Used Class B prices

[DrakkoRV]

Hello all. New to the forum and looking to get into class B camping. Not sure if price discussions are allowed so please correct me if I am wrong.

Basically looking for a used Class B on the Sprinter. 170". Been looking at Galleria, Era, Airstream. Trying to get a handle on the used prices.

Seems like these probably sold new circa 2016-2018 in the $100K -$120K range. Today, 2023 dealers still seem to want $100K - $120K for 5 year old used units.

What am I missing here? These are not appreciating assets. They are motor vehicles that depreciate and require maintenance. Should these not be selling for closer to $60K - $70K??

Please advise. Thx

[Punkinhead]

"should" has nothing to do with it in this market. Class B prices are doing the same thing as used cars. I recently checked and the value of my 4 year old car is the same as what I paid for it new. Things will probably change in the next year or two, but right now the new and used markets are both overpriced.

[NAZCamperVan]

DrakkoRV, There's depreciation, and there's supply and demand.
Also, a used LTV Free Spirit is a quality rig (made until 2015.)

[jrobe]

Part of the reason for current used prices are the prices of the new ones. I saw a new 2023 Travato 59K for sale near me that had a MSRP of about $185,000. New Airstreams are probably higher.

I could probably sell our 2017 Class B for fairly close to what we paid for it but it would cost me at least $50,000 more to buy the same RV now.

[N147JK]

Class B's are a different sort of animal. Per square foot, they cost many times more than a Class C or Class A. Even though they are small, they are time consuming to build, thus the high price. Some find them a ridiculously poor value, others find them special vehicles worth every bit of the high price.

[Doneworking]

We can sell our 2007 Roadtrek for an amount this is 20-25k less than we paid for it, assuming we retailed it ourselves at the going prices. We bought it new in September, 2006. That's a depreciation from cost of roughly $1500 a year. It is exceptionally well maintained and always lived in a HVAC controlled garage and thus has very little deterioration. It is worth about 65-70% of the original purchase price.

Frankly, that amazes me. My 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee is worth less than 25% of what it cost new and it has always been garaged and looks spankin' new with few blemishes.

I must add we bought the RT at a very good price from a small dealer in Arkansas that customed ordered them and worked on margins significantly lower than the big town folks.

[mumkin]

Demand was so high in 2021 that I decided to sell my 2019 Roadtrek and buy a small van and have it converted with only what I wanted. I sold it in days through the FB group for near 15% more than I paid in 2018. (admitting that I had negotiated a good price with my long time dealer) Lots of people were getting more than I did.

That crazy market is finally over. It will be interesting to see what happens with the prices for new ones. Normal discounts on MSRP seem to be coming back too.

[DrakkoRV]

I agree the last 2 years were completely out of whack. I personally sold 2 used cars... a 2016 Honda Accord that was purchased new for about $19K and sold it for $18Kish and a 2015 Camary bought for $12K and sold for $17K.

But as we all know, those days are now LONG gone. Used car prices are returning to normal. I follow a lot of Youtube vids on the used car market and it is really starting to correct.

With interest rates continuing to increase I have to think these RV prices are soon due for a fairly substantial correction. I'm just not willing to pay more for a 5 year old RV that sold new for less than they currently want for it.

Guess we just wait a bit longer until the sellers decide they want to sell. I guarantee these dealers aren't that buried in these units.

[Snowy]

I saw recently that the show price for a Coachman Beyond was 31% off MSRP. During covid there were reports of these rigs selling for MSRP or even more. Normal times before covid had 30% discounts. So this one data points suggests that we have returned to normal, pre-covid pricing for new RVs.

[Davydd]

My brother bought a Class A Newmar. He said he was going to give it 5 years as a full-timer pre-pandemic but only lasted 1-1/2 years when he had an offer, he said, of $60,000 over what he paid. I think he really just wanted out. He bought a new house in the Rockport, Texas area with a view of Copano Bay. If he were selling today I doubt he'd get that offer.

[jrobe]

Originally Posted by DrakkoRV

Guess we just wait a bit longer until the sellers decide they want to sell. I guarantee these dealers aren't that buried in these units.

I think your expectation though that Class B's should depreciate like most vehicles (such as 50% after 5 years or so like in your example) is probably never going to be realistic. There just aren't that many Class B's around and they are highly desirable for a lot of people especially with an aging population reaching retirement ages. There also probably aren't a lot of people willing to pay the prices for new ones. My guess is that you may need to increase your budget or settle for an older RV.

[DrakkoRV]

I will keep ya'll posted. They do seem like the way to go for 2 people. Can't imagine a family trying to use one.

[Davydd]

There are really not a lot of families RVing though companies market that way. Families are mostly young and into the tent camping phase of life or cabins since they are still working and have 2-3 weeks at the most for family vacations. Maybe in Europe it is different. Almost all Class Bs travel with those torturous second seats and sleep four.

I've taken my grandchildren on extended trips twice in a Class B and found children very high maintenance that a Class B can't handle. I don't know how anyone would attempt it.

That said, there are anomalies. Next site over where I am staying is a man pulling a little tear drop trailer you can't stand in and he is traveling with two big dogs.

[mumkin]

I have been very surprised at how many young couples are snapping up the pop-tops. The Slumber version of the roadtreks is still in pretty high demand. While some get them to take grandkids, the vast majority are young couples with a couple kids.

At one time it was nearly all retirees... and older couples that wanted to downsize from the Class A. These are now the minority over on the FB discussion pages. We older owners spend our time explaining things to so many posters whose first post says "I/We never owned an RV before."

