Long drive for new TT!!

Lantley wrote:
A 750 mile trip will take 10 hours of drive time while towing. At some point you will be eating at restaurants vs. eating at home. Eating out will have a cost. If you buy local none of this is an issue. Food and potentially lodging cost should be factored in. Travel cost are not strictly limited to fuel.

Of course it should. But this whole discussion is predicated on the establishment that the difference in cost is more than sufficient to offset these costs. When we picked up ours we slept on the way up in a motel and ate at a restaurant next door - not part of my normal costs. We brought some dry food on the way up as well as our pots pans etc and did some grocery shopping after setting up in the shakedown campsite. We still saved enough money to make the trip worth the effort.

gmw photos wrote:

Lantley wrote:

Farm Camp wrote:
Our distance was quite a bit shorter. We bought sight unseen (ordered a new build) from a dealer about 120 miles away. We did this because that dealer was probably $4,000 less than the best price a local dealer of the same camper would offer.

So, as others have said, we drove down, did the PDI, and fixed the one issue we discovered (a dump valve handle was not connected.) Then we camped for the weekend at a nearby campground just to enjoy the new camper, and just in case...

Hint: New campers might really STINK until they can air out for several days. Be ready for that! (Ask me how I know LOL.)

We had zero issues...

As for the inability to get service locally...

I've seen this argument over and over and I don't get it. If I'm running a service department, and I can get a factory to send me money, I'm gonna do that... If I have a customer willing to spend their money with me - I'm gonna do that. I guess if it's a really small place where the service guys are very close to the sales guys you might get that... Frankly speaking, if it's just a spite thing, I don't want to do business there anyway. If they are just so busy that they put their own customers first... Well... I can't argue too much about that and it would have to be factored in. I'm betting most places don't care where you bought it. They have service techs to pay...

In my specific case I had no need to worry. The dealer I bought from was about to open a new branch about 40 minutes away from me...

The issue is you can't just get the factory to send you the money. The system is not that efficient. If it were as simple as we wish it were your thoughts would be correct.
However the repairs have to be logged, submitted to the factory and then approved. Parts may have to be returned etc.. Once the repairs are completed it the dealers are not paid right away.Payment may take up to 60 days.
Dealers are willing to play the warranty game on units they sold and profited on. However on units they did not sell warranty work is often a losing proposition.
Some dealers want the added volume of warranty work,while others have refused or discourage warranty work on units they did not sell.
Consumers are caught in the middle expecting warranty claims to be handled efficiently like the auto industry and they are not.
The warranty refusal issue is a legitimate concern and should be factored into the decision especially if the buyer is not the handi DIY type.
I have purchased out of state and local and like others seek the best deal.I have been successful in using the out of town price as leverage to get the local dealer to come close or match the far away deal.
Before taking the long drive I strongly recommend confronting the local dealer with your out of state price and give them a chance to match.THere are benefits to having a decent relationship with the local guy. If the local guy refuses,simply take the drive for the savings.

The problem I have with this line of operation that the RV industry tries to shovel onto us consumers is this: suppose I go buy a RV at my "local" dealer.....and then in a few months my job transfers me to a city far away. Why should I be expected to take my ailing RV all the way back to my now, not-so-local-dealer for warranty work ? It's another example of the poor business practices we so often see in this industry.

The reluctance denial issues only comes up with consumers who live local and purchase far away and then attempt to get warranty service locally.
People who are on the road traveling or passing through usually do not encounter any issues nor do those who have moved to a new location.

While I imagine there maybe some spite involved the local dealer can research, when and where the RV was purchased, as well as where the owner resides.

We drove around 1200 miles round trip from NW Ohio to New Jersey to buy our 2008 Jayco Eagle (this was in May of 2010).

I could go get it cheaper than getting it shipped, and I wanted to inspect it since I was purchasing it off a private seller (I would have gone to get it and inspect it even if it was from a dealer FWIW).

