Sportsmobile RB Penthouse E-250 2wd value help

[stx4wheeler]

I am currently looking at a 1997 sportsmobile RB 2wd E-250 and Im trying to get a feel on what the current market value of it would be before making an offer. I have went over it with a fine tooth comb and found a lot of issues.

Info: Sportmobile 2wd RB E-250, with Penthouse setup is close to an RB 30 series with gaucho couch, two burner stove, 110/12vlt fridge, microwave, Starcool rear AC, and gas heater. 5.4 V-8 with Estimated 100K miles( broken odometer).

The good:
Penthouse and canvas are in good shape and doesn't appear to be leaking
All electrical seems to be working(and hasn't been modified to much)
No oil leaks from engine an transmission
Drives/stops/shifts as it should

The bad:
Van has a messed up rear door that allowed a lot of rain to come in fully saturate the carpet which in turn soaked up into the mdf cabinets and ruined almost every cabinet in the van( it smells horribly of mold/mildew)
Starcool isnt cooling just the fan will blow
Heater doesn't appear to be working
Owner cant prove mileage cause broken odometer ( engine condition seems to be close to what is estimated)
Leaky radiator
Broken AC blend door
Front fenders/hood/doors have been poorly repainted with overspray all over(most likely repair from some type of accident even though frame and all components look correct. The black pinstripe is a poorly done sticker so paint underneath would be faded and nasty if removed to match front end.
Driver rear door is bent up some, wont open and needs replacing to stop water intrusion
Tires are decent tread but pretty old and on their way out
small spider cracks/gelcoat cracks in penthouse top


I don't mind the project and I know cars and a fabrication well as most of the bones of the van are decent but in reality it needs 3-4K in parts plus a lot of labor to get it to fully functional. It will need all new flooring, all uphostery redone, and cabinets redone to get rid of mold, plus fixing the starcool is a must since we live in the south and that is one of the main things that we need in a van.

Any price ball parks would help with my descision on what to offer or to pass on it.

Thanks in advance!

[regis101]

Do a carfax and/or a kbb to get vehicle value.
Do a carfax.

[BrianW]

Yikes! That's a tough call. With having to redo all the cabinets, I'd essentially value it as a cargo van with a SMB top. Take the book value of the base van and then figure out what the top is worth to you (either full new cost of ~$10-12k) or depreciated. I think the interior components are a wash value-wise as the labor to redo all of it cancels out the value of any salvageable components. It won't be too hard to remake the cabinets if you can use the existing ones as templates.

You basically will need to gut the van from the sounds of it. I'm also curious how all the cabinets are water-damaged if only the rear door was leaking (maybe parked on an angle and water flowed in or something?).

Starcool could be an easy fix (recharge), or a nearly impossible fix (new compressor, etc.). Hard to tell. Did you make sure all the fittings and hoses are there? Sometimes people disconnect/cut/cap/etc. I had my Starcool fixed last year with a few new fittings, a new hose, leak test and recharge, and it cost around $500 as an example.

In short, unless you get it really cheap I'd pass on it. Sounds like a serious project, and you won't fully know what it needs until you get into it.


EDIT: Saw the original listing. The price as-is isn't too bad. I'd maybe offer $2k less (in a very polite way) and see what they say. Sounds like they don't want to come down too much though from the way they worded the ad.

[gahamby]

"I'd essentially value it as a cargo van with a SMB top." What BrianW said !
That's how I would approach it. You're looking at a ton of labor, a large bill of materials, body/paint and mechanical work.
With the vehicle in that condition the seller doesn't get to cop an attitude at low ball offers.
Can you link the original ad?

[stx4wheeler]

Yeah its just seems hard to price it as a van with the addition of a pop top, as a used pop top is a very rare item to find especially in my area. Looks like rough cost of a pop top from CCV is 6500-7500 for the top assuming you DIY the install.

The used ones pop tops I have seen seem to be sold for 2-3K.

In my mind I am thinking its is worth 5-6K in current condition due to the vans condition and amount of unknowns on essential equipment.

A new pop top in a used van is not something I would consider as it doesn't make sense financially as i'm not looking to put more into a van than it is worth once completed in case I need to resell in a couple years.

From what little comparably equipped vans in normal used condition seem to be in the 10-14K range in good condition from what I have gather from the 2wd sportsmobile's of this vintage.

Sound about right?

[BroncoHauler]

I think your estimate is good, but it seems to be a few steps above a parts van at this point, with some inoperable van systems, a broken odometer (leads me to believe regularly scheduled maintenance was not the owner's strong suit), and an interior that needs to be removed/replaced.


Additionally, the Starcool is a BIG unknown for you since you state a working Starcool is a requirement for you. I don't know if I'd pull the trigger on this one until you have a qualified RV shop look at the Starcool and they tell you it can be fixed for a suitable amount.


Herb

[BrianW]

Originally Posted by stx4wheeler

From what little comparably equipped vans in normal used condition seem to be in the 10-14K range in good condition from what I have gather from the 2wd sportsmobile's of this vintage.

Sound about right?

If it were in good condition for its age, with all systems working and normal wear and tear, I'd guess around $15k.

[Grampswrx]

Also, I would take whatever estimate you think it will take to fix and double it. Unless you really know what you are getting yourself into, always assume that there is more wrong than you think. And you wont get your money back out. I would offer $6-8k maximum. Even with the cabinets fixed, the roof may still leak and the engine may die.

[Twoxentrix]

Not passing judgement on the Seller, BUT... the health of a vehicle is often a reflection of the owner - for it get that bad inside its easy to conclude the owner neglected to take simple preventative measures to minimize damage. For me, every other logical maintenance/repair job that accompanies ownership would be suspect as well.
I'm with Grampswrx on this, think this one may have gremlins waiting for a candidate with a credit card that hasnt been maxed out...yet.