5 Things We Learned Trading in Our First RV
Thinking of getting a new RV? Check out these 5 tips we learned trading in our first travel trailer.
Hello fellow traveler, if you’re a first time RV owner like we were and are thinking about finally swapping your current rig out, then look no further. After cruising around the United States in our 29 foot travel trailer for the past 2.5 years, Mike & I decided it was time to upgrade to a rig with higher quality materials and a bit more living space.
A little bit of a back story to how we got started in the RV world. We bought our travel trailer, a 2021 Keystone Springdale 260 BH, at the 2021 Tampa RV show as brand spanking new RVers. We got a discounted price because it was a special event, low interest rate, and put down a couple thousand dollars as a down payment. We were extremely happy with the rig, the price, and how things turned out overall.
Check out our post How We Started A Life of Travel for more details about how we transitioned from apartment life to RV life.
The first night in the RV since moving out of our apartment.
Once we decided on the new rig we wanted, a Grand Design Imagine 3210 BH, we set out to find the right deal, which turned out to be at Lazy Days in Tucson Arizona. We did most of the deal with the salesman over the phone from our seasonal spot in Page Arizona which made our pick up day a breeze.
While we are extremely happy with how everything turned out there’s definitely some pros and cons to trading in your RV at a dealership. Here’s a couple things we learned and things you may want to keep in mind if you are planning on trading in your RV.
Transferring our stuff from our old RV to our new one.
Expect a significantly lower price than the original MSRP, even if your rig is in great shape.
We bought our 2021 Keystone Springdale 260BH at the 2021 Tampa RV Show. MSRP on the trailer was $25,000. Almost 3 years later when we decided to trade that trailer in and upgrade, we were told the trade in value would be $15,000 if the trailer was in stock condition. That’s a pretty signifiant decrease after just 3 years.
2. Removing stock items from the RV, such as, a table, couch, bunks, etc, will decrease the value of the trailer, even if you replace those items.
We have learned that RV dealerships like to sell their rigs in stock condition not modified. For example, if you replace the dinette that come in most RVs with a stand alone table and chairs, that takes away from the number of people that RV can sleep. And we all know how much RVs love to advertise the number of guests it can sleep.
Mike & I had no idea that the customization that we did on our trailer would decrease the trade in value by an extra $5,000 even though the items we swapped out were in great condition. Had we known that when we originally bought the RV we would have probably gone in a different direction.
We built in our own couch, swapped the dinette for a table & chairs and removed both bunk beds.
3. Dealerships will most likely give you less for your RV than if you were to sell it privately.
Dealerships are in the market to make money and will obviously want to profit off of your trade in. Therefore the value given for your trade may be less than your current loan balance or simply not what you feel your RV is worth. If you have the opportunity to sell privately, you will be cutting out the cost of the middle man and probably getting more money for your RV. We think this is especially smart if you’ve modified or plan to modify your RV.
However, selling privately can be a pain as you will need time, space, and patience. Therefore, the loss from trading it in at the dealership may be worth the price.
4. Dealerships will do a blind appraisal on your trade in.
It’s not uncommon for deals to be made from different states, therefore dealerships will have a questionnaire that you fill out to determine what they feel the value of the rig is. The dealership will provide you the value of your RV based on your answers to the questionnaire. If you answer honestly, the number given will most likely be the number honored when you finally go trade in your RV. If you aren’t truthful, the value will probably change.
5. Buying a new RV gives you more wiggle room on your trade.
If you are planning to buy a new RV and trade in your current one then you have a lot more opportunity to negotiate prices than if you were to just trade in your RV only. Especially if you are buying an RV that the dealership wants to get off the lot. For example, if it’s October of 2023 that dealership will most likely want to get any 2023s left on the property sold so they can bring in the 2024s which will sell for significantly higher prices. This was our situation and therefore we received quite a discount on a brand new rig.
We hope you found this post helpful if you are considering trading in your RV. Let us know in the comments your experience!
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HEY THERE!
WE’RE MIKE & DEANDRA.
Two adventure seekers traveling the U.S in our 37 FT. travel trailer with our two companions, Griffin & Lucy. We share our life on the road and travel guides to our favorite destinations.
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