New 5th wheel purchase

[mcgowan]

We have found a new 5th wheel that we like and want to purchase. After we discussed numbers we were told how horrible the dealer is to work with. Some people are saying that isn't a huge deal. Said we can buy it, if good deal, then be done with them and use our local dealer for repairs if and when we need them. The local dealer isn't an authorized dealer so we would have to get warranty work approved through manufacturer. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[mcgowan]

Does anyone have an opinion on Dixie RV? The one that has two locations. One in LA and one in FL.

[Paul_Clancy]

Anyone who's had a bad dealer experience will say the same. RUN from that type of dealer. The grief anger frustration is not worth it. With any dealer I think you are better to deal with small things yourself. Often a good manufacturer will send you parts directly. Save dealer warranty for the big stuff.

[KSadler1]

I'd definitely stay away from a dealer with a bad reputation. I purchased from a dealer here in Albuquerque that I wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy. I just wish I had someone to warn me about them before I bought. If you already have that information, take it seriously.....

[goducks10]

I bought my Northwood Fox Mountain 300 miles from my house. In fact there are no Northwood dealers closer than 50-75 miles away. Northwood has replied to an email I sent regarding warranty work when out of state/town. They will allow me to take it to any competent service shop.

I would call the manf and ask what their policy is. We purposely didn't buy from one of the dealers that's 75 miles away. We felt it was worth the 300 mile drive. While we never dealt with the closer dealer, we had just not heard anything positive.

We did buy our last TT local and although we had minor warranty items it was nice having a local dealer. I guess it all boils down to the fact that most warranties are 1-2 yrs and most people keep them longer than that. So in reality unless you have a ton warranty work needing to be done it's not that big of a deal. Your local dealer isn't going to give anything special when you're out of warranty. I would be more concerned about buying a better quality unit than having to worry about warranty work.

[MO_Trout_Bum]

I think it all depends on what you're looking for, and your definition regarding what makes a dealer a good one. E.g. good quality work, faster turn-around, whatever. For me, a good dealer does does good quality work, and treats the customer with respect and dignity no matter whether they sold the customer his RV or not. However, to me it is understandable that they give line-order preference in certain situations to those to whom they sold the RV. That helps to establish repeat business, as does quality for for all customers. As for a dealer that is "hard to work with," I would rule them out each and every time.

[Paul_Clancy]

We were in this situation when there was no local dealer for the brand we wanted. Had to travel 7 hours east or 4 hours west to find what we wanted and then what about warranty. Called a local dealer and he said he would do it but because warranty labour rates are so low I would have to pay the difference between that and his shop rate. Forget that. And forget about any after warranty work. Good dealers are very hard to find. We bought the trailer at a dealer to the west. Funny story. Shortly after we bought the same dealer we bought from bought out a local dealer. So now we can have warranty work done at home! I know, crazy. To answer the op question call the manufacturer and see what they recommend.

[Atom_Ant]

mcgowan wrote:
The local dealer isn't an authorized dealer so we would have to get warranty work approved through manufacturer.

That is the part I would worry about.

If the Dealer is hard to work with, I wouldn't even give him the satisfaction of purchase, because you have to deal with him for the PDI and delivery repairs. Usually a list of items to be fixed as they come from the factory - no reason to start off bad. I would just shop some more.

[PA12DRVR]

I bought 2 TT's and 1 5th Wheel at Dealers A, B, and C. Had to have warranty work done on both TT's and the 5th wheel: minor on the TT's, major on the 5th wheel. None of the warranty work was done at the selling dealers.

Once I did the necessary pre-approval, the fixing dealer promptly did the work without any problem.

There is, I suppose, some value in buying from a local dealer, but as previously posted, what if you're a full-timer and never at "home"?

[guidry]

I bought out of state because I saved several thousands of dollars! I called a local dealer for warranty work and they were very polite, while knowing I bought elsewhere. I'm guessing full timers would disagree with the other poster's statement as well. If in doubt, call and check before committing.

[n7bsn]

You will just about have to return to the original dealer to have warranty work done, few makers/dealers do other wise.