I have no idea of what your trailer is worth. You didn't give any details about the trailer and in fairness you stated you were not looking for help, but rather ranting.

If you have had multiple dealer quote you a value, then I suspect that is what the trade in value is. You might get a little more selling it outright vs trading.

I compare most purchases in life to a water heater. Since I built my home, there have been numerous improvements to water heaters. More efficent, heat faster, cheaper to operate etd.  None of them motivates me enough to go buy a new water heater. If I get up in the morning and I get a cold shower, I go out and buy a new water heater. Whats the difference, My true motivation isn't the few pennies each month I will save, but rather I like hot showers and I will spend money to avoid cold showers.

My advice, If you need the larger horsetrailer. Go buy it if you can afford it. Two or three years from now when this economy finally recovers, your current 8008 trailer will be 2-3 years older and 2-3 years more depreciated. New trailers will cost more. I don't think we will ever see new materials drop in cost.  Steel and aluminum and other metals continue to increase in cost.  Instead of the difference between your current 8008 and larger trailer you desire being $25,000, it may be $35,000.

I think some of it is more than just the economy.  Some of it has to do with supply and demand.  Think of the number of nice living quarter trailers you see on the road now, compared to 3, 5 or 10 years ago.  Also, you see a lot of "cheaper" new living quarter trailers.  Whether the manufacturer is using "cheaper" materials, or the price is just coming down. 

Also, if you put the shoe on the other foot as if you were looking to buy your current trailer, how much of savings would you want for the used compared to the new.  A lot of people spending $30,000 to $40,000+ on a living quarter trailer would rather spend several thousand more to get the new one.  I would think a new one to be easier to finance longer.  As a buyer, I am usually a little suspect on too new of a used trailer.  Thinking that maybe there was something the owner didn't like about it, was having problems with something, so traded it off right away.

Just as with a new vehicle, the original owner takes the greatest depreciation hit the second they drive it off the lot.  Trading it back in too earlier will probably put that depreciation on you, and hit you in the pocket book.  That's just the price for not buying the larger trailer to start with, or not wanting to use your current trailer for more years.  When a bank will give you 15 years to pay on a trailer, and after a couple of years you have paid off minimal principal and want to trade, it's hard to come out financially (see current economy). 

That's just my opinion, I am not talking about you specifically.

Keep in mind though, you should always be able to make your trailer bring more money than a dealer can. It's all psychological with the buyer... Buyers expect dealers to negotiate further than what an individual typically will. An individual has the story of the trailer, can give a buyer all of the qwerks of the trailer. They can give the history of the trailer and add value to it. Most of the time a buyer will spend more with an individual than they will with the dealer.

Most dealers will also have the expense of running the trailer through their shop, checking that everything works, in most cases cleaning, in some cases cleaning where it's required (bedding), advertise, pay utilities, stand behind the product that they sell, take trades, etc. And then to keep their doors open, still make money. If more than one dealer has given you a trade value, it's hard to say that they are all trying to double their money.

I talked to a dealer yesterday that said he's been having a record year so far.  He's selling more trailers now than before the Great Recession. 

I don't buy into the fact that a dealer would have to put money into my trailer to service it before they sell it.  Washing it and packing the bearings is labor and its not like they have to hire anyone to come in special.  They have an existing workforce and their cost is simply the cost of doing business which they pay for every month. 

I also heard that I would get more for my trailer if I was looking to order a new 2011 12'LQ.  Seems no one wants to negotiate with me on a 10" LQ that's already in stock. 

I don't buy into the fact that a dealer would have to put money into my trailer to service it before they sell it.  Washing it and packing the bearings is labor and its not like they have to hire anyone to come in special

I absolutely cringe when I read ignorant statements like that.  They are paying their employees good money to work on the trailer - they could be working on something else.  Of course they should be compensated for the money they put into the trailer to make it presentable. 

So because it's labor, it's free? I know that's not what you meant, but it is how it sounded. It is a cost of doing business. But it is also crazy to think that they can set any trailer on the lot with no additional costs. It is a cost of monthly business, but they have to sell trailers in order to cover that expense. And if they don't, that is where service comes in and helps cover it. If they don't pay for their service internally (even though no money actually changes hands), it makes no sense for their service department to touch a trailer that they own. They can make more money from outside trailers.

