GrumpyandGrandma wrote: We traded in an 01 that was 7 years old and had 50,000 miles on it. Dealer said that the miles did not have an adverse effect on the trade in. He would rather take in a unit that is used on a regular basis since issues/problems (coach and chassis) are seen and fixed right away.
By the way, he sold it two weeks later.
yeah, a combination of issues, and good maintenance and care shows. i'd rather see an older RV with miles on it than the same year with lot rot. just use and enjoy!
wee3-gin, clyde & the bichon frise 2003 Minnie Winnie 30V - "The Frosty Hauler"
May the Angels guide your wheels and ride on your shoulder.
There are those who think that a rig with very low mileage may be more of a risk than one with 50K+ miles. (??) Some think that an 8 year old rig with 50K miles is just getting broken in. Average mileage per year on RV's is around 5K.
I think that RV's and their contents are subjected to a lot of vibration and road shock and the number of miles or hours on the road take a toll on the structure of the housebox and its contents. Just sitting in the driveway in summer sun, winter rain and snow are hard on the exterior including paint and graphics, rubber and other seals, plastics, roof material, etc. In my opinion, it's better investment to buy a fresh looking, low mileage 3 year old rig with everything working, no water leak damage, than a much older rig with a lot of miles on it. Due diligence in making sure that everything works properly and getting independant estimates for anything that needs fixing is always required.
I agree with the "condition" answer. We always get top dollar when we sell any vehicle because DH is absolutely meticulous about maintenance. The third day we had it home, he spent the whole day under the coach, finding and fixing things. By the time we sell a vehicle, there is absolutely nothing to be done on it. We always sell direct, and by the time he talks to a prospective owner for a half hour, if they know anything about vehicles, they know this is the one they want. I also agree with the "use it" advice. As much trouble as they are, why have it if you're not going to use it?
Both, But the one thing that people look for when buying a used RV is how much Love the PO put into the RV, So miles is OK, time is OK, but without Love from the PO the RV is not worth having.
Use it, enjoy it, don't fret about the miles. The dealer is going to give you wholesale or, typically, less regardless. Above average miles means a few hundred bucks less not thousands. As for condition, when I traded my fiver, they did not even look at it. Told me to bring it on pick up day and showed me where to drop it.
If I were you I would be looking at the cost per mile and feeling pretty good. Most of us pay thousands of bucks and the thing just sits unused and depreciating far more than we would like.
I did a lot of price analysis when shopping in 2004, several hundred samples.
"Average" prices for the first three to ten years are pretty much driven by model year depreciation (not age, no one pays attention to build or first sale dates). A few thousand extra miles or fewer miles did not seem to affect price much, but something like double the "expected" mileage might push the price to that of a model year older.
After 10-15 years, the model year depreciation levels off quite a bit, approaching a floor price in a market for usable but not particularly desirable RVs. Condition matters most, as to whether a very old RV will fall through that floor, and chassis mileage is a big part of condition for motorized RVs.
For newer RVs, under 10 years, high mileage may be more of a factor in how easy it is to sell the thing. Most buyers have a psychological mileage threshold, where they start worrying about expensive future repairs, that may be 50,000 miles or 80,000 miles. Very low mileage (like 20,000 miles at five years) might make it an easier sell, without necessarily adding much to what a buyer will pay.
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