Need help buying/negotiating travel trailer from dealer

Well after four pages you certainly have plenty of advice by now but as I mention earlier we looked for a while to find the one or two model we wanted. The sticker price on the model that was of particular interest had been “reduced” to $13,000.00, (it seems they we all on sale).

On our second trip we told the salesman it was near our max weight limit but we were considering that model and questioned the cost of a WD hitch. We told him if it was not sold when we came back we would make an offer. He offered to provide the hitch with the purchase and double checked to make sure we did not intend to pull it with the mini-van we drove in with.

On our final trip I told him the one check story; this is the price I am writing on the check and it includes everything attached to my truck and out the door, including the WD hitch. Anything else was out of his pocket. He agreed. I got the TT I wanted at the price I wanted.

Since I was paying the “reduced” price which was the NADA RV price and the asking price of other similar units, I knew he had some wiggle room.

Even at that there were still some addition costs to me that the dealer was not involved in. License plates, our State excise tax, title transfer, and insurance.

Surprisingly the RV dealer was also the cheapest source for a four year “purchased cost” policy. My home and car company would only insure it for depreciated value. I figured if I did not total it in the first four years then I would insure for the depreciated value.

Never rush, sleep on the deal, be satisfied and do not worry about the dealer’s profit.

Even though it has been dormant for a few months, this thread has still turned out to be a great read for me. Wife and I decided to look at new TT offerings this past weekend and found ourselves ready to try to negotiate a deal on a new 2015 Keystone Sprinter Campfire 26RB. Attempting to perform my due diligence prior to entering into the negotiating process has been frustrating to say the least. MSRP is such a moving target on this thing that it's been difficult to find a good starting point. Thankfully, they all seem identically equipped, so options don't seem to factor into the equation. Local dealer is advertising it at $31666 which seems pretty ambitious. Using the law of averages, I'm going to guess the real MSRP is somewhere in the high 29's. Lowest 3 advertised prices on the web are $19.9, $20.9, and $21.9 respectively. Most seem to be in the $23.5-$24.9 range. Using the information I've gathered here and applying the rule of 70%, it seems reasonable to start with a offer of $20.9 and allow another $1k towards the hitch, max air, and battery. Not sure just how good of a deal it would be, but anything OTD after taxes under $24k at the local dealer would seem to be ok with us. Anybody on here care to chime in with plusses or minuses on my way of thinking?

rwbana wrote:
A many thanks to all for your recommendations and advise. We pulled the trigger and got a 2015 Jayco Jay Feather 23MB

Dealer had it listed for $17,995 and we got an additional $300 off and an out the door price of $20,514 which included title, taxes, an equalizer 10K hitch and a Prodigy 2 brake controller.

We are excited to get out there and explore.

Now we need to decide on extended warranty and the dealer is trying to sell us Perma Plate clear coat protectant.

Anyone got any final feedback on this?

Didn't see your post until now. Congrats!

Did you mean a Jay Flight 23MB as I didn't see a 2015 Jay "feather" 23MB on Jaycos website.

What packages did you get as you can add an additional $5000 to the MSRP just in options.

The Equalizer and Strait-Line (I have) are about $700.

I paid about $14300 for my trailer and MSRP was $20,106.

2015 26BH is now about $23,086 for the same I have except added kitchen sky lite, upgrade suspension, and sprayer faucet, but deleted in floor heating, heavy duty 7500 lbs GVWR frame, and some others. So it's about a wash.

Today mine would had been $16,416 at the same 71%, with elite package, 26" TV, and customer value package.

Sounds like you got a good deal. Congrats.

The extended warranties I seen were a rip off and didn't cover the structure of the coach, just interior and appliances which rarely have issues. If you add anything to the siding, it could void Jaycos warranty on that. Just a word of caution.

The most I'd consider paying is 75% of MSRP and it better be some very good reason it's that expensive. MSRP does NOT include prep, delivery or other fees even though some dealers tack them on and try to deceive you into thinking they are part of the MSRP.

I negogiate hard. Usually takes me a month or so for a trailer I want because I'm not going to be taken.

I use resources of what I can actually buy the trailer somewhere else. I like to buy local but it's not worth an extra $3,000! I also consider the so called 'throw ins' as money against the trailer to be 'fair'. That being a hitch and/or accessories.

The most I've paid was 72% of MSRP (no prep, or delivery/freight charges).

You must also consider a trailer that's on the lot will cost more than a trailer you order. I've seen from $1000 to $2000. Also if the floorplan is very popular, you can expect to pay more. My Jay Flight 26BH is Jayco's most popular floorplan so it took some negogiating but I got it for about 71% of MSRP and it was on the lot. It also was 2012 in 2012, when 2013 were available through order but not on the lot. So I could had ordered a 2013 for the same price but it wouldn't had been able to be used until the next season.

Year end and ordered campers are the cheapest. Lot campers are the most expensive.

Congrats on the new trailer. This is the point where my DH starts second guessing the deal even though he was happy as a clam when we signed. Basically, he's cheap. This is his SOP and for a couple of days he'll fret and wonder. Skip this part...just get yourself ready to head out and have some fun. Whether you paid $X too much or not doesn't matter any more. What matters is that you have something to enjoy and make some great memories.

I wouldn't pay for the warranty or the clear coat protectant.

Warranty is a bet things won't break. The dealers make a lot of money off of them because they are overpriced for what they cover. Best bet is to set that money aside in a savings account and pay for repairs out of pocket.

Clear coat protectant is a fancy way of saying they will wax it. I'm sure they want hundreds of dollars to wax it.

We just purchased a new TT in November and our "Out the Door" price was 70% off the MSRP but that included tax, upgraded hitch, etc. This included registration etc. We thought we got a very fair deal. Keep in mind it was a 2014 leftover but brand new TT.

A many thanks to all for your recommendations and advise. We pulled the trigger and got a 2015 Jayco Jay Feather 23MB

Dealer had it listed for $17,995 and we got an additional $300 off and an out the door price of $20,514 which included title, taxes, an equalizer 10K hitch and a Prodigy 2 brake controller.

We are excited to get out there and explore.

Now we need to decide on extended warranty and the dealer is trying to sell us Perma Plate clear coat protectant.

Anyone got any final feedback on this?

Definitely put your trailer into RVTrader.com and see what others are offering. It is also a good way to compare MSRP. There is not a federal regulation on RV MSRP like there is on autos. MSRP can be all over the map. If it is a 2014 model I'd be shopping for 35% discount--2016 models come out next month.

If I can get 3k off I will do it , when I was shopping the price difference I was seeing was like 500-1000. for 3k I think you should do it.

for that price, I will fly my family down and take a few days and make it a cross country rv trip.