Life simply seems more fun on the road. You and your motorhome will have shared some memorable experiences. But what happens when it comes time to upgrade, downsize, or retire from motorhome life altogether?
You could sell privately, go through a dealer, or trade in your Carado, Bürstner or HYMER to us at Wilderness. We may even be able to sell it on your behalf, using our expert knowledge of these brands.
Whether you decide to sell your motorhome with us or list it yourself, you’ll want to prepare, stage, price and present it well to achieve a great result.
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Ensure your motorhome is ready for prospective buyers to check over. If it’s been parked up or kept in storage for a while, the following steps are particularly important.
Inspect all of your motorhome’s appliances to ensure they are working properly. Check the operation of your oven, fridge, freezer, basins, shower and toilet. Consider getting any faults or annoyances looked at by a professional.
Also check your motorhome’s faucets, sockets, fittings and gas cylinder. Do any obvious breaks or imperfections need repairing or replacing?
Test your in-cab functions too. Potential buyers will want to test drive your motorhome before committing to a sale, so make sure you check that your indicators, headlights and brake lights are working. Plug your music and other devices into USB outlets to ensure they’re still functioning.
Make sure your motorhome battery is working well. Charge it on mains power for at least 24 hours. If it’s not holding its charge, get it checked at a workshop.
Save time and money by doing some maintenance work yourself. Here are a few tasks to consider.
Fuel filters need to be replaced every two years. If your replacement fuel filter leaks because it doesn’t seal properly, you may have to replace the housing at the same time.
These are designed to filter out dust and debris to help your motorhome engine breathe clean air. If they’re discoloured or dirty, you should replace them as they affect your engine’s efficiency.
Pollen filters reduce the levels of pollen in the cab. You can locate them near the vent at your windscreen’s base or sometimes behind the dashboard centre console.
Filling up your brake fluid reservoir to the mark is easily done, but to replace it you’re best to take your motorhome to a service centre.
Motorhome manufacturers recommend specific oil blends for each of their models. Check the specific requirements for your engine in your owner’s manual.
If you feel confident enough to change your motorhome’s oil, remember to have a drainage pan large enough to take the old oil and to drop it off (perhaps in the empty new-oil container) at a refuse station.
Like engine oil, coolant or antifreeze is specified in the motorhome manual. Check whether your coolant is concentrated or not. If it is, you’ll have to dilute it using distilled rather than tap water.
Look at your motorhome manufacturer’s specifications and top up your power steering fluid as instructed.
Headlight bulbs on most motorhomes are able to be replaced without having to remove the headlights. To replace your taillight bulbs, you may have to partially disassemble their housing.
Buyers will want to know that the motorhome doesn’t leak. Water leaks can cause considerable damage that may be expensive to repair. At Wilderness, we can carry out a full water tightness test for you — but you can also do some simple checks yourself.
Spray water along all your seals and vents, plus around any satellite dishes and solar panels. Then take a close look to see if water has entered your motorhome from any of these possible weak points.
If your motorhome is covered by a water tightness guarantee, you’ll need to ensure the annual water tightness test is done by a certified service centre.
Preventing water leaks is an important factor in reducing your motorhome’s rate of depreciation.
It’s important to have any mechanical and technical issues highlighted so you can:
By clearly knowing what needs fixing and what has been repaired (with detailed receipts of the work done), you’ll be able to decide on a more competitive asking price.
Check whether the following certificates are up-to-date:
If they’re not, you may want to get them renewed as they’ll make your motorhome more appealing to prospective buyers.
First impressions make a huge difference. This is why staging your motorhome impeccably could be the most important part of preparing it for sale.
Think of it as a house-on-wheels, because it really is, and it needs to be presented as if you were selling a house. If you can stage your motorhome to feel comfy, be functional and look beautiful, you’ll have a greater chance of selling it fast and for an excellent price.
The idea is to make your motorhome more aesthetically pleasing, and therefore more appealing to potential buyers. Try the following suggestions.
A spick-and-span looking motorhome will give you another advantage when putting it on the market. By dedicating some time and effort into sprucing it up, you’ll save yourself the extra costs of having it professionally cleaned. Plus, you’ll increase the chances of a sweet sales result.
Aim to check off the following cleaning tasks to prep your motorhome for sale.
This should be the first cleaning job you tackle considering the runoff over the sides of your vehicle. Be sure to utilise the right tools like a:
The tools you used to clean the roof can also be useful when washing the front, sides and back of your motorhome. Having a mains water supply available will obviously make this task easier.
Stick with a fairly soft spray rather than a pressure washer as it can damage the sides and seals of your motorhome. Then:
Lastly, protect your motorhome by giving it a deep shine using a wax finish.
A sparkling kitchen is one that invites cooking — and that’s the impression you’re wanting to make through images of your motorhome and when a potential buyer views it in person. Ensure you:
Thoroughly cleaning your motorhome bathroom helps create an impression about how well you’ve kept your vehicle. Be sure to:
Freshening up your motorhome’s living spaces will help make it almost feel like new again. Make sure you:
Use a mild detergent with warm water to clean the interior walls and ceiling of your motorhome with a damp cloth.
Wipe down additional surfaces such as in the cab, and vacuum carpet areas.
When you’ve finished, remember to open your motorhome’s doors and windows to get the air flowing and prevent condensation and dampness.
Consider revitalising all your linen. Will a new, lighter tone of pillowcases, blankets and cushions make your motorhome feel like new again?
If buying new isn’t an option, refresh your linen by washing and then pressing it using an iron.
Be sure that necessary household items are in their right place — but only keep what’s needed. You don’t want your motorhome cluttered and cramped. Remove personal items that may not appeal to others’ tastes.
Think about how you could add some finer touches like a small floral arrangement or freshly folded towels on the bed. You want your motorhome to feel inviting like checking into a luxurious hotel.
If there’s ever a situation where a picture is worth a thousand words, then it’s while staging your motorhome.
Taking both exterior and interior photos with a semi-professional SLR camera may give your listing extra interest over others. Also consider the following when taking your staging pics:
Ideally, you want your images to give potential buyers a sense of what it will feel like to live in your motorhome.
Working out a reasonable price for your motorhome will mean undertaking some valuable research.
Check online to see how the same model of a similar age is priced and what it’s selling for — or chat to your motorhome dealer for guidance.
Extras like solar panels can make your motorhome more appealing to a prospective buyer. Always share full details of any additional features when writing up your listing.
Bürstner, Carado and HYMER motorhomes are known for holding their value, but you’ll need to factor in:
The final steps in preparing to sell your motorhome involve giving potential buyers all the information they need to know.
Think back to when you purchased your motorhome. What did you need to know before being confident enough to make an offer?
Consider writing your listing as an opportunity to answer all your potential buyer’s queries. Take a look at other listings online to get an idea of what information needs to be available.
Add any extra creature comforts that could elevate your offering above others.
Remember to answer questions promptly, especially if you’re listing on an open platform such as trademe.
It’s showtime — so you’ll want to take some time preparing your motorhome to show everything’s in superb working condition. We suggest:
Be sure to encourage viewings by making yourself as available as possible for prospective buyers. Answer any questions as best you can and help them imagine themselves on the road enjoying your motorhome.
Let us sell your motorhome for you. Put your motorhome in the hands of our team of Bürstner, Carado and HYMER experts. |