Used Class C's or New Ones

Snowman9000 wrote:
I see your location is Cochrane. If you mean up in the Great White North, then I am not sure if my pricing comments will apply to your situation.

What I have found here in the US is that aggressive dealers will price new ones closely enough to prices of 1,2,3 year old units that it doesn't pay to buy the used ones. RV pricing is very cloudy here, and I'm sure dealers like it that way. The MSRP's are very inflated. If a unit has MSRP of $70K, there will be some buyers who pay in the 60's, some in the 50's, and some in the 40's, even down to the mid and lower 40's. Of course, bringing a trade-in to the deal makes it even cloudier.

We were looking for a unit that happens to be one of the lines handled by RVDirect.com. Their prices are super low. You can request a quote from them by email, with very little hassle. If you choose not to buy from them, you can use their price to get your dealer down. We did just that, and had 3 dealers become very competitive. Two of them beat the RVDirect price, and we ordered from one of them. We got 38% off the MSRP, but I believe our particular model has an extra amount of room built into the price for some reason. You will not see the real low prices advertised. You have to get the dealers bidding for your business, then the prices drop substantially. Using the RVDirect quote is simple and painless.

I'm mentioning this because sellers of late model used ones were asking more than we are paying new. That is the situation in the most popular part of the market, brands like Winnebago, Jayco, Coachmen, Four Winds, Sunseeker. But it probably doesn't happen in the boutique brands like Triple E, Born Free, etc., because those brands are sold new at much higher prices.

We ordered a Sunseeker, on a Chevy chassis. It's a middle of the road brand, but I feel the quality is pretty good. They use good materials and equipment, and the several we've been in have been well designed and put together. Owners seem satsified. I think the main brands are all going to be decent, but they all do have typical RV cost cutting somewhere. I feel like Winnebago has slightly better build quality, but not so much better than the Sunseeker we ordered to make us buy a Winnebago for more money instead.

OK, my morning ramble is complete. :)

Unless you're buying a used unit, then no, you don't get much if any of a discount on the boutique brands you mentioned.

In fact, Born Free is non-negotiable on their list prices on'line. I would add Nexus to the boutiqueish list of units to probably avoid too, for the simple fact that these are very small operations that could close down in the wink of an eye, leaving you with an "orphaned brand," that you paid an arm and a leg for.

All the high-line Class C brands rave on about their quality - but frankly, after 10 years with a Born Free where almost everything imaginable has broken at least once on, and (6) roof and siding rainwater leaks, I would avoid them like the plague. I would instead buy a new, reasonably priced brand coach.