Grand Design purchase

[fly4fun]

I am in the market for a new fifth wheel and have just started the search. Is there any dealers in Texas that will get right on the price? In the DFW area the only GD dealer is McClains and so far they are not that interested in selling for a good price. I am not opposed to used but so far all the ones Ive seen thus far are almost as much as a new one would be with some good haggling, i.e. 30% off. Any guidance would be appreciated.Also how much wiggle room is there when negotiating on a second a/c if needed or a new fifth wheel hitch?

[RoyBell]

There are discounts to be had. I stopped by 2 local dealers and both were not that eager to work with my on pricing for 2020 models. I emailed a couple that I would have to drive to and the pricing was much better. My local dealers all of a sudden were eager to get an order when I stopped talking to them for a couple weeks. I told them what the out-of-state dealers were willing to sell for and they matched it.

When I told them what I was looking to pay, they originally laughed and said that's not possible. Well, the final deal was pretty dang close to what I was looking to pay at the end. We decided to order one exactly how we wanted vs getting one off the lot. I imagine buying off the lot you have more buying power since they want these units gone.

[2012Coleman]

My recently out of warranty GD 303 RLS had an issue with the awning pulling away from the wall. Found out who to contact there - ended up emailing the VP of customer service with pictures and got a phone call an hour later from a service manager at GD. Had a nice 30 minute conversation where we talked about the correct fix, had some questions answered, and then got a reference number to fully cover the repair including a decal that had pulled up as result.

[DallasSteve]

Wildcat

You quoted my second post. Here is my first post (again):

DallasSteve wrote:
I went to McClains in Denton last year and looked at some models. They didn't seem eager to negotiate, but I never got that far. I decided to postpone the purchase. My suggestion is browse the models you can see around the country on websites like RV Trader. I think you can see discounted prices on new 2019 Grand Design models that are still in stock. Then call or visit McClains and tell them you are ready to buy at X dollars, or be willing to travel to another dealer hours or days away to get a better deal.

As I said in my earlier post (quoted above) I see discounts on 2019 models, but not 2020 models. You may also be able to get a discounted price on 2020 models if you call or write the dealers, but I haven't seen any advertised discounted prices on 2020.

[2008Wildcat]

BillyBob Jim wrote:

DallasSteve wrote:
An additional thought:

Grand Design seems to be different that most travel trailer brands. They seem to have a contract with the dealers that they are not allowed to advertised discount prices. We can assume this is so Grand Design can rip off their customers as much as possible. In the travel trailer market discounts of 25% to 35% off MSRP is normal. I think this is also true for Grand Design, but I'm not sure.

Steve

If a dealer is telling you that or posting it in their ads they're just lying. It's dealer BS.

Grand Design allows discounted pricing on previous model years, not current.

2020 models are all MSRP.

[CDEW]

We just purchased our 2019 Reflection 150 Series 295 RL from a local dealer in NJ. We paid 26% below MSRP and were able to negotiate a good price for the purchase and install of a 5th wheel hitch. The dealer that we bought from has been in business for many years and has a great reputation for customer service. The entire transaction was painless and the dealer was even upfront about a potential problem with the hitch install that turned out to be nothing. I am always looking for good service from the dealer more than the MFG. Our new 5th wheel had a few items that needed attention and I fixed myself. I still believe in GD I just think some of the quality control is lacking from a need to pump out units. We are thrilled with the quality for the price we paid. By local if you can and make sure the dealer has a good reputation for customer service.

[JKJavelin]

What's their mantra??? Customers For Life???
Well, looks like they lost one.
Open Range used to treat customers like family. Not any more!
JK

[goducks10]

GD is probably finding out that doing warranty work when past the warranty date is a losing proposition. Back when GD was starting up and trying to make a name for them selves it was great PR. Now with their model lines expanded and quality the same as every other MFG they simply can't afford to give away warranty work for the sake of good PR.

[dpgllg]

dryfly wrote:
Dave,

I understand your frustration and we all expect these RV products to last longer than 2 years. However, all warranties are published for a specific amount of time. We know that when we purchase. If the product is past that period, why is it the manufacturer's responsibility to cover it?

Granted, sometimes they make exceptions, but that is not mandatory on their part. As you say, pretty much all manufacturers are turning out cheaply made products.

I agree that there is a time limit. My point was that Grand Design USED to have a very good reputation about standing behind there product and tried to make the owners happy. That was my primary reason for purchasing their product. That reputation means nothing anymore since Winnebago has taken over.

[dryfly]

Dave,

I understand your frustration and we all expect these RV products to last longer than 2 years. However, all warranties are published for a specific amount of time. We know that when we purchase. If the product is past that period, why is it the manufacturer's responsibility to cover it?

