Crossborder RV buying

[AndyLyyc]

The threads i see are 3-5yr old... so feel the need to confirm...

We're looking at a keystone cougar 5'er - made a quick call and semi as expected - us price is way better than the canadian...

Found a dealer stateside who sells the csa (canadian version), takes canadian funds... and even driving/hotels/campgrounds returning - its well worth the weeks vacation (heck i could probably take a month coming back, lost wages and all - and still come out ahead) to drive south...

But want to make sure - how's keystone handle cross border shoppers and warranty? I'm sure its mostly how grumpy my dealer gets about it, but theres a few to choose from...

[joebedford]

I got some of my warranty work done in Canada by a dealer that doesn't sell Voltages. They didn't care where I bought it - they were paid by Dutchmen.

[469whj469]

That is what RV dealers tell you when they want you to pay top dollar for the RV. Forest River is the responsible party for warranty repairs and if you can't find a dealer to do warranty work on your unit, Forest River will find someone who will. Good Luck

[hitchup]

We heard the same stories about US dealers. But as full-timers, we are rarely near the dealer we originally bought from.

We get most of our minor repairs done DIY or via Mobile Tech with parts sent from the factory. Once we had repairs and upgrades were done near the Indiana factory. Has worked out great for us.

[mileshuff]

I refuse to buy from a dealer who only services trailers bought from that dealer. It tells me plenty about that dealer and what I can expect later. Not a good policy. Most RV warranties are for 1 year only. Small things I'll take care of myself. Major issues I'll make the drive if I have to.

I bought my trailer in Nevada but live in Arizona. The AZ dealers did not have the trailer I wanted and could not get one in any reasonable amount of time. However, the local AZ dealers service dept. has been excellent in handling any issues I've had. They know I'll surely refer others to their dealership in the future!

[ol_Bombero-JC]

"AndyLyyc" - buyers can encounter the same "situation" in the USA - local dealer supposedly won't provide warranty service at all, or customers who bought from him have priority for service.

Hmmmm - suppose you're on vacation 3,000 miles away from the *local* dealer where you purchased.

I'm in CA - purchased in MT from Marden's (Havre & Great Falls).
Family business - spent some time with the owners.
Not Keystone, but they do a large business with Canadian buyers.
Matched "wholesalers" price (longer distance), which local dealers would not.

Enjoyable experience, enjoyed the camping trip on return -
and would do it all again!

Warranty.
The Jayco I purchased had a two-year warranty, which I never needed.
Had two minor problems we missed on the PDI - and corrected both easily myself in about 5-10 minutes.
Might add the PDI was done by an independent RV service at the dealer's expense.
Even "camped" on the dealer's lot in Great Falls for two nights.

A year or so after purchase, I had some time to kill in Las Vegas.
Had a friendly chat with a salesman and also the service department about the subject of purchasing elsewhere -vs- warranty work.
After some "beating around the bush" - and stories about lost sales to their competition, their customers *first*, etc. - they admitted it would be no problem - including the "pecking order".

Bottom line -(IMO)- in the unlikely event you had a major warranty related problem, it would be worthwhile to cross the border -or- contact Keystone and see if they would cover service from an independent service facility.

If the local competition can't come close enough to the crossborder dealer's price - you'll have to decide if the savings merit the "risk".
(Think you know what I would do, LOL!)

~

[pearly101]

Mexnut wrote:


Give Pete's RV in Schererville a call. They are GREAT to deal with.

X2. We saved $4,000 buying in the States. Pete's was and still is awesome to deal with! I would highly recommend them. Even out of warranty they are willing to help us with our rig. For the minor issues you will encounter, it is worth buying in the us.

[MPI_Mallard]

Just fer' snots n' giggles you should nail down the price of the fiver/options you want from the US dealer then go to the Canadian dealer and see if he'll match the price after US/Can money exchange and taxes. I was looking at a fiver in the US that was $27.000 less than here and when I pressed the local dealer he said he couldn't match it then 20 minutes after he call saying the manufacturer dropped his price to make him competitive, give it a shot.

[Mexnut]

I bought across the border last year from Pete's RV in Schererville Indiana. Saved megabucks over the prices here in Calgary. As far as warranty services, ALL the local Keystone dealers won't touch you with a 10 foot pole! I had a few minor items that should have been covered by warranty. I phoned every Keystone dealer I could find and the response was always the same "Did you buy from us?" No. "Did you buy in Canada?" No. "Sorry, we won't be able to help you." When pressed for a reason why, they all would make various excuses and finally say they were just too busy. IMHO that was total BS but it convinced me that I would NEVER EVER buy anything from them in future. My business will be from the US dealer who gave me a fair purchase price. I was able to phone Pete's and have a couple replacement parts shipped to me under warranty but the local dealers all acted like a bunch of pr***cks. I called Keystone and complained to them but they say they have no authority to force dealers to do warranty work.

Basically, if you buy across the border, you are on your own as far as warranty is concerned. BUT, I would do it again in a heartbeat because of the major dollars that I saved over the local stealers.

Give Pete's RV in Schererville a call. They are GREAT to deal with.