First some background: Almost one year ago to the day I bought a brand new KZ Sportsmen 280RLSS travel trailer. MSRP was $23,000+, I paid $17,500 cash so no payments on it. I bought this particular model because of the super slide which gave it a lot of space inside. My SO had muscular dystrophy making walking very difficult and this had enough interior room for his wheelchair. I had a $2000 lift installed at the rear door so he could get in and out himself. Due to the manner the lift was installed it would be very difficult to remove it - large bolts through the side of the camper and a welded support bar going from the bottom of the lift to the frame - so it's a package deal with the TT.
We went to Bonnaroo (the huge music festival here in TN) in it last year, then I pulled it north and spent the summer in it in MN. He unexpectedly died in July. I soon realized I didn't need or want all the room in this trailer, and didn't want the weight and length for towing since it's very close to the limit of my truck. I started looking for something smaller, maybe something I could haul the motorcycle with as well. No floorplans really thrilled me, the toy haulers didn't look like something I wanted to live in full time, and most of the TT's I looked at were either too heavy or really really cheaply built, plus it didn't make much sense to buy a new camper and start tearing it apart right away. I started looking on CL for an older camper that I could gut and redo with the floor plan I really wanted. That's how I came to buy the caboose last fall.
The caboose rebuild however will take a couple years and it's not even started, and I am getting very antsy to go north. I went up to MN for my tax appointment in March, and bought a vintage 14' Shasta thinking that would get me by for a couple years. Title issues have ensued, and with no title I can't get plates so it's static at the farm in MN. So at this point I'm sort of homeless. lol The Shasta currently has no bathroom, no refrigerator, not sure if the stove works, or the furnace, although the interior lights all work. In a worse case scenario I could sleep in it and work on the rebuild of it at the same time, but that will seriously take away from time that would be better spent on the clean-out of the house and outbuildings on the farm there. (The house there is not liveable)
Today I stopped at the RV place where I bought the KZ and where it's been consigned since last fall when I pulled it back here to TN. They have a KZ classic on the lot, new, 20', UVW is 3163 so well over 2000 pounds less than the Sportsmen. The layout is such that I would have room for the annual camping trips with my older daughter and her kids, it's large enough that I won't go stir crazy if I get stuck inside for several days in the event of rain, and it's a good size for my younger daughter and I to take some extended road trips. Build quality is so-so, it's a lower end camper never intended for full timing.
I've always known that I'll take a big hit on the Sportsmen if I sell it. The lift is basically a freebie for the new owner. Like I said, I paid 17,500, NADA retail is 18,200, NADA trade-in value is 13,500. The dealer would take it and give me the classic (11,900) plus $1600 cash. I know I could get more money if I sold the Sportsmen myself, IF I can get it sold, but I feel like I'm running out of time. I really need to get to MN and clean out the house and shop so I can get the farm listed for sale. I've toyed with the idea of hauling the Sportsman north and living it in for the summer again, or trying to sell it outright up there but fear that living in it all summer will bring the value down even more.
So, any thoughts on what my best course of action might be?
If you're interested, here are links to the Sportsman (this years model, mine's a 2012 but almost identical floorplan)
-- Edited by nightsky on Wednesday 12th of June 2013 07:20:25 PM
Edit by moderator: Activated links. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Wednesday 12th of June 2013 09:37:18 PM
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
02:16 AM Jun 13, 2013
I would do the trade and get the cash. It would be a hit, but you would have something you could more easily use.
Lucky Mike said
02:52 AM Jun 13, 2013
NADA values reflect on mfg suggested retail value.........nobody pays mfg retail value even on new........if you weigh out your figures and use you would break even by taking the cash and the smaller unit ......or you could take a bigger hit if you dont sell it during prime season......there is not a big demand for handicap equipped travel trailers so it is in a special class with limited customer base
bottom line dammed if you dont .....dammed if you do!!
I would take the trailer & cash ....
NWescapee said
03:17 AM Jun 13, 2013
I would take the trade and get on with your dreams and your life. It sounds like you have enough to do on the farm without any extra stress of trying to figure out how to sell off a customized TT.
nightsky said
06:36 PM Jun 13, 2013
Thanks for the replies. I had already pretty much decided to take the cash and smaller trailer and let the big one be the dealer's problem to sell, but wanted to get some other people's input. My daughter who lives year-round in my house here in TN is going north today to spend 3 weeks visiting friends and family, I'll be leaving in 2 weeks or so to go north for the summer. I'll go in and get the camper in a day or two, Bonnaroo is going on right now so Manchester TN, normal population of about 8,000, has 100,000 extra bodies jamming up the roads. lol
nightsky said
12:08 AM Jun 15, 2013
Well, I stopped at the RV dealer this afternoon and told them I'd take the smaller camper. She asked if I had the paper with me that she had jotted the figures down on, and I said no. After some pondering, we settled on 13,500 trade-in on my big KZ, 11,000 as the selling price of the smaller one, and 2500 cash back! So, I look at it as I got 13,500 for my big TT, which is about what I would have gotten for it had it sold on consignment after their commission, assuming I didn't have to drop the price to get it sold. I'm a very happy camper! WOOT!!!
