Buying our first Fifth Wheel

evanrem wrote:
Look for the cheapest price online and go lower than that. I hear 30 to 35%. Is what you want to shoot for.

That's 30% below MSRP, if you can find an accurate MSRP. Finding an accurate MSRP is easy with some brands, with most not so much.If you're expecting 30 to 35% below the lowest advertised price you can find on the net good luck. Pricing online is all over the board. Some dealers blow the price way up, some have it close to the lowest you'll find or get.

As an example.

When we were looking for our Rockwood Roo 23WS, I could find online pricing from $19,995.00 to $28,995.00.

Rockwood ships an MSRP document with every unit so finding that mythical number is easy as long as the dealer does not remove it or print out his own.

The MythicalSRP on our 2017 Roo was $31000.00

We paid out the door, taxes and everything $20500.00. The taxes (PA 6% sales @ $1152.00) and fees ($150.00) were added to a sales price of $19,198.00. We came to that $19.2K number when I told the semi local dealer who carried the line, that I was prepared to drive to the other side of the state and purchase from the dealer who advertised online for $19995.00.

As a comparison I was also quoted $20,000.00 at RV Wholesalers, but that price comes with some caveats which I won't get into.

If I would of expected 30% below the lowest advertised online price, that would of been $13995.00. I sure would have liked to pay $14K, but not going to happen.

All of that said I have run into two other people who purchased the same model at about the same time. One paid $22,999 prior to taxes/fees. another $27,500.00. I also had an online conversation with a lady who purchased the same model for $23,500.00.

Do your research, join a few forums and see if you can find some members who have the same model they purchased recently. Send them a PM and ask nicely, most will tell you what they paid and not BS you. You can leave a lot laying on the table with dealers if you don't know what you're dealing with on a realistic basis. Get as many quotes as you can get online. If RVW, Couches RV Nation, and some of the other self proclaimed wholesalers carry the brand and model your interested in, get quotes from them. These dealers all pay the manufacturers the same, any that tell you they are wholesale or get volume discounts is a load of horsepoop. The only difference is transportation cost from factory to dealer.

ChuckV1 wrote:
Look around, go to different dealers, look at different brands, different models an price ranges. You will see that everyone on this form has what they think is the greatest 5th in the world ...

Form you own mind on what your likes an dislikes are, set a price range, in some case's you can buy a new 5th wheel for what some dealers want for used 5th wheels ...

Go to the larger RV shows were MFG's are there along with dealers if your looking for new, at these larger shows you can get better deals on new stuff that may be better than the used stuff you been looking at an you get a warranty as well ....

As another person stated more than likely you 1st 5th wheel is not the one you will end up with, it will take a couple before you really feel like it is you home away from home :)

a) Do not let what I call bing/glitter trick you, look at functionality, sit in the trailer your looking at for maybe a 1/2 hour, roam around in it, act as if you were camping an cooking it it ...

b) See how it fells to pull things out of the frig, off shelves, lay in the bed, see if it feel right to you, open close draws, cabinet's ...

c) See how the trailer is setup, is there manual or hydraulic jacks an landing gear, what is needed to set such up ...

d) see how the water an sewer is hooked up along with cable, what is needed to set such up ...

Most dealers will not warranty a used 5th wheel, the paper work will say "AS IS" an that means when you drive off the lot your stuck with what you got an any repairs are you !!!

As someone said 30 percent off MSRP is the norm !!!, do not pay full price for a new unit nor would I pay full price or asking price for a used unit !!!

Think were you are going to camp after your buy your 5th wheel, are you looking to stay in National Parks, state parks or just travel an stay at different camp grounds or KOA's... Remember that allot of National an State campgrounds have smaller spaces so at 40 or 45ft 5th wheel may not fit in some of them, we have a 40ft 5th wheel an stay outside National an State parks in camp grounds that we can fit into an then take day trips into such ...

Also if you have never pulled or back at 5th wheel you need to find someone to teach you the ins an outs of doing such ... So but not all truck driving schools will do this but not all ... If you can not find a driving school to do so ask around to some of your friends an see if they have or know someone with a 5th wheel that can help you ...

Lastly do not let a salesman tell you that you can pull a 40ft 14,000pd or even a 11,000pds 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton pickup, you need a 3/4 ton pickup or better a 1 ton pickup to pull the bigger 5th wheels safely ...

Remember it not if you can pull the trailer, it's if you can stop the the rig an trailer in an emergency safety an pull such safety around others on the HWY around you ....

Safe Travels

Very well said.. 2 thumbs up!

donn0128 wrote:
Have you been RVing before? If this a first ever RV, shop used. Dont get suckered into a brand new and lose 30% the minute you tow it off the lot.

