# Trade In Values



## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

I spoke to a favorite dealership of mine that I have trusted and thought highly of for many years about trading my OB in for something with a walk-around queen. For my 2007 25RSS I was offered $13,000 for it!
















It's amazing how they will sell these thing for such high prices and after you sign your name it instantly loses about 40% of what you paid for it.
rvtrader.com here I come.

It's a real racket. Dealers always win big we we lose big, it's worse than car values.


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## schrade (May 5, 2005)

May I suggest Craigslist.

Mine sold quick and for avg retail price.

Good luck


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

schrade said:


> May I suggest Craigslist.
> 
> Mine sold quick and for avg retail price.
> 
> Good luck


Thanks. I'll try it.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

For what it's worth....that's exactly the # our dealer 1st came out with on our '06 25rss when we were "just looking" at the 28krs. I made it clear to them that I understood that they certainly didn't need to give me a 'real' price at that point...why would they? When we actually became serious about the 28 and they had a chance to actually see the 25 (they did know that TT . . . having sold & serviced it), I suggested we now talk with real numbers and countered their $13k with a much different ## but one that was not too far off what I actually expected to see. Sure - that # came down, but...but not even close to the original $13k.

Negotiating (anything) is a game - - you just have to put your emotions aside, understand the "positioning" that's going on, know your own limits as well as understand the "other guy's" reality, treat that "other guy" with respect and demand that you be treated the same. After all....you both want the same thing - to swap $$$ for a camper (but some buyer's are simply in to deep with loans, etc. for a dealer to be able to help.) You're the consumer - the buyer. Expect a good product, at a fair price (balance the new price with the Trade-in and its impact on your pay-off), and accept that your Dealer is in business ... he deserves to make a profit and he's not responsible for making "you whole", nor paying off your loans, nor does he get to gouge! Be realistic. The trade-in value of your TT really has little to do with how much you actually paid for it when it was new...and odds are good that when you took out that TT mortgage you were probably thinking you'd hang onto it longer than you have. (That's NOT the dealer's responsibility) You do need to know what the retail value of your TT is NOW (considering age, condition, seasonal time, region, etc.) as compared to an equivalent new one. The dealer will sell your Trade-in at retail & isn't going to pay you what he believes he can sell it for...he expects to make a profit! So be realistic about what you expect Go in as an educated consumer. Drop a few tidbits early on so they know  they're not dealing with idiots and listen to what's NOT being said. You may pick up quite a few hints that will help you get an even better deal.

OK - work hat off...stapping down now...


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I hate dealing with trade in's as well. I sold my last vehicle and my last trailer myself and after selling the van decided that maybe trade-in's weren't that painful








I now lease my cars to avoid the trade-in hassle (well, and I like new cars







)

You'll get more for it selling on the open market, but then you have those hassels. Wolfie might be right that you need to show you are serious and start negotiating.


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## 'Ohana (May 20, 2007)

FraTra said:


> I spoke to a favorite dealership of mine that I have trusted and thought highly of for many years about trading my OB in for something with a walk-around queen. For my 2007 25RSS I was offered $13,000 for it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow ! Just this morning I was talking to a dealer about a possible trade on a 27rsds and was quoted a trade in value of 13,500 for mine







so I guess the offer could have been worse









Ed


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

The trade in's vary by how agressive you are up front when going to buy a new trailer. At the hershey show last year I received more than I expected for my trade while negotiating for my new 5'er. I know it comes off what you get as a discount on the new one, but at the show the reduced price was already advertised. This gave a better bargaining position and when I said I would sign NOW it made all the difference in the world.


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

I might add that the dealer I talked to is a no nonsense bottom line dealer. Their prices are already discounted and that's what you pay, no negotiations. In turn they usually give a fair and reasnoble offer for your trade. The TT I was looking at lists for $23,000 and it was priced at $15,995. I just thought that this time the offer for my OB was NOT reasnable. I don't expect to get what I paid or even what I owe but $13,000 would be such a huge loss I could afford to almost rebuild the OB, there would be no point in trading save on future repairs.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Just burn it down for the ins. money.........thats a joke, dont do that, you cant camp in jail....


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

FraTra said:


> I might add that the dealer I talked to is a no nonsense bottom line dealer. Their prices are already discounted and that's what you pay, no negotiations. In turn they usually give a fair and reasnoble offer for your trade. The TT I was looking at lists for $23,000 and it was priced at $15,995. I just thought that this time the offer for my OB was NOT reasnable. I don't expect to get what I paid or even what I owe but $13,000 would be such a huge loss I could afford to almost rebuild the OB, there would be no point in trading save on future repairs.


