Don you have already done many many more work then the average buyer
goes thru so you must be a serious buyer AND an informed one. This is
what I meant keeping in mind that you already know exactly what you
are looking for.
Make up a list of questions you can ask up front and I would suggest
you look at the list on the vintage bird site to start. Add that you
want closeup clear pictures of everything important that you are
interested in and I would suggest you use
http://www.mrolivers.com as a
model, its excellent in my opinion. Ask the sellers to make the list
out. If they are an honest seller and you inform them up front that
you are in the market right now to buy BUT you are not willing to
travel all over the country looking at coaches only to be
disappointed when arriving there, then I believe you will get a good
response. After seeing the information offer them a price that you
feel is reasonable to YOU based on the coaches condition. Thats what
I have done on the most recent purchases I made on every car and
truck etc. It works and they know you are a serious buyer if you go
to all of this trouble. I would add that it makes sense on something
this expensive to have Ralph check the coach out before money changes
hands. You might even add a sentence to them to the effect that if
you go to all of this expense then you expect the seller to pay
Ralphs expenses if there is something that has been misrepresented.
tom warner
vernon center,ny
1985 PT 40
At 11:36 AM 12/12/2006, you wrote:
>On 12/11/2006 at 11:22 PM Tom Warner wrote:
>
> >A recommendation for you . NOTHING is impossible when it comes to
> >buying any motorhome. A 1997 Bluebird LXI just sold for less then
> >$170,000 and a 1991 Prevost Liberty is for sale right now for less
> >then $170,000 at Paul Davis in Dallas Texas. With the market like
> >it is right now and if you are a knowledgable buyer anything is
> >possible. People pass away and coaches need to be sold to settle an
> >estate. Or people just get sick of advertising the coaches and want
> >to sell now. How about on vintage birds a 1993 for $123,000 with
> >53.000 miles on it? Bird connection has a ton of them . Remember
> >price is not everything. You might save a little on a coach and then
> >spends lots getting it up to snuff.
>
>I guess I don't understand the recommendation you are trying to
>convey? You mention coaches selling at or below market value, of
>which there are legions available, then conclude with two sentences
>that imply that is not a good thing from a buyer's perspective? I
>mentioned a couple I tossed from my personal choice list for price,
>a 94 for $184K, and a 90 for $150K. Nothing about that was intended
>to imply anything about the quality of either, just how
>out-of-market they were.
>
>I'm doing what I can to be an informed buyer in all respects;
>knowing what the ballpark price is, is part of that
>
>Here's what I'm aware of now in 90-94 PT40s for sale, asking price
>and mileage (I have a lot more data on each, but this is just for a
>general market overview):
>
>1990
>$79,500 90000
>$90,000 173000
>$96,500 123500
>$105,000 112000
>$140,000 25000 (note: this is the one I had above at $150K,
>the BBC price, but I saw it last night on rvtraderonline for $140K)
>
>1991
>$93,000 181000
>$95,000 104000
>$99,999 58000
>$119,000 98000
>$129,000 40000
>$140,000 87000
>
>1992
>$123,600 102000
>$128,000 118000
>
>1993
>$105,000 125000
>$110,000 113000
>$110,000 145000
>$119,500 79000 (another one where the BBC price is higher,
>$123,500 and $129,500 in the same listing)
>$123,000 59500
>$135,000 77000
>$135,000 103000
>
>1994
>$119,000 119000
>$126,000 93000
>$129,000 143000 (this is the mid-entry. Sold for $125K last week)
>$139,000 120000
>$150,000 39000
>$155,900 145000
>$185,500 86000
>
>I did not include some at dealerships that choose not to list prices
>- don't like that particular game.
>
>Negotiation of prices is tough for someone like me. I hate
>dickering. I look at that last one at $185500, and I say "it looks
>to me like $135K is about right, but if I offer 135K they will come
>back with $160K and then what do I do. If I offer $85K to try to
>work to the middle/market price, how could they consider me a serious buyer?"
>
>Price is not the only consideration by any means - if it were I
>would be pursuing the lowest, but there are other things that rate a
>number of the lower-priced ones further down our particular list.
>
>
>
>
>Don Bradner
>
http://www.arcatapet.net
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>