Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I noticed a significant uptick in people looking to purchase used RVs recently.
We had been trying to sell our Class A for a few years now, but the price people were willing to pay just wasn't there for us. We still owed too much.
When I first listed it I wanted to list it on RVTrader, but made the mistake of listing it on RVT dot com. Both sites look the same when you are in them, but the two main differences are a lot less people looking on RVT and RVT is a one time charge for the ad until you sell, versus RVTrader you have to keep paying more if you want to keep it listed.
But in the process I learned a trick for anyone selling an RV. List on both. But only at first. Keep track of the number of inquiries you get on RVT while the RVTrader is not listed. When you start seeing an increase in inquiries, list on RVTrader again. The reason might be you've dropped the price to make it more attractive or the market has changed. Either way, it worked for me. We finally have an eager buyer. We should have it sold within a week.
RVTrader seems to get about ten times the number of inquiries at a minimum.
On the other hand if you are looking to buy, look at both. They are different and you might find a better deal with something on RVT, if the seller didn't realize they made the mistake of listing there, thinking they were on RVTrader.
I noticed a significant uptick in people looking to purchase used RVs recently.
We had been trying to sell our Class A for a few years now, but the price people were willing to pay just wasn't there for us. We still owed too much.
there are going to be a ton of people looking to sell once COVID pandemic precautions are over with ---and they're going to be soooo disappointed to see that there will be a glut on the market for used rigs.
there are going to be a ton of people looking to sell once COVID pandemic precautions are over with ---and they're going to be soooo disappointed to see that there will be a glut on the market for used rigs.
Yup. I bought a used Arctic Fox 22 model- less than 10 years old for $10K. New they sell for $35-40K. Nothing much has changed with the model in over a decade- maybe solar here, new t.v. there, but frankly same thing.
there are going to be a ton of people looking to sell once COVID pandemic precautions are over with ---and they're going to be soooo disappointed to see that there will be a glut on the market for used rigs.
In the area I live in they sold campers and boats like crazy. I have a couple banker friends and they said they done more RV/boat loans this year than they have in the last few combined. I know the out in the middle of nowhere camp site I like was packed all week all season long. Usually there is just 2 or 3 campers during the weekdays and packed on the weekend.
My guess is in 3 years as a seller you will have a hard time giving your camper away. I think most will let them set for a couple years before deciding it has set in the yard unused long enough. I also believe it will be a good time to buy a new one since used ones will be selling super cheap if they sell. Should be some awesome factory rebates/sales.
In Florida, RVs were selling like hot cakes around the beginning of June, RV dealers had virtually no used inventory at all and what they had was junk or overpriced, new ones were also on backorder, dread to think of the quality of RVs built this summer.
Private ads were scarce and we found most had generally been sold by the time you called or messaged the seller.
We saw a 30ft travel trailer that was 18month old on Facebook marketplace but it hesitated because it had really terrible photos and didn't look much but we went along to take a look anyway because it was still available, it turned out to be like brand new and we were blown away with everything about it including the price and bough it on the spot.
It's out first RV, we always planned to buy one in retirement to travel around the US but because of Covid we were stranded for months in Florida, we generally like traveling about when there but couldn't with most hotels closed but when we realised campsites were open it made sense to do it now.
Unfortunately we only got to use the trailer for around 6 weeks or so before leaving Florida but drove over 2500 miles in that time staying all over Florida seeing some great places and generally stayed in State Parks which are excellent in Florida.
Can't wait to get back and carry on our new adventure and hopefully travel to other states this winter...
Well, we just bought a 27 ft. travel trailer, paid cash and already have the 4x4 pickup to tow it, so I think we will be ok with the other expenses. If we had to buy a truck and make payments I think that not only would that damper our enthusiasm but we would have not even considered buying.
Our reason has nothing to do with COVID-19, actually. We are just at a perfect time in our lives, Hubby just retired last year, I work from home and can take my job anywhere with Wi-Fi, and our kids are out of the house. Also, we live in Michigan which has a TON of camp sites. It all just made sense.
Ask us again next year, because we are total rookies. We are confident that we will enjoy RVing and are very willing to learn everything we need to, but only time will tell.