Also think about the liability if they don't pull your trailer into their shop to check it. Even though you know it's right, they don't know it until they check it. It would be a bad deal for a dealership to send a trailer out that they had never checked and have it run over someone a few miles down the road.

As far as dealers selling more now than they were before... Maybe your economy is better there in TN than it is here in OK because I have seen three dealerships close up here do to lack of sales.

I think you've misunderstood me.   Servicing my trailer does not cause a dealer any incremental cost.  They already have staff on hand that is part of their monthly operating expense. 

My trailer is a 2006.

 Servicing my trailer does not cause a dealer any incremental cost.

It causes the dealer a loss of income.  Your lack of understanding on how a business works is just astounding.  The employees could be working on customer trailers which provides income that in turn covers their salary and benefits (plus all the other expenses associated with running a business).  Having those employees work on a trailer that may sit for months on their lot costs money that may never be recovered.

Does anyone else find it ironic that someone unhappy with their trade-in value elects to post about it on the very site that gives you an alternative?  Isn't that why horsetrailerworld.com was conceived?  Another option to trade-in, advertise nationwide and sell the trailer yourself.  Isn't that what we are all doing at this site? 

A dealer that doesn't want your used trailer unless they can turn a high profit.  Imagine that.  If the trailer is worth much more than what the dealers will allow on a trade, I would think selling that trailer on this site at a fair price would be a no brainer.

We hardly trade anything in- cars, etc.  

We usually sell them ourselves and then go buy what we want.   

The different between trade in value and you selling it yourself is always a pretty large amount.

That work will most likely wait until there is a mechanic with down time during his regular work week. Just as the staff that is paid to detail auto's and trailer trade in's, that "expense" is built into the amount paid on the trade.  The dealer is "losing" nothing, he would be doing the future owner of that trade a huge disservice and setting himself up for a web-forum tongue lashing for not inspecting (you have to repack bearings to properly inspect them) that trailer. Its just good business.

As for the OP, the "loss" you take on a trade is what it "cost" you to not have to sell it yourself, "cost of doing business".

he would be doing the future owner of that trade a huge disservice and setting himself up for a web-forum tongue lashing for not inspecting (you have to repack bearings to properly inspect them) that trailer. Its just good business.

Exactly where do I say or imply that a used trailer should not be inspected prior to sale???  My point is that it costs the dealer in income (and time) to take a trade-in - there ain't no free lunch.  The dealer must decide to pay his employees to work on the trailer.  Even if there are no customers, the employees could be doing maintenance/repairs around the shop.  In addition, the dealer will have $20K or more of capital tied up in that trailer that is sitting there taking up valuable space while all the time it is deteriorating and depreciating on his lot.  The dealer may have better uses for the money.  In today's economy, it is even more risky to take in used LQ trailers which is why they don't want to pay a lot for them.

You didnt! You stated that they should be reimbursed for doing the repair. Kind of like saying that the previous owner should pay you to fix your new-to-you used car, where in fact it is up to you to consider that when you make the offer to buy.  I guess that I disagree that the OP made an "ignorant" statement.

You stated that they should be reimbursed for doing the repair. Kind of like saying that the previous owner should pay you to fix your new-to-you used car, where in fact it is up to you to consider that when you make the offer to buy.

I never said they should be reimbursed by the previous owner.  I'm sure the cost figured into his low offer.  Again, my point is that nothing done to the trailer is 'free'.  The OP thinking that just because the employees are at work that it would cost the dealer nothing to work on the trailer is ignorant.

It could be implied, just as you took the liberty of implying the OP stated it would cost them nothing when they clearly stated the dealer would incur no cost above what they would already be paying in the normal cost of paying existing employees which I attempted to help clarify, to no avail.

I think that what everyone is trying to say is that the dealer will not incur any additional salary expense above and beyond what he normally pays.  I totally agree with this.  What I do not agree with is that there is no additional cost to the dealer.  Salary expenses are just a subset of the total cost of running a business. 

This thread reminds me of a conversation I had a couple of weeks ago with a person who was lamenting that their mother's doctor was no longer taking medicaid/medicare patients.  I tried to explain that often the payments for service do not cover their costs.  The person then said that the doctor should just lower his prices!!  After a minute or two of this I realized the person had no clue how a business runs so I changed the subject as soon as I could.

So Paracadista, how's the weather out your way?