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dcmac214's avatar
dcmac214
Explorer
Jan 24, 2019

? 3 Purchasing Questions

Dealer tells us all discounts and rebates are applied to the price. How can I tell that's a true statement? Is there any way to verify I'm getting every penny of every discount and rebate (assuming there are any and dealer not blowing smoke)?

Is it better - is there any difference? - to buy at a show or at the dealership location. We already know what we want, so this won't be an impulse purchase at a show. Unless we get a price we can't refuse.

Do dealers tack on additional fees (dealer prep, paperwork filing, etc) above and beyond the agreed purchase price? Our last truck purchase we walked away from the first two agreements because of this...nothing but pure profit in the dealer's pocket.
  • On a class C, you can get 35% off, and on an expensive Class A you can 40 percent off. I read a recent article where a guy bought a new end of model year 2017 Entegra. It listed for over $500,000, and he got it for $302,000. That's about 40% off.
  • T18skyguy wrote:
    On a class C, you can get 35% off, and on an expensive Class A you can 40 percent off. I read a recent article where a guy bought a new end of model year 2017 Entegra. It listed for over $500,000, and he got it for $302,000. That's about 40% off.

    you can, doesn't mean you will. every dealer and every RV is different.
  • Let the web do the work. www.rvt.com and www.rvtrader.com Use the advanced search to check availability and pricing of that exact model you are looking for. There are links on the ads from both sites to take you to the dealers website. Peruse it. Chain dealers tend to have a lot of fees and add ons to their pricing. Shipping may be as much as $1700, Dealer prep $750, PDI or walk through at some may be $350 and then they charge a documentation fee of $300 to $500. Some dealers even require you to finance through them for sale pricing.

    You can also find some, usually small mom and pop locations that price their units out the door, no add ons, no fees. (their websites usually advertise this)
    And remember, the RV , be it a trailer of a motorhome has wheels, you dont have to buy local.
  • Most of the dealers around my part don't negotiate at all. I went' to between 10-14 different dealers and only one was willing to negotiate, and they came off 150 bucks on a pretty ugly looking 2019 vibe. I think a lot of it has to do with where you live in the country.
  • In some states, the “fees” are not charged sales tax. I have no problem with the dealer fees if it is saving me from sending more to the state. It all comes down to out the door price, they can account it however they want.

    Check your pricing vs. other dealers online. When I bought, there was no one with a price lower than what it cost locally once shipping was included. Local dealer was one that doesn’t negotiate, but the price was good to start with.
  • If you're really interested in that unit, give him your name and phone number. Tell him you'll be paying cash and when he has a really good deal on that unit you're prepared to close the deal. I bet he calls you within 2-3 days.
  • Keep in mind that while the sales rep is not your friend, neither is he (or she) necessarily your enemy. I want the dealer on any purchase to make a reasonable profit. I want them to be around next year when I need service or to make another purchase.

    Do your due diligence before you go in. Be reasonable and PLEASANT. As Mama said, "You get more flies with honey than vinegar." Don't be afraid to say, "Thanks for your time, but we're just too far apart." As others have said, you may not get off the lot, or will get a call the next day.

    I get a kick out of all the "tough guys" that claim "that guy didn't make any profit on me." First of all, reread paragraph one. Secondly, any good salesman is doing numerous transactions a month. You're purchasing that major product once every several years? A house three or four times in your life? Do you really think you can beat them at their game? If you turn it into an adversarial transaction, the sales rep will just smile and resolve that, "Screw this guy. I going to nail him somewhere just to prove I'm smarter than he is."
  • harryjr wrote:
    Keep in mind that while the sales rep is not your friend, neither is he (or she) necessarily your enemy. I want the dealer on any purchase to make a reasonable profit. I want them to be around next year when I need service or to make another purchase.

    Do your due diligence before you go in. Be reasonable and PLEASANT. As Mama said, "You get more flies with honey than vinegar." Don't be afraid to say, "Thanks for your time, but we're just too far apart." As others have said, you may not get off the lot, or will get a call the next day.

    I get a kick out of all the "tough guys" that claim "that guy didn't make any profit on me." First of all, reread paragraph one. Secondly, any good salesman is doing numerous transactions a month. You're purchasing that major product once every several years? A house three or four times in your life? Do you really think you can beat them at their game? If you turn it into an adversarial transaction, the sales rep will just smile and resolve that, "Screw this guy. I going to nail him somewhere just to prove I'm smarter than he is."


    X2. we parted ways with a salesman back in 1985 when we couldn't agree on terms for a new mustang. got a call the next day with a good compromise so we went back and sealed the deal. patience pays off.

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