Is this a really bad time of year to sell?

We've decided to buy a bright shiny new 'van.

The dealers (stealers) offer next to nothing p/x (clean, tidy, fully loaded Symbol, 2000, 46k miles, gas low / bike rack, no rust) so we need to sell privately. Advertised in the usual places but not a nibble.

I suspect we might be better waiting till March next year?

Any experiences?

TIA

The fact is that fewer people think about going away when the nights draw in and the weather gets cold, so there is less demand. I don't think there's a lot more to it than that!

I sold my last van in March or April and, although it wasn't a particularly popular model, it sold fairly quickly.

Of course, vans do change hands at this time of year, but IMO you need a lot more luck to find a buyer.

Dealers expect to make 6-8k on a van they sell so of course offer not what we think our van is worth, having said that try walking away I did 3 times but trade in but also from the original offer I got another £1000, roll out awning, new carpets all round, (about £3k worth) and on top of that the van I wanted with a full 12months guarantee (another extra)
Also you can often get a better trade in price at early/late shows as dealers often prefer to carry lower value stock over the winter.
And a  dealer you are buying a newer van from might not want your old van on their forecourt so have to put it out to the trade

6-8k on a 20 year old van!
I would accept and expect a couple of thousand profit for them 15-20% but that's approaching 50%

There's no panic for us to get a new one, it's a nice to have. Our current van is great, reliable, no problems, owes us nothing. Why are you selling, I hear you ask....

Good question.

I want aircon in the cab, and cruise at 70mph. 
Is it worth the expense, I hear you ask....

Another good question.

Probably not, but it's only money 

I don't know what you've been offered but we p/exd our 97 Symphony 5 years ago and got £8500. The dealer sent it to another trader who advertised it for £13000 and sold it within a week (he may have accepted less). We were happy with the price we got. Vans of same age are still advertised at similar prices now.

Heanorboy wrote:Dealers expect to make 6-8k on a van they sell so of course offer not what we think our van is worth, having said that try walking away I did 3 times but trade in but also from the original offer I got another £1000, roll out awning, new carpets all round, (about £3k worth) and on top of that the van I wanted with a full 12months guarantee (another extra)
Also you can often get a better trade in price at early/late shows as dealers often prefer to carry lower value stock over the winter.
And a  dealer you are buying a newer van from might not want your old van on their forecourt so have to put it out to the trade

Hi Wheelbarrow

I think Heanorboy is very near the truth. You can probably insert a full stop at the end of the highlighting above!

I can only go by our own reactions, but there are two dealers not far from us whose yards always have a large proportion of quite elderly vans - and I confess it put us off going there when we were looking for a new (or not very old) van. We may well have been quite wrong, but the first impression as we entered the yard was of an "Arthur Daley" setup.

Heanorboy is also spot on in suggesting that you look for discounts in "kind" rather than straight cash. A dealer will often throw in extras which would save you (say) a couple of thousand, but which clearly cost him a lot less than that to buy in.

As to your most recent question, having been there I can say that it certainly isn't worth the expense in pure cash terms, but how do you put a price on enhancing the holiday experience with a few extra updates and innovations! We definitely don't regret "wasting" the money by doing so. 

we are trying to sell our 2011 warwick duo,27000 miles full history.lots of extras .£34000 cheapest.any where but people will go and pay £5000 more at a dealer.
for a warranty.???

Dealer, 2012 £32999. Ok mileage double yours

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We paid £32999 for 2010 back in January from a dealer.

I sold my van last December , privately, if someone is looking for a particular model they will buy regardless the time of year, I also bought one last Dec. 

I was told that dealers put on £3000-£4000 perhaps that has also increased this year, at least with a GOOD dealer you have some comeback if buying.

I would always buy private if it was the vehicle I wanted. £4000/£5000. Is a good warranty.
But it's a personal choice

Don’t forget the apparent mark up a dealer charges not only includes his warranty and legal responsibility but also includes a VAT element which a private seller won’t have to charge. I’m no friend of the trade but that mark up won’t be going straight in his pocket.

