351 DS Farewell and Sales Question

[sithc]

Hi All,

This is farewell to the world of RVing with the Georgetown folks. I've been a lurker but learned a lot from all the postings.

We bought our new 2015 Georgetown 351 DS in late fall of 2014 and took delivery in late January 2015. It was our first motorhome and unfortuanately the last. It has been great motorhome with no major issues other then a broken main slide gear that was fixed under warranty. We've enjoyed three great summer useage.

Unfortuanately, we've come to realize we are not RV folks as we are using it less and less each year (one time this summer). We are just not outdoorsy people. Don't care to camp with it. We mainly use it for transportation leisure such as road trips from Oregon to California theme parks, parking at RV resorts. But after multiple times its just not worth the drive anymore and would rather fly now. We are not a sightseeing family neither. Kids have loved it but we see no real reasons to keep it.

With that being said, I have never sold a motorhome before. It was bought brand new. Still owe/finanacing low $93K. I spoke with dealer and wholesale for them to buy back is $63K and they said market value is $82K. I hate to lose roughly $20K selling to them and they turn around selling at market price. Plus I would still need to add $30K to pay off loan.

I could also can do consignment with them but I would still loose money (add money to pay off loan). Problem is I have no idea what the value is to set a price with them to consignment.

Another option which I have no clue and dread based on online research is private sale. It seems like a big chore as it involves a large sum of money, buyer b bank loan, title transfers etc. Not like selling a used car. I understand this would get me the most value but I still have no idea what to price it at nor what is involved to do.

So, what would you all price my 2015 341DS with 14K miles in the Portland, OR area that's in great condition and ready to go with no issues whatsoever?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Sith

[JimF]

Wow, sorry to hear you don't care for the RV life style but it's not for everyone. On the sale of your unit I will be blunt. You financed way to much and haven't paid off enough. The profitable upside down situation and you owe more than it's worth. From what your saying I believe in a private sale you will still bite the big one for at least 10 to 15 grand. You folks made a bad purchase and will probably have to live with it.

Good luck with your future air miles.

[georgew48]

I would try to sell it myself or try to get someone to assume the load for what you own on it. You won't make anything but won't have to loose 30 grand either.

[sithc]

Yeah, we know we will have to take a loss and add money to pay off loan. We just want to minimize what we have to add. We've accepted that and still rather get out then keep it. I will probably try to sell myself first for a couple of months, then onto consignment. Hopefully it doesn't have to come down to selling wholesale to the dealer.

[The Otters]

Sithc

We just sold our 2014 378 in under 3 weeks on RV trader for 80 k.
The buyer used Northcoast rv financing. I was blown away at how easy they made the process.

[EricNJ]

Check out this site for help in pricing.
http://www.nadaguides.com/rvs
How does this compare to what the dealer told you?

[JimF]

Originally Posted by The Otters

Sithc

We just sold our 2014 378 in under 3 weeks on RV trader for 80 k.
The buyer used Northcoast rv financing. I was blown away at how easy they made the process.

That's good but he needs 378 money for a smaller 351. Hope it works out buy ???

[PenJoe]

Whoa, where to start on this one. We purchased a 2014 MH in 2015, had it for two years and put few miles on it. On our last trip, we also decided that the new camping style was not us. We had sold a Florida home thinking we would just camp in Florida instead. As you, we really were not up to long trips to see the world. Well, after a month in a commercial RV resort, we spent the rest of our vacation time to find a double-wide mobile home in the area we had come to love. And we did. Small resident owned quality park, with immaculate fully furnished home complete with bikes, tools and a salt water dock. Just about an even trade of $ we had in the MH.

On our return to our other home, we did the research on the RV. We gathered all of the upgrade receipts, added them up, and made a list. The NADA book allowed us to do a pretty good analysis. We then wrote a very detailed Craigslist ad and took a lot of pictures of which we posted 25. The NADA and the upgrades actually brought us over what we paid, so we tried using that figure. We determined that the new model prices had increased which gave us an argument for holding the price. It was sold in 2 weeks to the first couple to view it. They said they had done extensive shopping to find this one and told us that they were skeptical because they had been disappointed by so many ads. They also said that the volume of information provided on the ad was the draw to look at this ours.

