Find Your RV Trade-in Value

NADA Values - RV Trade-in Allowance

Determine Your RV's NADA Value for Trade-in & Wholesale.

The first thing you need to know is that recreational vehicle values obtained by RV and Motorhome OWNERS from online sources are usually much higher than those allowed by the RV DEALER from his copy of the NADA RV valuation guide. (NADA stands for the National Automotive Dealer's Association.) In other words, what YOU think your RV is worth is probably much, much higher than what the DEALER will truly allow for it as a "trade-in" on the purchase of another RV.

This conclusion is the same for the automotive, boat, or RV industries. The dealer MUST take trade-ins at or below wholesale to ever hope to eventually make a reasonable profit. He must allow for interest payments on his used inventory, commissions to salespeople, overhead, and much more.

Your best bet in determining what the dealer is allowing you for your trade-in is to take the NADA "Low Retail" figure minus 10%. (And, minus 15% or MORE for upper-end or specialty units.) And DON'T ADD for OPTIONS!

A typical mid-sized RV dealer will have a monthly overhead of $50,000 to $500,000 or more per MONTH! Believe me, it's not an easy game. He has laid out millions of dollars to allow you to browse a decent selection of RVs, so please don't think of him as the bad guy.

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Let's take a look at the online RV valuation sources, such as NADA and Kelley Blue Book, and how to use them to place a realistic wholesale and retail value on your RV.

Wholesale RV Values from NADA

The NADA RV Values Website is one of the best online vehicle valuation sites to get relatively accurate values for motorhomes and other  RVs. Be sure to read this entire article BEFORE you go to the website so you won't fall into the traps that most individuals often do.

Now, assuming you have read all the valuable information on RV valuation and pricing presented in this article, you can go to the site - in another browser window if possible - so you can follow along. When you have opened the NADA website, click the website's "top row" icon or section that corresponds to the type of vehicle to value. In our case, you would click the "RVS" icon in the row of vehicle types at the top of the page, which includes most types of RV, including motorhomes and towable RVs. (If you have used our "NADA RV Values" link above, you should already be in the RV Section.)

Now is where you're going to have to grit your teeth and do something completely against your nature. DON'T ADD FOR ANY OPTIONS! The dealer won't, so in this case, we won't either. Understand that we are only trying to determine what the dealer will allow for your trade-in. This doesn't mean that you have to take it. In fact, you will be many dollars ahead if you decide to market your RV on your own, and then approach the dealer on a cash-only basis, but that's another topic we'll address in another article.

At the bottom of the NADA page, click on the "Continue" button. Let your jaw drop as you look at the value for: "Low Retail."

Now emit a mild groan, because it gets worse from here. DEDUCT another 7% to 10% of that figure to establish the RV wholesale value in the dealer's copy of the NADA book. This is the value that the dealer will be looking at. If your RV is an upper-line or luxury RV, or if it is a specialty RV you will need to deduct even more - 10% to 15% of the "Low Retail" figure.

Since the online Low Retail prices do not match the wholesale prices in the dealer's NADA guide, this is an educated guess for you. It will, however, get you close enough to decide whether or not you are willing to trade your RV and accept the actual cash value (ACV) the dealer will allow.

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Do NOT add for OPTIONS!

I know you tried to sneak a few in there, didn't you? Remember, the dealer NEVER adds for options when determining an ACV on a trade-in. In some rare cases such as a custom ordered, higher horsepower engine, full-body paint, or other options that are very expensive, he MAY allow a little more, but nowhere near the actual cost of the option.

Your best bet in determining what the dealer is allowing you for your trade-in is to take the "Low Retail" figure minus 10%. (Again, more for upper-end or specialty units.)

Certain factors such as mileage, condition and unit popularity, and salability may influence the actual cash value allowed for your vehicle. Remember that we are dealing with an inexact science. We are simply trying to establish a guideline for estimating the true amount allowed for your trade-in.

Whether or not you decide to trade in your RV, or sell your unit "by owner", is completely up to you. But, now you have a way to weigh one against the other. The final decision of course... is up to you.

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