We have just bought our first MH from a dealer and having checked prices for a while think we have got it at a good price. We had done our research and knew exactly what we wanted so werent bothered what time of year we bought. We started looking earlier this year in summer but found very few (just two)with our required spec coming on the market and all of them were with dealers. We didnt see any on the private market and I have been scouring all media outlets. 
If we had found one through a private buyer and done all the due diligence checks I must admit that I would have been worried about handing over a large five figure amount in cash without any back up guarantee. 
May be some one who has tried to sell a recent model MH privately can explain what response they received from buyers and if they sold privately

We bought our first MH in July 2017. A 2005 Symbol with 27,000 mls on the clock, From Todds of Preston they deducted £2,000 off for no P/X. Threw in a load of extra's (un-requested).             After sales services fantastic. The MH has been brilliant, all we hoped for. At the end of the day a business is there too make a profit so if the deal suits you there should be no argument.

Ok so my deal done and dusted and yesterday spotted my old van on AutoTrader.
Yes there is a good mark up from what I got as expected what did surprise me however they are looking for more than £2000 over what I paid for it 2.5 years ago!!!!!!

We part-exd last Christmas. We got £3k less than we'd paid 4 years before and then they sold our old van within a week and it was advertised for £2k more than we'd paid. There doesn't seem to be a bad time of year to sell. There are however a lot of 2018 vans reduced by £5k out there now (especially Autotrails).

Paulmold wrote:We part-exd last Christmas. We got £3k less than we'd paid 4 years before and then they sold our old van within a week and it was advertised for £2k more than we'd paid. There doesn't seem to be a bad time of year to sell. There are however a lot of 2018 vans reduced by £5k out there now (especially Autotrails

When we P/X the Topaz we got a good price and that was in January 2016, on getting home van was on their website and on collection of the new one, the prospected new owners were waiting in the showroom.

Same dealer now has loads of brand new 2018 Swifts, Elddis and yes Autotrials all reduced and one 2018 Fairford reduced with 38 miles on the clock.
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Richard

As someone who has been keeping a close eye on the market for the past 5 months, with the intention of buying the right van, it does seem that there is a glut of new 2018 vehicles out there and also newish vans which are all still for sale (all makes however desirable).

Not quite sure why this is but I’ve got a feeling that the dealers misread the market and have lots of 18 plate stock left.
I have noticed that there is a lack of 14/15/16 plate vans?

I’ve just bought one of these 2018 vans (unregistered) at a price that worked for me. I do realise that when it comes to sell though in a few years time there may be lots of 2018 vans for buyers to choose from!!

Back to the original question, anything will sell at any time of the year if the PRICE is right. 

It really is as simple as that!

Does the new van have to be the very latest 2019 model? or are you content with a 2018 model?
I am thinking the best prices will be on unsold 2018 stock, which some dealers will still have.

AAutoSleepy_Don wrote:Does the new van have to be the very latest 2019 model? or are you content with a 2018 model?
I am thinking the best prices will be on unsold 2018 stock which some dealers will still have.

The only difference between the 2019 model and the 2018 (unregistered in the showroom) that I bought was a different microwave oven....and nearly £8k.  They would both be registered as 68 plate vans.
Not sure how much discount could have been achieved on the 2019 but I was happy with the price I paid.

Must admit, from not knowing anything about buying a Motorhome back in July, it has well and truly been a learning curve. And I’m from a camper van/caravan background!

God help complete newcomers which I guess is why there are often year old, low mileage vans around which the dealers have taken back at a massive loss to the owners.

Sorry, going a bit off track. Don’t get me started ha ha!!!

Dbvwt wrote:
The only difference between the 2019 model and the 2018 (unregistered in the showroom) that I bought was a different microwave oven....and nearly £8k.

The models on show at the NEC last month had further differences. From memory I recall a different reversing camera, the 2019 now uses the integrated Peugeot SatNav so no Garmin device stuck in windscreen. Different touch screen control panel (replacing the EC480).
Or perhaps I'm comparing to the 2017 van?

I’m sure you are probably correct a/s_don. Out of interest, where is the best place to stick that satnav?

Back to the O/P question, the majority of Motorhomes that I’ve been following since July (private and dealer) are still for sale. I don’t know if this is the norm and come spring the buyers all come out.
I do feel that unfortunately if you are a seller, it’s not a great time unless you accept a lot less than you had hoped for.
Just my opinion of course, good luck to anyone selling

To answer my own question, and to agree with Dbvwt,...

No, it's not a bad time to sell, provided the price is right and the camper is in good order and as described in the ad.

Sold for a good price. Good price means I waited about 2 weeks for a buyer, gave a bit of a discount, was happy at the selling price and pleased that the buyer was happy with the van, and the price paid.

Now to gee up the dealer to get the new shiny one...