[encantotom]

I have thought about writing this post for some time. As we each look or looked for our coaches the question at some point after we have decided we are interested in a particular coach is "what would i be willing to pay for it". then the next question is "what is it worth"?

in our world those are very subjective questions and there are as many opinions as there are people giving the opinions. i looked or a long time for a wanderlodge before i bought my first newell. it is the same question there.

back to used newells.

i get contacted quite a bit as to what any particular coach is worth. i try to stay vague for a few reasons. first is that often the buyer and prospective seller are either people i know or who are on this forum.

second is that the answer ultimately is always "it depends"

it depends on:

1. condition
2. if you like it a bunch
3. does your wife or husband love it
4. can you afford it
5. how much are you willing to pay and not feel bad about it
6. how much work are you willing to put into it. a lot or a little
7. is it from a dealer or private party. (in az, private party sales pay no sales tax so it makes a huge difference in the final price) for that reason i will only buy from a private party and not a dealer, but that is different from state to state.
8. is it a distress sale of any kind or not. this could be someone who needs to get rid of it or many other reasons. my 02 was owned by a company who just didnt want it any more. they had others to use.
9. are the high dollar things that need replacing regularly ok or need replacing? tires and batteries can cost you $10k on a tag axle coach and AGM batteries.
10. how much can you find out about the coach? when i was looking i was usually concerned when someone didnt know squat about their coach. in my case my 90 the previous guy knew alot. for my 02, i only dealt with a "user" and not owner and the user knew very little about it. so i had to take that into consideration on the value as i didnt know what it would need. my 02 ended up needing quite a bit, but it still turned out to be a good value in the end.

btw, these are in no particular order

most of the coaches that those of us have on this forum are mostly at least ten years old back to jimmys old 78 that is 35 years old. so there is going to be something that isnt "brand new" looking on most of them. (some exceptions here too)

so if you want a pristine coach that needs nothing, you are likely not going to get a screaming deal (but not always true there either). i have talked to several of you who have been looking and some are willing to dive in and work on things and others are wanting to get something that doesnt need much of anything

if you are willing to put time and money into it, then you are likely to get a better deal. my 02 had no bedroom. it had a large, really nice sectional couch with a pull out sleeper (the sleeper was terrible) and a desk on the opposite side. for me, i could only see a vision of where the bed was going to be and that i and my friends would build it. i am not done, but it has turned out quite nice so far.

back to value. in the end these things are worth what you are willing to pay for it. very few of the same year are the same in features and in price.

the best thing to do is to either have someone look at the coach you are interested in or to go look at it yourself. i have had a number of people go inspect coaches for me in the past.

so in the end, it is worth what it is worth to you. once you buy it, only look forward. enjoy it and learn about it.

they are amazing machines but take a do-it yourselfer and a wad of cash to own or an even bigger wad of cash if you hire someone to do things.

the listing prices are all over the map for these rigs. and it could be for many reasons. the owner owes that much, people are emotionally attached to it (like was to my 90), they dont know what it is worth, or they want to move it fast and on and on.

please feel free to chime in, as this is only one persons opinion.

later

tom-