Making a offer.. price

[rebar]

Iv made a few offers on 4x4 vans.. Isn't easy finding the elusive 4x4 cargo able to haul 10K. Many sellers dont even take me seriously when they find out I'm out of state. And the ones that do usually end up offended by my offer.

So my formula is pretty straight forward and fair in my mind. Take the KBB value, and compare it to the new msrp out the door price which is almost always very close to 20% .. Then give the 4x4 conversion the same percentage of value. So 20% of quigley's 16K, and add that to the KBB and presto..
not including what ever gear is installed of course..

Is my method for evaluating 4x4 vans fair? Or do I need to offer more than 20% of the conversion cost to find what I need?

 

[camper357]

KBB for a custom 4x4 van? What would the going price on a regular van have to do with the price of a custom 4x4 van?

 

[haven]

Not sure why you'd use 20% of the retail value. The value of most gear decreases over time, so a 10 year old conversion is worth less than a 2 year old one.

Maybe you mean that KBB shows the base vehicle today worth 20% of its original purchase price years ago, so you figure the conversion parts should also be priced at 20% of the original price.

In general, RVs take a big hit in depreciation in the first couple of years, and then depreciate slowly. After a few years, the value is due more to miles driven and overall condition than the year of manufacture. In the case of a rare vehicle, the price is not easy to calculate.

Tell us more about the vehicle you're looking at.

 

[bknudtsen]

As far as determining a selling price for a good condition modified vehicle, the formula that I have always used is Blue Book + 1/2 the cost of the modifications.

So take a 2007 Ford Econoline XLT Wagon with a diesel. Average clean retail is around $18k. The average cost of a Quigley conversion is about $12k. So, based on my formula, you should be seeing that van going for around $24k. That is assuming that there were no other mods to the interior.

Do some searching around the nation for what you want and get a feel for prices. They don't stay on the market very long because the are in demand and supply is low. As far as the "offer"... people will be offended if you come in with some lowball price that is not consistent with the current "market" value. There is usually some room for negotiating, but if you come in too low, people will just blow you off. Market price is all about what people are willing to pay for a given item. Then there is the whole supply and demand deal. Economics aside, 4x4 vans tend to hold their value. If you are talking about a diesel 4x4 cargo van, then tag on some more. A low mileage 4x4 Ford diesel passenger van is the unicorn.

Anyway, that's my view on it.

 

[dhally]

If you're looking for something very specific and rare, all bets are off. I would tend to base it on what are the alternatives? For a used 4x4 van, the main alternative is to buy a used van and then do the conversion. So the price would be = Blue book + new 4x4 conversion. Maybe depreciate the conversion 20-30% if it is well-used. That's why we have a 2wd van...

 

[Jeffh555]

A few thoughts on the topic:

Anything is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. If someone is willing to pay the asking price, then it is worth that.

I believe there should be a roughly 10% buffer on the asking price. For example, I just bought a motorcycle, the seller was asking $1100, I felt that I should be able to get it for $1000. If I were selling something, I would ask about 10% more than I want to get for it.

If you watch the market for a while, you can get a pretty good feeling on what the typical asking price is, and know when someone is way off.

 

[rebar]

KBB for a custom 4x4 van? What would the going price on a regular van have to do with the price of a custom 4x4 van?

lol WHAT?

Maybe you mean that KBB shows the base vehicle today worth 20% of its original purchase price years ago, so you figure the conversion parts should also be priced at 20% of the original price.

Tell us more about the vehicle you're looking at.

Exactly..

I need a 4x4 E350 cargo, not passenger, capable of pulling a 10000 lb toyhauler. So it would need to have a V10, 460 or 7.3 and towing package. Would a E250 be capable if it had the big engines?

As far as determining a selling price for a good condition modified vehicle, the formula that I have always used is Blue Book + 1/2 the cost of the modifications.

Anyway, that's my view on it.

Its a good thing I don't need to buy a 4x4 van any time soon, but I might finally have to use your formula bknudtsen. But Id still cringe because the 4x4 conversion ages and depreciates just as fast as the base van. Probably faster IMO. Then my luck the quigley I finally travel to buy develops the dreaded death wobbles on the way home.

This Van is reasonably priced. 06 quigley for less than $9K. To bad it's a chevy and has windows..

 

[bknudtsen]

As far as I know, the E250's only had the 5.4 liter, but had 3/4 ton running gear.

As far a pricing goes... it really depends on the age of the rig. I agree that the whole vehicle depreciates, including all the add-ons. So does the vehicle's structural and mechanical integrity. The timeless saying, "You get what you pay for" rings true here though. When it comes to 4x4 vans, owners know what they have into the conversion, and they are aware of the market. Be wary of someone trying to dump one cheap. There are many VERY scary hack-job conversions out there.

One way to go, and the best option IMHO, would be what alot of guys here do; find a deal on the cargo van you want, and then convert it yourself using the UJOR kit. That way you can spread your costs out over time, have newer running gear, and NO death wobbles! I may be biased though, so take my advice for what it's worth.

Good luck,

Brad