Replace Tires Before Selling a 2011 Itasca Meridian or Discount It?

[jerichorick]

We have loved living and traveling in our 2011 Itasca Meridian 40U since 2014. But the time has come for us to retire from this lifestyle. I have served with the SOWER ministry since '05 and this is my third coach and is the one I have stuck with for so long because of its reliability, functional room and great comfort.

About 2019 my father-in-law had major health issues and my sister-in-law let us know that she and her husband were getting overwhelmed trying to take care of the parents. So, we packed up, canceled our volunteer plans and headed out from Oregon to Alabama for a short stay to help out. While there, dad died, mom developed dementia and I discovered I had prostate cancer. With the dementia onset, mother could no longer stay in her house. We were parked in their driveway, living in the coach. The house went up for sale and we had to move.

My wife's son had just bought a house in TN. He invited us to use his lower driveway. This was fine for a short time, but my cancer needed attention. After the radiation treatments were finished my right kneed gave way and needed to be replaced. And so it went for the next several years. One health issue after another. We finally realized our travel days have come to an end.

My stepson bought a small lot that could support rv parking. This was ideal as it was in walking distance of his house and the grand boys. We continued to live in the coach but knew this would not last. He informed us in mid-November of '25 that we had to relocate so he could build a house where the coach was parked. When complete we will rent it.

So, here we are at the SOWER ministry office RV park in TX. The coach is for sale, but the tires need to be replaced. Funds are a bit tight. Should I put new rubber on the coach or discount my asking price? In any case, I would not want to see the coach on the road without new rubber. I don't have any offers for it yet though I do have it listed.

Sorry for being so long-winded getting to the tire issue but I needed to vent. Thanks for listing.

Rick Y
SOWER 2784

 

[Morich]

I can relate on several issues but did not go for radiation on the prostate but went for cryo ablation! Much less trauma and down time! Except for the hospital giving me the wrong directions when released! That led to some really impressive swelling and led to shingles from stress! Not realy a fan of doctors but what is the alternate?
Perhaps we should just jack up the hood and pull a new body in under?
But on the tires, I favor just going with full disclosure on the tires age or mileage and then let the buyers decide. One is that I do not go too far for newer tires when shopping as I tend to want to do them to the level I favor. If it has me paying more because it has new tires, I still have no idea about the small points like balance, level of tires and TPMS which may effect my tire decsions.
When shopping I want to leave as many of those factors for me to choose what level and know what is actually done, not trust the previous owner action!
But selling is the worst part of buying for me!

 

[Waterbug]

How you handle the tire situation is up to you. I just replaced six tires on my Itasca Suncruiser 37F. Six ea. 265/17.5R225 Toyo tires cost me $3,450, mounted balanced and out the door. If you decide not to replace the tires, I personally would notify the buyer of the tire condition. If the tires are over 7 years old but under 10 years old, I would have them inspected by a reputable tire dealer.

 

[jerichorick]

Thanks all for your input. It makes sense. I just need a buyer to inform now. lol
I have Toyo on the rear and Continental on the steer. I don't know the exact dates but I know it's close. If I were to continue on the road I would replace them.

 

[Morich]

And as an alternate plan to consider, depending very much on personal choice?
We sold our last RV for quick and easy and felt we got near the same price we might have if we had sold here at the house. We contacted one of the major RV delars online and they sent several people from Florida to the San Antone/ Austin area as a group and made deals on several Rv to drive back to Florida! We felt okay on the price we got but with two small hangups that I could not fault the buyer on. One was a chip in the windsheild that I had a cheap fix on by filling rather than replace the glass. so they gave a bit less and I admit that I had not thought of it but it was a "defect".
The second problem was my bank as they seemd to worry when my wife went with the dealer to get the money changed hands! It delayed the deal about an hour to get them assured we were not being forced to do this cash deal!
But when ease was a priority, this worked very well for us on selling! Our problem was We did not want to sign for storage, nor have it setting on the street, but were wanting it GONE and that was good!

 

[RayIN]

You might not choose new tires agreeable with the buyer, and they might protest by lowering their offering price.
I'd jump to the end result and sell as-is; then the new owner has their choice of new tire brand and tread.
That's what we will do when we sell this MH this year. It's tires are 9 yrs old this year.

 

[jerichorick]

And as an alternate plan to consider, depending very much on personal choice?
We sold our last RV for quick and easy and felt we got near the same price we might have if we had sold here at the house. We contacted one of the major RV delars online and they sent several people from Florida to the San Antone/ Austin area as a group and made deals on several Rv to drive back to Florida! We felt okay on the price we got but with two small hangups that I could not fault the buyer on. One was a chip in the windsheild that I had a cheap fix on by filling rather than replace the glass. so they gave a bit less and I admit that I had not thought of it but it was a "defect".
The second problem was my bank as they seemd to worry when my wife went with the dealer to get the money changed hands! It delayed the deal about an hour to get them assured we were not being forced to do this cash deal!
But when ease was a priority, this worked very well for us on selling! Our problem was We did not want to sign for storage, nor have it setting on the street, but were wanting it GONE and that was good!

Thanks for this information. We may have to do something like you did. We got word yesterday that the build of the new house will be complete around mid-September. So, we still have a bit of time to look for a "final" solution to the sale of this beautiful coach. Mind you. It is not free of cosmetic flaws. Living full-time in it does produce wear and tear issues. But, for reliability, comfort and usable storage space, it's hard to beat. As I first stated. The tires are in need of replacement. But, they are still serviceable for a couple of thousand miles.

 

[Morich]

Those smalll points are where we get so much difference in thought due to difference in use we may make of the RV. Lots of RV get different use as they begin to age a bit. Some wind up setting on a lot at the lake and never drive 50 miles in the next ten years, so tires may be an option they don't care about if it gets to the lake to park! Some mobil home parks are half full of RV that will never move again!
One of my first RV wound up as a breeder's dog house when I sold it, so the tire condition was NOT a factor. Hoping your RV is in far better shape!!

When an RV has been used as an ice fishing hut, the other alternate is letting the spring thaw get it!

 

[dickb46]

We just bought this Meridian knowing it needed new tires. Six new tires on a 36 ft Meridian was $6600