Which way around?

[CorinneD]

We have a 2005 Compass Avantgarde 300. It is in good condition inside and out and very low mileage (under 23000miles) We have more or less decided that we would like to upgrade it to a slightly newer one with a different layout. Our dilemma is: Should we advertise it, wait for it to sell then start to look for another one? In which case if we sold it , we could end up without another one until the right one comes along. Or - if we find one we want which is being sold privately, buy it then be stuck with two for however long our current one takes to sell. Or - 3 buy though a dealer with part exchange and accept that a. we will probably pay a higher price for the newer one than purchasing through a private sale and b. also get a lower price for our trade in? We keep going over the ins and outs and can't decide what to do. Thoughts please Motorhome Fun people.

 

[meanders]

You have summed it up well. There is no easy or guaranteed winning way of doing things. I have always bought and PX'd through dealers for convenience, but I know I might have saved a bit selling privately. I only had room to park one so ending up with two would cost me money anyway. Those with large and secure driveways would probably take a different path.

 

[Janine]

Would you even get a slightly newer one at a dealership who would take yours in px?

Would you miss out on holidays if you sold yours and couldn't find another?

Might you buy the wrong van in desperation?

Do you have room/funds to have two vans for a while?

Lots of questions!

 

[Roby2008]

Sell then have the cash / finance in hand for the next one, you can act quickly and have negotiating power.
If you sell mid/late season then you have a good few months to find the next one...

 

[1967bowesj]

We did option three as the right one just popped up and if we had waited we would not have been able to get it. Since buying it last summer there has not been another one the same for sale. Oh cause you “may” get more private and possibly get the newer one a bit cheaper but only you can make that choice. Also main season is almost here so people who are able to buy may well just keep the market going, then again it may just slow down, at that point you may not be able to get rid of yours.

Good luck

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[CorinneD]

Thanks everyone. We paid £22k for ours about 18 months ago (I suppose we did pay a bit more due to the pandemic) Looking to pay under 40k for the next one. Could afford to buy before selling but it would mean 2 vans in the garden which we would prefer not to do. We do have an acre of garden so space not a problem. We ideally want one with either 2 single beds or a fixed bed with room around the sides so we don't have to climb over one another. Also outside locker storage. Hubby would like one with a garage large enough for a motorcycle (but don't think that is going to happen as most ones with a garage have a raised up bed and you have to climb steps to get up and down it). There is nothing wrong with the one we have, we just want a bit more storage really.