Questions about selling and buying

[BeerBrewer]

We own a Transcend 26RLS and we are thinking about selling it, so we can upgrade it, but we're not sure the best way we should go about it. This was our first trailer (purchased in the spring of 2019) and we were unsure how much we'd like traveling with an RV. Well, as it turns out, we absolutely love it and we're starting to take longer and longer trips. So we're thinking of either upgrading to a 2670MK or a 2970RL to get a tad more space. My truck (Ram 2500 CTD) can't pull a fifth wheel that we'd want and I don't have $75K to upgrade it, so we are sticking with a TT. The whole buying and trading in process baffles me, especially how inconsistent the RV dealers are.

First, we aren't sure if we should sell it on our own or trade it in (your thoughts?). We fully understand the tax implications of selling it both ways. Obviously, its much easier to trade it in, but what puzzles us is that we get vastly different numbers from the dealers on our 26RLS's trade in value, it varies as much as $3000 between dealers and they all claim "this is what NADA says". We even had one dealer (same sales guy) quote me two different numbers on two different trips only weeks apart. He claimed NADA came out with a new book. Is there no definitive way of obtaining its value? Seems to me like they all just seem to make it up. Also none of the dealers seemed to care that about any of the upgrades that we've done, like installing E-Z Flex equalizers and wet bolts, new Goodyear Endurance tires, LED tail lights, upgraded bed platform, new LED reading lights over the bed, new bathroom faucet, new showerhead, etc..

Second, some dealers also seem to quote different list prices on the same model, year and even when they are equipped the same. What's up with that?

The whole RV dealer experience was very frustrating. Honestly, I felt like I needed to take a shower after leaving a couple of them. We didn't experience anything like this when we purchased our 26RLS at Lee's Family Trailer in Maine. Sadly, the owner sold out to Camping World and they no longer sell Grand Design.

So I'd like to hear your opinions on the best way to sell and buy. I'd also appreciate any advice that you've got to offer.

Thanks

[Hoopy Frood]

IMO, if at all possible, you should do a private sale. You're much more likely to get what you feel is a fair price for your trailer. I would look on RV Trader and other sites to get an idea of what trailers similar to yours are being offered for. I don't pay any attention to NADA or such for trailers, since most of the numbers are just blue sky. Get an idea of what kind of prices are being asked for your year and model trailer and go from there. Yes, you'll get very little on what you consider "upgrades". New tires would count for a little, but more towards increased likelihood of sale rather than a higher selling price. All the stuff you listed count little toward increased sale price, not what you want to hear but it is what it is. I think solar and lithium battery upgrades may count for something, but personal changes don't count for much.

I'm not sure about your state, but in Missouri, there's no tax penalty for selling it to a private individual vs trading it in to a dealer. You get your selling price off the purchase price of your new unit either way. Don't know about New York.

[xrated]

It's kind of a long standing rule that anything that a person adds to or upgrades to their vehicle (car, boat, motorcycle, trailer, whatever) is done for the enjoyment/functionality/convenience of that person, and generally speaking does not add much value when being sold or traded in. It's very easy to get carried away with "improvements" on a vehicle, but just remember, you are doing it for you, and don't expect to get much added value for the stuff at the time of the sale or trade in.


Every dealer will sell their product at some price point that they have figured is the price that they have to have in order to make the sale. Some like to make a big profit on fewer sales, some like to make a "reasonable" profit and get more sales. And of course the supply and demand also dictate, at least to some degree, the pricing that they will sell for. I sold motorcycles for a living for about three and a half years. Our dealership operated on the sell more, make less per vehicle. The huge advantage to that is...1. The buyer is getting a better price and feels better about the purchase. 2. You are building up a bigger customer base than the guy that sells to fewer people, but makes more money per unit. A larger customer base means that you will likely have more repeat customers, AND you have a larger group that will be using your parts and service depts.

Every dealer around is going to price the trade in so that they can make a tidy profit on it when they turn it around and sell it....some want to REALLY, make a profit, some are more reasonable with their asking price. They make determinations on what they think they have coming in on trade, based on how well they think it will sell, how quickly they can turn it over, how much if any maint/repairs they may have to do to sell it, as well as how much money they have tired up in it while it's still in their possession. Some dealers are just not, in my opinion, reasonable and they figure that eventually, someone will walk in, fall in love with the trailer and be willing to give them what they are asking for it....without much back and forth. That works for them during a supply and demand "crisis", but when there are high inventories of both used and new product out there, they HAVE to be more competitive just to keep the lights on. I know this doesn't fully answer your questions, but hopefully it helps at least a little bit.

