Selling the caravan due to terminal illness
Please forgive me for using this channel if the wrong thing to do.
In a nutshell I have months to live and need to sell my caravan fairly quickly. If it was solely the standard caravan with standard accessories i would go to a dealer or advertise it. However, I have so many extras like Sat TV , 2 nearly Kampa Air Awnings, drainage and water connections for Fully serviced pitches plus a number of other items like gas cylinders etc.
My request is what should I do to get a reasonable amount for my wife?
Comments
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My sincere condolences on your prognosis.
I don't think there is a "right" way to do this. There is a "wrong" way and that would be leaving it your wife to sort out.
What would I do? Not easy but there is a caravan specialist who buys second hand caravans and gives a decent price within distance from me. I would look online and ascertain how much the unit is worth without the extras and use that as a starting point. Then check on somewhere like eBay to see how much it would cost for the extras and deduct a percentage for being second hand. The dealer may well be prepared to buy the extras with the caravan but allow a % leeway from your asking price.
The other way would be to seek out a broker prepared to negotiate on your behalf.
I'm sorry if this doesn't help but I fear I would be in as much of a quandary as you.
Good luck to you.
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Very sorry to hear your news Mr H.
We had an experience with our friends, they had a caravan but my friend's terminally ill husband wanted to carry on with the van till the last minute, so we all went along with that and he enjoyed doing it. Sadly when he was no longer there we helped our friend empty out the van and she asked a dealer to value and buy the van. The van was sold for a reasonable price. My OH did a list of all the separate contents and items were gradually sold or given away from their home base. However this was an awful strain for all of us and I think it's better to let it all go while you are able to sort things yourself. I think sales sites like ebay or Facebook offer routes out of these situations. In the past we have sold our own caravan items including awnings on ebay, they sold very quickly!
I do hope you can find a way through this so that it's not too burdensome for both of you. My sincere best wishes.
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I echo the comments above. My guess is coming up to Easter and start of the season I suspect a fully equipped van could be very appealing to a new caravaner or someone upgrading. However another thought is are you open to club members helping you directly with this task and lessen this particular challenge? Maybe some local to where you live and leave you to concentrate your time on your wife and family. If you are in or around West Yorkshire i for one would be happy to assist.
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I sold my campervan through Autotrader. They have a great web site with lots of instructions, advise as to how to advertise What to do with viewings and advise on the way to receive payment. Also scam warnings. I had a number of viewings. The buyer came with full details of themselves, Driver licence. They arranged insurance there and then and made the payment direct to my account before leaving. No problems, never felt uneasy and got a very good price compared with the trade.
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Just to add to my previous post i sold my two previous vans through a fixed price ebay advert. However given your situation I can see the benefit of reducing the unnecessary stress by selling direct to trade, either a dealer or ‘we buy any caravan’ type business. Unless minded to get some help as I suggested earlier I would probably go for the sale to trade idea if I was in your situation.
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I too can only echo the previous comments.
It's good you've had the courage to ask, minor in consideration in the grand scheme of things, and brilliant that folks can offer food for thought. I wouldn't have a clue myself.
We had to dispose of a motorhome with issues after my OH was very ill. We contacted someone who advertised in the magazines who would buy in any condition. He travelled down from Yorkshire to Essex. He was very pleased with how it was presented and was sad he couldn't offer what he'd have like to if it didn't need work, that was beyond us and no one local could assist but came to what we considered a very fair offer. Drove it off then and there once the money hit our account.
I wish you all the best as you sort things, take care and enjoy valuable time with those you love. None of us know if tomorrow exists for us or what it offers. ❤
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Similar sentiments from us Mr H, I hope you can get things sorted as you need to at this difficult time. Good advice and kind sentiments on here.
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Likewise from me, too. Hope you are able to get the sale concluded rapidly and without stress.
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Mr H..As said above you don't need the hassle..take to a dealer. We have done just that and got more than we expected..When I asked if we were not PX against another what would be the difference, he said there would be very little difference as good second hand caravans were in demand. As for the extras..unfortunately they will not be worth much as second hand so again not worth the hassle..put them up for sale as bundle..
Good Luck..
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I echo the views of the 3 posters above.
Maybe even ring one of the 'we buy any van' types to get an idea of a starting price.
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We tried contacting one of those "we buy......" but no-one bother getting back to us, so I would suggest that going through a dealer may will produce better results.
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Really sorry to read this news, MrH. May I echo the comments above and send my good wishes and prayers. I do tend to agree with many of the comments above... GTP sums it up well. I'd go with the dealer option for a quick but generally fair sale.
David
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Thank you all for your kind responses. I think I will use the dealership for the Caravan sale with most accessories but as the latest Air awning was £1200 just 2 years ago and we have only used it 3 times I might try for a separate sale.
Thanks again
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Have a look at The Caravan Place on UTube. Yesterday he was desperate to up his second hand stock, guessing most dealers are the same
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkHf-Wggb-I
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A couple of months ago I posted about selling the caravan. Have been able to sell accessories but not the caravan. It would seem most dealers have a glut of secondhand 2 berth caravans. Even the “We buy any caravans” group quoted a price but when I said ok they then came back with we have no space. All this without seeing the condition. Still will keep trying but lack energy due to the cancer and Chemo is making it very tiring. I struggle to engage or release the mover so I am reliant on collection only rather than driving into a dealership.However, I just thought to post this update as most caravaners would be surprised about the current situation. Thanks again all your kind posts.
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Unfortunately 2 berth caravans have never been hugely popular on the used market, it isn’t just the current market. If I lived close by I would have been happy to assist you with selling, I have sold previous cars and caravans successfully on eBay and autotrader. I do hope someone comes forward to offer assistance. If you are in any of the ‘clubs’, it might be worth contacting them directly to see if they have a centre local to you that might offer help. Other options are trying Facebook (I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea) or the independent (and very good) Caravan Talk forum.
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It would appear dealers are having problems at the present and are unwilling to take in vans. They are over stocked and cannot get buyers. Trying to sell privately is also a problem as the same lack of buyers exists. I've just sold my current van, my 4th Eriba. The previous 3 I had kept between 2 and 6 years and always got back what I paid for them. This time I am £3K short on my return on a mint 6 year old van.
For those out there who can sell and want another van then Massive discounts are to be had on new stock.
Colin
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Well our caravan has now been sold and our touring days (11 years) have now come to an end. Had to take a real hit as the caravan had damp I genuinely did not know about. Three walls were affected and with Lunar no longer trading replacement parts are not available. Such a shock as all the caravaners that saw it thought it was in excellent condition. There was no way I could sell it knowing the issues. So it went for scrap value instead of the normal secondhand value of £7000. A sad end to the fun times we have had. Mr H
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You’ve done the best thing and it’s now one less thing to worry about.
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Time to say thank you to all contributors that have enhanced our touring days. My favourite was a spoof when I asked if it was ok to use two 100watt speakers in the awning providing I kept the door closed. Very quickly someone added a grand piano until we had a full orchestra. It proved what a good lot our members are. I will miss you all.
Mr H16
