what is real?

If the local dealer is any good at doing repairs he will welcome the business with the sure pay out. If he routinely has to do a job more than once he'll prefer NOBODY brings warranty work to him because factory will pay only once for the same repair. As for negotiating price on special orders, EVERYTHING is negotiable but you may not always win the negotiation. There are several very GOOD RV dealers who make most of their living selling discount RVs on line and they WILL deliver them (if you really don't want to travel with your RV). RV Direct and RV Wholesalers (not really a wholesaler) are two examples of good dealers doing business on line.

One more thing about doing repairs. MANY of us travel extensively with our RVs and if it were a problem getting work done except where we purchase it would make travel impossible. I have never ONCE had an issue finding a place to do work while on the road.

Good luck / Skip

My experience is that I got the best deal by doing a factory order .
We had been TT owners of 3 new used and took our time shopping around , going to RV shows and so forth .
I decided that a 21T Komfort was the best unit for us .
I took my handy clipboard to the RV shows and the local dealers lot .
I took extensive notes and observed the options I needed .
I ordered just about every option available except for two .
I prepared an exact list of the model I wanted and the exact options I required .
I sent that to the Portland and Pasco and other dealers as well as the local Bend dealer .
The Bend dealer was not low .
I showed them the lowest bid .
They matched that .
This was in April 2001.
I put $ 1000 down .
We got our new trailer in 6 weeks .
It was badged as a 2002 model year .
I paid $ 12,700 cash total.
The sticker price was $ 16,529 .
One dealer had a similar trailer at a $ 15,967 RV show price .
The Roseburg dealer quoted $ 13,993 .
The Eugene dealer was " no quote "
The Portland dealer was $ 13,749 .
The Tangent dealer was $ 13,629 .
The Pasco dealer was low at $ 12,700 .
We were already experienced trailer trash .
We looked very hard at Arctic Fox and Nash as final choices .
FWIW , I am very satisfied with this Komfort .
It is a very well built unit and has had no major issues in a dozen years .

Myself I wouldn’t buy off the lot, I have ordered mine and always got a better price and get exactly what I want… I know what each option cost me and have a copy of the build sheet in my hand…

The only problem I ever had was refusing the delivery one time because the one they sent was missing some things I wanted, and having to wait for another to be built…

Doesn't sound like the OP wants to share what rig is being considered!

Our approach was easy once we decided on the TT we wanted. Our budget said a used TT and between the area dealers we winnowed it down to four units. Of the four we settled on the one closest to our “prefect” trailer.

I looked up the Nada used trailer value and offered it to the dealer as the final price, including taxes, prep charges, hitch and any other fees he might have etc. It was the number I was going to write on the check. The dealer agreed.

All was not done yet because the dealer was satisfied but the State wanted their license fees, the insurance company needed their money, and on a used unit there can be some merit to an extended insurance policy.

Because of time and place there will always be those who got a better deal and those who did worse. If it meets your needs and budget at the time, generally it is a good deal.

Do not be in a hurry and take the time to shop. Like the popular chip maker says "They'll make more". :)

nephi007 wrote:
Howdy. I know this questions has been asked before but not able to fin d answer on forum search engine. After research have concluded will need to order from dealer the trailer we want. Regarding pricing, I know dealer would prefer to sell from their stock and play the MSRP angle which I have read extensively about on this forum. Is the purchase price on an ordered trailer negotiable?. The one we want is available some states over but really dont want to travel if I dont have to. I called a manufacturer to ask whether a local dealer would warranty repairs on a new trailer purchased at a dealer from another state. He said probably but it might hurt the local dealers feelings. to have purchased elsewhere.Your thoughts please. Thankst

We're in the process of doing this right now. There are a bunch of units on dealers' lots all over the Midwest similar to what we want, but they all have one option we absolutely don't want. So to get what we want we're going to have to order one.


I've been in contact with two dealers trying to get the unit we want at the price we want to pay. I haven't hid this from either dealer...they both know I'm talking to another dealer, they just don't know who the other is yet.


The first dealer we talked to shot me a price that was about 25% off "MSRP". We haven't got to that point with the other one yet...but we will.


The reason I put "MSRP" in quotations is from what I can tell, each dealer establishes their own "MSRP". I talked to a factory rep at a show a couple weeks ago and he told me there's a number that comes from the factory but it's not etched in stone like it is from car manufacturers.


I have copies of four invoices for similar units that show the same (suggested) base price for each unit without options. After listing the options we wanted, the price the dealer gave me was about 10% below that base price.


So it appears to me there's quite a bit of wiggle room.


As far as warranty work goes, one dealer is about 4 hrs. away and the other is about 45 minutes. The factory rep told me all dealers have to honor the warranty but you may have to wait longer at the dealer you didn't buy from.

enblethen wrote:
I would not order.
Try searching for your make and model. Some dealers will give incentives to come to their lot. Some will pay for the fuel and provide overnight accommodations.
What make and model are you considering?

Times 2, I agree!!!!!!!!

The deals are made with what's on the lot. Its there somewhere, search the net, you'll find it.

When we finally found the make & model of 5th wheel we wanted we ordered it from a dealer that carried that line.

We ordered it with things we wanted (upgrades, some custom items, some deletions of items and even items not listed in their options list).
We negotiated the price. Made an offer, dealer countered, we countered and came to an agreement----just like we would have done for one sitting on dealers lot.

We even had some things added after the order was placed......dealt directly with the factory on those items.

6 weeks later dealer called and informed us rig was in transit and when it was scheduled to arrive. We then scheduled date for PDI and pickup.

So if you want a new unit.......order it the way you want it as allowed by mfg.
And as was our case....some things not listed as options were handled with just an inquiry.

The large volume dealers in the midwest sell more custom orders than off their lots at the lowest prices in the country. Get a quote from one of the "wholesale" dealers for comparison with your local dealer.

What is make and model?