, but it will be problematic. It is very hard on an engine to sit for extended periods of time. The water never gets boiled out of the engine, the cylinder walls rust, the seals dry out, electrical connections become intermittent. Low mileage on a motorhome is much different than low mileage on a car, because motorhomes tend to be parked for long periods of time.
Hi, I did not realize that low miles was bad for a coach . It sounds sensible enough. Why does NADA give such $$ credit on a low mileage coach then?
You answered your own question. Price is driven by perception, not real value. Most people perceive low mileage as good, not realizing the potential problems. If you had some way of knowing that the owner drove the thing to a camping place every other weekend that was only 50 miles away, that would be great, like the little old lady that drives the car for groceries once a week. The chances of that are slim. There is a significant number of people who buy motorhomes, not realizing they have no time for camping, or like the case of a guy who wants to sell me his parents Barth DP. His parents fight and cramming them into a small place like a motorhome was a foolish idea. Its a '92 with <15K miles on it. Has been driven once in the last 10 years.
Beside looking at many motorhomes to determine the features you want, take the opportunity to drive as many as possible. They are not all created equal on the highway (with wind or 18 wheelers passing you). It's possible to find the dream floorplan and be sick after the first trip because of the way it handles on the highway. When we were looking for our first motorhome, we were close to buying a neat older short wheelbase model from a dealer. It drove great on the two lane road with no wind. Returning to the dealership on the interstate with trucks passing, it was a "white knuckle" experience. Of course the salesman said "they all drive that way". WRONG...so drive as many as possible to get the feel of a good motorhome.
Good luck with your purchase.
Fred & Vicki
Richmond Hill, Ga
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor/330 Cat
2000 Honda Odyssey toad w SMI Silent Partner braking system
Tire Sentry monitoring system
gonesouth wrote: BTW, I'm not sure where you got your NADA values from. The current book lists the Itasca at wholesale between $13,000 and $14,000, while the 92 Brave is about $7,000 wholesale. So the dealer would have paid that for them, or perhaps slightly more if he's had them awhile. And more to the point, if you buy one and trade it in on something better that's the best you will get!
As far as his having spent money on them, that value is after he fixed them. He should have deducted the value of needed repairs from the numbers above. He also should have deducted the value of the tires it needs, and so should you!
EDIT: In today's market, I find the NADA values are pretty high. so wholesale is probably a fair selling price unless it's really a cream puff and you WANT it! Just remember motor homes are like any other large purchase and the best way to survive long term is not to overpay for them.
I would consider about $1500 above NADA wholesale an absolute top price, with new tires and any other fixing done, and a 30 day mechanical warranty from the dealer. If he can't sell for that because he paid more for it he's running a charity, not a business. I'd ask to see the homeless kids!
The NADA prices I listed were from the online guide, not the actual book. So I listed the Low Retail and Avg Retail on each MH. Your prices look like the "real" wholesale prices, which are very helpful to have.
I will continue to look (but not as often, because it is driving me crazy), and am hopeful that we will find something. It annoys me that the price is so marked up, and some of the dealers/private owners are quite a drive away, which is a huge investment in our weekend time if a MH is priced $20K over Low Retail, and we have to haggle to something reasonable. Oh well, it's the nature of the game, I guess.
DH now insists on a Class A, 10 years old or less, up to 29 feet (no exceptions), with a queen bed, dinette and pull-out couch. The age requirement rules out the two I've already found, so it is back to the drawing board.
Offline
. It sounds sensible enough. Why does NADA give such $$ credit on a low mileage coach then? For example, for the Suncruiser we are considering, it was over $3K more because of the low miles.