I pick up the new camper on Tuesday after they've gone done all the prep work on it.
First some background: Almost one year ago to the day I bought a brand new KZ Sportsmen 280RLSS travel trailer. MSRP was $23,000+, I paid $17,500 cash so no payments on it. I bought this particular model because of the super slide which gave it a lot of space inside. My SO had muscular dystrophy making walking very difficult and this had enough interior room for his wheelchair. I had a $2000 lift installed at the rear door so he could get in and out himself. Due to the manner the lift was installed it would be very difficult to remove it - large bolts through the side of the camper and a welded support bar going from the bottom of the lift to the frame - so it's a package deal with the TT.
We went to Bonnaroo (the huge music festival here in TN) in it last year, then I pulled it north and spent the summer in it in MN. He unexpectedly died in July. I soon realized I didn't need or want all the room in this trailer, and didn't want the weight and length for towing since it's very close to the limit of my truck. I started looking for something smaller, maybe something I could haul the motorcycle with as well. No floorplans really thrilled me, the toy haulers didn't look like something I wanted to live in full time, and most of the TT's I looked at were either too heavy or really really cheaply built, plus it didn't make much sense to buy a new camper and start tearing it apart right away. I started looking on CL for an older camper that I could gut and redo with the floor plan I really wanted. That's how I came to buy the caboose last fall.
The caboose rebuild however will take a couple years and it's not even started, and I am getting very antsy to go north. I went up to MN for my tax appointment in March, and bought a vintage 14' Shasta thinking that would get me by for a couple years. Title issues have ensued, and with no title I can't get plates so it's static at the farm in MN. So at this point I'm sort of homeless. lol The Shasta currently has no bathroom, no refrigerator, not sure if the stove works, or the furnace, although the interior lights all work. In a worse case scenario I could sleep in it and work on the rebuild of it at the same time, but that will seriously take away from time that would be better spent on the clean-out of the house and outbuildings on the farm there. (The house there is not liveable)
Today I stopped at the RV place where I bought the KZ and where it's been consigned since last fall when I pulled it back here to TN. They have a KZ classic on the lot, new, 20', UVW is 3163 so well over 2000 pounds less than the Sportsmen. The layout is such that I would have room for the annual camping trips with my older daughter and her kids, it's large enough that I won't go stir crazy if I get stuck inside for several days in the event of rain, and it's a good size for my younger daughter and I to take some extended road trips. Build quality is so-so, it's a lower end camper never intended for full timing.
I've always known that I'll take a big hit on the Sportsmen if I sell it. The lift is basically a freebie for the new owner. Like I said, I paid 17,500, NADA retail is 18,200, NADA trade-in value is 13,500. The dealer would take it and give me the classic (11,900) plus $1600 cash. I know I could get more money if I sold the Sportsmen myself, IF I can get it sold, but I feel like I'm running out of time. I really need to get to MN and clean out the house and shop so I can get the farm listed for sale. I've toyed with the idea of hauling the Sportsman north and living it in for the summer again, or trying to sell it outright up there but fear that living in it all summer will bring the value down even more.
So, any thoughts on what my best course of action might be?
If you're interested, here are links to the Sportsman (this years model, mine's a 2012 but almost identical floorplan)
http://kz-rv.com/sportsmen/S280RL.html
and the Classic
http://kz-rv.com/sportsmen-classic/204.html
-- Edited by nightsky on Wednesday 12th of June 2013 07:20:25 PM
Edit by moderator: Activated links. Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Wednesday 12th of June 2013 09:37:18 PM
bottom line dammed if you dont .....dammed if you do!!
I would take the trailer & cash ....
Well, I stopped at the RV dealer this afternoon and told them I'd take the smaller camper. She asked if I had the paper with me that she had jotted the figures down on, and I said no. After some pondering, we settled on 13,500 trade-in on my big KZ, 11,000 as the selling price of the smaller one, and 2500 cash back! So, I look at it as I got 13,500 for my big TT, which is about what I would have gotten for it had it sold on consignment after their commission, assuming I didn't have to drop the price to get it sold. I'm a very happy camper! WOOT!!!
I pick up the new camper on Tuesday after they've gone done all the prep work on it.