Do I have to take the dealer's word on the MSRP?

RKW wrote:

bfast54 wrote:
When a trailer is delivered......... the paperwork we have list the price from the manufacturer and then..........Well,use your imagination.:E

..I have to look at the invoice,that way I know the Amount of the Check...they have to write me..(not me personally..I wish...)...which I then Send to my company,the shipper...who then pays us...:W

But that's the invoice price. There's no way in h-e-double toothpicks I'd ever get that out of a dealer.

What???? Dealers aren't trustworthy? I'll admit, when I go to look at something, I drive an older, beatup vehicle. I also mention paying cash as the bank has LOTS of money but when you pay cash you're limited on what's available. I'm also not afraid to walk. There is not one vehicle out there I MUST have. Mentioning a similar unit somewhere else also has a positive effect (for me) on the sales grunt.

Our credit union supplies that information if you ask them for it. They have great resources. Dealers and banks don't seem to be nearly as helpful. MSRP varies depending in the options on the unit, so expect some variations. Published MSRP is often for a bare bones unit.

RKW wrote:
They will gladly tell you outright, or include in an ad the MSRP, but how do I know it's an accurate number? If I negotiate 35% off what I think is the MSRP, it's meaningless unless I know for certain the MSRP provided to me was accurate. How do I determine what actually is the MSRP.

You have the right at any dealership to see the invoice on any vehicle they have on their lot. All you have to do is ask for it.

dahkota wrote:
Once we had looked at dozens of floorplans from different manufacturers, we decided on which class A we wanted. We checked a few dozen dealers; the MSRPs were always the same with the same options added. The delivery charge was different, depending on the distance from the manufacturer, anywhere from $1000 to $3000. Dealer add ons were different, typically a $600 or so charge for PDI.

We sent inquiries to at least a dozen dealers whom had out exact model with options on their lot. We went with the best price from a dealer in which we had confidence (they had great service reviews and a good reputation). We drove 800 miles one way to purchase - there were closer dealers but they wanted $17K more. There was one dealer who wanted $1000 less but the dealer had a lousy reputation for correcting problems and warranty work.

So, we found MSRPs to be accurate and consistent. It is the price a dealer is willing to sell it at that changes.

That's encouraging. Thanks!

I just discovered that Jayco lists the base MSRP and breaks down the option prices and adds them to the base MSRP.

Once we had looked at dozens of floorplans from different manufacturers, we decided on which class A we wanted. We checked a few dozen dealers; the MSRPs were always the same with the same options added. The delivery charge was different, depending on the distance from the manufacturer, anywhere from $1000 to $3000. Dealer add ons were different, typically a $600 or so charge for PDI.

We sent inquiries to at least a dozen dealers whom had out exact model with options on their lot. We went with the best price from a dealer in which we had confidence (they had great service reviews and a good reputation). We drove 800 miles one way to purchase - there were closer dealers but they wanted $17K more. There was one dealer who wanted $1000 less but the dealer had a lousy reputation for correcting problems and warranty work.

So, we found MSRPs to be accurate and consistent. It is the price a dealer is willing to sell it at that changes.

We went to Michigan a few weeks back to look at trucks and of course got looking at RV'S. For curiosity we priced one. The MFRP was right around 30K, within $200. The salesman came in with the first offer at 23K. We didn't go any further as we were really just looking but he had started a offer to purchase and said for us to go back to hotel and think about what our offer would be so they were willing to go a bit lower. It's a game, a game in which the dealer wins.

It's all about research if looking to get the best deal, if you know the exact brand and model you want working the internet will give you something to shoot for as MSRP's are all over the place for the same rig.

I've seen some build sheets on-line that indicate what the MSRP is, whether you can get the mythical 25-35% price reduction is all about your negotiating skills and the dealer's willingness to reduce his profit margin ever so slightly as they will certainly make their margin.

Many opt to go out of state for their rigs saving a bit of money, but your local dealer may or may not choose to provide warranty service should you require it. You can only hope that going in armed with as much info to your local dealer for the particular RV you are interested in will lead to a mutual price agreement that both parties can live with.

Manufacturer's always side with their dealers to ensure maximum for both parties and build sheets are also manipulated with so called required packages that greatly inflate the MSRP. Good luck, here's hoping you can get a deal that you can live with knowing the dealer will definitely get their profit.

RKW wrote:

Farm Camp wrote:
I'm not 100% sure there is any such thing as MSRP for Campers, at least as you would think of when shopping for a car or truck.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

In my own experience, I looked at dealers, and at various online sites. For my exact camper (and same options) I found no fewer than 4 different "MSRP" prices. I think it may have been more like 6...

Now, I was able to get a decent idea of "MSRP" from this research, but officially, I do not believe there is any such thing - again, as you'd think of it when car shopping.

Edit to add:
I think the only way to know for sure it to ask the dealer to show you the factory invoice, not the build or option sheet, but a real invoice.

If all that's true, why do those giving tips about shopping for a new RV always talk about this percent or that percent off the MSRP? Were they privy to something you and I aren't privy to? Those are the folks that need to let they rest of us know how they determined the MSRP they were negotiating against was real. Come on. Let us in.

Dealers are constantly changing the game, moving the goalposts, doing whatever they can to obscure what they really pay. Some of the tips and advice may be based upon someone's research and buying experience from several years ago, and thus may be out of date.

Should you believe what the dealership tells you about MSRP? Nope. Custom MSRP price sheets have been used for decades in a variety of sales businesses. Sorry to say my own father made his own price list when selling farm silos, so his prospects would think that he was discounting the purchase price an extra amount and giving away his commission.

Just Google MSRP for year make and model you're looking for and see what you get? Should be able to come up with something close to an average price.

darsben wrote:
Fleetwood posts starting prices for each of their offerings

I wish Forest River and Keystone did.