Bus for Sale Guide - buses for sale everywhere so read for help choosing the right bus first
Bus Selling Options
If after reading this you decide to sell your bus on your own see Selling a Bus for a complete discussion into all the areas you should prepare for and be advised of.
Selling Options - The two most common options: 1) Sell it yourself, 2) list your bus as a consignment unit with a used bus dealership. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed below.
Selling the bus yourself - people list the bus for sale in the local newspaper, hang a "for sale" sign on the windshield, and park it on a road with a lot of traffic. Word of mouth helps too. Keep your insurance up to date for test drives, check drivers licenses if letting strangers drive your bus, and make sure bus runs good.
If you fail to disclose something that you know is broke on the bus and the buyer later finds out about it, they now know where you live. Clubs, rallies, flea market parking lots, car races, football games, and personal contacts are helpful in getting the word out that your bus is for sale.
A serious buyer is going to want to drive the bus, test the water and appliances, run the generator, check out the lights and entertainment options. If something goes wrong while testing it out, offer to correct it before completing the sale. Do not offer warranties or assurances.
Some buyers might want to have your bus appraised. If they are serious, and willing to put down a deposit, let them have the bus evaluated at their cost. Make sure they agree to give you a copy of the results to use for the next prospective buyer (if they don't buy). Stay with your bus during this appraisel. It will protect you and you will probably learn something.
ADVANTAGES to selling a bus yourself include: could put thousands of dollars of extra cash extra in your pocket, may have the least upfront cost, it is easy to start. If you are a full-timer using the bus to live aboard this may be the only have and it is easier to do on buses costing less than $15,000.
DISADVANTAGES of selling a bus yourself include - it might take a while, the bus depreciates during this time, the more it sits the harder it is to start and drive, the new buyer will know where you live (and may have been invited into your home for negotiations), you don't get any support from a third party, nobody to help you during negotiations, could be hard to secure bus financing, have to answer phone inquires, schedule and keep appointments, and show the bus. You could possibly underprice your bus, there is some difficulty handling the transfer of money and title (cashiers check verses cash, when do they title the vehicle since it leaves your yard in YOUR NAME and in some cases with YOUR license plate on it). Make sure they have their own insurance in place before leaving.
ADVANTAGES of paying a dealer to sell your bus include - this is the fastest most assured method of selling a bus, easier to get an objective price, you have a "middle man" to handle some negotiations, insurance, title work, deposits, escrow, you don't have to meet the buyers, your identity remains more secure, they show the bus and pay for the marketing of the bus and may in some situations have a ready buyer on hand, dealers are also there to advise you and make recommendations based on many years of experience and their judgment of the CURRENT market conditions, which change daily.
DISADVANTAGES of paying a dealer to sell your bus include: not an option if you are living in the bus, could cost you as much as 25% in net profit.
Bottom Line: Price the bus correctly the first time and it will sell. It may take a few months. Overpriced, worn out, troublesome coachs take much longer to sell, if they sell at all. Anything that sticks out as a problem can ruin the sale. I have seen buyers literally flinch when they looked into the portable plastic toilet bowl on a certain expensive Class A motor home that was for sale. The simple minor problem the seller did not address of a stained toilet may have cost them the sale.
If after reading this you decide to sell your bus on your own see Selling a Bus for other areas you should prepare for and be advised of.
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