As for consignments, our relatives tried it and it was not a good experience. They ended up selling low and never did know what the buyers actually paid.
We have had really good luck selling by owner. We were introduced to Craigslist by our son when we complained we were not getting calls on a paid Internet RV ad. He suggested craigslist and we sold our 4 year old slide-in for nearly what we paid for it. Again, the prices of new ones had gone up considerably. In both instances, the buyers were elated-no arm twisting needed.

The other alternative is depending on what is owed, is to let the bank take it back. It is something our neighbor did because they were in it too deep and would have had to pay out to sell it. For them, it was the right choice. But it would be best if you could come out of this on your own.

If you need any more advice on selling on craigslist, I have some advice that has worked for us over the years. Let me know.

[OLDNAVY]

Originally Posted by sithc

Hi All,

This is farewell to the world of RVing with the Georgetown folks. I've been a lurker but learned a lot from all the postings.

We bought our new 2015 Georgetown 351 DS in late fall of 2014 and took delivery in late January 2015. It was our first motorhome and unfortuanately the last. It has been great motorhome with no major issues other then a broken main slide gear that was fixed under warranty. We've enjoyed three great summer useage.

Unfortuanately, we've come to realize we are not RV folks as we are using it less and less each year (one time this summer). We are just not outdoorsy people. Don't care to camp with it. We mainly use it for transportation leisure such as road trips from Oregon to California theme parks, parking at RV resorts. But after multiple times its just not worth the drive anymore and would rather fly now. We are not a sightseeing family neither. Kids have loved it but we see no real reasons to keep it.

With that being said, I have never sold a motorhome before. It was bought brand new. Still owe/finanacing low $93K. I spoke with dealer and wholesale for them to buy back is $63K and they said market value is $82K. I hate to lose roughly $20K selling to them and they turn around selling at market price. Plus I would still need to add $30K to pay off loan.

I could also can do consignment with them but I would still loose money (add money to pay off loan). Problem is I have no idea what the value is to set a price with them to consignment.

Another option which I have no clue and dread based on online research is private sale. It seems like a big chore as it involves a large sum of money, buyer b bank loan, title transfers etc. Not like selling a used car. I understand this would get me the most value but I still have no idea what to price it at nor what is involved to do.

So, what would you all price my 2015 341DS with 14K miles in the Portland, OR area that's in great condition and ready to go with no issues whatsoever?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Sith

Would looking at RV Trader help so you can see other prices?

[Harris85]

Sorry that the RV life is not for you but we all have things we like and do not like...Best of luck in your travels however you choose to travel. Hope you can find a buyer for the price you need. Best of luck!

[Palinduff]

There are places that will rent it out for you, that might help with the payments until you can break even.

[EricNJ]

Outdoorsy.co (not .com) and RvShare.net
Outdoorsy provides comprehensive insurance.

[Frank DeFeo]

I feel your pain, just went through it myself. Had a 2014 that I traded for a 2017. Did many upgrades to my 2014 and only had 6800 miles. Anyway after going to 4 dealerships who were all in the same trade range I lost $45k. I was told that rule of thumb is that rvs depreciate up to 40% in the 1st three years. Ouch!!

[270S]

I was offered 25% of what I paid for my 3 month old current year TT as a trade toward an RV! BTW, you may not have read it right, that is 25 Cents for every dollar I spent. And why do I %^* the RV industry business practices. I removed all of my upgrades and ... still got only 40%.

[JimF]

Originally Posted by 270S

I was offered 25% of what I paid for my 3 month old current year TT as a trade toward an RV! BTW, you may not have read it right, that is 25 Cents for every dollar I spent. And why do I %^* the RV industry business practices. I removed all of my upgrades and ... still got only 40%.

