Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain... | To me, on a used trailer, it's all about what the value of it is to me. In my case the ramp would be a strike against the trailer. In most cases though, a dealer is going to look at it on a sliding scale. A two year old air conditioner is going to be worth more than a 10 year old air conditioner. Assuming your looking at an aluminum trailer though, that is 10 years old, I would think that 1/2 would be about right. |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 720
| Like TV says, it depends on what it is worth to you. I have a friend that just bought a really nice used trsiler, and took it to a shop and paid to have an enclosed haypod and ramp removed. His horses didn't ramp load, and he felt the pod was unsightly. But as new, they were $5,000 of options. On the AC, if you'll never use it, it is just another 150 pounds riding around and a place to leak- so negative value. If you'll use it, getting one for 1/2 price would be a bargain. So I guess I feel there is no pat answer to your question. Depends on your needs. What's custom and valuable for you, may just be unwanted clutter for the next person.
Edited by horsey1 2012-01-10 8:33 AM
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Expert
Posts: 5870
Location: western PA | I agree with the previous postings. Purchasing a trailer is very subjective, just like buying a house. Some people want carpeting, others want hardwood flooring. Some owners are minimalists, others are collectors. A dealer can be confronted with many different views, concerning an item he's selling, He will have to make his best deal, based on how well his product will appeal to the potential customer, or if it has any allure at all. A buying point is to use the items you don't like as a bargaining advantage. You can create a white lie and say that certain items you do like, are negatives. This is a common tool, used as well in reducing the overall costs. One advantage of used equippment over new, is the possibility of purchasing more options at a lower cost, than if you were buying new. We have encountered this with our trailers, and are pleased with our ownership of them. As was stated, the options will vary in value with age. A two year old AC unit will be much more valuable than a ten year old model. Obviously the older an appliance or feature, the more it has been used, and the more possibility of it wearing out with your ownership. A newer (2-5 years old) option may be worth half, an older option (5-10 years) may be worth only 10 -25%. A structural item will depreciate with the age of the trailer, an appliance will depreciate seperately, depending on its usage and condition. An appliance may not last as long as the trailer itself. Fortunately most are easy to upgrade and replace. When you purchase a used product, in the back of your mind, you must prepare a worst case scenario about how much it would cost to repair or replace any broken items. This list should be added to the purchase price and then compared to a new price. When you can save a third or half the cost of a trailer by buying used, you are left with a high margin to effect any repairs. Fortunately, most accessories are quite reliable and can last well into a couple of decades of use if properly maintained. |