Whatever your budget.....spend that on a well researched quality “Used”! You will have a far superior unit than an inferior “new”! And....if you want to sell, your loss percentage will be lees than the loss on a new unit!

evanrem wrote:
Look for the cheapest price online and go lower than that. I hear 30 to 35%. Is what you want to shoot for.

^^This

Anyone experiencing a 30% loss when driving off the lot didn't follow this advice.

I've bought new and I've bought used. You can overpay both ways and you can get a good deal both ways. Buying new isn't nearly the bad choice as many make it out to be. But, it's true, there can be better value in a used unit.

My last couple units have been new and I'm likely to continue on that track in the future. I paid around 60-65% of MSRP and come sale time was happy with what I paid for the usage I got.

Buying new or used you have to do your research and be willing to walk away. Don't fall in love with a certain unit and put logic and good negotiating aside. The last unit I bought I had a number the dealer wouldn't meet so I left. I was 10 minutes away and they called and said okay.... so I turned around. That price was about $1000 more than I could have driven 500 miles and gotten the same thing for. To me, it was worth spending $1000 to save myself the drive and to have a local dealer for warranty.

RV purchases often come down to decisions like how far you're willing to drive to save XX amount of money. The internet is your friend :)

How do you negotiate?

Same as any other negotiation.
- Determine what you are willing to pay.
- Ask for a price.
- Respond with a lower price (well below your max price).
- They adjust their price.
- You adjust your price.
- Repeat until you come to agreement.
- Never adjust your price above what you are willing to pay.
- If you can't reach an agreement walk away (key point, don't fall in love with a particular unit or they have you).

Moved to Fifth Wheels from Forum Technical Support

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If you have cash or a guaranteed loan from other than the dealer, start at 30% off MSRP, and settle for no less than 25% off.

Look around, go to different dealers, look at different brands, different models an price ranges. You will see that everyone on this form has what they think is the greatest 5th in the world ...

Form you own mind on what your likes an dislikes are, set a price range, in some case's you can buy a new 5th wheel for what some dealers want for used 5th wheels ...

Go to the larger RV shows were MFG's are there along with dealers if your looking for new, at these larger shows you can get better deals on new stuff that may be better than the used stuff you been looking at an you get a warranty as well ....

As another person stated more than likely you 1st 5th wheel is not the one you will end up with, it will take a couple before you really feel like it is you home away from home :)

a) Do not let what I call bing/glitter trick you, look at functionality, sit in the trailer your looking at for maybe a 1/2 hour, roam around in it, act as if you were camping an cooking it it ...

b) See how it fells to pull things out of the frig, off shelves, lay in the bed, see if it feel right to you, open close draws, cabinet's ...

c) See how the trailer is setup, is there manual or hydraulic jacks an landing gear, what is needed to set such up ...

d) see how the water an sewer is hooked up along with cable, what is needed to set such up ...

Most dealers will not warranty a used 5th wheel, the paper work will say "AS IS" an that means when you drive off the lot your stuck with what you got an any repairs are you !!!

As someone said 30 percent off MSRP is the norm !!!, do not pay full price for a new unit nor would I pay full price or asking price for a used unit !!!

Think were you are going to camp after your buy your 5th wheel, are you looking to stay in National Parks, state parks or just travel an stay at different camp grounds or KOA's... Remember that allot of National an State campgrounds have smaller spaces so at 40 or 45ft 5th wheel may not fit in some of them, we have a 40ft 5th wheel an stay outside National an State parks in camp grounds that we can fit into an then take day trips into such ...

Also if you have never pulled or back at 5th wheel you need to find someone to teach you the ins an outs of doing such ... So but not all truck driving schools will do this but not all ... If you can not find a driving school to do so ask around to some of your friends an see if they have or know someone with a 5th wheel that can help you ...

Lastly do not let a salesman tell you that you can pull a 40ft 14,000pd or even a 11,000pds 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton pickup, you need a 3/4 ton pickup or better a 1 ton pickup to pull the bigger 5th wheels safely ...

Remember it not if you can pull the trailer, it's if you can stop the the rig an trailer in an emergency safety an pull such safety around others on the HWY around you ....

Safe Travels

I will agree with donn above - purchase used the first time because until you are in it for a year or so, you really don't know what you need vs. what is pretty or what you THINK you want. With a used one, you won't lose all the depreciation that the RV loses when you drive it off the lot. Look for something that is a 3-4 years old, but looks to have been taken care of. Have someone that is RV-savvy (friend, co-worker, RV tech) take a look at it and look for any water damage and to make sure all of the systems are in working order.

Your 2nd or 3rd RV will be what you actually need and will be happy with.

Look for the cheapest price online and go lower than that. I hear 30 to 35%. Is what you want to shoot for.