Absent from any price statements or estimates will be two things. The first is the condition. A coach in pristine shape that has detailed maintenance records should have a higher value than an average coach of the same age and converter. While in general it may be accurate to value a no slide 2001 coach in the mid to low $200,000 range I can easily think at 10 years of age some very expensive items that could be due for replacement or that have already been replaced making for a huge swing in value.

Add to that the cost of a deep cleaning or even replacement of carpets and upholstery and it is not unreasonable to add or subtract $50,000 from the range when also considering if air bags, tires, batteries, Norgren valves, etc are due.

The second and perhaps more critical factor in evaluation is what a buyer will pay. That is influenced by a great number of factors such as the coach meeting the buyers requirements for layout, equipment, colors, converter, etc. It is also influenced by the buyers ability to pay cash or secure financing, and finally by the right buyer being there when the coach is available for sale. Some coaches have unique colors or layouts or equipment lists and a limited market because of that, but conversely a coach that has the most desirable layout, colors, and equiment may have a great number of potential buyers and therefore be valued higher by the market. As an example, all sellers of coaches will always make it very clear that a coach has OTR. While not everyone necessarily feels compelled to buy a coach with OTR, there will always be people that will not buy a coach because it does not have OTR.

But the bottom line is always going to be how much a seller will accept. Assuming the values for coaches listed above is correct it makes the issue of depreciation very clear as to one of the biggest cost of ownership, especially with respect to newer coaches.