It was a good trip.

If I had ONE suggestion for you, something I wish I would have done differently..no matter how hard it is to resist the urge to "get back home" TAKE YOUR TIME and inspect it.

Overall we are VERY happy with our Eagle. However, I was guilty of wanting to get back as quickly as possible and did not inspect as thoroughly as I should have. Had I done my due diligence then I would have more than likely found the mice droppings that were hidden way under the cupboard, etc. that a normal inspection did not reveal. I would have also checked and realized that he had not winterized properly and the water pump had a crack/leak.

In the end, after a THOROUGH cleaning and about $100 for a new water pump the Eagle was perfect for us. It was barely used and in excellent condition. Even if I had known about those 2 issues I would have definitely still purchased it...but I would bet I could have used those to leverage the price down another $500 or so (even though we still got it at a heckuva deal).

In any event...if you have the time...IMHO picking it up yourself is definitely the way to go.

Lantley wrote:

Farm Camp wrote:
Our distance was quite a bit shorter. We bought sight unseen (ordered a new build) from a dealer about 120 miles away. We did this because that dealer was probably $4,000 less than the best price a local dealer of the same camper would offer.

So, as others have said, we drove down, did the PDI, and fixed the one issue we discovered (a dump valve handle was not connected.) Then we camped for the weekend at a nearby campground just to enjoy the new camper, and just in case...

Hint: New campers might really STINK until they can air out for several days. Be ready for that! (Ask me how I know LOL.)

We had zero issues...

As for the inability to get service locally...

I've seen this argument over and over and I don't get it. If I'm running a service department, and I can get a factory to send me money, I'm gonna do that... If I have a customer willing to spend their money with me - I'm gonna do that. I guess if it's a really small place where the service guys are very close to the sales guys you might get that... Frankly speaking, if it's just a spite thing, I don't want to do business there anyway. If they are just so busy that they put their own customers first... Well... I can't argue too much about that and it would have to be factored in. I'm betting most places don't care where you bought it. They have service techs to pay...

In my specific case I had no need to worry. The dealer I bought from was about to open a new branch about 40 minutes away from me...

The issue is you can't just get the factory to send you the money. The system is not that efficient. If it were as simple as we wish it were your thoughts would be correct.
However the repairs have to be logged, submitted to the factory and then approved. Parts may have to be returned etc.. Once the repairs are completed it the dealers are not paid right away.Payment may take up to 60 days.
Dealers are willing to play the warranty game on units they sold and profited on. However on units they did not sell warranty work is often a losing proposition.
Some dealers want the added volume of warranty work,while others have refused or discourage warranty work on units they did not sell.
Consumers are caught in the middle expecting warranty claims to be handled efficiently like the auto industry and they are not.
The warranty refusal issue is a legitimate concern and should be factored into the decision especially if the buyer is not the handi DIY type.
I have purchased out of state and local and like others seek the best deal.I have been successful in using the out of town price as leverage to get the local dealer to come close or match the far away deal.
Before taking the long drive I strongly recommend confronting the local dealer with your out of state price and give them a chance to match.THere are benefits to having a decent relationship with the local guy. If the local guy refuses,simply take the drive for the savings.

The problem I have with this line of operation that the RV industry tries to shovel onto us consumers is this: suppose I go buy a RV at my "local" dealer.....and then in a few months my job transfers me to a city far away. Why should I be expected to take my ailing RV all the way back to my now, not-so-local-dealer for warranty work ? It's another example of the poor business practices we so often see in this industry.

wmoses wrote:

nomad297 wrote:
Why are some people including food with the expenses? Don't you pay for your food at home?

Bruce

Bruce - THANK YOU for bringing up this point. I was just thinking of starting a separate thread on this on this and I did, since I don't want to hijack this thread.

A 750 mile trip will take 10 hours of drive time while towing. At some point you will be eating at restaurants vs. eating at home. Eating out will have a cost. If you buy local none of this is an issue. Food and potentially lodging cost should be factored in. Travel cost are not strictly limited to fuel.

