Is $10,500 a good price?

[hampsterdam]

For this van:

Dodge Ram Roadtrek Caravan - 1988. 3/4 ton 19 foot rv camper van. 52,000 odometer. new tires with less than 5000 miles on them. Very clean condition and well taken care of. Double bed in back and drivers seats in front convert into single beds. Double bed in back makes into dinette table with a couple of benches. Another small round table in the front with a couple of seats. Has a flushing toilet with closet. Kitchen has fridge, sink, gas stove and ceiling fan.

No rust, and I've had the van inspected by a mechanic who says it's in good shape.

 

[Bbasso]

Imho. No, hell no.
Sorry to be so blunt, but older than 2000 is only worth pennies on the dollar. (Especially dodge vans)

 

[calicamper]

Too much. I know a couple that picked up a roadtrek van that was in storage for 10yrs. I think its a 99. Paid 8 for it and replaced all hoses, tires batteries. Only had 18k on the clock. I see them all the time much newer for similar prices.

 

[Vandit]

Also agree, too much for an '88 Dodge. You might want to ask to see if it has a 5 digit odometer. If it does you may want to take the "only 52k miles" claim with a grain of salt. I have yet to see a listing on a vehicle with a 5 digit odo where the seller actually included the previous 100k miles to what's on the dial. If the van actually had 152k miles would it change your opinion of what it's worth?

 

[grampswrx]

Plus, you can't do much with the dodge suspension. Find a ford or chevy. Unless the dodge is 50% off the price of a comparable ford/chevy.

 

[wjeeper]

$10,500 seems on the high side to me. To put it in perspective there was a pretty nice Dodge horizon conversion down the street from me that I passed on because it came up for sale after I had already bought my van sold the other day for $3000. It was owned by an older couple garage-kept perfect paint 88,000 miles (or188,000 miles who really knows)

 

[wjeeper]

And being that old without few of milesI suspect it would have a lot of "lot rot" from just sitting around. Sometimes having a rig sit around is just as bad as driving the stupid thing!

 

[zuren]

Seems like too much to me for a 30 year vehicle. This really is not a sought after or collectable vehicle to command a high price; it is not a restored VW Westfalia, or a Jeep CJ-8 in good condition, etc. With only 52,000 miles, that means it has been sitting A LOT during its life; as mentioned, that can be as bad or worse than too many miles. You will definitely begin finding problems (eg. rotten hoses, things seized up, etc.) just from lack of use. The question about mileage is valid; is it 52,000, or really 152,000?. I did a Google search for this vehicle and found this calculator:

http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/1988/Roadtrek (run through the calculator and I think the "Avg. Retail" is the more believable number)

As a comparison, I ran an advanced search for "camper van" that have sold on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Truck..._ipg=50&LH_Complete=1&_nkw=campervan&_vxp=mtr

There are many examples of full-size vans that are 20 years newer selling for only a couple thousand more than this Dodge van. Here is a same year Chevy campervan with similar miles that sold for $4000 that would probably be very comparable:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1988-Chevro...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

From what I've read and understand of the old Dodge vans, a 4x4 conversion will almost never happen without a complete redesign of the front end, if 4x4 is important to you. I would say $4000-5000 might be a decent deal. For $10,500, they are either trolling and not that interested in selling, honestly believe what they have is way more valuable than what it is, or they have they sights set on something else and around $10,000 is what they need. Was this $10,500 firm, or OBO? If OBO and the vehicle fits your needs/wants, throw out an offer of $5000 but be ready to insult someone. If you do get it, be prepared to have to replace a lot of stuff (hoses, gaskets, electrical bits, etc.)

 

[Pntyrmvr]

Sadly no one who has posted a supposed educated reply owns a Dodge based RV.

The reality is that van may have been well cared for and need very little work. The odds are low, but possible.

If you are willing to throw a few hundred at it to guarantee items like hoses and perhaps front strut bushings you might end up with a good deal.

How is the seat foam? Bed mattresses? Time and heat play on them. Appliances working? Propane system? Generator?

The rad is likely ready for a change too.

Tires new. Great. Brake flex hoses cracked?

Is it really a 3/4 ton? If so I'd check the weight rating, GVWR, on the door sticker and then weigh the unit. Converters were notorious for building RVs well over the max rating back in the 80s.

If the unit is one of those oddball front wheel drive based Caravan conversions I wouldn't even look at it.

If it is a true Dodge based B class RV then look into it.

The Dodge suspension, 2wd, is built the same way as the others. Coil springs with shocks. You made no mention of a 4x4 conversion.

Frame system is unibody. Allows about 650 extra pounds of legal payload in mine.

Basis for my opinion: 7 Dodge vans, including an 84 B350 EB 4x4.

Of course haters gonna hate.


"Talk is cheap. Whiskey costs money."

 

[zuren]

Sadly no one who has posted a supposed educated reply owns a Dodge based RV.

And having owned such a vehicle doesn't necessarily make one educated in what its depreciated value may be in 2017. For a 30 year old vehicle, a comparative market assessment is about as close as you're going to get to its financial value and if it is a "good deal". Based on what I see, and what others have offered, $10,500 may be a bit wishful.

Here's another source of info that I found:

http://www.motorhomefinds.com/roadtrek-motorhomes-for-sale (no association to this site; can't attest to its accuracy or validity)

A lot of these are Craigslist ads and Craigslist is notorious for having a lot of spammers, scammers, and false ads, but many ads are legit. You could cross reference a listing up there with this site:

http://www.searchtempest.com/

...to see the actual ad and what seems to be legit. I don't see any 80s era Roadtreks listed there for anywhere close to $10,000. But "value" and what is a "good price" is always determined by the buyer...