New Travel Trailer Purchase

kellem wrote:
RV sales are way up this year and got a feeling many of them will be for sale after camping season if you can wait.

On our 4th trailer and never paid close to list price and always make an " out the door " offer or you'll see hidden fees.

Wow - I agree with this! I had asked for a price on a new TT that I really liked, from a dealer we had previously done business with - as the salesman rattled off the price, tax, title.... he said because I was a returning customer they would "knock half off the dealer fee/prep/transportation charges of almost $4000". I thanked him for his time - and went to a different dealer who only charged what the State required: tax, license plate, and title transfer.

Be very Very VERY careful when buying from Camping World. The one time i tried to buy a TT from them a few years ago, they were more sleazy than the worst used car dealer story you have ever heard. Number/paper shuffling with half truths (some outright Lies too) and then physical intimidation tactics when i called them on it (wife is CPA and i had the salesmen confused with his own numbers). emailed corporate detailing my experience and got the coverup bs 'we are very concerned and will get back with you soonest'. they didnt and also ignored my subsequent emails a month later inquiring about their actions.
I'd seriously consider having a lawyer review anything CW wanted me to sign if i was going to deal with them.


It absolutely Amazes me that in this day of the Internet that a company will do such things. I have told >200 people in CGs across the country + however many read my posts like this one on the net. Trying to cheat a single customer out of maybe $5k has undoubtedly cost them many more dollars.

eta: in the past, the mods here have allowed my posts like this one to remain. even if this one gets deleted, my hat's off to you all for your integrity.

Dutchmen makes the Coleman line exclusively for Camping World.

People associate the Coleman name with quality which is a farce, it's simply a name and Dutchmen pays Newell Brands, who owns the rights to the name, to be able to use it.

IMO $26K is too much to pay for that trailer, but given the current situation it's a sellers market and you have no shortage of Covidiots who will pay whatever number the dealers throw out for the limited stock they have. Then you have to factor in the Camping World BS which will probably add thousands to that $26K before it ever leaves the lot. They do not throw that BS in your face until they have you on the hook.

wanderingaimlessly wrote:
You used to hear 30% and 35% bandied around frequently. One thing you can also do is to use www.RVtrader.com or www.rvt.com
Use their advanced search and feed the information for exactly what you are looking at. It will then show you ads for identical models and the prices advertised by dealers. You will find a wide variance in those prices, and will also find many variables in how the dealers transact their business. Some will low ball a price, and then add thousands in fees and charges. Some will price their units straight out the door. You can go tho the individual dealers websites from there and see their methods, no fee straight up dealers tend to promote heavily on their business models, dealers with a lot of add ons tend to not show much if any information on their sites.
CW uses every ADD on or fee they can dream up.
Also remember, these units have wheels, you can buy one from a hundred or more miles away.

The RVT search doesn't always work with CW, they are like Walmart, they have lots of exclusive brands and even for more widely available brands they often have their own special builds that are cheapened vs what you would get at another dealer. It still night give you an idea of where they are vastly overpriced, but just because they are a few dollars cheaper doesn't mean they are a better deal. Add in their penchant for costs well above advertised and it's definitely YMMV.

I second not buying at Camping World. Being a big conglomerate with extreme pressures put on the stores to generate profits, you will find Camping World more concerned about getting to the contents of your wallet than you as a customer. Find a local dealer.

You used to hear 30% and 35% bandied around frequently. One thing you can also do is to use www.RVtrader.com or www.rvt.com
Use their advanced search and feed the information for exactly what you are looking at. It will then show you ads for identical models and the prices advertised by dealers. You will find a wide variance in those prices, and will also find many variables in how the dealers transact their business. Some will low ball a price, and then add thousands in fees and charges. Some will price their units straight out the door. You can go tho the individual dealers websites from there and see their methods, no fee straight up dealers tend to promote heavily on their business models, dealers with a lot of add ons tend to not show much if any information on their sites.
CW uses every ADD on or fee they can dream up.
Also remember, these units have wheels, you can buy one from a hundred or more miles away.

rexlion wrote:
IMO, friends don't let friends shop at CW.

Lol

IMO, friends don't let friends shop at CW.

I second looking at smaller dealers. Camping World kept adding stuff to the cost of a TT that I was looking at. $500 delivery. $500 set up/dealer prep. $200 for ONE battery and installation. $100 for an lp tank (20 pounder.) When OI said that I would be paying cash, I was told that the price would go up by $1000 if I did not use their financing. Until all of these add-on costs, I was interested. I found another Forest River product that was a different brand but same floor plan and equipment for over $5000 less at a dealer 7 miles from home.
6 months after buying the TT, I had a furnace problem while deer hunting, the local dealer had me drop off the TT that day and they repaired it THAT day. They let the furnace run over night to make sure it was working properly and I picked it up the next morning WITH A FULL LP TANK. CW is not going to do that for you.
My dealer is Scenic RV with lots in Slinger and Baraboo Wisconsin.

Why would you even think of buying from Camping World with their terrible reputation?