I'm tired of hauling the 5th wheel around. It's massive and it's become much too difficult to find good spots. When I purchased it 7 years ago I could stop by pretty much any RV park/resort on a whim and find a spot at a reasonable rate. Things are upside down now. Can't find any good spots without a reservation, and the prices have gotten nutty. Seems everyone and their mother has decided to buy an RV and hit the road. Such is life in an "everything bubble" of cheap credit, but I digress.I don't enjoy boondocking with a 5th wheel, so I'm looking to get another truck camper so that I can just camp out wherever. I had a Lance 1030 before, loaded, which was an excellent camper. I bought it off the original owner who had taken very good care of it, stored inside. I thought I'd like another Lance so I went to check them out today. I was not impressed at all with the quality, especially given the price. The brand new 1062 I looked at had really cheap flooring that was already buckling. It was like fake wood vinyl sheet, but felt like rubber. Really junky. The fit and finish inside was very poor, and overall I was shocked at what I was seeing with a price tag of $54,000!I checked out Arctic Fox, and the quality appeared much, much better. Unfortunately the used one locally had already been sold by the time I showed up to the dealer, and the new 990 was sold, too. I'd prefer to buy a 2-3 year old, gently used unit from a private party, but I am not seeing a lot right now. Further, the private party prices are more than the dealer on used, so I'm not sure what's going on there. I have used Nada guides to check values and the used market seems to be in lalaland right now. So, I'm thinking I may just buy new, which I've never done before. What sort of discount can I expect to get on a brand new 2020 Arctic Fox 990?

In the Northwest, the discounts are 20-25% or more. I’m not sure what they are in Limbo. :DWhere are you looking to buy?I don’t think there are too many deals for 2-3 year old Arctic Fox TCs. Most people keep them longer and the initial low price and the loan market means that many people will likely be upside down which is not good for getting low prices on used.

Look for at least 20% discount. We bought ours at Niemeyer’s In Albertville, MN. If your on the east coast look at Truck Camper Warehouse, NH and no sales tax.

I'm willing to buy anywhere from WA state down to central CA. Where do I find the msrp on these things? Unlike a vehicle, they don't post them. It's hard to negotiate.I do see some dealers that list a "retail price" then an "our price." What is this "retail price?" Further, the best discount I'm seeing between the two is like 14%. Should I just start lowballing these guys or just ask for their best price?

Seen 2 **** near new 811s on Craigslist for $30k asking price. So new 990, $35k depending on options?

I frequently check Craigslist and have noticed recently that there are many less TCs for sale than in the past. I’m not sure if newer is better but I also wasn’t impressed with the new Lance campers. Especially with a $35k plus price tag. I’m in the market for a small class C or leaning toward a DRW and larger TC. My favorites are still the early Lance Max models like the 981 or 1181/1191 in the 2005-2011 year range. They were well built and had a lot of features. And the best thing is you can find them for as low as $12k up to $20k for a really nice one. Same with the AF.

Thinkg of an Arctic Fox 990 - discount % off new?

29 Replies

Grit_dog
Navigator
Feb 23, 2020
Maybe it’s just Lance campers are junk.... Or maybe just maybe it’s situational and not always a 1 way clear cut answer.
For giggles looked up the nada value on our old camper. $5950 average retail.
It would sell tomorrow for that much and I’d lose out on $3k at least.
Brand, condition, locale, specific model, all are factors. Even more so than with vehicles, for obvious reasons.
restlessways
Explorer III
Feb 23, 2020
Kayteg1 wrote:
I was trying to sell my Lance in San Francisco area for 1/2 what NADA gave it.
Camper was clean, everything work (beside generator having electrick glitch), but exterior decals faded, what should be expected at 18 years of age.
NO INQUIRES , so I decided to use the interior for my Sprinter conversion and parted the Lance.

Yep, that sounds more like it. NADA has always been inflated, IMO. I have sold 4 RVs and none of them fetched anywhere near it. My Lance 1030 was immaculate, loaded, and never even approached what NADA said, and that was without adding the options on the NADA guide, which inflates the prices even more.

I was doing some research last night on depreciation in RVs and truck campers, and came across a post from an RV dealer who had been selling them 30 years or something. He said his advice and rule of thumb to people buying was to take 80% of the low NADA value as a fair indicator of the true value, and to use that as a guide for offers. I think a lot of these 3 year old campers are priced $10K too high. They're trying to avoid the depreciation hit, but they're not selling.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Feb 23, 2020
I was trying to sell my Lance in San Francisco area for 1/2 what NADA gave it.
Camper was clean, everything work (beside generator having electrick glitch), but exterior decals faded, what should be expected at 18 years of age.
NO INQUIRES , so I decided to use the interior for my Sprinter conversion and parted the Lance.
restlessways
Explorer III
Feb 23, 2020
brholt wrote:
Based on my experience the NADA used prices are low. If you want to go to Apache Campers website you can see what they are selling used campers for. In my experience Apache tends to offer their campers at roughly the price they are willing to sell them for so their isn't a huge amount of space to negotiate.

That's odd because my experience has been that NADA is on the high side when I have sold RVs in the past. I never got what NADA said and I keep my equipment clean. That's another reason I am loathe to pay some high price for a used camper - I've never been able to get that much myself! I'll check out Apache.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Feb 23, 2020
I would add....RV prices vary between the different regions in the USA so you may have to expand your search area.
SEarch FL and see whats available and prices.
brholt
Explorer II
Feb 22, 2020
Based on my experience the NADA used prices are low. If you want to go to Apache Campers website you can see what they are selling used campers for. In my experience Apache tends to offer their campers at roughly the price they are willing to sell them for so their isn't a huge amount of space to negotiate.
Bedlam
Moderator
Feb 22, 2020
I think the art of negotiation depends on the chemistry between you and the sales person. If there is pressure to immediately buy or reluctance for a dealer to check in to details, I will walk. I had a terrible experience buying my Ram locally and spent my money in Idaho where they were willing to work for my sale.
restlessways
Explorer III
Feb 22, 2020
Thanks for the info, Bedlam. I've bought several new trucks, but never a new RV. When negotiating price, are they open to offers or do they generally just say "this is our lowest price, take it or leave it?" I suppose the best price would always be on a unit that's been sitting on the lot a long time, ie. last year's model.

You're right about "settling for what's available." That's what it feels like when shopping for a used one. Right now I see nothing on the used market that interests me. There's actually only one that I like, but his price is above what a dealer quoted me for new. Why would I ever buy somebody's used RV for more than a new one? Especially given the depreciation schedule. I don't think the market price for used is anywhere near what these sellers think it is. That's why they're not selling. Rather than insult them with what they'd likely consider a "lowball" offer, I'd prefer to just not even contact them at all.
Bedlam
Moderator
Feb 22, 2020
Apache Camping has four locations between Everett and Portland. There is also a known dealer near the Northwood factory that has had good reviews but their name escapes me. I have ordered the last three RV's like I wanted rather than settle what was available. The pricing is still competitive since the dealer does not have to floor the unit and it is a guaranteed sale. You will have to wait for the next production run of your desired model, so instant gratification will have to be put on hold. I wrapped my truck tiedowns, hitch, extension, turnbuckles and bed mat into the first TC purchase. I priced these items and the dealer was able price a package I could not match buying on my own plus they installed them.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Feb 22, 2020
Short answer, no nada is not a great comparison all the time.
However if you're seeing dealers selling the SAME thing for considerably less than pp seller, one of 3 things is going on...
1. There's something real you're neglecting in the comparison. Or
2. The pp seller is overpriced. Or
3. Watch your @ss and your wallet when you go to that dealer because they're out to get both!