Wow. That's some discount (on the new one). My guess is he must also sell the trade-ins at similarly low prices....doesn't leave much room for you to get back much of what you may have originally invested. I'd guess that he's also focused more on volume - moving TTs off his lot - than on high tickets. Just noticed that your current TT is an '07. I'll bet he's got other '07s (maybe even '08s) of the same or similar model that he's already been paying for and wants to move. If he's selling an '08 at $15k, he may not have much room to move on $13k for an '07. He's gotta balance trying to move remaining new '07s off his lot, with trying to sell you the '08 you've looked at, AND not losing $$ by trading you for more than he can recoup on YOUR '07. You, on the other hand, have only recently taken the hit that we all do when we drive anything new (car, boat, TT, etc.) off the lot AND, presuming you financed your current '07, there hasn't been enough time for much to have paid off on a loan, that only gets "worse" depending on the length of term (10, 13, 15 yr.) Depending on the value of your 1st loan, he may or may not be able to pay that off via a trade-in value...leaving you with a payment for the new TT AND the residual of the old (and some banks won't loan at all on residual - so you'd have to pay that off in cash.) No doubt - personal buying cycles & habits can get us caught between rocks & hard places. Good luck.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

> Wow. That's some discount (on the new one). My guess is he must also sell the trade-ins at similarly low prices....doesn't leave much room for you to get back much of what you may have originally invested. I'd guess that he's also focused more on volume - moving TTs off his lot - than on high tickets. Just noticed that your current TT is an '07. I'll bet he's got other '07s (maybe even '08s) of the same or similar model that he's already been paying for and wants to move. If he's selling an '08 at $15k, he may not have much room to move on $13k for an '07. He's gotta balance trying to move remaining new '07s off his lot, with trying to sell you the '08 you've looked at, AND not losing $$ by trading you for more than he can recoup on YOUR '07. You, on the other hand, have only recently taken the hit that we all do when we drive anything new (car, boat, TT, etc.) off the lot AND, presuming you financed your current '07, there hasn't been enough time for much to have paid off on a loan, that only gets "worse" depending on the length of term (10, 13, 15 yr.) Depending on the value of your 1st loan, he may or may not be able to pay that off via a trade-in value...leaving you with a payment for the new TT AND the residual of the old (and some banks won't loan at all on residual - so you'd have to pay that off in cash.) No doubt - personal buying cycles & habits can get us caught between rocks & hard places. Good luck.


what she said.......

We almost bought a new trailer a couple of months ago, fortunately we held off because a few weeks later we bought a new truck and are glad we saved the $$$. One reason we held off was we are upside down on our trailer loan. We plan on paying it off or close to it before we move to something else so we have a good down payment.

From this side of the computer, letting keystone fix what you have seems like a good idea.

Mike


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## mobile_cottager (Mar 1, 2007)

I just talked to my Dealer with reguards of trading my 07 32bhds in for an 08 5th wheel, they said my 07 is only worth about 2/3 of the amount that I paid 6 months ago. Thats a big lost!!


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## 'Ohana (May 20, 2007)

FraTra said:


> I might add that the dealer I talked to is a no nonsense bottom line dealer. Their prices are already discounted and that's what you pay, no negotiations. In turn they usually give a fair and reasnoble offer for your trade. The TT I was looking at lists for $23,000 and it was priced at $15,995. I just thought that this time the offer for my OB was NOT reasnable. I don't expect to get what I paid or even what I owe but $13,000 would be such a huge loss I could afford to almost rebuild the OB, there would be no point in trading save on future repairs.


Just wondering







if that price was for an Outback, and if so just as to who the dealer might be ??

Ed


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

outbacknjack said:


> I spoke to a favorite dealership of mine that I have trusted and thought highly of for many years about trading my OB in for something with a walk-around queen. For my 2007 25RSS I was offered $13,000 for it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow ! Just this morning I was talking to a dealer about a possible trade on a 27rsds and was quoted a trade in value of 13,500 for mine







so I guess the offer could have been worse









Ed

[/quote]

that's exactly what one said they would give me for my 27rsds..I giggled and left.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

There must be some magic to the number 13...


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## gone campin (Jan 29, 2006)

Is this just on Outbacks? 
When I traded my Sunnybrook in I got what I paid for it, two years after I bought it.

Linda


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

wolfwood said:


> No doubt - personal buying cycles & habits can get us caught between rocks & hard places. Good luck.


