Buying RV from a far away dealer

The dealer that finally fixed our Endura issues didn't even sell the Gulfstream line. $7K is a lot of money but you are also getting a brand new unit. Will any warranty issues be honored on the 2020? I would call the local dealer back and ask him if he can do any better and if not you will probably buy elsewhere. Just remember if the non-local dealer fudges up any repairs or does damage to the unit while it's there you have to go back the 1K miles to get it fixed.

I,ve bought three out of state great deals purchase on inspection only. never had a problem and my local dealer never gave me a problem. I,d do the deal in a heart beat . they picked me up at the airport bought dinner ,better service than buying local.

Any RV we've ever owned I looked for the best deal and if it was worth it, travelled to get it. Often this was far away from our home. NEVER had an issue getting warranty work from my local dealer. This is my experience living in different states with different dealers. Communication with the dealer and the manufacturer is key. But never had a dealer turn down paid warranty work just because I didn't buy it there. That would be cutting off their nose to spite their face. People move, people travel etc. This isn't a problem. Not sure why some folks continue to say that it is.

I purchased two rigs long distance. Once I drove to Iowa from Oregon and the next time to Texas from Oregon. I saved so much money on the Texas sale that I had the Toy Hauler for 6 years and sold it for more than I paid for it.

On the Texas Rig I did have one fairly big warranty issue where a bathroom vanity had to be replaced. I worked with the Factory and they recommended a local dealer. They did a great job!

The savings has to justify the time and expense to go and get it.

I will say I did get burned on a long distance USED sale. I got plenty of pictures asked plenty of questions but the Rig was a wreck. I didn't buy it but drove all the way to South Dakota. So, I would do it for new but not used.

rk911 wrote:
those dealers can't turn you away but neither do they have to put you ahead of their customers. my advice: buy locally or keep looking

There is no shortage of stories around about local dealers who suck, even when you've purchased from them. I know of one guy personally whose new 5er sat in the service lot for 9 months of the first year at the local dealer he purchased from.

The entire RV Industry sucks and bad service, especially bad warranty service, is embedded in it, and it is the rule not the exception.

Just read an RV manufacturers warranty. How would you like it if Ford said on your new F350 if the wheel bearing crapped at 8K miles, you had to go after Wop Sing bearing manufacturing in Chinzou to have it replaced because they made the component? Wop Sing however is probably more of a joy to deal with than Lippert Components.

I live north of KC Mo, purchased a new motor home last year a Thor XG32 from Lazy Days in Tampa Florida, had to have some warranty work done on it and had no problem with the local dealer taking care of it, they only had the unit for a week to fix the problem.

Yeah I would stay a few days in the area and vacation while I checked things out. I've had 5 motorhomes and 2 fifth wheels in my lifetime and have always done lots of my own maintenance, even warranty work. Much less hassle to do it myself than fool with a dealer then half the time they don't do it right. Also it's gonna be hard to overlook the additional 6 or 7 K savings. Thanks for all the advice.

I would plan on camping near the selling dealer for a few days and get the bugs and questions worked out while nearby. $7000 + tax is a LOT of money to pay for service/warranty work and if you absolutely had to bring it back to the selling dealer once it would still be worth the savings. Having a local dealer jerk you around on warranty work assures them of NEVER getting you for a customer for any service work or your next rig.

Some local dealers flat out won't do warranty work on rigs they didn't sell, other dealers may but will place you behind those customers that purchased from them. To avoid that issue you can deal directly with manufacturer to see if they will allow a mobile tech to come out. We only had minor issues and after I sent a few pictures to the dealer they would order the parts and I would pick them up and do the work myself.

This was a family owned dealership in business for over 30 years, they were not so uptight as these huge mega RV dealers, in fact there was zero upsell after I told them we just want the out the door price for the rig alone. It just pays to be handy with tools anyway when owning an RV, you don't have to wait for weeks where most times battery is dead as a doornail upon pickup, and the work is usually substandard to boot.

those dealers can't turn you away but neither do they have to put you ahead of their customers. my advice: buy locally or keep looking