I am forced to tell a court what I think my Bath is worth! Can people tell me where to get an "authoritative" estimate?

It is a 40', 1991 diesel Barth in OK/good condition. The motor is up front (built on an International Navistar chassis)

Please help if you know how I can come up with a number a judge could take as somewhat real.

Thanks!!

Paul

Go to nada.com Click on "Consumer." Click on the "Recreation Vehicles" block. Click on "Motor Homes." Click on the letter "B" & select "Barth." Click on "1991."Pick your coach from among those listed. Click on "Get Used Value."

That will give you a "Low Retail," & an "Average Retail" value.

From my observation of actual sales over the past three years, fair market value is not likely to be more than 90% of the "Low Retail" value shown. It could be much less if the coach is not in the best condition for its age.

Fair market value is always determined by agreement between a willing buyer, & a willing seller. NADA or anything else is only an estimate. On today's soft market for used motor homes, that 90% might be high.

The matter is further complicated by the fact that your coach, a front engine diesel, is unique, not standard. That factor, if anything, reduces its value.

Pictures would also help for a non-standard configuration. Particularly interior shots. Some of those diesel pullers had difficult cockpit seat access.

Rather than just a Barth or NADA value, you might do what real estate agents do, and compare to "comps". An orphan brand like Barth is worth less on the market, as is any non-standard config.

Barths are hard to sell due to their orphan status and the high value owners place on them at sale time. Most shoppers are not aware, not convinced or not willing to pay for extra quality. That is a market reality everywhere, not just RVs. There is a limit to how much more a used buyer will pay for extra quality. New buyers are the ones who will pay for quality.

The ads in this forum always show the asking price. They should not be given much value, as the selling price is always a secret. If you can get selling prices, they will be of some value in placing a valuation on your coach.

Time on the market can also tell you something about the price. If it sells quickly, it was either fairly priced or the price dropped in negotiations. Or a buyer came along who just plain loved the coach and was willing to pay the asking price.

For your purposes I would use the highest/lowest value from NADA, whichever is in your favor. Court is an even bigger 'estimate' than NADA!

The judge may or mot be familiar with NADA, so you may need to establish it's validity.