[Jerry]

Be careful with that.

Being that Prevost are not in any books as to value, helps maintain a higher value for used coaches.

If they ever come out in NADA etc. the values will come down at a faster rate than they are now, which will hurt all of us.

Right now, Insurance companies and Lenders are in the Dark, But their perception is higher because of the “New” prices being so high.

Just my 2 cents.

[Roger]

Yes ,I agree with Jerry …be careful with that.

[Archived]

Be very, very, carefull!!! I would advise not to pursue it.

my 2 cents

[Archived]

Gentlemen,

All valid points and we are well aware of the dangers of the use of an NADA valuation, or worse someone doing an appraisal if they have no knowledge.

Our efforts have two objectives. The first is to make it easy for anyone to understand what their responsibility is regarding getting an appraisal for an agreed value policy, or for the sale of a coach or for the purchase of a coach. We have complete lists of the things an owner or person has to do to get the appraisal process started. The lists are simple and there is no question about what is required.

The second objective was to find how to get someone with Prevost motor home specific knowledge. That took some time. The first problem is that is like finding a needle in a hay stack. Even those who claim knowledge usually don’t have the depth of knowledge required to actually know the difference between conversions, to understand the things that impact value, and to know the appraisal has to be fair. We believe we have succeeded in finding the needle in the haystack. And better yet that expert has people around the country (I think the number is 1500) that can do the in-person inspection, take photos, look at documentation, etc, or he can do the appraisal via email. Obviously the email method requires more effort on our part, but we know what has to be done.

We discussed the lack of any data base of Prevost coaches. There are none. So the only way is to constantly monitor all places our coaches are listed for sale, all the time, and to maintain comparitive data. As a result the appraiser we are going to announce has done work for all the converters and several of the dealers whose names you would all recognize. He knows the same people we do. He knows what OTR means.

We are finalizing everything and as soon as it is all pulled togethr we will make an announcment outlining the requirements, costs, and procedures so anyone who is asked by their insurance company for proof of value has it all outlined so the appraisal will be done by an expert, it will be accepted by the insurance company and you will not be bounced around by different people telling different things to do just to get an agreed value.

[jack]

Just knowing what OTR is gives the appraiser instant credibility with me.

The acid test (for me at least) will be if the appraiser asked whether the subject Prevost is a fifth wheel or bumper pull.

I’ve been dealing with real estate appraisers most of my working career. I tried to sell real estate in the late 1970’s and got into the residential mortgage business in 1980 where I’ve been ever since.

Appraisals on anything (Prevost coaches, aircraft, real estate, antiques, etc.) is part science, part art, and part having access to accurate and current market information (what is for sale and and recently sold).

I have dealt with a thousand or more real estate appraisers over the years. Many were honest, hard working, and open minded. Some were arrogant, condescending, and thought their flatulence had the fragrance of freshly crushed rose petals. Some were lazy, stupid, and ignorant. Some where absolute crooks; and have served time for their trangressions.

One problemy with appraising anything, is that all too often the general public thinks an appraiser should be able to arrive at the value of something within a few dollars, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Some things are very homogenous and very easy to appraise … like a condo unit in a 500 unit project that has just two different floor plans on two floors and there is a 5% to 10% turnover every year. Many other things are much more difficult to appraise. Like large, customer built homes.

At best, I would expect an appraiser to provide a value range for a coach appraisal. The hardest thing for the appraiser is going to get accurate, reliable information on the actual sales price, condition, specs, and component times of coaches that sell … especially those that sell as private sales without a broker, converter, or dealer involved. Armed with that information, our coaches should be fairly easy to appraise.

While I value the ability of the appraiser to do appraisals on our coaches, I’m not sure if I would share information about my coach transaction with the appraiser or not. I would ecourage all of you to share information about your transactions.

[Larry & Diane]

You’re concerns are dully noted and rest assured, we would never do anything to devalue our coaches.

If you’re going to insist on Stated Value policies, sooner or later you are going to be faced with an appraisal and I for one would rather deal with someone that knows a Prevost doesn’t have a fifth wheel or hydraulic jacks. Think about what appraisal you may end up with when the insurance company chooses the appraiser who doesn’t know jack about a converted Prevost. Talk about devalue….

The appraiser we are dealing with is likely to be on all the approved lists with the insurance companies we’re familiar with. You don’t have to use them, but as the insurance companies tighten up who they will allow to submit appraisals, a PC source may save the day. The days of getting XYZ Coach Company to whip up an appraisal that will be acceptable to the insurance companies are fading away.

[Wilbur]

This is Trina Peters Wife so you don’t think it’s him ….. If you clowns think you are doing any one a favor you are wrong , I bought a coach from Tom and spent 65,000 thousand dollars on getting it right , are you sure. I bought a coach from liberty and spent 45,000 on getting it right This might put me out of the forum , or Peter but get your shit together , I had mine detailed by dazzling detail and they ,messed it up polished stainless and I had to do it over to make it right , How are you going to get somebody to know how much a coach is worth , I use mine every week about 1500 miles a week, I have replaced all things to make it right , so tell me how you will do that , since you can’t drive out of a parking space with out hitting a coaches mirrors and you cant fix what’s wrong with a coach that u sold to us and took 65,000 dollars to get right , how are you going to do this , maybe you drive your coach 8’weeeks a year but we don’t ,The words we heard is buyer be ware , really that’s the best you got. ,
get your shit together , you can bullshit some of the players but I am one of the players , we do it every day !!!!!!!!!! So what is the answer now ,Oh forgot some excuse , of why it is the way it is , whatever before you answer , hope you can sell your coach to somebody that you think does not know , get your shit together , we are working people , we roll every day maybe Jon you could take your bus out of your pit and quit reading the Internet and reading the answers , oh wait, Tom ,might help you out !!!!!