Granted, sometimes they make exceptions, but that is not mandatory on their part. As you say, pretty much all manufacturers are turning out cheaply made products.

[dpgllg]

We purchased a Grand Design 27RL 5th wheel on June 14th 2017. On Saturday July 6th 2019 the Dometic Brisk Air II Air conditioner quit blowing cold air. 24 days out of Dometic warranty and 1 year 24 days for Grand Design. My frame is full of surface rust, the entry door has developed a leak around the window, the toilet started leaking where the PEX connection was made ,the latch on rear window will not stay latched while in motion and all of the dark brown trim screws have lost the paint.

We were very happy with the RV when purchased. The only issue until now was the latch on bathroom door required adjustment.

I contacted Dometic and they said take to an authorized Dometic service and based on the findings they would extend the warranty, All of the local service places to me refused to work on it under warranty. Three separate places refused and said I could pay up front and get reimbursed by Dometic because Dometic does not reimburse either enough or not at all and could be many months down the road when paid. Dometic refused this option. My selling dealer is over 3 hours away and would work on it but they had over a 12 week wait to get it in.

I replaced the Freeze control sensor, thermostat and control board with no luck. Because we have trips scheduled including Disney, I ended up replacing the roof top unit and it now works fine. I had my brother and friend do it as I am disabled and getting up on the roof of the RV is out of question.

I contacted Grand Design and spoke with two separate individuals. The one gentleman said that would do nothing regarding the AC. They offered no relief. On the frame rust I need to send them pictures and they will review. On all other issues same thing out of warranty no help.

When reviewing which RV to purchase Grand Design was noted for standing behind their products. I read many reviews on how they went out of their way to take care of their customers. Now that they have been bought out by Winnebago that customer service has gone away. I caution anyone reading older reviews to disregard them because the service they were noted for is gone.

Having gone through all of this I believe pick a RV with the floorplan and features and price that you want and forget about the RV manufactures standing behind their products. They are all made with the same frames and components any way and as cheaply as possible.

Knowing what I know now I would probably buy from a local family owned dealer that has been around for awhile. My previous 5th wheel was purchased that way and for the twelve years I owned it they gave me great service at fair prices with little to no wait time.

I truly regret my Grand Design purchase and will no longer recommend them to anyone.

Dave

[ngreen]

Coachlight RV dealer in Carthage Missouri has a 2019 303 discounted. we got a good deal there and all our neighbors bought there. Ask for Wayne. they will quote over the phone

[CaLBaR]

laknox wrote:
One thing I really like about Jayco, is that you can "build and price" an RV there and the only thing that =should= change is delivery charges. Even then, shipping wouldn't be hard to at least estimate that based on zip code. Big problem a number of years ago was that you'd see virtually identical rigs at dealers that were within just a couple hundred miles of each other with "MSRPs" that were thousands apart and the excuse was always "delivery charges were more". Riiiiiight, it cost $3k more to deliver to you, 200 miles away from this other dealer. Sometimes I thought that the dealers just pulled those numbers from their nether regions. I've not seen that as much now, but Jayco is about the only mfr that has the "build and price" feature on their site. It gives the customer common ground, no matter which dealer they choose.

I will say, that when I was shopping, and asked for the invoice and options price sheet, most dealers were accommodating and, when differing options were factored in (or out), MSRPs were relatively consistent. I did find a couple that were out of line and I let them know that I'd caught them out and just said "goodbye". :B

Lyle

Grand Design also has a build and price section on their website. I agree it is not to often that you see that though.

[laknox]

One thing I really like about Jayco, is that you can "build and price" an RV there and the only thing that =should= change is delivery charges. Even then, shipping wouldn't be hard to at least estimate that based on zip code. Big problem a number of years ago was that you'd see virtually identical rigs at dealers that were within just a couple hundred miles of each other with "MSRPs" that were thousands apart and the excuse was always "delivery charges were more". Riiiiiight, it cost $3k more to deliver to you, 200 miles away from this other dealer. Sometimes I thought that the dealers just pulled those numbers from their nether regions. I've not seen that as much now, but Jayco is about the only mfr that has the "build and price" feature on their site. It gives the customer common ground, no matter which dealer they choose.

I will say, that when I was shopping, and asked for the invoice and options price sheet, most dealers were accommodating and, when differing options were factored in (or out), MSRPs were relatively consistent. I did find a couple that were out of line and I let them know that I'd caught them out and just said "goodbye". :B

Lyle

[garyp4951]

2012Coleman wrote:
I not only negotiated 30% off MSRP, but got a front bedroom AC with thermostat installed for half price out the door on my GD 303RLS. General RV was the dealership. I could care less what some ad says. It will be what I'm willing to pay or I'm walking out. And you can believe that I'll first try getting even less than that!

Thanks for the info, thats the model I'm looking at.