Trading Sightseer 35G up for 2014 Tour/Ellipse 42QD

BernerDad · 05-09-2014, 10:10 AM

Hi,

We have a 2013 Sightseer 35G and are considering trading it in for a 2014 Tour/Ellipse 42QD. Any tips/suggestions on how to approach the deal/negotiation? We are probably treading water/around break even with the current loan on the Sightseer. We have had it for almost exactly a year. Hate to have to go higher than the 2.99% rate we have on the Sightseer, but I doubt that rates will be more favorable if we wait a year or two.

Thanks,

John

edgray · 05-09-2014, 07:21 PM

IMO, you should always TRY to get their "best price" for the new one before telling them about your trade. Otherwise, you will never learn what they are actually giving you for your trade.

You will almost always do better selling your unit yourself, even if you can get a "benefit" of reduced sales tax on the new one from deducting the trade value. Dealers rarely offer much more than "wholesale" value of your trade, which means your gonna take a hit on a one year old trade of a 2 model year old coach.

Please let us know how you make out, and good luck-but just like in Vegas, the house (dealer) always wins.

BernerDad · 05-11-2014, 06:47 PM

Thanks edgray. We checked it out and test drove Sat. Not surprisingly we are quite smitten. The ride difference is really striking.

I never would have guessed that a year after taking the plunge on our first RV that we would be considering such a significant upgrade. Really kicking myself for not starting out with a used one so that there isn't such a financial hit with contemplating the change.

Of course the pain will be somewhat less if I try to sell our Sightseer myself, but that is a little intimidating as well.

The unit we drove is "sold" but not closed on. It was a little strange that the sales manager was talking about how they had taken it for a weekend at a Nascar race and how greater was. (I had noticed the 60 hrs on the generator.)

We recall like the black seats and black counter tops which seems to be less available. Will have to see what we can find and if we can get to a deal we can live with.

John

RTegarini · 05-13-2014, 11:55 PM

Congratulations! That will be a really nice upgrade. The toughest part is either selling the Sightseer or trading it in; either way, unless you had a really large downpayment, the numbers won't be pretty. You can start by getting some basic numbers such as http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2013/W...G-Ford/6026987 but these I believe are variations of retail values, not dealer trade-in values. Keep in mind what you come up with as a fair value can be a lot different than what the dealer comes up with. In your case, since the Sightseer is so new, the dealer will tell you that works against you as the 'value comes too close to a new one' and people will want to buy the new one, so they have to be more conservative of what they pay for yours.

When I bought our current motorhome, a year later the same dealer said mine was worth 40% less than the price that they had sold it to me. Of course, that told me that I paid at least 30% too much 11 months earlier!

You can use eBay and Craig's List ads as a reference, but that won't always get you the real numbers those RV's sold at, just an estimate of the current market. In my area, gasoline is now $4.29 per gallon, which does nothing for the resale values of gas-powered motorhomes. But then, diesel is $4.69 a gallon.

Good luck! Wish I could afford to make the upgrade but my son is a little more than a year from heading off to college. -RT

Here's a link to motorhomes for sale that can be used as a price check: http://www.rvtrader.com/research/tools/price-checker

Here's a fee-based guide:
https://shop.rvvaluesonline.com/all-...product%3Dhome

General information:
http://www.doityourselfrv.com/rv-values-much-rv-worth/

Jbmsr · 05-14-2014, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BernerDad

Hi,

We have a 2013 Sightseer 35G and are considering trading it in for a 2014 Tour/Ellipse 42QD. Any tips/suggestions on how to approach the deal/negotiation? We are probably treading water/around break even with the current loan on the Sightseer. We have had it for almost exactly a year. Hate to have to go higher than the 2.99% rate we have on the Sightseer, but I doubt that rates will be more favorable if we wait a year or two.

Thanks,

John

We shopped 3 dealerships and made them all aware we were. Lichtsinn saved us the most and didn't tell us what we wanted to hear.
Jesse

bigdonedmon · 05-14-2014, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BernerDad

Hi,

We have a 2013 Sightseer 35G and are considering trading it in for a 2014 Tour/Ellipse 42QD. Any tips/suggestions on how to approach the deal/negotiation? We are probably treading water/around break even with the current loan on the Sightseer. We have had it for almost exactly a year. Hate to have to go higher than the 2.99% rate we have on the Sightseer, but I doubt that rates will be more favorable if we wait a year or two.

Thanks,

John

This might be right out of left field but...first you must understand if you trade your coach in you will loose 30 to 40%. If you can advertize it locally at a 25% discount it may sell quicker....
Next get on the internet and look at all the Canadian sights and buy your New coach in Canada. You can buy the coach 10% cheaper than your best USA price because of the currency exchange rate. There is no inport tax because it is made in the USA. From Ontario to NC isn't that far.
They may also take your trade.
Good luck John

StevenNSteph · 05-14-2014, 09:24 AM

As you have found out you have lost a lot of money on you Sightseer due to the crazy depreciation rates that all RV's have. So I would suggest that you learn from that and NOT buy a new Tour, instead sell your sightseer private party and then buy a used Tour private party.

BernerDad · 05-15-2014, 09:34 AM

Thanks for the advice and perspectives.

Will let you know how it turns out.

John

garykk · 05-15-2014, 11:04 AM

Hate to say this but unless you can sell your present coach, you are going to take a beating, by that I mean you are not likely to get much over wholesale for your present coach from a dealer......we just went thru this.....selling a newer used coach is hard....lots of folks just don't have the money and banks will loan only wholesale ,so many gravitate to dealers to buy the more expensive coaches. I also doubt if you can get 2.9% again, you'll be financing more money and probably for a longer period.....the best we could find was 3.9...
Also keep in mind that a lot of the 2015s are now out so yours has just dropped another year...
Hate to sound negative but just wanted you to know what we went thru and what to expect...

Good luck on whatever you decide....