Sell, Swap, or Store? Decisions To Make With An Aging RV

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Decisions To Make With An Aging RV

All RV owners will at one time be faced with the difficult decision if it’s time to let go of their beloved rig. We can get quite attached to our motorhomes and fifth wheels, and letting them go can also feel like giving up a piece of our identity. However, when it’s time to decide whether to sell, swap, or store, it’s best to face the situation armed with the best possible information.

Badger State residents can seek out a junk RV buyer in Wisconsin if their RV has proved to be deemed less than desirable. When other buyers turn their noses at your worn-out rig, specialized RV junk buyers will offer a fair price and tow it away for free.

How To Find Out What Your RV Is Worth

Before making the decision to keep or ditch your RV, you’ll need to know what its resale value is. Some with a real love for theirs may see its worth as much higher than the general RV crowd things. The opposite could also be true. What you think is worthless could actually be worth a lot more. However, without knowledge of its actual worth, you shouldn’t be making any hasty decisions. Like all other vehicles, RVs do depreciate in value, and the older they are, the more value they’ve most likely lost.

Factors that affect the value of an RV include:

  • Age
  • Mileage
  • Running condition
  • Appearance
  • Make and model
  • Extra features

Determining the value of yours is a relatively easy process. You can find quite a few RV value calculators online. All that’s needed is to plug in some information, and you’ll see what the average selling price is for yours. To obtain the most accurate results, it’s important to be honest about its condition. What you may consider excellent condition may actually not be so.

One of the more popular online RV value calculators is NADA, the National Automobile Dealers Association. After inputting the required information, you’ll be given an estimate of what you can expect to sell it for. Since RVs could sell at different prices around the country, this online calculator allows users to obtain prices by region.

Sell, Swap, or Store: How To Know What To Do

Once you’re armed with the knowledge of your RV’s retail value, you can make better-informed decisions about what to do with it. Owners of older RVs that are facing a costly but necessary repair may think twice about spending the money once they know their rig’s true value. A good rule of thumb is if the cost of the repair is equal to half or more of its resale value, it could mean that it’s time to sell it. Unfortunately, selling a rig under these conditions can be difficult.

However, there are junk RV specialized dealers in Wisconsin and around the country that aren’t concerned with such things. They buy any and all RVs regardless of needed repairs, excessive mileage, or unsightly cosmetic damage. Most will come directly to you and haul yours away while leaving you with more money than a scrapyard would pay.

RV owners who are looking to upgrade and their current RV still has a decent amount of value attached to it can try their luck at a local RV dealership. Many will take older RVs as a trade-in or will offer to sell them on their lot on a consignment basis. The newer your RV is, the more likely a dealership will offer you a fair price.

Aging RVs and Letting Go: The Bottom Line

It can definitely be an emotional experience when it’s time to let go of your aging RV. For some, their sentimental value is incredibly high. However, throwing good money is never the smart financial choice. If money isn’t a motivating factor, those with this luxury can let it sit in their garage and continue to age gracefully. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t equipped to do so.

Owners of difficult-to-sell old RVs can save themselves the hassle of attempting to sell theirs through the traditional methods, which could quickly prove to be a fruitless attempt. They’d do much better selling it to a specialized RV dealer who will give them top dollar for a rig that most see as worthless.

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