Wear and tear on a motor home can be much more harsh than a standard car. People live in their motor homes for camping weekends or cross-country journeys. Any paint chips, water leaks, dents in the exterior or damage to the interior devalues the vehicle. Valuation tools like "NADA Guides" or "Kelley Blue Book" will ask you to place your motor home in a category of poor, fair, good or like new.
If you've only driven your motor home for weekend trips, you are going to have considerably less miles than someone who lived in their motor home or drove it on cross-country treks. Your motor home will be worth more than one from a heavy driver. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the average U.S. vehicle travels 12,000 miles per year. Divide the mileage by the number of years the car has been in service to see if it is below or above the average.
The amenities in a motor home are as important as the amenities in a car or hotel room. Satellite dishes, awnings beds, kitchens, indoor plumbing and solar panels all add to the value of the motor home. The better the working condition of the accessory, the higher price you can command for your motor home. In the book, "RV Vacations for Dummies" Harry Basch prices mini-motorhomes (19- to 31-feet, usually with cab overheads) in 2010 between $48,000 and $140,000 and regular motorhomes (26 feet and up) between $58,000 to $1.4 million. (Reference 2, pg 64-65)
