# whats your van worth?



## tramp (May 25, 2005)

hi all,
Had the need to have a moan and seak solace from fellow members  .
Having bought our present van privately at a good price we think, we have to dispose of our old 2007 Adria Twin. No problem me thinks its a great little van and a popular model but having tried every avenue its still for sale at £26000 which we think is a good price. :roll: 

The dealers offered me £24k-£20k to buy outright then they sell it for £28k after selling it to me in the first place for £31k, they say thats all they can offer as they get a vat refund on their purchase price so they pay about £25k on a £31k van. Very little markup me thinks not :evil: 

Then we come to the Ebay buyers who waste 4-5 hrs looking and test driving to say yes its lovely just what we want but then have to think about it, only to call 4 days later and offer you a stupidly low price like the dealer price , there is a ressesion on you know they say :roll: yes I say but you`d pay £36k for this van new thats a saving of £12k at this point I tell them to politly look else were :twisted: 

Wow that feels better   any views and sugestions greatly excepted.

tramp

these views are my own personal views so don`t sue me!!!


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## StAubyns (Jun 4, 2006)

Hi Tramp

I would think that 26k is a good price 

New price minus VAT minus 10% depreciation is how I would work it out.

Having said that, reality says its worth what someone will pay for it


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

I guess everyone van is worth a lot less than they think.

We are currently trying to sell or P/X ours and we have had very similar finding to you. Presently we have had better deals by P/X and that is after off setting the discount you would get with no P/X.

The dealers want to sell but not buy at the moment, and who could blame them.

I would guess most vans will sell better by March next year, but if you carnt wait you might be better off selling for what you can get now. It is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

Richard...

Ps anyone want a realy nice Hymer? I am open to offers

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/advert-view-details-1353.html


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## Rislar (Aug 16, 2008)

I belive you just need a proper buyer, i would have pulled your arm off for that price when i was looking for mine as i really wanted one!! i didn't see the point of messing around personnally. It might take a while to find the right buyer but hold in there and you'll get your asking price


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## asabrush (Mar 3, 2008)

Not so sure..... If the Uk is going the same path of recession and belt tightening that we are here,if you need to sell I's seriously consider your dealers offer.A huge kick in the nuts I know but.......Its very difficult to sell any vehicle here at the mo,dealers don't even want to know about part/ex on anything,This is from my own experience and close friends. I know I'm talking cars jeeps n commercial vans here but I'm sure motorhomes are in the same boat as it were.

If I'd known what I know now 12 mths ago I'd of snatched a dealers paw off when he offered me rude and insulting money for one of my vans,as is 12 mnths on I can't even get what he offered me then for it  
Hind sights great isn't it? :wink:


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## Jagman (Feb 16, 2008)

No wonder you want a moan tramp, its a big hit even if you get £26,000.

For what its worth I'd take the £24 grand if a dealer offered it, especially as you've got to keep the Twin somewhere while you try to sell it. Unless you've got loads of space it must be a bit of a pain; then there's tax and insurance eventually and it will be depreciating as well.

Visited one of my sons yesterday and he told me some 'savings' based on work-related shares stuff accumulated over several years had just gone from £3000 to £187 in value thanks to various financial roller-coasters which he had no control over - I suspect similar things are happening to lots of good folks right now. But its the deposit on my retirement chalet in Switzerland he said; tough said I, I'll leave you the mh when I eventually hook up at the great site in the sky. Hopefully by then the Polly will be a very rare and appreciating vintage asset  

If you can afford to take the hit go for as much as you can get - it will all probably get worse before it gets better and 'money in the bank' (what am I saying 8O ), sorry, money in a sock under the mattress   , is probably going to be more use than an extra truck on the drive.

Best of luck anyway, and happy travels in the new van.


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## Rislar (Aug 16, 2008)

I'll also say that its exceptional value, found one here and yours looks like a steal :

http://www.becksmotorhomes.com/vehicle/2007-adria-twin


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

I'll also say that its exceptional value, found one here and yours looks like a steal :


> Dont forget every buyer that looks at the Twin at Becks will want a nice big discount. Then add in the come back factor and less risk purchase and it evens things up a lot. Not what Tramp will want to here but its the real world.
> 
> Richard...


