thegabrielles wrote:
Thanks, Lantley. I looked up the GD and based pricing differences on the prices I saw as "Our selling price" not MSRP. We will do some cold weather trips but that's not the main plan. Hopefully, most views of the outdoors will be had from outdoors and part of the reason we want the outdoor kitchen. We want to be able to spend as much time outside as possible. We saw the GD at a show in ATL and it is a beautiful camper inside and out. The weight and price are an issue though. I will keep it on my short list though, thanks!
If I had to guess, based on the stated purchase prices on this and other forums, and the actual specs of the Solitude and Reflection lines, Grand Design has a pretty strict Minimum Advertised Pricing policy. To get the “street” price, I think you have to actually start negotiating with a dealer one on one, you won’t find it advertised. The stated purchase prices are much lower than what is found online.
However, since the true markup is hidden due to the high published price, it may be harder to drive the street price down vs other brands. You may have to do that using other dealer quoted prices (in writing) or by holding up other comparable brands as alternatives.
It’s a double edged sword for a brand to have the Minimum Advertised Price rule, as it can drive buyers to other brands. When I first looked at the Solitude mid bunk model, I was immediately turned off by the pricing I was finding online, way higher than budget, and I ruled them out. Wasn’t until later that I found you could actually buy them much cheaper than advertised... by that time the decision had already been made on a competing brand (which I don’t regret anyway).
Good luck.
