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Topic: Want to 'Upsize'? (Read 639 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #1
Thanks, but no thanks!
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #2
Our Holiday Rambler 2008 40PDQ Is For Sale! – Wheeling It
One advantage of this rig is that just about everything has been figured out and done.
I would have a very difficult time buying a new DP, knowing how much time can be involved getting all the mistakes and poor engineering decisions fixed.
Better to let the original purchaser go through the 'sea trials'...and let them assume the massive depreciation for their effort.

Larry

Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #3
I may be totally out of touch, but the price seems breathtakingly high.  We sold our ten-year old, 40-foot Mountain Aire DP with only 40K miles on it (similar original price tag!) for a third of that.  Granted - that was a fire sale price because of the health situation extant at the time, but still . . .

   Virtual hugs,

   Judie  <-- Sierra Vista, Arizona
   Adventures of Dorrie Anne | Photographing the West

   Today:  Brie and Salami Snack Plate
   *********************************
 

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #4
I may be totally out of touch, but the price seems breathtakingly high.  We sold our ten-year old, 40-foot Mountain Aire DP with only 40K miles on it (similar original price tag!) for a third of that.  Granted - that was a fire sale price because of the health situation extant at the time, but still . . .

   Virtual hugs,

   Judie  <-- Sierra Vista,
This comment by the RVGeeks might explain somewhat:
Every time we’re asked about the best possible RV buying situation, we always reply that a 1-owner used rig, with good maintenance records, that was used full-time, purchased directly from a meticulous, original owner, is the best scenario. A used rig has already gone through its steepest depreciation, and long since had its “punch list” items address. A private sale not only eliminates dealer mark-up, but also puts the buyer in direct touch with the person who knows more about the rig that anyone else (ditto the “one owner” benefit, since only the original owner knows EVERYTHING that’s ever been done to the rig). And the benefit of buying from a full-timer is the lack of lot rot, especially when the owner knows to exercise the chassis and generator on a regular basis. When you toss in an RV that’s been highly upgraded with a stellar solar array & lithium battery bank, and lots of other goodies that only an experienced full-timer would likely recognize as “must-have” features, you’ve got a real “cherry” (the opposite of a “lemon” in used car parlance). Now add in one final almost-impossible-to-find factor: the rig is owned, featured and publicly used and maintained by a well- known and well-respected couple who have shared every intimate detail of that RV’s life and times… and you have one of the most desirable used rigs ever to come on the market. The only one that might equal it, for all the same reasons, is our own 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire. But that one’s not for sale, so some lucky person had better grab this amazing Holiday Rambler fast! 😉
— YMMV  of course!  — Jon
(Former) ‘06 TK “Albatross.” And (former) Vespa 250.   Alas, no more; both are gone.😕 Great memories remain! 😄

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #5
IMO, Jon’s post of the RV Geeks’ assessment of the desirability of this particular rig is right on point! And, also IMO, the asking price is *very* fair; I doubt that the rig will stay on the market for long.



2003 TK has a new home

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #6
"The only one that might equal it, for all the same reasons, is our own 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire. But that one's not for sale, so some lucky person had better grab this amazing Holiday Rambler fast! "

I agree with everything posted, but still think the price is high.  The RV Geeks are also personal friends of the current owners, and had their own high end, highly personalized, rig for sale before they bought the Mountain Aire.  The Holiday Rambler owners featured that rig on their site when it was for sale.  I think it was a Foretravel, but not positive.

   Virtual hugs,

   Judie

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #7
The Beast is sold!  Looks like this 2008 Holiday Rambler is sold.  It's in Florida now, but coming back to The Bay Area soon.

“The Beast” Is SOLD! (And What We Learned About Selling An RV) – Wheeling It

The article gives a very good run down on the various ways and places to advertise a vehicle for sale.  They really went all out with videos and photos.


   Virtual hugs,

   Judie  <-- Sierra Vista, Arizona
   Adventures of Dorrie Anne | Photographing the West

   Today:  Steamed Fried Eggs
   **************************
 

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #8
Their comment about pricing was interesting:

"We researched NADA value and made sure we were priced right in-line, but even then I think we started too high (lesson learnt -> upgrades don’t really add anything to resale value for RVs 🙁 ). Once we dropped down a bit we found the sweet-spot and got a ton more interest."
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #9
Their comment about pricing was interesting:

"We researched NADA value and made sure we were priced right in-line, but even then I think we started too high (lesson learnt -> upgrades don’t really add anything to resale value for RVs 🙁 ). Once we dropped down a bit we found the sweet-spot and got a ton more interest."

