RV Direct purchase

[Kevin_Todd]

Looking at a new pinnacle this year, and we have been doing mostly research online. Talked with some of the high volume dealers and the prices seem to be much better. Got a quote from RV Direct this morning that really put things on a new level. Problem is closest dealer is 10 hours away. We've pretty much settled on floor plan and options. Our closest dealer has the unit with interior and options on his lot, and we are going to go up and take a shot this weekend. Anyone ever purchased something like this from RV Direct and had that kind of distance between you and them? I could see a lot of things going wrong....thoughts?

[Johnson_Family]

Bought my Jayco from RV Direct in Des Monies, I live in CA and have never had a problem with warranty (very little needed) or have I experienced extremely long waits at dealers (prefer local mobile person anyway). Save the money and buy where you get the best deal.

[face_down]

Dman1 wrote:

We recently ordered a 2016 Sabre 34 TBOK from RV Wholesalers in Lakeview, Ohio and pick it up on June 26th, so we'll see how that goes.

I too just made a purchase from RVW last month on a Carbon 357 and I have to say it was one of the best "buying" experiences I have ever had. I even opted to have the trailer delivered on the experience of a local friend who did the same with them. We saved over 10K from our local dealer here in NC and I could not be happier with the whole transaction.

[Dman1]

We bought a 2011 Rockwood Roo 19 from RV Direct in 2010 and had no issues, but we did not have to get any warranty work...just a few little things I fixed myself. We drove 2300km to their Elkhart, Indiana warehouse to pick it up. We had a minor issue with the drawer stack after the first night, drove back there, and the gentleman fixed it on the spot. We paid $13,900 US for it, which was around $14,500 CAN at that time, plus taxes of course. We sold it last week for $13,000 after five years of use. In 2010, the best price I could get locally for this trailer was around $25K CAN.

We recently ordered a 2016 Sabre 34 TBOK from RV Wholesalers in Lakeview, Ohio and pick it up on June 26th, so we'll see how that goes. Price was $65K locally and $41K from RVW. Even with the crappy exchange rate, we should save around $20K with taxes and everything factored in. Plus they have a Nationwide Warranty Network with a local dealer that is part of his and is only 20km from my house. The distance to this place is around 2100km. All I can say is "vacation"! We will make a fun trip out of it.

I am a strong supporter of local business, however, this is just too good to pass up.

[laknox]

RustyJC wrote:

laknox wrote:
The long delays are because many dealers will only service "their" customers on a priority basis. You, not having bought there, get put to the back of the line. How well would that go over at your local truck dealer if you had a problem? To compound =that=, how many independent mechanics are allowed to do warranty service work? Like none, so you =have= to go to a dealer. Biggest issue is that the manufacturers don't demand "in order" service as part of their contract with selling dealers, no matter where the unit was purchased.

Lyle

With all respect, the highlighted statement is not always the case as I pointed out in my previous post. I've had Jayco send me to an independent Norcold service facility for warranty work, and (although my DRV hasn't required any shop repairs) DRV routinely authorizes warranty repairs through independent repair facilities and/or mobile RV techs. It's worth the effort to check it out instead of waiting months for a dealer to even look at the RV.

Rusty

Rusty, was referring to auto/truck dealers with that statement. Still, the fact that RV manufacturers don't force their dealers to deal with =all= warranty issues (how'd you like to have to go to Delco if your alternator died and the dealer wouldn't warrant it?) and in a FIFO manner, is a(nother) huge issue, IMO.

Lyle

[SabreCanuck]

We've bought trailers from thousands of miles away and enjoyed the $$$ in savings. SUBSTANTIAL savings.

Not everyone is the same but there are a lot of us out here that just fix the stuff ourselves. It would have to be a pretty major defect before my trailer will be taken to ANY dealer to sit for 1-2-3 weeks as is being stated above on trailers bought there... 3 weeks is better than 6 weeks? Yikes.

For that reason, I personally don't care about warranty or which dealer will service when. That being said, now I'm jynx'ed. LOL

[RustyJC]

laknox wrote:
The long delays are because many dealers will only service "their" customers on a priority basis. You, not having bought there, get put to the back of the line. How well would that go over at your local truck dealer if you had a problem? To compound =that=, how many independent mechanics are allowed to do warranty service work? Like none, so you =have= to go to a dealer. Biggest issue is that the manufacturers don't demand "in order" service as part of their contract with selling dealers, no matter where the unit was purchased.

Lyle

With all respect, the highlighted statement is not always the case as I pointed out in my previous post. I've had Jayco send me to an independent Norcold service facility for warranty work, and (although my DRV hasn't required any shop repairs) DRV routinely authorizes warranty repairs through independent repair facilities and/or mobile RV techs. It's worth the effort to check it out instead of waiting months for a dealer to even look at the RV.

Rusty

[laknox]

Hiking Hunter wrote:
I bought from RVDirect back in 2009. Had a good experience - no surprises. I'm about 800 miles away. Picked up the camper and stayed a night at a close by CG to check things out. Went back the next day for a few minor adjustments before heading home.

Since then I have gotten warranty and non-warranty service at several local repair facilities without and problems. Most of the time they don't even ask where you got the camper. Your warranty is good at any authorized service facility.