[geotex1]

You've gotten good advice. Quite honestly the value of an RV is defined by the value to the buyer. It fluctuates with time of year, used inventory out there, desirability of what you have, and so-on. NADA guides are really guesswork for recreational vehicles because there's not integrated, nationwide resources to really track used sales. If you're not in a hurry, private sale, cutting out the middleman's profit, is the best way to go for maximum sale price. Trading in at an RV dealership is even more crooked than an automobile dealership! I won't jump down that rabbit hole here, but suffice to say trading in will always be to the financial benefit of the dealer whether your coach is 6 mos or 6 years old.

[BeerBrewer]

IMO, if at all possible, you should do a private sale. You're much more likely to get what you feel is a fair price for your trailer. I would look on RV Trader and other sites to get an idea of what trailers similar to yours are being offered for. I don't pay any attention to NADA or such for trailers, since most of the numbers are just blue sky. Get an idea of what kind of prices are being asked for your year and model trailer and go from there. Yes, you'll get very little on what you consider "upgrades". New tires would count for a little, but more towards increased likelihood of sale rather than a higher selling price. All the stuff you listed count little toward increased sale price, not what you want to hear but it is what it is. I think solar and lithium battery upgrades may count for something, but personal changes don't count for much.

I'm not sure about your state, but in Missouri, there's no tax penalty for selling it to a private individual vs trading it in to a dealer. You get your selling price off the purchase price of your new unit either way. Don't know about New York.

In the Northeast where we predominantly camp, we are almost always under a lot of trees, so to me, adding solar is nice, but not worth the expense. Adding Lithium batteries on the other hand, is definitely a good upgrade.

I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that in NY state, if we trade the trailer in that we only pay sales tax (8.63% for Suffolk County) on the price difference between the trade in and new trailer.

I searched the internet and I only found one Transcend 26RLS up for sale. I don't think GD made that model very long, so there aren't many around. I've only seen one other 26RLS in my travels and it was parked in someone's driveway in Canada. I'm not sure if its "rare-ness" is good of bad, but my gut tells me the latter.

[Ynot4me2]

I'll echo what the other members said. In Ontario, sales tax is calculated on the difference with the trade in. So trade in make a little difference in your out of pocket but you can get a lot more privately.
It all depends on you. Do you want to go thru the hassle of selling it yourself or not. Another thing to consider, is you might end up with 2 tt for a while or none at all if you decide to sell it on your own. There's also the financial side, are you relying on the sale of your old rig to purchase the new one. Will you be financing.... I guess every situation is different. So, make more money on the old TT or skip the hassle of selling it yourself and trade it.
personally I would sell it myself. Oh and anything to keep in mind though is the current market. The RV market is not as hot as last year and interest rate are up.

[jsm180]

I found my 27RL and sold the Keystone on Facebook marketplace.

It took me 2 years to find what I wanted, granted covid didn't help things. I watched craigslist and dealer lots within a 50 mi radius. Every one I found on a dealers lot was over priced and in poor condition, almost to the point of looking like repos. As a last resort, I joined Facebook and started watching marketplace. Within 3 mos I found my camper, brought it home, and swapped out my stuff. I put the Keystone on Craigslist first and got nothing but scam calls. Put it on FB market place at 3 pm and at 5:30 had a deposit.

I bought the 27RL before hurricane Ian hit and sold the Keystone post hurricane. I'm sure, right place, right time had a lot to do with the quick sale.

[BeerBrewer]

I've sold and bought things off of Craigs list in the past, but nothing near this expensive. We did get lots of scam calls and emails too. The jurry is still out on craigs list. I'm not sure if I want to use them.

I'm not a member of FaceBook, but the wife is, so maybe we'll give that a try. I also looked into using RVtrader.com, but running an ad there is not cheap, from $70 for 2 weeks to up to $250 for a whole year.

[geotex1]

I've sold and bought things off of Craigs list in the past, but nothing near this expensive. We did get lots of scam calls and emails too. The jurry is still out on craigs list. I'm not sure if I want to use them.

I'm not a member of FaceBook, but the wife is, so maybe we'll give that a try. I also looked into using RVtrader.com, but running an ad there is not cheap, from $70 for 2 weeks to up to $250 for a whole year.

If you're not in a hurry, put a couple of easy to read for sale signs with a BIG CLEAR phone number on your coach for folks to see in transit and at the campground. Has worked well for us in the past.

[The Bruck Fam]

We are selling our Lance TT today to a guy who bought it through RV trader. We are upgrading to a 324MBS and after getting quotes for trade in value from dealers, private party is the way to go. Yes, there is a small sales tax difference now on the new rig, but our selling price will cover that several times over. Yes, it took a little longer, but we weren’t desperate to sell.