Selling '91 Classic motorhome; need help

[Tony G]

Hello Folks,
I am trying to help a close friend prepare to sell a 1991 model 290 Classic motorhome, (454 gas engine). I know little about the vehicle except that it's in very nice condition and has seen little use in the past 7 or 8 years.

I'm new to this site (which is very nicely done by the way) so I'm trying to find my way around. A few basic things I'm looking for are, 1. How does one reasonably price one of these vehicles? 2. Is this site the best venue for selling it? 3. Is now a good time to sell or is it better to wait till spring?

Please accept my apologies if this is not the place to ask these questions, I can be contacted at tonychestnut76@hotmail.com if there is any advice anyone can offer. The motorhome is in the seattle Washington area.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Tony

[87MH]

Originally Posted by Tony G

I am trying to help a close friend prepare to sell a 1991 model 290 Classic motorhome........

Tony:

There is a "Classified" area in this Forum.

For additional advertising and price research check out this site:

http://www.airstreammotorhomes.com/

As with all sale items, the market (and availability) is quite cyclic. Right now there are three or four good looking 345's on e-bay. An analysis of the bidding could help you better price the 290.

290's are not found frequently in the "For Sale" ads, but you will need to price it mostly according to condition.

Other than the http://www.airstreammotorhomes.com/ site posted above, http://www.airstream.com/ (the corporate site) offers "for sale" adds, as does http://www.airstream.net/ , the Vintage Airstream Club, affiliated with the WBCCI. http://www.airstream.net/ is where I found my 345 two years ago. http://www.rvtrader.com/ is an all brand site that is very popular.

Overall, spring and summer are the times that (IMO) you would probably be able to get the most bucks, but with the time value of money, storage, and insurance, the timing will have to be the sellers decision. The price of gas could work for or against you, depending on the election.

(Insert here an unabashed plug to VOTE THE REPUBLICAN TICKET TODAY.)

You might also consider a consignment yard, most work like PPL in Houston - the consignment yard will charge either a percentage or a fixed amount, show and demonstrate the unit, much as a house broker does. They also provide storage during the contract time. If the unit does not sell during the contract period, it goes back to the seller. Be sure to negotiate "No Sale" charges prior to committing to the consignment seller.

If the unit is in Pristine (I hate that word) condition, do not be too anxious to sell (undervalue the unit) or cut the price too deeply during negotiations. With enough advertising the proper buyer will find you. These units are becoming more and more popular, and with the reintroduction of the Classic Motor Home in 2006, an appreciation of the price of such a relatively new unit may well follow.

[ALANSD]

The 290 is not a very common model. I would suggest starting here with an ad, and maybe at the Airstream.com and Airstream.Net websites. Then if need be there are a slew of RV sale sites on line. If you post a really good description and photos inside and out, we can help give you a price range to start with.

[ViewRVs]

My guess would be around $30,000 depending on the rear bedroom configuration.

When it comes to advertising, the more exposure to the market the better. I'd use several sites and lots of interior and exterior pictures. The fact that it has not been used much in 7-8 years might be cause for concern depending on the maintenance schedule and records.

It is a highly sought after unit that I would not be in any hurry to sell.

[87MH]

Originally Posted by Tony G

... A few basic things I'm looking for are, 1. How does one reasonably price one of these vehicles? 2. Is this site the best venue for selling it? 3. Is now a good time to sell or is it better to wait till spring?

1.) Price by comparison - difficult to do since so few of these wind up on the market place - best to compare to other Airstream Classics - gather as large a data base as you can.

2.) This is absolutely the best site for all things Airstream other than new. Limited exposure here to someone not looking specifically for Airstream, though.

3.) Just looked at the PPL price list here in Houston - http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/ - for the most part the older gas Class A's have exhibited a MAJOR drop in asking price since the last gasoline price increase hit. Personally, I think this is a temporary pricing anomoly, and things should stabilize as soon as the shock of $2.00 gas is adsorbed.

[ALANSD]

I think some of that price drop is the annual "winter is coming" which effects the Rv and sports car market in a similiar manner. All of a sudden storage, maintenance, winterizing, etc becone a more major obstacle to ownership. This will usually peak out in February or so, and change to an uptick in mid March.
When I was in the retail auto business it was an interesting thing to watch the market shift as the winter months came and went.