I am interested in approximate value of my 2005 Itasca W22 8.1gas with three slide outs, very good condition, new 16ply tires, entire brake system new, all appliances work, recently inspected and only 26,000 miles. I am the 3rd owner. Outside needs detailing. Roof and awning in very good condition.
This database can help you determine how much you should get when selling your used car, both as a private party or for trade-in value. You can also use it to determine whether or not you receive a fair price when buying. The Kelley Blue Book has all kinds of makes and models, but does it work for RVs?
value of rv blue book
Other options for selling your RV include selling it on consignment, where a dealer sells it for you but keeps a chunk of the sale. You can list your RV on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, RVT, RVTrader, and more.
Next we will discuss the detailed process of determining the Blue Book Value of a RV. I will cover the reasons why the method works and explore several resources that can be used to validate the valuation estimate. I will also show examples of the searches I am performing and explain the results. By the end of this article you should be an expert on how to establish the value of a Motorhome, Travel Trailer or Fifth Wheel you are buying or selling.
I am including KBB because there are thousands of searches for people looking for the KBB value of their RV. Many of the results lead searchers down a rabbit hole to sites trying to charge fees for VIN research, etc. Those of you who read this can avoid that frustration!
Kelley Blue Book does not track RV values anymore. They exited the RV valuation business several years ago. There are numerous articles that mention Kelly Blue Book (KBB), but all of them are outdated at this point. Ignore anything you see on the web referencing Kelly Blue Book. If you come across old KBB value books they are not relevant anymore either. RV estimated values change quarterly.
The source used by banks and dealers to value a RV is the NADA guide. NADA is the RV industry standard guide for resale values. The driving factor that makes the NADA guide so strong is that Banks use the information to determine their max lending amount on Travel Trailers, Motorhomes and 5th Wheels. Insurance Companies also use NADA values to determine total-loss payouts.
Knowing the NADA value of a Coach is critical. On the buying end, it helps to know the Fair Market Value (FMV) of a RV one is considering so they can negotiate a fair purchase price. On the selling end, it helps establish the value a Rig can be sold for. Banks generally will not finance over NADA Low Retail. Lending Officers are trailed to use the NADA valuation. They rarely lend more.
The numbers can be confusing at first glance, but the only column that matters when establishing the value of a RV is NADA Low Retail (highlighted in RED). Our 2020 397TH is less than a year old and the max we could sell it for is $96,365. The Grand Design MSRP for our Coach as configured when we ordered it was $131,825.
In our 397TH case, the markup between Average Retail and Low Retail is 17%. NADA is assuming that a buyer would put down via trade-in or cash somewhere between 15-20% depending on the model and finance the balance. The actual lending value for a RV is the Low Retail Price.
NADA does not consider local markets such as Florida and Arizona that may pay a premium for RVs during peak seasons; NADA does not take into account a pandemic that has increased demand for RVs; and NADA does not differentiate between different locations in the country that may have a higher demand for a particular type of rig. The values are the values. Buyers and sellers are locked in by NADA and it is difficult to work outside of the NADA Blue Book Value.
NADA is the standard that banks and Dealerships use to estimate values of Motorhomes, Travel Trailers, and Fifth Wheels. It is possible, however, to convince a bank to loan more money on an RV to a qualified buyer.
A formal appraisal is the most common way to convince a bank that a RV is sufficient collateral to secure a loan above NADA Low Retail. Getting a formal Appraisal from a reputable firm ads cost, but it may be worth it for a rig that may be worth more than the NADA Low Retail value.
eBay has become a major player in vehicle sales and they move thousands of RVs through their marketplace every year. We like using eBay to help quantify valuations because the prices reflect the value based on market demand. When RVs are popular, the prices on eBay go above often above NADA Low Retail. When demand is low, they can fall below.
To effectively use eBay to research valuations, we need to look at completed auctions. The final sales price is the quantitative information we need to assess the market demand value of a RV. Listing values and values of auctions that closed without a sale are not accurate.
The NADA Low Retail price is going to be very close to what the market will assess the value of your rig to be. Appraisals can help move the value up, but there is no guarantee. The other sources to look at are Consignment dealers and eBay Motors to see what a similar rig has sold for through their services. If you can document higher recent sale somewhere else, it may convince a bank to increase the loan amount or motivate a potential buyer to up their offer.
