Buying at the hershey show

Hershey

If I bought one at a large show It would be on the first day of the show. Not a week later with 1,000,000 people traipsing thru, yanking drawers open, slamming doors, etc.
bumpy

On the west coast one of the large RV shows was held at the Rose Bowl each year. We were shopping for a new RV and had been to several RV dealers in Southern California. We found the model we wanted and began to deal with one of the dealers. We decided to wait for two weeks and go to the RV show to see what kind of a deal we could get there. We worked with two dealers at the show and got their best prices. We called the dealer we had been working with and asked him to make an offer based upon the show prices. He beat the show prices by $2000 plus paid for our gas to drive to the lot and finalize the deal which we did.

Pit one against the other for a better deal.

By the way that was the very first time we used our brand new mobile phone (prior to cell phone) for other than a personal call.

My friend got good deal at the end of the show.
A dealer would rather give him extra discount, than drive the coach back 700 miles.

I bought a new 2005 Itasca Suncruiser.

I had previously been negotiating this model, in NY, with the dealer that was the Itasca/Winnebago dealer at Hershey.

Bottom line was I had negotiated a much low price before the Hershey show at the dealers NY location. When we went to the show I tried to negotiate but ended up with a HIGHER price. My conclusion was that there are some many potential buyers at the show that a salesman will not negotiate. There is always another prospective buyer waiting. I won't even mention what they call "Show Specials".

Personally, I've found that you can get a better deal at the dealership than at the show. Very few people like to haggle and find it difficult to do. Consequently, you often get bad info about where the best deal can be had because aren't willing to admit they didn't negotiate well.

Do your homework and compare prices. Keep in mind that you really ruin a negotiation by coming in with some ridiculous pricing or pound your chest like your some big negotiator. Be pleasant and firm and you'll get a good deal. No your prices and be REALISTIC about what your trade in is worth to a dealer who has to make a profit on it when he sells it.

Lastly......I think you're buying a little early for retirement. A lot of things will change in five years when you retire. For one, your warranty on the engine and trans will be expiring just as you hit he road to full time. I would buy a used interim RV and then buy your retirement coach about a year out. Just too many things can change in five years from RV design and amenities to your personal health and family situations. We bought our first DP 5 years before we retired. It worked out okay, but as I look back, it would have been better to buy about a year before. Motor homes and our needs had changed. Just my opinion.

Shows are for looking at, sitting in, and checking out what is where so you can decide what make and model you want. Once you have the make and model you can do a lot on the internet. Search for that make and model. It doesn't even matter if it is half way across the country. The money you save will be more than the cost of having it delivered. You can save thousands over "show special" prices. And by going to a one year old leftover you can save even more.
In 2010 we went to the Hershey show to look at Open Range 5th wheels. The show special on a 2010 385RLS was $60,000. I did an internet search and found a 2009 new in Indiana for $36,000. I gave the dealer I was working with at the show a call. I wanted to give them a chance. I knew they didn't have a 2009 and was willing to pay a little more for the 2010. The best they could do was $48,000. Yes that is $12,000 better than the show special price. And still $12,000 more than the one in Indiana. Delivery from Indiana cost me $600.
I have recently seen the same 2009 trailer advertised used for the price I paid for it new in 2010.

DSDP Don said:

....I think you're buying a little early for retirement. A lot of things will change in five years when you retire. For one, your warranty on the engine and trans will be expiring just as you hit he road to full time. I would buy a used interim RV and then buy your retirement coach about a year out. Just too many things can change in five years from RV design and amenities to your personal health and family situations. We bought our first DP 5 years before we retired. It worked out okay, but as I look back, it would have been better to buy about a year before. Motor homes and our needs had changed. Just my opinion.


I agree with that 100%. We used trailers until the year we retired and bought a new Class A. A new motorhome is a lot of money sitting around, not being used along with the fact that sitting around is not good for them.

You will have problems, I don't care what you buy, and the warranty will be important.

The shows have potential but you really must shop around. When I was looking for the coach I have now I set my budget and started searching everywhere east of the Mississippi. If I could find the coach I wanted in Memphis (live in south easter Virginia) with a $10,000 savings over another seller closer to home I would be on the way to Memphis.

I would also wait until you get a bit closer to retirement. Probably the year prior. Will give you a year to work thru warranty issues and time to make shorter trips to get to know the coach. Hit the road in year two with a coach you can trust and never look back.

Shows are great for ease of seeing many options. Deals, well they do exist but they also exist at dealerships. I have purchased both ways and neither cared to see my trade. Honestly they give you so little they don't need to see it.

I seem to find more dumb salesman at the show.