That is crazy. I have traded in rv's for the last 30 years and never had something like that happen. Our last trade was a 2007 Montana we purchased for a factory pickup, had every option, new $47,000. Traded on my 2011 Georgetown 378Xl. Got the 378 for 31% below MSRP and got $44,000 for the Montana, either cash or trade. Don't know what has happened since 2011 but your story is a horror story.
Safe Travels..

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Frank DeFeo

I feel your pain, just went through it myself. Had a 2014 that I traded for a 2017. Did many upgrades to my 2014 and only had 6800 miles. Anyway after going to 4 dealerships who were all in the same trade range I lost $45k. I was told that rule of thumb is that rvs depreciate up to 40% in the 1st three years. Ouch!!

There have been occasions where we felt the dealer was very fair on a trade. However,I would suggest avoiding the middle man in the future. See post #8. We have had two instances with campers (actually 3) and a boat where a FSBO (for sale by owner) has truly paid off. We have also used the same tactics on our last three sticks and bricks as-well. What has amazed us is that an item (car, truck, boat, camper, house) will be dormant in the hands of "professionals", yet move quickly by-owner. A little elbow grease, planning, and patience will save a lot of frustration--and $.

[ChrisAndGarren]

Originally Posted by Palinduff

There are places that will rent it out for you, that might help with the payments until you can break even.

Originally Posted by EricNJ

Outdoorsy.co (not .com) and RvShare.net
Outdoorsy provides comprehensive insurance.

I noticed you are local to PDX - before we bought our 351DS, we rented from RV Northwest - they were great, but I recall they also will rent out your RV for you. Here's a link to their website.

RV Northwest Owner Rental Program - RV Northwest

At least, it's an option if you decide to go that route vs taking a loss on the sale.

Good luck!
Garren

[Dennis King]

I would try RV Trader! It is national and we looked there for a long time! Buy take great photos and lots of them and good write up and a price and all that!
If photos are bad don't bother. People are visual and you are selling a dream and a lifestyle! Folks don't buy things that don't look nice unless they are dirt cheap.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Dennis King

I would try RV Trader! It is national and we looked there for a long time! Buy take great photos and lots of them and good write up and a price and all that!
If photos are bad don't bother. People are visual and you are selling a dream and a lifestyle! Folks don't buy things that don't look nice unless they are dirt cheap.

I totally agree that ad presentation is everything. Good pictures of key components and a sequential description of the interior and exterior layout. The description should follow the sequence of pictures. We have found time and again that buyers will read and reread every word of a description. We have actually been told this by the buyers. On the most recent sale, the buyers stated they were weary of looking until they viewed our ad. We priced high and sold high.

Actually, we have found that wording such as "priced below NADA" or "best offer" are not selling points. It puts the seller in a bad bargaining position. Is it a distressed/forced sale or is there something wrong that is not being disclosed? Even without these wordings, we have been low balled. Our response has been a courteous "thank you, but ____" and we show the NADA and comparables. If the lookyloo is serious, they will be back with a more reasonable attitude. This has also happened in a matter of a day, but it was too late. The next caller may pay full boat or a worthy offer. Patience is a virtue.

It has been several years since we have paid for an ad. Craigslist has been a phenomenal site to sell. Something like 25 pictures, unlimited description, and pretty scam free for sellers. Craiglist.org allows posting only in one metro area. However, the ad will show in adjoining metro areas-even in adjoining states. Craigslist also has a list of all of the metro sites so customers can fan out their search area. Unknown to many, the ad will show up in a general web search anywhere. We have found this pool of customers very adequate. And, you are generally selling within a couple hundred mile range-people are willing to go the distance if the ad is accurate and it is what they are looking for. We will only deal face-to-face/cash.

The one other advantage of Craigslist that we have found is that on a weekly basis (generally a Friday), we delete the ad-yes delete the ad, not renew. It then immediately asks if you would like to re-post. Yes, follow the prompts and within a minute, the ad can be posted as a new ad with no history. Changes can be made to the ad in the sequence. The ad then goes to the top of the postings. It is amazing how quickly we have gotten calls after doing this simple re-post. All of this is all absolutely free!