One needs to use caution when looking at RV Trader to assess market value. Dealers generally list prices 15-20% over NADA Low Retail to leave room for negotiations. The retail sales prices listed on RV Trader can mislead owners into thinking their Coaches are worth more than they are.
We all know RVs lose value over time, just like automobiles. But just how much and which RVs lose value over time takes some research. To help you know which RVs are good buys, I analyzed over 200 different RV purchases and their depreciation over time. To confirm my findings, I compared the data with RVTrader and the RV blue book values in NadaGuides by the National Automobile Dealers Association.
You may be wondering if a travel trailer and a fifth wheel depreciate the same. I analyzed their used values separately by looking at dozens of purchases, which gave me the average depreciation on travel trailers and fifth wheels. As a result, the depreciation schedule for travel trailers and fifth wheels is within the margin of error, making them nearly identical.
i actually put this up for sale asking $14K and although hundreds of curios buyers called my phone, but no one appreciated the changes made and wanted to bluebook my trailer, totally ignoring the fact that this will never need to pay lot rent, run a generator or limit your stay at any given location other than a weekly or biweekly tank dump. my best offer was 12K! so i realized that i have a unicorn! I am no longer interested in selling it! In fact, i am going to make another!
I have even considered making some for rent in hard to access river/lake/beach locations! maybe a rent to own! idk! but I will not be insulted again buy foolish buyers that can not see the value of absolute freedom!
What ever you choose to buy, there will always be opportunity to increase your properties value! Take good care of it and be innovative! Like art work, value is in the eye of the beholder. You do not have to sell to those who are unwilling to pay!
Find like minded individuals that share your taste and values. Those are the ones who will recognize the upgrades as extra value! that could be simply a smartly themed decorating design on the interior, or a unique paint job.
Thank you for you article. I purchased a 2018 class B motor coach. When transferring the title from the delearship to myself i discovered the motor is a 2017 and the Thor body or coach is a 2018. Dealership claims this is standard practice,I feel it should have been disclosedWhen the vin # is run it appears as a 2017 and not a 2018.How does this affect value?
Thanks for this article. It is useful and to the point. I found your discovery of a significant additional loss of value from 9 (or 8) years to 10 years mightily interesting because I suspected it from the asked prices I observed. I plan to buy a class A of 10-15 years as soon as I sell my condo and off we go :-).
I also felt the depreciation percentage was hard to understand as the percentages would greatly vary depending on what you paid. A way to determine a consistent depreciation factor for the unit would be to determine the actual fair market price of the used unit as compared to the original MSRP. You would then be able to factor out the good or bad buying decision made by the original purchaser. Simply stated compare the used value to MSRP in each year to determine the depreciated value from the original MSRP.
By searching a variety of websites including Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, RV forums for your specific brand, etc. you can get a better idea of values, floorplans, and if some types are more valuable in your area.
The easiest way to determine the retail value of your RV for sale is by using the NADA RV Value Guide. It is an excellent first step in figuring out your resale value if you're looking to trade it in. (It doesn't give a trade-in amount, but you at least know what they can list it for and go from there.)
Renovating a camper might increase its value. Indeed, when an interior is updated, fresh, and clean, you can get more for it. However, if there are structural problems that aren't addressed, that's like putting lipstick on a pig, and you won't get more for it.
Just like a car when you want to know what it is worth you go to Kelly Blue book Value guides it is similar with RVs. Only none of the values are at Kelly Blue Book. Instead, For RVs you are going to want to go to NADA.com There you will find at the top of the page a RV tab. Check out the picture below and you can see a big arrow pointing to the tab.
Lastly, After you have entered the mileage and any options you will click continue and get the final value. Check out the picture below so you can see what I am saying. Under the boldValues you will see a Base Price and to the left you will see the Suggested List Price which is what it cost brand new $149,031 And the current Low book is $108,700 and the Average Retail (which is like the the high book) is$130,950 Below those values you can see that I added two options. You have to be careful to only add options if they are not considered standard. After you add the options you can see that the unit is worth on the low end $109,230and on the high end $132,590 Now that I have explained it all take a look at the picture below and see what I am saying. 2ff7e9595c
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