What's a trade in worth today?

[Sawbonz]

I think Jacks comment is dead on, I was told 40 - 60% of wholesale on a good day for a trade-in of plastic by a Dealer acquaintance.

Karl - I think Lazy Days was blowing smoke at you, but I suppose you could get 80% on a trade while you pay almost full retail for the upgrade. If your that far upside down, just keep driving the Monaco and count the money you save. You also could try to sell the Monaco and your loss wouldn't be as great as a trade-in deal. Then you can shop for a Prevost with no baggage.

Blowing smoke why? You don't think they would even give 80%?

I know I will get hosed on a trade, but it does seem to be the time to buy a bus. if I lose $100k one one but gain $200k on the other, did I lose?

[garyde]

If you have the time, and don't get restless, Run an Ad in 3 or 4 RV web sites for your Monaco. Or, put it on consignment with one of our sponsors. You probably will not get out from under the upside down situation but you will get the best price in todays market. Remember , your coach is going down in value daily.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

if I lose $100k one one but gain $200k on the other, did I lose?

Karl,

Now you have my attention. How are you going to gain the $200K? Every one of us wants to know that.

Right now I think we all would just like the depreciation we all experience slow down a little. The reality is that while our coaches lose book value by the bushel full every day we all continue to drive a substantial vehicle that is going to give us many years of good service and that is what makes our coaches so important to us. But gaining value or even slowing down depreciation hasn't been a part of ownership.

[phorner]

Karl,

If you believe there will be a financial "gain" in trading your coach and buying another (Prevost or not,) in my opinion you are setting yourself up for substantial disappointment.

The only way we could have taken a lesser bleeding at the wallet would have been to buy our Prevost first and not have suffered the substantial depreciation on our first four motorhomes that we just had to buy new.

We have learned a very expensive lesson.

But if you have figured out a way to "gain" financially by trading a plastic coach for a Prevost, I am sure interested in the details.

[Sawbonz]

Gain is in the mind of the beholder...or something like that!

My rationalization is that prices are down, so I would pay less for the purchase than at another time. Iknow it isn't a real gain.

[gershwin]

http://www.rvtraderonline.com/find/l...peror-94465243

I did a quick google and here is a dealer selling one @ $179k so the 80% of $207 sounds questionable. I would think their out the door number is $160k which tells me they can't have more than $140k in it.

[Sawbonz]

That one is a little shorter and a couple less options, but that sucks regardless. It really makes it a stretch, so I wonder what the people that are spending $1.8M think?

[travelite]

That one is a little shorter and a couple less options, but that sucks regardless. It really makes it a stretch, so I wonder what the people that are spending $1.8M think?

Hi Karl,

This is how it's done:

http://marathoncoachsales.com/news/B...on_9_30_10.php

In other words, by the end of the third year the coach is 100% depreciated. If your business is in a 35% tax bracket and you bought a 1.8M coach, you get 630K back compliments the IRS. Then, at the end of three years, you put the coach on the market for 1.17M and you're three year ownership cost was zilch. Repeat as necessary.

This is why you see a lot of 3 year old coaches on the market.

Admittedly my explanation is somewhat of a simplification, but you get the gist.