I've seen numerous advertisements of various RV's throughout the years of sellers that ask way much more than is reasonable, based on the upgrades they have done.  An upgrade is only worth what the owner/buyer finds value in.

This is true for stick-and-brick homes as well. While you, the seller, may find every bit of value in that $50K gourmet kitchen, the buyer perhaps doesn't cook much so doesn't find value in it.

And for those that have older rigs that have been upgraded to the hilt for your needs, the buyer may not find value in your upgrades and only sees an overpriced, older vehicle.  Like a regular stick-and-brick home, if you ever have any intention of selling, keep this in mind or you'll be severely disappointed come time to sell.  A RV is a depreciating "asset" and selling price is mostly determined by the NADA and similar guides. 

My 2 cents worth.
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #10
I don't necessarily agree with the comment that 'upgrades don't really add anything to resale value for RVs'.

IMO, added 'value', i.e., determining a realistic selling price, depends on the type of upgrades and the quality and currency of products, materials, and installations. The appeal and 'value' of upgrades also depend on how experienced, knowledgeable, and generally savvy the prospective buyer is about the worth of the add-ons/changes, and how useful a rig's upgrades will be to his/her life and travel style.

(Again, IMO), 'upgrades' come in two basic categories: 'guts' and 'feathers'. And, like a lot of things in life, there is no general agreement on the definitions of which is which; what one person may see as an essential component to the lifestyle may not even register on the 'must have' scale of another. A seller may price his/her RV - in many cases, overprice - based on a variety of reasons, including what s/he may see as 'value added'.  And, like sellers, buyers may be inexperienced, lack knowledge about how to assess build quality and condition, and are susceptible to being swayed by 'shiny stuff'; they may not be able to recognize the differences between the 'functional' and 'cosmetic' aspects of a basically sound rig at all, let alone be able to parse the added value of upgrades.

Another YMMV situation, for sure.
2003 TK has a new home

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #11
Or to put it in one sentence - something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
personal fine art photo stuff
TF Mack | Flickr
It's all good .......
2014 Twin King

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #12
I wouldn't go so far as to say that upgrades don't add to resale value. They may, depending on the buyer's wants and needs. For example, if a buyer plans to do a lot of boondocking, a robust solar/battery system can be a plus. However, it will certainly not be worth anywhere near what you paid to install it. $2,000 spent on solar panels and batteries might get you $500 more at resale time. Or it might get you nothing, if your buyer is a KOA-style camper.

"While you, the seller, may find every bit of value in that $50K gourmet kitchen, the buyer perhaps doesn't cook much so doesn't find value in it."

Exactly. However, I can't resist giving a (sort of) counter-example. Before I became a full-timer, I lived in a central New Jersey condo that had been built in the early Seventies. The kitchen in particular looked cheap and dated: cabinets covered with dark, fake walnut grain vinyl, knobs and handles in fake bronze Mission style (like what Lazy Daze was still using ten years later ;-), and old appliances in Harvest Gold.

As soon as I moved in, I painted the cabinets off-white (yes, latex paint over vinyl! It held up, with minor touchups, for almost twenty years) to brighten it up, added bright red knobs and handles, and decorative stripes on the upper wall to provide touches of color. At the time, I couldn't afford to replace the harvest gold appliances, and they worked fine, so I lived with them. But in 2005 when it came time to sell, I went to Sears and bought the least expensive appliances that had digital displays (and in the case of the stove, a glass cooktop). They really were nothing special, and cost only a little more than bottom-of-the-line models, but they looked modern.

Can I prove that this low-cost refit made my condo more valuable? No. But the real estate agent who sold it for me, a woman who had handled dozens of identical units in my development, was mightily impressed with the kitchen, and singled it out for compliments. And the unit sold to the first person who looked at it--after a bidding war that raised the price above what I had asked. There were other factors, of course--good timing, a reasonable asking price, and so on. But I can't help thinking that the modest amount I spent on making the kitchen look modern (as opposed to actually being modern) was a factor in the successful sale.

I wish I had "before" pictures--the dark and dated look of the kitchen when I bought it had to be seen to be believed--but I can at least show what it looked like "as sold". The moral is that while expensive upgrades usually don't repay you at resale time, inexpensive cosmetic fixes sometimes may.

That's not to say you shouldn't upgrade to suit your own needs! Everybody here knows that I made many upgrades to my Lazy Dazes--some of them major, expensive ones. Just don't think you'll get the money back when you sell. In short, do an upgrade because you want it, but don't think of it as an investment.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #13
Nice job, Andy!  DW loves your kitchen!
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264

Re: Want to 'Upsize'?
Reply #14
"Or to put it in one sentence - something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it."
---
Certainly true, but not the entire point that I was attempting to make.
2003 TK has a new home