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

*your van worth?*

Hello Tramp,
I guess what Geoff says about any value is exactly what someone is prepared to pay.

In todays market, and I know there will be viewpoints to the reverse, make it attractive or you will sit on it for ever.

The French, who are notorious for over valuing their second hand stuff, often stick their vehicles for sale prominently displayed beside busy roundabouts or junctions. They don't stay there too long. I would guess they do get sold and not vandalised as in UK.

Ray.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Russ,

Given you bought it for £31k and it will probably be 21 months old by next March, the start of many people's touring and hence buying interest, I would have grabbed at a £24k dealer offer and vowed not to make such a rushed purchase again, because it clearly didn't suit your needs.

Sorry that's not what you want to hear.

More constructively, let's have a New Forest meet in 2009. Frank?

Dave


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## Rislar (Aug 16, 2008)

Is it not just the time of year also? i've only just bought mine and it took ages to find the right one and i had cash!!!


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

Jagman said:


> No wonder you want a moan tramp, its a big hit even if you get £26,000


Why moan? If you're buying a van in any way as a financial investment, forget it. It's kind-of like the warranty/service issue discussed recently on another thread - if we don't look at these issues (depreciation/residual value/servicing/warranty etc) full in the face before buying, then of course we'll get some nasty surprises.

Don't get me wrong - I know the feeling of depreciation, but if it's not anticipated, it will be a surprise. If you have anticipated it, it won't be. The ongoing financial situation may also have a big effect and that'll hurt a lot of people's van values, but unless you're selling to give up motorhoming, you should be able to nail a purchase so as to make up your loss. Dealers are in business, and have to balance maximising profit with competitiveness. If they can sell off the forecourt at £30k, good luck to them. I don't want to own a forecourt.

Dougie.


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## OldWomble (Jul 6, 2008)

Be carefull, be very carefull. A dealer near me has had an Autocruise Impala on his forcourt for over 5 years. He origionally wanted £29k for it and, had it been better inside, we would have bought it. However, he held out for top money and, consequently, I dread to think what its worth now. The base vehicle part must be rusting away from lack of use and I bet the interior is in a right state. I wouldn't want now at any price!


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## tramp (May 25, 2005)

*few*

hi all,
Thanks for the support and constructive comment  while things depreciate I would have thoght its down to the van you have and the "fashion" at the moment seems to be towards ever smaller vans like the Twin.
I think the "credit crunch" is like the ostritch with its head in the sand syndrome or "leamings over a cliff" as people are scared to part with their hard earned cash or cant get a good deal on a bank loan. 
what we need is some realism in the market and not this "the end is near" feeling :roll: .

even with the euro taking another hit does it stop us going abroad just because it costs more, no say I because as the uk is not exactly camper friendly especially out of the so called "season". These vans are meant to be used all year round not parked up I`ve seen old VW campers on the ski slopes in winter its just a matter of getting out and about in what you have got.

I can`t understand why someone would buy anew van whatever its make when a 12-18 mnth old one is available at a huge discount as the dealer warrenty is only a carry on from the manufacturers and after 12 mnths most things that will break do break hence no faults and truthly how many dealers do a full check when selling vans as they work on the basis that if it breaks bring it back/or you find that fault they didnt tell you about 

while buying second hand can be dangerous, on nearly new vehicles with all the paper work etc you stand as much chance of buying a lemeon from the dealers as from joe public. While I appreciate the costs of running a dealership in these hard times its the good that will survive on excellent service not shody workmanship and I know there are plenty of good honest dealers out there that deserve to do better.

Well thats my rant over off to get my" donkey out and rob some unsuspecting punter" in true cowboy stile. :roll:

tramp


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## Rislar (Aug 16, 2008)

Thats what i did, i waited to find something that was no more than 3 years old! basically waited for the intitial devaluation!
Anyway i wish you luck in your sale


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## sersol (Aug 1, 2005)

DABurleigh said:


> Russ,
> 
> Given you bought it for £31k and it will probably be 21 months old by next March, the start of many people's touring and hence buying interest, I would have grabbed at a £24k dealer offer and vowed not to make such a rushed purchase again, because it clearly didn't suit your needs.
> 
> ...


