Shopping for TM using NADA Guidelines?

[CampinNoob]

I am shopping for a used TM and I am finding the sale prices all over the place.

When using the NADA Guide, what options should be considered?
A) All options from the list that the TM has.
or
B) Only the options which are not standard.

Is NADA accurate for determining fair prices on used TMs?

Any advice or information is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by CampinNoob

I am shopping for a used TM and I am finding the sale prices all over the place.

When using the NADA Guide, what options should be considered?
A) All options from the list that the TM has.
or
B) Only the options which are not standard.

Is NADA accurate for determining fair prices on used TMs?

Any advice or information is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

NADA is not even close on older TM values for some reason.

I recently sold my '98 2720. The NADA value was $3500. The trailer sold in 3 days for $8000. I had about 10 people email and call me, telling me what the NADA value is and they got angry when I would not sell it at that value. On the other hand, I had 2 people that offered me more than I was asking (after I had already taken a deposit and the buyer was on her way to pick it up). The bottom line is, you can't force someone to sell anything at a price that you think is fair. Most TM owners know what their TM is worth. That's not to say that there aren't shysters out there. There are. I'm just saying, be careful about telling a seller what the NADA value is..........chances are, they already know.

The 2004 2720SL that I purchased was NADA valued @ $11,000 and that's just about what I paid for it. However, the frame was rusty (for a CA trailer), the tires were old and rats had eaten some of the wiring in the trailer. I had to re-wire the furnace, brakes and a few wires in the converter. I also painted the frame. Had the trailer been in the condition that it is now (new 15" tires, lift kit, newly painted frame, new 6V golf-cart batteries, 160W solar panels), it would have easily sold for $14,000.

I guess that what I am saying is, if you find a "Deal" on a TM, there is usually a reason for it and you should reasonably expect to have to fix some things.

If you are in the market for a used TM, my suggestion would be to look here at what people are asking for their TMs:
http://rvs.oodle.com/trailmanor/?s=price

Don't get in a hurry.......always figure on putting an additional $1K (new tires, new battery(s) and wheel bearing pack) into your purchasing cost. IMO.....it's better to buy a trailer with old batteries, tires and a few fixable faults (priced accordingly) and have to install new items and fix a few things. That way, you KNOW what you have and you are starting out with fresh batteries and tires that you can feel confident with.

If you find a TM @ an acceptable price, have the cash in hand and be willing to move fast. If you waffle around, you may lose the deal. These trailers sell very fast. If they are in good condition (which most are) they often sell well above NADA value.

[Bill]

Kinda by definition, an Option is something that is not Standard. The Base Value on NADA already includes everything that is standard with a TM. So the answer is B.

Until quite recently, the Option list was very short - 3 or 4 items.

Bill

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by CampinNoob

I am shopping for a used TM and I am finding the sale prices all over the place.

When using the NADA Guide, what options should be considered?
A) All options from the list that the TM has.
or
B) Only the options which are not standard.

Is NADA accurate for determining fair prices on used TMs?

Any advice or information is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

The guides are not all that accurate for trailers, except in the broadest sense. With cars, they try to reflect actual transactions. With trailers, real sales data is pretty sparse and poorly reported, so they just knock the price down a few percent each year to reflect the broader trend. The gist of this is written in the fine print in the guide and on their websites.

Also, the last time I looked, we seemed to have regional variations that can be substantial, with prices higher in the West and lower in Florida.