 Good stuff Wolfie. Tina and I have done well over the past 6 or so years. Right place right time on the first (Kodiak HTT), dealer caught in lie and verbally prosecuted by Tina. Long story but it ended up with us getting max retail on the Kodiak for a trade in, and the springdale for the sale price listed plus another 1,000 off and a salesman fired. (As it turned out we were the final straw in a hay stack of issues that guy had caused.)

But I digress. Anyway it pays to be smart, patient and thorough. The dealer is going to make money off of your trade. They are going to make money off of the sale of the new unit. Judi hits the nail on the head. Some people get caught up in the moment and a while later realize that they need more room or more tow vehicle or what have you. There are a whole slew of scenarios.

There are options such as private sales, craigslist, e-bay and here on Outbackers. But I think the goal should be to plan on buying a unit that will take care of ones needs for a good while. and also throw in that extra 5, 10, or more dollars a month to knock down that principal on the loan. It certainly helps. Doesn't seem like much but it adds up!

We as Outbackers are lucky in the way that we can talk amoung ourselves and ask what people are getting for units, compare notes and strategies to maximize our bang for the buck. Are you getting taken to the cleaners or is it fair market value. Are you getting served or used?

Eric


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## webeopelas (Mar 11, 2006)

I traded mine in, but balanced the hassle of showing it at the storage lot, not being home from work until after 6 pm, and having to spend time showing it against the price they gave me. I know I could have gotten more selling myself, but I took the hit to make life easier.

I figure every dealer I have been too wants $3000 of room on a trade. If they can only reasonably sell the trailer for about $16000, they will only give you $13000. Once you start making the deal based on a trade, they will adjust the total price to account for the extra trade money they give you.

You have got to be prepared any time you go to the dealer.


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## prevish gang (Mar 19, 2006)

FraTra said:


> I spoke to a favorite dealership of mine that I have trusted and thought highly of for many years about trading my OB in for something with a walk-around queen. For my 2007 25RSS I was offered $13,000 for it!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Part of the reason they offered you such a low price is that they don't want your trade in. If they don't get it cheap, they will never sell it. Why would you want to pay $16,000 (which is probably what they would have sold it for so they would have bargaining room) when you could pay $18,000 and get it brand new? Most people would opt for new and they would get stuck with it for a long time. Plus they have to go over it, pay to clean it, warranty it etc. It is always better to sell it yourself. You always come out ahead.

Darlene


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

gone campin said:


> Is this just on Outbacks?
> When I traded my Sunnybrook in I got what I paid for it, two years after I bought it.
> 
> Linda


Depends how you look at it.........I just got more than I paid for mine, but then the list price of the new one didn't change either.

Its all in how they massage the numbers.........your trade is worth what is woth to them, which is wholesale. If any dealer gives you retail money for your trade, believe me, they are making it up somewhere else.

Steve


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

outbacknjack said:


> I might add that the dealer I talked to is a no nonsense bottom line dealer. Their prices are already discounted and that's what you pay, no negotiations. In turn they usually give a fair and reasnoble offer for your trade. The TT I was looking at lists for $23,000 and it was priced at $15,995. I just thought that this time the offer for my OB was NOT reasnable. I don't expect to get what I paid or even what I owe but $13,000 would be such a huge loss I could afford to almost rebuild the OB, there would be no point in trading save on future repairs.


Just wondering







if that price was for an Outback, and if so just as to who the dealer might be ??

Ed
[/quote]

I guess I forgot to mention it's not an Outback dealer and I was looking SOBs. Also I have been told by dealers that the list price really means nothing and dealers can use it as a starting point for their haggling. The % difference between list and what the dealer can sell it for varies greatly by manufacturer.


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

egregg57 said:


> No doubt - personal buying cycles & habits can get us caught between rocks & hard places. Good luck.


 Good stuff Wolfie. Tina and I have done well over the past 6 or so years. Right place right time on the first (Kodiak HTT), dealer caught in lie and verbally prosecuted by Tina. Long story but it ended up with us getting max retail on the Kodiak for a trade in, and the springdale for the sale price listed plus another 1,000 off and a salesman fired. (As it turned out we were the final straw in a hay stack of issues that guy had caused.)

But I digress. Anyway it pays to be smart, patient and thorough. The dealer is going to make money off of your trade. They are going to make money off of the sale of the new unit. Judi hits the nail on the head. Some people get caught up in the moment and a while later realize that they need more room or more tow vehicle or what have you. There are a whole slew of scenarios.