With you on the New Forest meet Dave


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

tramp said:


> The dealers offered me £24k-£20k to buy outright then they sell it for £28k after selling it to me in the first place for £31k,


Its a sign of the times I'm afraid. A few months ago we noticed that the Mh we had been drooling over was up for sale at £50K less than when we looked at it so I contacted our supplying dealer and asked what they would give us for ours (some 6 months after we had bought it) and we were offered £30K less than we paid them - I won't tell you what I said the them however the sales manager rang me to say that this shouldn't be seen as a reflection on the value of our MH but a combination of facts first, that they had reached their stock limit, secondly, people weren't buying and thirdly, the whole uncertainty of the current market, finally, if they took it on they may be stuck paying interest on a stocking loan for months and months. As I say that was a few months ago so I guess it may be even worse now. Fortunately we were only half-heartedly thinking about it and we certainly could not have afforded to buy a second one without selling the current one first

Sadly I think Dave is right - in this climate £20 to 24K doesn't seem too bad and as dealers through manufacturers start discounting heavily in the coming months the value of secondhand MH's will surely drop further.


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## veteran (Nov 16, 2008)

hi
my first ever post..but feel the topic is "topical"..? so here goes..
Knaus,Swift.GBritain.co.you name them, are feeling the pinch.[My pension provider sent me a letter saying that they "think" they can carry on but "may" have to sell out to an insurance co. If so i may get 75% of my pension,however if they go belly up i can apply to the Gov new scheme and"providing they[my coy,can afford it" i might get 70% of my pension.. if they cant afford it I may get nothing.]The reccession is just beginning.3 Million plus unemployed,credit available but who wants it?The Banks are awash with OUR money which they want to lend to US?
I honestly believe that "Van" prices [pre owned especially] will fall like house prices.My savings[investments] are losing money daily..when[if ever] i go to buy a "newer" van my offer will make someones eyes water..if they dont like it there will be other opportunities..believe me.Your vehicle [posh word] will be 23/35% less than you hoped..honest.
I worry..GORDON bennet..33% of those polled believe Mcavity is OK.
When your £30000 van is worth £15000[if your lucky]..remember..same guy that ruined your pension..No not Clarkson!!


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

It may not be much consolation Russ but I'm convinced that it's the time of year. We tried to sell our Hobby this time last year and had exactly the same experience. A few people wanted to see it, liked it when they did, said they were very interested etc. but failed to offer an acceptable price.
Then I was ill and we abandoned the sale, deciding to keep the van but after the New Year (February actually) I was feeling better so decided to try just once more using just cheap internet ads.
We were overwhelmed by the response. Lots of replies to the ads and the first guy who came to look at it offered us a good price and took it away. After we sold it we were bombarded by potential buyers for several weeks.
My advice (if you can afford to) is store it over the winter and try again after the New Year, new prices will be rocketing by that time anyway and your van will look like a real bargain.

PS: Sold it for £5000 more than the dealers were prepared to offer as a PX.

PPS: I'll second the New Forest meet idea Dave.


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## Rislar (Aug 16, 2008)

Even so i'd rather have my money in the MH than a bank, i will keep hold of it as it might not be worth anything at the mo, but its worth a lot more to me in enjoyment  lets face it we could loose any amount in investments elsewhere!!


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## tombo5609 (Dec 29, 2007)

Get what you can for it and then put the money in a 1yr account paying 7 per cent and this time next year you have more than your money back, it is also then someone elses problem if the prices fall.


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Ah 7%

thats in an Icelandic bank is it


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## AberdeenAngus (Jul 26, 2008)

The dealers at the NEC show did a roaring trade. Some said sales were up 15% on last year. I accept that this was with heavy discounting but it shows that it might not be all doom and gloom.

With the falling pound, foreign holidays are less attractive.

Also, the cost of european components (chassis etc) have risen sharply.
Expect to see forecourt prices for new vans to be up 10-20% next year.

So, healthy customer interest in vans and rising forecourt prices should bode well for 2nd hand sales.

I think gaspode is right. This is a bad time of year to be selling. If you call hold out till the Spring....


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## 107925 (Oct 27, 2007)

I bought my 2007 Twin in February this year. There was snow around, but I was ready for spring and looking forward to breaks away. But, here we are in November and people are thinking about Christmas and, not least, the huge expense it brings. I agree that it might be best to hang on till around February, which is only 3 months away. 

