Any deals?

I bought my 2019 in April 2018.

My comments in red..

Vanished wrote:
I appreciate the insight and suggestions so far... Luckily I don't 'need' to buy one but with 'some' inventory back on the lots and minimal 'sales' as winter is approaching in this region I was hoping for a little better pricing.

You will not find "discounted" pricing due to the season, just does not happen.

While it is "winter" in PA right now and the average daily temp in PA during November is in the 40s, however in Florida, Texas, Arizona, ect their average temps ARE considerably higher during Winter and those are the places a lot of folks "flock to" (AKA "Snowbirds"). In the summer time folks from south often migrate NORTH to get away from the southern heat..

RV dealers in the KNOW THIS. They don't panic at the end of a "season" and create huge blowout prices now days.

You can't base RV prices on the old retail model of say Holiday supplies from the past where stores would have a basement bargain bin pricing sale to get rid of Holiday stuff that did not sell. Even that model has been dead for years, now days retailer remove the Holiday stuff from shelves and it gets put into a backroom or even a semi trailer until the next yrs Holiday season.. They would rather sit on the inventory even tho it may cost some carrying costs rather than take a huge discount to unload it quickly.

After season sales have been shelved for yrs for most everything except perhaps perishable seasonal food items which cannot be held til the next yr.

It's not as much as what I can afford (I'm shopping apples and oranges) but moreso about getting a 'decent' deal to have equity in case I need to join the thousands of people unloading the unit next summer IF the economy crashes... I have been watching used units as well and still shopping around, was just curious what others expectations were.

From the purest sense of "finances" there is ZERO "EQUITY" in ANY RV, PERIOD.

It IS a loss the second you sign the paperwork to buy it and all the way to the point you sign the paperwork to sell it.

A RV is a "recreational vehicle", it is a TOY, it is not a appreciating type of asset and will never be worth more than what you paid for it.

If you are looking for "equity" in a RV, you are going to be extremely disappointed. Equity is never the reason you buy a RV, period.

"Equity" means you have an INCREASE in value of your asset over what you paid for it. There are very few items in life that actually can predictably have some increase in value or "Equity" and RVs are not on that list.

If you are concerned about what happens if the economy crashes and if you are going to get your money back out of a RV (selling) then a NEW RV is not for you. In this case, buy USED and BUY IT CHEAP, BUY IT FOR CASH, do not take out a loan.. Then you won't be upside down on a loan which makes unloading it far easier to do..

With TOYs like a RV if you cannot afford to lose money, you should skip owning a RV.


I would be a little concerned about the warranty aspect of buying wholesale, so that's why I've been trying to work with our local dealers. I also understand the manufacturing complexity and increased costs on EVERYTHING in life now (bikes, boats, RV's, vehicles, lumber, houses, etc). Just too bad our pays didn't go up like that! ;) But it sounds like I'm on the right path and deals are simply harder to come by than the last few RV's I've bought... The most annoying part so far is so many 'contact us for pricing' on all the ads!

Buying new just for a "warranty" is pretty much like tossing a lot of money away. Getting warranty work done on a RV can be an extremely frustrating hassle.. You have to drag it back to the dealer, they look at it, order parts and it SITS on the dealer lot until the parts come in and then it may take time for the dealer to schedule the repair.. You can easily be without your new RV for MONTHS..

The "Contact for Pricing" is nothing new, car dealers HAVE done the same thing since the first vehicle came to be, this is also pretty much a standard business model for a considerable amount of products and businesses..

This practice is even more common now days when looking up stuff on the Internet.. They WANT your phone, email and other contact info so they can spam the heck out of you and when you are not looking they will sell that info to other businesses.. YOU BECOME and are the "product" and the sale is just a small part of the deal.. YOUR contact information can be worth more than the value of the sale.

On edit..

My comments in red are also the main reason that I recently retired at age 55, I spent peanuts on non essential items like a RV, bought old used ones, fixed them up and then used them for camping.

My last two vehicles I bought were 2019 and 2020 F250s to replace older high mileage vehicles and paid CASH (NO LOANS)for both of those vehicles..

Buy a RV because you wish to go camping in one, pay only what you can afford to lose, expect zero monetary value back if you need to sell.

I am not "rich" by any means and my income was most likely a lot less than most folks on this forum.. I was very smart in what I spent on, when spent and didn't waste money I couldn't afford to lose on toys like a RV.

BurbMan wrote:
Dealer inventories remain low because the factories can't keep up. Dealers don't want to sell everything because then they have nothing to show new buyers.

This sounds like the old joke about "we lose money on every sale but we make up for it on volume". If they can make money, they will sell it. The deals they offer may not be as good but they will sell it.

Also, there is a difference between seasons. They can sell a 2020 model right now as brand new and most buyers won't question it (2021 models are actually on the lot similar to cars). If they hold it till spring, not only do they have to cover the financing over the 6 months, it will be a year old as far a buyers are concerned, even if it has full warranty, so buyers will expect a discount or they will want a 2021 model.

We actually just bought a 2021 a couple months ago. While not normally one to go new, our rig had some issues and with the trade in (not hiding the issues), we felt it was a good deal.

The pre-trade-in price was $17k on a $33k MSPR, so yes, they are still discounting.

Vanished wrote:
It's not as much as what I can afford (I'm shopping apples and oranges) but more so about getting a 'decent' deal to have equity in case I need to join the thousands of people unloading the unit next summer IF the economy crashes...

From my experience it's not possible to ever get a good enough deal on a NEW unit so you don't lose money selling it in just a year. Not just RVs, but cars, appliances, etc. The deal you got the next guy will get too, so your used unit will never be cheap enough compared to a new one.

