Some of you will already have seen an earlier topic I started asking about the wisdom of having an external inspection of our own done prior to purchasing an RVFollowing the great advice given here - we are having someone inspect the RV tomorrow prior to purchasing it (assuming all is OK...)Should we decide to go ahead - what is the best way of trying to negotiate a discount with the dealership?It has been priced very fairly according to what we have had quoted on Nadaguides - but we would like to at least try to get a couple of thousand knocked of their list priceShould we go in and say that we will be cash buyers - what kind of discount can they offer?Or...Should we pitch a price say two thousand lower than they are listing it for and say - we are prepared to offer x for the RVWhat has been your experience of haggling with a dealer?Thanks for any advice you can giveChris and Octavia

You'll probably get a lot of advice. I'm not an expert but when I've had success:A) they knew we were serious buyers, and B) we were willing to walk away if they could not meet our price.B made it simple to do from our position, because we truly were willing to walk away.

I'm not sure that being a cash buyer has any advantages except they don't have to wait for you to get a loan approved. If you finance it through someone (say a bank), they still get their money, the same as cash. If you don't finance it through them, then they may loose a loan commission if they're originating the loan for a lending institution. If they normally do the financing themselves, then they loose the loan interest.You might ask if they'll lower the price if you finance it through them. If they will, and there's no penalties for paying off the loan early, finance it and pay it off next week.Bill

wont hurt to make a offer they will counter and you can work from there let them know you are expecting a lower price.

if this is a new rv, knock 35% off the sticker, then you want the bottom line figure tax and add on fee,s included, they don,t need to know how your paying tell them you might borrow the money, if they know you got cash they ,ll try and get more for the rv, be nice but firm on your bottom line, and go home if the won,t wiggle, you,ll get a phone call. on,your way out the tell your wife your going down the road and look at a another rv, just loud enough they here you. when you get there bottom price knock another couple grand off that. its the end of the season, and new models are coming out.

"It has been priced very fairly according to what we have had quoted on Nada guides - but we would like to at least try to get a couple of thousand knocked of their list price"NADA pricing??? Are you freaking kidding me? I have no idea where the NADA Guide pricing comes from but it is a joke. They show my 2012 Nexus Phantom 23P Class C as being worth:List $84,279Low Retail: $51,250Average retail: $61,750I paid $47,000 2 years ago when it had 6,205 milesNew today, they can be bought for around $60,000 nicely equipped (comparable to our 2012).NADA pricing is absurd and does not even begin to reflect the actual value of anything. Believe me, I wish my 3 year old (currently with 29,000+ miles), coach was worth $24,000 more than the original owners paid for it but give me a break! :SWhy anyone would even look at NADA pricing, much less believe it as is beyond belief.For the record... as much as I love our coach, if anyone out there would like to offer me $84,000, heck even $54,000, I will deliver the rig to you anywhere in the continental united States at no additional charge. Just send me a PM and I will schedule your delivery. :W{Yes, I am kidding. If I sold our coach (at any price) my bride would kill me slowly.}:B

How to Haggle??? | Good Sam Community

28 Replies

ol__yeller
Explorer II
Jul 30, 2015
Congrats! Now go Camping!
chrisandoctavia
Explorer
Jul 30, 2015
Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this thread - much appreciated

We have gone ahead and bought the RV, and with the help of a good friend who was a darn sight better at haggling than me - we managed to get them to knock just over $8K from the original price, which we are very happy with...

Chris
goreds2
Explorer
Jul 30, 2015
You could also negotiate some add on's. For my girlfriend, I negotiated two MAXX-AIR vents to be installed in her used class C purchase. AND, we did threaten to walk out. At least throw the words "walk out"
sandblast
Explorer
Jul 28, 2015
What Da Hose says
DaHose
Explorer
Jul 28, 2015
Definitely an acquired skill as tatest said. Although it sounds like he plays HARD ball.

I say look around for comparable units and see what they are priced at. If you are lucky enough to find multiple, similar units for sale in your area, that's even better odds for you.

If I had cash in hand, I would decide what I WANT to pay based on comparable units. My offer might be a couple thousand less to give me wiggle room, but I would stick to my ceiling.

Jose
tatest
Explorer II
Jul 28, 2015
It is an acquired skill. Two points are most important:

1. You know the value to you of what it is that you want. A satisfactory deal is when the price fits that value. That an even lower price might be possible, or that someone else might get a better deal, does not matter..

2. You have to be willing to walk away when you can't get the price that matches value. Otherwise, you are at the mercy of the negotiator on the other side of the deal.

I've been in negotiations for assets at the billion dollar level. If we can't figure out #1, we had no business being there. That can involve a lot of homework, a significant investment of time (andtime is money). I've been in negotiations where my management didn't pay attention to #2, had to win at any cost, and sometimes winning meant losing.
rv4jimnme
Explorer
Jul 26, 2015
9 years ago I bought a Pace Arrow Class A full wall slide the suggested MSRP was $162,000.00. I sought information on this forum and realized I could offer 25% less. The dealer kept doing that square computation thing and I finally told him what I would buy the Coach for. It took about two weeks I think before I purchased it at $123,000.00. I am not sure if this is still applicable but it was then. My current research into smaller Class C's I am finding the same New RV listed between $75,000.00 to 105,000.00 so am starting my quest again to get the best deal. I often wonder how many ill informed folks pay close to or at the MSRP?
chrisandoctavia
Explorer
Jul 24, 2015
Thanks to all who have replied to this thread - very much appreciated

We get the detailed external inspection report on Monday and will spend some time studying it carefully

Based upon what it says we will make them an offer on Tuesday....

Chris
Bea_PA
Explorer
Jul 24, 2015
We have gotten better deals by paying cash meaning no trade in because they don't like to bother with the trade.
VA-Apraisr
Explorer II
Jul 24, 2015
Compare "for sale" units comparable to the one you're interested in and do a nationwide search to see all the possible options out there. I do this everytime I purchase a car just so I'm as informed as possible on what this model/year is being offered for sale. When I bought my used C, it was the lowest priced 28' on the internet, however, I had to drive 3 states away to inspect it and still offered $6500 less than what I already knew was a "good price". We were prepared to drive back home and the seller knew it. After the normal back-and-forth, I still was able to get $1,500 more dropped off a very good list price. I, for one, enjoy the art of a good negotiation. The key is being completely informed and understanding the principle of substitution (paying no more for an item that can be readily found at a lower price).