If

[Marius]

I guess Trina did not like the Appraisal thing…Glad I am on the road.

[Archived]

No point even responding to that, we are clowns.

[Archived]

As a newcomer without a coach, but in search of a coach, I actually believe this endeavor has merit for both the seller and a future buyer of that coach.

Most items of any value have some type of “appraised value” in the market place. Whether its our residences, vehicles, boats, art, gun collection, antique furniture, etc. To get a somewhat “accurate” appraisal on these items, not only is the “sales” factor taken into account (which is low for a Prevost compared to other low priced RVs), but the “condition” of that item will be taken into account. The condition wiil range from poor to excellent with qualifiers in each of those cateogories. This certainly has value for any seller or buyer of that particular Prevost.

I see appraising a Prevost, partly based on condition of not only the chassis, but the converter, to be valid. No difference than appraising a GMC Tahoe vs. Denali which are based on the same chassis, but the Denali received substantial interior upgrades. Not only that, that vehicle will be rated for its mileage and condition.

This method will give incentive for those of you who keep your coachs in outstanding condition to get top dollar once you’re ready to sell, and individual converters will be recognized for what upgrades/luxury items that build into the coaches.

On the other hand, those who don’t keep either the chassis or the coach’s maintenance/condition current will suffer, like in all other things of value, when they go to sell that coach.

Where am I going wrong on this?

[Davy]

Trina has hit a hot button with every one of us and she is correct.

The reality is we all are drving a coach whose value is a moving target. To add to the difficulty we face when we want to insure the coach for agreed value is our perception of value is absolutely meaningless to the insurance company that might have to write a check for a total loss. To the insurance company, the appraiser, or the market place some things we spend money for on a coach don’t add a penny of market value. If you don’t like carpeting and spend $20,000 to put in a new floor covering such as wood or tile, its impact on the selling price is a fraction of the cost. If you don’t like the color of the paint on your coach and decide to do a $30,000 paint job on it the selling price is likely to be unaffected compared to sales of similar coaches. If your engine blows up and you just spent $25,000 to replace it you coach has not increased in value. But if you did not fix the engine, you can be assured it will be appraised at significantly less than the value of comparable coaches.

To use Trina’s example of money Peter spent on his coach, keep in mind most of that was to replace parts that he wanted to be new because he needs the reliability. He was fixing what wasn’t broke. Some of us do that because we have little tolerance for surprises so we throw away a lot of good parts to get the peace of mind that comes with knowing we have new parts. That will bump the market value a little, but nowhere near what it cost to put a coach in that near new condition.

So an appraisal tends to be a cold, calculated best guess as to what the coach is worth. It is not necessarily going to reflect what an owner thinks the value is, but what the appraiser thinks the market thinks the value is.

We have learned that something we have stated for years has an impact on value. A coach with a well documented maintenance history is going to have more value than one that does not. We have also learned that despite our feelings to the contrary, a coach wholse mileage reflects steady use over the years such as a 200,000 mile 20 year old coach is viewed as less valuable as one that has 60,000 miles over its 20 year life. We have to see if there is some middle ground on that issue.

But we are comforted to know the companyt we are dealing with actually understands how OTR, slides, and different converters all come into play at determining value. We are also pleased to know the fluctuation in depreciation due to market conditions is correctly taken into consideration.

When Tom and I are completely comfortable making a recomendation we will.

[DON]

On second thought, this does deserve a response and I’ll take off my clown hat.

For those that don’t know me, I would never have sold anyone a coach that needed 65K in repairs. When I sold Peter the 97 Royale, it was as good as they come and Trina knows it. Peter replaces everything because that’s just what he wants to do, whether it’s needed or not.

Will you recoup all the repair or update expenditures, necessary or unnecessary with an appraisal, absolutely not.

[DON]

Guy’s…… this subject is a train wreck.

[Dick]

We have used a company called Automotive Appraisal Services. Mark is very professional, is a certified appraiser with the National Association of Vehicle Appraisers, and is an accepted vehicle appraiser with the IRS. He has done appraisals for many of our customers for both finance purposes, and agreed value insurance policies. He also recently did an appraisal for us for a 501C non-profit that purchased a coach from us. He can work with photographs, and specs remotely. Marks number is (800) 495-2525 and he is located in Yorba Linda, CA. I beleive the cost on the last appraisel he did for us was $3000. He provides a very detailed report with photographs that is usually around 10-15 pages in length with comps.

[Mike]

This is Trina

I will start with an apology – Tom you aren’t a clown and my sharp words were il uncalled for. John put mostly what I was thinking into a much more eloquent answer than I did….and yes peter is a preventative maintenance person as it’s much easier to fix a minor piece than wait for the minor piece to cause a major wreck. I do believe it is a justified practice that more people acquire. As for selling a bus and it being “up to snuff” … Tom did sell the bus acceptable to his guidelines… And after buying a bus from liberty and what their acceptable guidelines as were… I have learned to quickly check dates on things like batteries and date codes on tires to not get too specific… And to question what there definition of “service” is… For example, I own a Mercedes… And if I tell you it’s been serviced… Did it get the $150 oil change or did it get the $375 A+ service?

Lastly, I do think by involving an appraiser for your buy and sell needs you are going to lose your personalized “Prevost community” as it will become more blue book, cold…rather than taking the time to get to know the people that lived in it and the buses quirks and life… Which in turn is creating this special community you have…. With that I sign off and apologize again for offending anyone …

Regards,



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