If you're concerned about having to sell next year, then I would limit your shopping to used units where the first guy has taken the big depreciation hit.

Vanished quote: The most annoying part so far is so many 'contact us for pricing' on all the ads!

That so the dealer and all its affiliates can get your email and bombard you with more ads. IF I want to contact them, I will, but you're right, it's annoying to withhold a price just to get your contact info. I generally just delete that page, and find a dealer that posts the price ...

I'd bet if everyone that sees a 'no price' page calls and ask 'Just want the price while I shop' get it and hang up, that particular dealer would change from no price to at least MSRP. No one believes MSRP on it anyway, but at least it's a place to get an idea about RV floor plan vs price when a buyer begins shopping.

Car and truck dealers are beginning to do the same thing. Every dealer now touts 'online buying', 'safe and easy', but it turns into harassment at some point when you don't follow up. I've actually had to call the GM of a Chevy dealer to get a salesman to stop calling me and emailing me. He stopped, but no buyer should have to resort to calling a supervisor.

I appreciate the insight and suggestions so far... Luckily I don't 'need' to buy one but with 'some' inventory back on the lots and minimal 'sales' as winter is approaching in this region I was hoping for a little better pricing. It's not as much as what I can afford (I'm shopping apples and oranges) but moreso about getting a 'decent' deal to have equity in case I need to join the thousands of people unloading the unit next summer IF the economy crashes... I have been watching used units as well and still shopping around, was just curious what others expectations were. I would be a little concerned about the warranty aspect of buying wholesale, so that's why I've been trying to work with our local dealers. I also understand the manufacturing complexity and increased costs on EVERYTHING in life now (bikes, boats, RV's, vehicles, lumber, houses, etc). Just too bad our pays didn't go up like that! ;) But it sounds like I'm on the right path and deals are simply harder to come by than the last few RV's I've bought... The most annoying part so far is so many 'contact us for pricing' on all the ads!

I get a kick out the "summer vs winter" price thing, they sell the same price all seasons..

Why?

Well, it is relatively warmer in SOME places in the US when other places may be much, much colder..

The seasonal price thing is a figment of ones imagination, hoping to catch a much better "deal" when it goes "out of season"..

Dealers are not obligated or compelled to sell their products below MRSP, they often sit on old models for a couple of years just to get the price they seek.

That also brings up why NEW?

Everyone gravitates to new, then is deeply disappointed when that new rig ends up in the dealer shop to repair the shoddy build for months at a time..

If you do not like the prices, look at some used units and not the ones on the dealer lot.. There are most likely thousands of used units for sale for every single on new unit..

This way you can get in the game at a price you fell comfortable with but as with RVs, can't be overly picky now days, you might have to give up a few items on the wish list but at least you will be camping and not on the sidelines wishing you could camp..

The last few issues of RV Business Magazine have been talking about the unprecedented and unforeseen boom that the RV industry is seeing now. To quote Doug Gaeddert who runs Forest River for Berkshire Hathaway, "People who couldn't even spell 'RV' 6 months ago have decided that RVing is the perfect socially-distanced vacation."

Dealer inventories remain low because the factories can't keep up. Dealers don't want to sell everything because then they have nothing to show new buyers. Because the market has expanded with so many new buyers, industry experts expect this to continue thru 2021 into 2022, so I wouldn't expect any deals.

Good idea watching RV trader, I'll bet there are at least some folks that went out and bought a brand new RV for the first time and then decided they didn't like it and are selling it after one season...probably some good deals to be had there.

Also bear in mind that RV mfrs don't require their dealers to provide warranty service on units that weren't purchased at their dealership. This was an industry move about 10 years ago to discourage the online wholesalers and protect local dealerships. Laws that cover the auto industry about consumer warranties don't apply to RVs. Not saying this to discourage you from buying online, but know this about warranties going in.

Not sure where you are in Central PA but Tom Schaeffer's RV Superstore in Shoemakersville is a high volume dealer, he's on PA 61 just south of I-78 (Cabela's exit). I've never shopped there personally (and I'm not affiliated with them) but always hear good things.

Always deals to be had no matter the state of the current market, going into winter should help as sales drop for most dealers around the country. Peruse the models you are interested in across the web, as said above RV Trader along with many other sites can be helpful in determining price range of particular units. Having financing and or cash in place and a willingness to travel will net the best deals.

We purchased our current rig this past summer after extensive research, had to travel out of state to get it but we saved a bundle. Dealers locally had plenty of stock during the current pandemic, heard other areas of the country there was some kind of buying frenzy. More than likely it was Newbies thinking RVing was the only way to travel in the future. RVing isn't everyone's cup of tea, might soon have a plethora of near new rigs on the market to choose from.

The final price is up to you to accept regardless if they advertise some fake "MSRP"..

If you are not comfortable with the deal, then don't go through with it and find another RV that suits you price range.

However, if you think the prices are going to magically drop, you are in for a bumpy ride..

Prices of materials have gone through the roof, try pricing lumber, you will be in for a sticker shock.. I needed some 2x12s to repair a old shed floor, jaw hit the floor when I saw $21 per 8ft 2x12!!! Those used to cost less than $8 each before all the panic buying..

I have heard reports of lumber and building material shortages..

Then you have companies having to buy PPE, severally reduce their workforce in order to fit them in their buildings which reduces speed and efficiency costing the company thousands more per unit..

Add in now we have this newest wave of panic buying.. My DD works at our local Sam's club reported the other day that panic buying is on again.. TP, yep, GONE, fresh meats, yep, GONE and so on..

You better not be so picky and if you REALLY want that unit, you just might need to reconsider your position.. Otherwise the next time you look, it may be far more expensive or not available anywhere..