We bought a 36’ rexhall airbus in great condition1999 v-10 in Jan we paid case 17,000. We have been looking a long time like 3 years for the right floor plan .We put 2 adjustable queen beds in her that was 1800.00 had the transmission flushed and new filters 350.00 and we have taken 2 trips tho short only a couple hundred miles each.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,243,006 times
Reputation: 57825
Quote:
Originally Posted by earthlyfather
??Anyone have any idea about annual maintenance costs?? Not real handy when it comes to things mechanical, electrical and so forth. Dirt? That is a piece of cake for me, but not the other stuff.
There are minor costs in some climates with winterizing and de-winterizing, for the antifreeze, if you do it yourself. Then the wheel bearings and brakes, roof and window seals need to be checked every year before going out. Figure on a hundred just to have them checked, more if any replacement is needed. I just filled both of my propane tanks (7 gallons) for just under $60. We did have to replace wheel bearings already, everything else has held up well for us over the first 4 years.
I know this is a old thread. I got into "Camper" camping 5 yrs ago. My GF and I bought a used one in 2017. It was small, heavily used but worked perfectly. Summer 2020 we decided the camper was to small. Sold that 2007 camper in 10 min. I listed it on Facebook and the 5th inquiry , the person came over , looked at it for a min and bought right then for the same price I paid for it. This was Aug 2020 and now was time for us to buy a new one. All dealers were empty. It was crazy. Anyway I had to drive 3 hrs away to get what I was looking for.
I've owned a class A RV for 14 years. I bought it used. It's a 2005 Coachmen Aurora, 34 ft. 2 years prior to buying it, twice I had rented a class C for a 2 week vacation. Both times I flew in and rented a rig. The agency makes you watch a video on driving and using the motorhome. I would highly encourage anyone thinking of buying an RV to rent for at least a long weekend.
After the 2nd time I got the idea of purchasing 1. I went to a few dealers looking around. I went to a local campground and asked a lot of people how they liked their rigs. I spoke with mostly people that had class As and 5th wheels. I felt I got honest answers asking owners instead of relying on a salesperson for answers. During this time I saw a used class A diesel pusher. I don't recall all the details but they wanted $57K for it. Looking back with the knowledge I have now, that was a good deal. I got to look at a parked rig that was for sale. The ad didn't include a price. The owner showed us around in detail. After over an hour of pointing out all the features he said the price was $180K. Way over our budget. It was an incredible rig but it wasn't going to happen at that price.
Eventually I ended up on a lot that had 4 used class As for sale. Being able to compare them to new units on the same lot was helpful. I got a 2 year old rig that looked brand new. It had 3,000 miles on it. The story I was told is that the previous owner traded it in after owning it a year and a half. It was either too small or too big for them. Anyway I traded in an old van and got a loan for $60K for 20 years. Now I probably could have gotten the price down a bit more. But you get to the point where you find what you think will be perfect for your needs.
10 years later I finally got it paid off. Along the way I lost my job as a defense contractor. My romantic life also changed drastically. Long story short I ended up in my RV in a campground while I figured out my next move. I did some camp hosting and took some seasonal work. Eventually I got another defense job. The pay was good but the work was in Indiana. So I rolled in with my rig. I worked for 6 months then got bored and longed to get back out on the road.
I followed up taking a seasonal job in Yellowstone National Park. The following year I was a camp host in a National Forest in SE Virginia. I had my pension, campground fees were included with the job. In addition to my pay. At Yellowstone I was fed for free in the employee dining room. I met a lot of great, wonderful people working in the national park.
Now I'm fully retired at 62. I have a few income streams that take care of my financial obligations. Last summer I had my RV engine tuned and added a steering stabilizer. In a few months the rig will go in and get the roof reconditioned and an awning replaced. Thinking about replacing the carpet at that time too.
We thought about upgrading but this rig has all the issues taken care of. We'd just be trading up for some possible unknown problems. I'd certainly like another slide out or even better a diesel engine. But you pay for that upgrade.
I understand that everyone is looking to pay the least amount possible for a rig. What I like to caution is don't pass up what might be the ideal set up for you and settle for the wrong fit because the price is right. I would also advise not to do this on too stringent of a budget. Eventually something is going to break. You will need funds to get fixed and back on the road. Those fixes are seldom inexpensive. Some problems could leave you homeless until they get resolved. That's why annual or at least biannual preventive maintenance could prevent possible future issues.
A good portion of satisfaction from living on the road comes from attitude. The more flexible you are the greater the reward for those moments when things out of your control pop up.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