There are options such as private sales, craigslist, e-bay and here on Outbackers. But I think the goal should be to plan on buying a unit that will take care of ones needs for a good while. and also throw in that extra 5, 10, or more dollars a month to knock down that principal on the loan. It certainly helps. Doesn't seem like much but it adds up!

We as Outbackers are lucky in the way that we can talk amoung ourselves and ask what people are getting for units, compare notes and strategies to maximize our bang for the buck. Are you getting taken to the cleaners or is it fair market value. Are you getting served or used?

Eric
[/quote]

Trust me it's not that I want to trade/sell, it's because I have owned my Outback for 11 months and have had thousands of $$ of warranty work done (I saw the paperwork from Keystone) have had a lot of issues and now have another major problem that I caught 2 weeks before warranty expires. If I hadn't caugth it it would have cost me thousands out-of-pocket to repair.
My fear is what is next. Right now may be the time to cut my losses and get out.

Looks like trading is NOT an option and only selling on my own is my only option. I just feel kind of bad passing it on to someone else, but, it could last for years and have no more issues, but it may.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Well I was offered almost what I paid for mine when I stopped by a dealer this summer but they wanted way too much for the new trailer. SO it really was not a great deal getting a big trade in value.

I must have missed it but what is your latest issue with your Outback that will cost thousands? Maybe I am lucky but so far I have only had to replace the propane cover and that was covered by Keystone at 18 months post purchase.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Its definitly a game of numbers. I looked at a SOB last summer and the dealer would give me 5000 more Than I paid for my 28. He would not budge on the list. The only number that matters is the amt you will shell out to upgrade. If they gave you 100,000 for your trade but upped the list on the new one to 104,000, the only number that matters is you re payiing 4000 to swing it.

The thing we looked at was that no matter how big the 'hit' was to trade in a one year old trailer, you did not gain any value waiting 2 years. We figured that the difference between value on trade and cost of new was only going to get further apart every year.

When a salesman asks me how much I paid for the one I was trading in, I told him it was none of his business. If the TT was given to me or I overpaid for it should have no bearing on the trade in value but that is exactly how they play with your mind.

John


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

tdvffjohn said:


> Its definitly a game of numbers. I looked at a SOB last summer and the dealer would give me 5000 more Than I paid for my 28. He would not budge on the list. The only number that matters is the amt you will shell out to upgrade. If they gave you 100,000 for your trade but upped the list on the new one to 104,000, the only number that matters is you re payiing 4000 to swing it.
> 
> The thing we looked at was that no matter how big the 'hit' was to trade in a one year old trailer, you did not gain any value waiting 2 years. We figured that the difference between value on trade and cost of new was only going to get further apart every year.
> 
> ...


My favorite is when the salesman asks me how much I owe.








I have tried the "what I owe doesn't affect it's value" but that doesn't work as well as telling them I owe exactly what I want to get. When it comes to trade in time, and they see the payoff info it is all too late to worry about your little white lie.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Nathan said:


> Its definitly a game of numbers. I looked at a SOB last summer and the dealer would give me 5000 more Than I paid for my 28. He would not budge on the list. The only number that matters is the amt you will shell out to upgrade. If they gave you 100,000 for your trade but upped the list on the new one to 104,000, the only number that matters is you re payiing 4000 to swing it.
> 
> The thing we looked at was that no matter how big the 'hit' was to trade in a one year old trailer, you did not gain any value waiting 2 years. We figured that the difference between value on trade and cost of new was only going to get further apart every year.
> 
> ...


My favorite is when the salesman asks me how much I owe.








I have tried the "what I owe doesn't affect it's value" but that doesn't work as well as telling them I owe exactly what I want to get. When it comes to trade in time, and they see the payoff info it is all too late to worry about your little white lie.







[/quote]

I had told the salesman pretty much the actually pay-off #...which was a bit more than I expected to get for the Trade. He asked me if I wasn't sure I wanted them to payoff the whole thing. Since the discounted TT price was already advertised, I accepted his "offer"







and HE's the one who got caught!


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

CamperAndy said:


> I must have missed it but what is your latest issue with your Outback that will cost thousands? Maybe I am lucky but so far I have only had to replace the propane cover and that was covered by Keystone at 18 months post purchase.


I have delam on the front wall panel. I caught it 2 weeks before the warranty expires, and from what I have read it can cost $3K and up to repair out-of-pocket.


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Sell it yourself.

The Outbacks are very popular which in and of itself make it more valuable. Another point I would stress is the availablity of dealers and parts due to that popularity. Again that is yet more value. I wouldn't talk about quality, more often then not it is just a marketing term. If you talk about quality then back it up with repair records. Only then does quality have value.


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