We drove 995 miles to purchase our Eagle. Our "local" dealers aren't close by either. Both are over a hundred miles away. And they were at least $2k higher on the deal, plus almost that much more in destination charge. Our dealer was so close to the plant that there is no destination charge on our contract. And the trip was the halfway point to my DW's relatives, so the whole thing goes down as vacation travel. Having said all that, we are retired and money means more than time to us. Years ago I would have paid the additional dollars and bought closer to home regardless of warranty questions. But I will admit, had we had problems, we would have had problems! As others have said, it's difficult to find a dealer willing to do warranty work on a "foreign" camper. Chances are, our next rig will probably be bought here in the Phoenix area, while we are wintering, where there are many dealers. It will cost more of our savings, but the kids would just spend it on their own toys! :B

I have learned the hard way to only buy from a dealer that I am willing to make multiple return trips to. I have bought 3 different brands of RVs, and ALWAYS found multiple problems on the PDI. The last TT had broken components that had to be ordered/installed later.
Also, the closest RV service center has stopped inspecting units that they haven't sold. It pays to have a very good/familiar relationship with a local dealer.

nomad297 wrote:
Why are some people including food with the expenses? Don't you pay for your food at home?

Bruce

Bruce - THANK YOU for bringing up this point. I was just thinking of starting a separate thread on this on this and I did, since I don't want to hijack this thread.

Farm Camp wrote:
Our distance was quite a bit shorter. We bought sight unseen (ordered a new build) from a dealer about 120 miles away. We did this because that dealer was probably $4,000 less than the best price a local dealer of the same camper would offer.

So, as others have said, we drove down, did the PDI, and fixed the one issue we discovered (a dump valve handle was not connected.) Then we camped for the weekend at a nearby campground just to enjoy the new camper, and just in case...

Hint: New campers might really STINK until they can air out for several days. Be ready for that! (Ask me how I know LOL.)

We had zero issues...

As for the inability to get service locally...

I've seen this argument over and over and I don't get it. If I'm running a service department, and I can get a factory to send me money, I'm gonna do that... If I have a customer willing to spend their money with me - I'm gonna do that. I guess if it's a really small place where the service guys are very close to the sales guys you might get that... Frankly speaking, if it's just a spite thing, I don't want to do business there anyway. If they are just so busy that they put their own customers first... Well... I can't argue too much about that and it would have to be factored in. I'm betting most places don't care where you bought it. They have service techs to pay...

In my specific case I had no need to worry. The dealer I bought from was about to open a new branch about 40 minutes away from me...

The issue is you can't just get the factory to send you the money. The system is not that efficient. If it were as simple as we wish it were your thoughts would be correct.
However the repairs have to be logged, submitted to the factory and then approved. Parts may have to be returned etc.. Once the repairs are completed it the dealers are not paid right away.Payment may take up to 60 days.
Dealers are willing to play the warranty game on units they sold and profited on. However on units they did not sell warranty work is often a losing proposition.
Some dealers want the added volume of warranty work,while others have refused or discourage warranty work on units they did not sell.
Consumers are caught in the middle expecting warranty claims to be handled efficiently like the auto industry and they are not.
The warranty refusal issue is a legitimate concern and should be factored into the decision especially if the buyer is not the handi DIY type.
I have purchased out of state and local and like others seek the best deal.I have been successful in using the out of town price as leverage to get the local dealer to come close or match the far away deal.
Before taking the long drive I strongly recommend confronting the local dealer with your out of state price and give them a chance to match.THere are benefits to having a decent relationship with the local guy. If the local guy refuses,simply take the drive for the savings.

Lantley wrote:
traveling to pick it up 750 miles would cost me about $700.00 in food and fuel

Why are some people including food with the expenses? Don't you pay for your food at home?

Bruce