I would have to be really desperate to let my Twin go for low twenties money. However, none of us has a crystal ball and can see where this recession is going to take us. The leisure industry is bound to take a hit. But, there may be people like me, who could no longer justify holidays at a few grand a pop and saw a motorhome as actually saving money. We use the Twin as a second vehicle, so it gets regular use and thus earns its keep.

Shaun


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## swallow (Dec 19, 2007)

*whats my motorhome worth?*

Makes me feel a little better knowing i am not the only one with problems selling their motorhome. We purchased privately before selling our Autosleeper Legend and now nine months on we still have the two vans!! we have lowered the price twice, currently £19,000 for 2000yr model, dealers only offer £12,000 which we think is silly money. Resigned to waiting until next spring. Richard.


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## tramp (May 25, 2005)

*gvv*

hi all,
I tend to agree with what most of you are saying that its not the best time to sell at the moment as the dealers dont want to outlay knowing the possibility of losing money  so make a silly offer, we have all been there and I just hope people see sence and realize that these vans are worth what people want as as they are a good investment for the long term as against spending lots money on a 2 week break abroad when you can for the same money have lots breaks in your vans 

Good idea Dave about the new forests meet dust the cobwebs off the winter blues eh!!

tramp


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## ramos (Nov 1, 2008)

*whats your van worth*

Reading shauns post.
I dont think he is right in his assumption that its cheaper than holidays. If you have say 30k in the bank set aside just for holidays thats a lot of holidays out of your original 30k which would reduce by the total amount you pay for each holiday. thats all. BUT if you have 30k in the bank for camping, you fork out 30k for the van, now you've to pay for the weekend away camping fees etc.Ok now comes the crunch your initial investment ( van ) is depreciating all the time just look at richards post. When you add that depreciation to the cost of weekends away . Its much cheaper to just go away without a van. dont need a lot of logic to see that in my book but then I dont regret buying a van but I am not deluded into thinking its cheaper.but more fun


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## max123 (May 9, 2005)

Maybe the forum could have some sort of Motorhome swap shop, + & - cash because thats what most of us do with a dealer anyway, with the dealer making a large wadge of cash on both vehicles. We nearly changed at the NEC downsizing for an Adria Twin with a very tempting offer on our Compass Castaway RG but decided we would keep it until the spring and try and sell privately.
Max


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## olive (Feb 5, 2008)

The price of secondhand motorhomes is way too high!! The growth in demand over the past few years has given people a false sense of value.

Have a look at secondhand car prices in the £30k + range .... 10% depreciation in a year ... you're kidding .. more like 30 or 40% ... why should motorhomes be any different?

I suspect the lack of buyers plus the FIAT issues will have a massive effect on prices .... and the length of time people keep their motorhomes... but then I've never been in the fortunate position of having more money than sense.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

"but then I've never been in the fortunate position of having more money than sense."

You disguise your wealth well, olive


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## AberdeenAngus (Jul 26, 2008)

olive said:


> The price of secondhand motorhomes is way too high!! The growth in demand over the past few years has given people a false sense of value.
> 
> Have a look at secondhand car prices in the £30k + range .... 10% depreciation in a year ... you're kidding .. more like 30 or 40% ... why should motorhomes be any different?


Because they are different. They rarely clock up high mileages. Annual wear & tear is minimal. Styles change slowly.

Its the same with boats, 
and light aircraft
and trucks

I would say the depreciation model for a motorhome has more in common with boats than cars.
i.e. expensive to run but the asset itself depreciates slowly.

A motorhome might drop sharply in the first year but that's just down to the "I want a brand new one" feeling.
But the average depreciation, year on year, over the long term (which most vans are bought for) is more like 10%.

You have to take the average over the long term


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## olive (Feb 5, 2008)

But, Aberdeen Angus, you're talking about the past .... I'm talking about the future!!


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

olive said:


> But, Aberdeen Angus, you're talking about the past .... I'm talking about the future!!


You have hit the nail on the head as things are so changing.
The Economic climate and come 2010 when the LEZ really takes hold and then when it spreads to all cities the value of Motorhomes will depreciate further.
They are not the Investment they once were but the thing is to stop looking at Investment and just enjoy the Life a Motorhome brings. :lol: :lol:


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