Although you asked for a PM, I'll reply here, so everyone sees it!
Since you are in the Twin Cities, go to:
Hilltop Trailer Sales in Fridley.
Period.
I'm not an expert RV'er, having had our first and only for 3 seasons now, but Hilltop has bent over backwards by being a top tier dealer in that time.
No, their pricing is not bargain basement, but you can negotiate down into a fair range. Their salesmen are good, but not great - they don't always know what they are talking about, and may give poor advice. But they are only out to sell you things, not to hoodwink you. Far better than several other places we looked at. And during the purchase process, if something isn't right, the management will work hard to make it right.
Although we were lookers for a long while, it was one trip in particular that sold us - everyone was at the big local RV show, and the dealership was slow. An older gentleman offered to help, even though he noted he wasn't totally up on all the details of all their offerings. Took a while, but we found he was the owner, who was easing out of day-to-day, but helping out during the show period. We had a long chat about the challenges of running a business, especially with the big recession. I found his philosophy about how to attract and retain staff, and how to treat customers, inspiring! He spoke highly of many individuals on his staff. In our three years there, there has been no staff turnover that we could see. He was very proud of the fact that his dealership had the highest rate of Jayco warranty repairs in the country! Why? Because he made sure that EVERYTHING was 100% BEFORE delivery to the customer. He noted it was a black mark on his company if a customer actually had to come back for any work! Of course it happens, but they work hard to minimize it. We found that ethic to be true for our purchase of our fifth - the only thing needed was to replace a drippy outside shower head!
A prior fall, when picking up from service, they forgot to remove the bolts pinning our Revolution pin box, before letting us leave. Resulted in a totally destroyed pin box and hitch (big $$ repairs)! They same day (on a Saturday!) admitted fault, picked up the unit from our driveway on the other side of the Metro area, offered to pay for any possible frame damage to our truck (there was none), and then replaced everything with new within a matter of days. Because some parts were on backorder, the head mechanic used parts from his personal fifth as "loaners" so we could go on our trip with no delay, with the finish work being done after we went into winter storage.
We've only otherwise had maintenance work done to date, and during busy times may have to wait up to two weeks to get an appointment - but all work has been done either same day, or by the next. Can't say yet how major or other more complicated repairs are handled, but based on current experience I would be confident they will do whatever they can to get you going ASAP.
Service pricing is not the cheapest, but is fair. There were some things they can improve on (our PDI was rushed, and the person didn't really know our particular models features). Accessories/Supplies are sold at MSRP, so we usually buy that stuff elsewhere.
But overall, they have earned a customer for life. Even if there may be a cheaper deal somewhere else.
During a chat with the owner, he noted that he had just bought out a dealership in Rochester, Minn, and then later they did the same in Brainerd. Speaks well if they were able to expand right on the heels of the big recession, while others were forced out. Wouldn't work if you can't attract and keep customers long term! Can't say how the transition has worked at those, but at least at the Fridley location, the owners philosophy still holds, even if he has turned the reins over to his younger generation.