I think long delays are more a matter of the individual dealership/service department, their backlog, and their competency rather than being on a "preferred" list because you bought the camper from them.

I would definitely buy from them again.

The long delays are because many dealers will only service "their" customers on a priority basis. You, not having bought there, get put to the back of the line. How well would that go over at your local truck dealer if you had a problem? To compound =that=, how many independent mechanics are allowed to do warranty service work? Like none, so you =have= to go to a dealer. Biggest issue is that the manufacturers don't demand "in order" service as part of their contract with selling dealers, no matter where the unit was purchased.

Lyle

[laknox]

RustyJC wrote:

johndeerefarmer wrote:
I would expect long waits for repairs. My two month old fiver needed some warranty work. I had to wait three weeks to get it back in. The service manager said everyone else had a six week wait. Where do you think your trailer will be in the line if you didn't buy it from that dealer?

Depending on the brand of 5th wheel, one isn't restricted to taking it to the selling dealer (or ANY dealer) for warranty repairs. A number of manufacturers will approve repairs at an independent service facility or by a mobile RV technician. These people live and die by the quality of service they provide, and are generally superior to dealer service departments.

Yes, this applied to the 2000 Jayco Designer XL 3610RLTS we owned that lost a Norcold cooling unit 3 months after we purchased it. The selling dealer quoted 3 months just to look at it. A call to Jayco had it in an independent Norcold-approved repair facility that afternoon, and we had the 5th wheel back 2 days later.

Rusty

While it's anecdotal, I checked out the RV service reviews just a couple days ago and, almost across the board, the independent service providers get good or excellent ratings, where most dealers were getting poor to good. Yes, there are fliers on both ends, but with a couple hundred reviews just in AZ, that's a fair sample size.

Lyle

[Hiking_Hunter]

I bought from RVDirect back in 2009. Had a good experience - no surprises. I'm about 800 miles away. Picked up the camper and stayed a night at a close by CG to check things out. Went back the next day for a few minor adjustments before heading home.

Since then I have gotten warranty and non-warranty service at several local repair facilities without and problems. Most of the time they don't even ask where you got the camper. Your warranty is good at any authorized service facility.

I think long delays are more a matter of the individual dealership/service department, their backlog, and their competency rather than being on a "preferred" list because you bought the camper from them.

I would definitely buy from them again.

[avvidclif1]

johndeerefarmer wrote:
I would expect long waits for repairs. My two month old fiver needed some warranty work. I had to wait three weeks to get it back in. The service manager said everyone else had a six week wait. Where do you think your trailer will be in the line if you didn't buy it from that dealer?

At another dealer or independent service company.

[RustyJC]

johndeerefarmer wrote:
I would expect long waits for repairs. My two month old fiver needed some warranty work. I had to wait three weeks to get it back in. The service manager said everyone else had a six week wait. Where do you think your trailer will be in the line if you didn't buy it from that dealer?

Depending on the brand of 5th wheel, one isn't restricted to taking it to the selling dealer (or ANY dealer) for warranty repairs. A number of manufacturers will approve repairs at an independent service facility or by a mobile RV technician. These people live and die by the quality of service they provide, and are generally superior to dealer service departments.

Yes, this applied to the 2000 Jayco Designer XL 3610RLTS we owned that lost a Norcold cooling unit 3 months after we purchased it. The selling dealer quoted 3 months just to look at it. A call to Jayco had it in an independent Norcold-approved repair facility that afternoon, and we had the 5th wheel back 2 days later.

Rusty

[johndeerefarmer]

I would expect long waits for repairs. My two month old fiver needed some warranty work. I had to wait three weeks to get it back in. The service manager said everyone else had a six week wait. Where do you think your trailer will be in the line if you didn't buy it from that dealer?

[EagleScout-USA]

I just bought my 2nd trailer from Buffalo RV (RV Direct) last week. I am fortunate in that we live within a few miles of Buffalo RV, Colton RV, and Camping World. There are also several smaller dealers in the area. My decision to purchase from Buffalo RV again was both price and service. I got a good trade in value. Also, the model I ordered and discussed with my salesperson happened to be different than the 2015 model when the specs came out. What I "expected" was now called an "elite package", and that is not what was offered standard. Through the quick exchange of an email, they made it right in my eyes and gave us the appropriate upgrade at no additional cost. We are very happy with our new trailer and excited about using it!

My last trailer had quite a bit of warranty work done at Buffalo RV: including a bigger job of a full replacement bunk-end on our hybrid due to water penetration. There were never any issues with service, other than getting an appointment because they are so busy. I have an email in to the service coordinator on a few small things with our new trailer, and am expecting a similar positive experience from Buffalo RV. I wouldn't hesitate to offer a recommendation to purchase from them.

[Loki45]

Bought my Montana online from a dealer 900miles from home because it was the cheapest deal. Never regretted it, because all subsequent repairs have been done without any problems by shops around home or somewhere else if travelling. I would walk away and never look back from a dealer who wants to make me believe that I would receive a lousy service if I didn't buy from him. All shops want to make money with repairs, no matter where you bought the unit. In some places the repair shops are totally separated from the sales department and they couldn't care less where the unit was bought.