Manufacture vs Dealership
Which one do you think is the best to buy an RV from? I have bought an RV from both and found the manufacturer to be better to deal with but I want to hear other opinions.
Forum Discussion
There are obviously pros and cons to buying direct vs dealerships. I bought our Nexus used {with just 6,205 miles} from a large dealership but was an eyelash away from buying the exact same coach factory direct from Nexus until I scored our used coach.
I had spent several weeks researching and negotiating the custom build but upon finding the exact same coach in "as new" condition for thousands less the decision was a no brainier.
Buying factory direct works best for experienced RV'ers. First time buyers won't have a clue what features to look for which negates the best single reason for buying from the manufacturer that being the ability to get your coach custom built/equipped for your specific needs.
In 2013 when we bought our 2012 Phantom 23P Nexus was still factory direct only. Buying new would have necessitated two trips from Tucson to the factory in Elkhart, the first to tour and evaluate their facility and confirm their ability to produce the quality product I was seeking. The second would have been to pick up the unit after completing a thorough PDI and test drive before returning to Arizona.
I had made a tentative offer of $63,000 for the custom build with the two trips to Elkhart adding 3 to $5K in additional costs. We bought our coach at La Mesa RV in Tucson for $47,000 {$50K OTD}.
Over the next few years Nexus began to create a limited dealer network and to the best of my knowledge continues to offer both purchase options. On a cross country trip I had the opportunity to visit their factory twice for modifications and minor repairs. We toured their factory and were nothing but impressed. We spent 4 nights with hookups on the factory grounds for free and were treated like royalty despite not having bought from Nexus and our coach being out of the original warranty.
After 9+ years and 69,000+ trouble free miles if I was in the market for another coach I would definitely put Nexus near the top of my short list of manufacturers to consider.
As always... Opinions and YMMV.
:C
I had spent several weeks researching and negotiating the custom build but upon finding the exact same coach in "as new" condition for thousands less the decision was a no brainier.
Buying factory direct works best for experienced RV'ers. First time buyers won't have a clue what features to look for which negates the best single reason for buying from the manufacturer that being the ability to get your coach custom built/equipped for your specific needs.
In 2013 when we bought our 2012 Phantom 23P Nexus was still factory direct only. Buying new would have necessitated two trips from Tucson to the factory in Elkhart, the first to tour and evaluate their facility and confirm their ability to produce the quality product I was seeking. The second would have been to pick up the unit after completing a thorough PDI and test drive before returning to Arizona.
I had made a tentative offer of $63,000 for the custom build with the two trips to Elkhart adding 3 to $5K in additional costs. We bought our coach at La Mesa RV in Tucson for $47,000 {$50K OTD}.
Over the next few years Nexus began to create a limited dealer network and to the best of my knowledge continues to offer both purchase options. On a cross country trip I had the opportunity to visit their factory twice for modifications and minor repairs. We toured their factory and were nothing but impressed. We spent 4 nights with hookups on the factory grounds for free and were treated like royalty despite not having bought from Nexus and our coach being out of the original warranty.
After 9+ years and 69,000+ trouble free miles if I was in the market for another coach I would definitely put Nexus near the top of my short list of manufacturers to consider.
As always... Opinions and YMMV.
:C
