Even discounting the economic gloom, I'm not seeing anything too unusual. After a decade and a half or more in operation, there are a lot more Earthroamers out there these days, a few hundred at least and the company has been making and selling rigs at a high rate for the last decade+. Earthroamer makes sure owners keep all the Ford warranty on all the Ford components (truck, chassis, trans, engine, etc), so it is possible that some folks are coming off warranty and we all know those who are hardwired to sell a vehicle at that point. I would bet that there are a number of owners who are upgrading to the new LTi (carbon fiber) which is the first significant change in over a decade. There are actually a good number of owners on their second ER and a few on their third. It doesn't hit everyone's bullseye for what a 4x4 camper should be, but for those that it does, it works well. Personally, I think the interiors (if the layout floats your boat) are what helps them hold value. It just works. The build quality and integration of systems is a strong suit for these rigs and there aren't a lot of issues to be found: they're functional/dependable for camping in all four seasons and work as advertised: with plenty of battery power, easy engine and solar recharging, 90gal freshwater+90gal of fuel=you can easily camp offgrid for over a week with a family of 4-5 winter or summer and this can be stretched to the limit of your food if you are near a water source (potable or not) and/or diesel. Moreover, there isn't a whole lot of difference between Earthroamers over the years, the company has been running more or less the same equation successfully since they started, so buying a used one that has been well maintained is not a bad deal. The company does a decent job if you want to upgrade something, though you will pay a lot for it and it usually makes more sense to do it on your own. IMO if you can deal with the "shortfalls", such as the lack of a large (motorcycle/ATV-sized) gear garage, somewhat hot/cold customer service and the need to be personally involved with your maintenance (or paying Earthroamer or a competent shop $$$ regularly to do the work) you'll be fine as these challenges aren't really that big a deal for most owners. If I was looking at a used one, I would examine the following in no particular order: age of/wear on tires, esp. MPT81 (no biggie if they're worn but you will want to stay on top of inflation and wear and replace appropriately, which should be obvious), paperwork showing maintenance of rear wheel bearings, ensure all the systems work, e.g. the Espar hydronic and airtronic are fully functional, etc., that the engine, esp on the 6.0 and 6.4 powerstrokes, has a solid maintenance record/if possible "bulletproofed", warranty status, and age and condition of the (AGM or lithium) batteries. Use any discrepancies / shortcomings in these areas to negotiate a lower price.