So there is a good reason why Class B manufacturers are directing their marketing to them

[MsNomer]

A couple months ago, we had our 2014 PM self-build with 200,000 miles serviced in Ohio. Guy said quite confidently that it would sell for $65-70K.

[Articsteve]

Hello. I'm considering a 2019 Roadtrek Popular 190. 35K miles. RV Dealer offering so history unknown. Not the lithium model. Silver. Help me put a value to this unit. Thanks, Steve.

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by Articsteve

Hello. I'm considering a 2019 Roadtrek Popular 190. 35K miles. RV Dealer offering so history unknown. Not the lithium model. Silver. Help me put a value to this unit. Thanks, Steve.

Have you done your homework and looked at other makes? With Roadtrek, you will pay a premium simply for name recognition.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Articsteve

Hello. I'm considering a 2019 Roadtrek Popular 190. 35K miles. RV Dealer offering so history unknown. Not the lithium model. Silver. Help me put a value to this unit. Thanks, Steve.

A 2019 Chevy would be near the end of the Chevy class Bs and also the end of Roadtrek, the company, as they were heading in bankruptcy and liquidation.


Roadtrek had run the prices up on the Chevies to very high levels by then and were well over $100K and at the end, the quality had deteriorated. A 2019 might have been mothballed during the bankruptcy and sold later by the reborn under new owners of the Roadtrek we know now.


The Chevies are orphans in the sense of all class Bs as the Roadtreks were the last except for custom builders and also an orphan because of the business failure. Support for the previous to new owners vans in not a priority for them and parts are getting scarce. But of course all older vans have lots of no longer available parts on them. The chassis parts are from GM and still a production van.


That said, we would not get rid of our 07 as it is a very nice class b and Chevy parts are no issue. The RV section is pretty easily handled without issue.


You should be able to get a Carfax to see some history and particularly when and where is was originally sold which will give some clarity to it all.


Asking price will depend, I think, in who is selling it and what kind of shape it is in. It might be at $90K+ at a dealer. Selling price is tough, but you may want to try looking at all the online RV listing sites to try to get a feel for the asking range for them all. Value is even tougher as in many or our minds the prices for all class b vans is crazy high so it is all about what you are getting compared to other vans in similar configurations. If it is in the budget, and you are a first time class b buyer, getting as close to your best guess on what you thing you need and like in the units is probably best and settling for something the isn't as close al match to save a couple of bucks is often not a great idea. You will learn that many guesses weren't right on later, also, as we all have.


A rental often times helps, but many of us have done OK without also in learning what you want.


My guess of a "fair" price in today's market might be in the $60-80K range, but you will need to shop around to confirm if it really is. The market does seem to be correcting a bit as I now see used vans on the dealer lots, which a couple of years ago was not the case.


There is an 07 190 on ebay that is listed at $60K which is more than we paid for our 07 new in fall of 2008. It has not garnered much interest at that price. Fretz and Gorolic list a lot of vans but they are very high priced and Gorolic is just a broker, not a dealer.



Good luck on your search and try to take your time and be careful of scams for online listing, especially Craigslist. Many of us took several years to find the van we wanted.

[jrobe]

The original MSRP on that 2019 Roadtrek looks like it was $104,000. If I had to guess, I would say that with a 4 year old vehicle with only 35,000 miles, you are going to be paying pretty close to the original purchase price. Let us know what they are asking but I would throw out a guess of $90K or more.

Other RV shoppers are going to compare that RV to the new Roadtreks which will have an MSRP of $150-200k. They will be willing to pay a lot for it knowing that they saved $50k or more compared to buying a new one, especially in the spring when prices are the highest.

[Articsteve]

Thank you for all the detailed replies. Where to start?

The ask is $109K CAD which is roughly a tad shy of $79K USD. Sales tax is 13% !! Seller is a well established independent motorhome dealer so the transaction will be legitimate. Can't see this being a rental. If it were then it must be disclosed by law. Ideally, I would like to call the previous owner. I assume only one, but for $20 the DMV will disclose all registered owners.

I use to rent 28ft Class Cs many times and take trips in Canada with the kids in the good ole days when government camp grounds with full hook ups were 10 bucks and 50% full any time. Now everything is packed and reservations are out of the question for me. I'm looking for a highway cruiser that allows for overnight trips in the hinterland to such things as plowing matches, etc. Something very stealth if I need to bed down in a town on the way home. The traveling toilet with macerator is key. Not this winter, but maybe next, I'll take it down to Florida, AZ, etc.

The only Class B I will consider is the Chevy V8 van chassis with the 6.0 liter and the 6L90 6 speed. I want something bullet proof. I'll disable the AFM if equipped and swap out the oil pump. Only unknown are the oil changes. That is why a fairly low mileage unit is important so the engine and tranny are less likely to be ruined by the previous operators.

The $14K CAD tax is a hard pill to swallow on a used unit. Being NOT the United States, I reckon that there are not many Ontario/western Quebec buyers that find the Popular 190 that appealing at the listed price. The Feds are tacking on another 50 cents a gallon (carbon tax) April 1st so that will push 87 octane to $6 CAD for a US gallon, not to mention the summer increase. So $200 a fill.

The other negative relates to body parts as mentioned. The front and rear fascia; can those be had for replacement? It must be assumed that the new Roadtrek company have washed there hands of Popular series. What about the lower side panels? What's the insurance company gonna say and do?

I really never thought about this body part problem. Thanks for bringing it up. I going to call Roadtrek and see what the situation is exactly and report back.
Imagine dropping $90K USD and getting stuck with a vehicle like the Popular sans no lower fascia or rear fascia after ya hit a wild turkey or some twit rear ends ya.