How much does your dealer location matter in a purchase?

[bzboy]

I am considering purchasing a new class A. I have checked dealers in my town on prices for the unit and for my trade in. I have also contacted dealers nationwide. I can get a better sale price and better trade in price elsewhere but I wonder is it worth the savings? Here are my thoughts/questions.

1. Does having a local dealer that you purchased from really matter once you purchased the coach? Are they really going to treat you differently with regards to service down the line since you purchased from them ? Or is it all the same once you sign the papers?

2. If I do purchase a new coach from out of town and I need warranty work done am I obligated to contact my purchase dealer first ? Or do I contact Fleetwood and authorize a local shop to do the work? I am looking at a Fleetwood Bounder.

My current thinking is that any savings of over $20,000 over the entire deal with worth buying from out of state. $10-15k savings is kinda in the grey zone and depends on distance. Anything less than $10k in savings might not be worth it in the end.

Any thoughts or advice on this will be much appreciated. Thank you.

[xctraveler]

The first two coaches I bought, I came up with a price I would pay based on research and several attempts to purchase what I wanted as I rolled. The second time I had cash plus trade I had worked out and essentially told the salesman what the deal would look like. I had allowed an adequate profit for the dealer and eventually got the deal at my price.

I would probably pay $1,000 extra to deal with a salesman I had done work with, but not a penny more. I have had maintenance and repair done in many places away from the selling dealer. The only time I had an extended wait was when I was away from the RV for other travel and they knew my travel dates. They delayed until the last minute when they could easily have had it done weeks earlier. I let them know how displeased I was and haven't been back for a couple of years.

[Mile_High]

2gypsies wrote:

Mile High wrote:
What I would call a typical Dealer service experience, at least in my experiences:

4-6 weeks out for an appointment
Appt day means you get to park it on lot and 1-3 weeks for a tech to look.
If parts are needed from the manufacturer, up to 4 more weeks.

I've planned ahead before allowing 2 months for repair, and it always ends that I get the delivery the day before vacation and only after getting aggressive.

If anyone has had a better experience than that, outside of new purchase "we owe" items, they sure don't talk about it! From what I can tell, my experiences are the normal.

I don't think this is the norm. How do you think the thousands and thousands of full-timers out there deal with this? Sit in a motel for months? Definitely not.

Well I'm glad to hear it is not the norm - but I sure hear complaints about it continuously, especially from full timers who end up with no place to go. Maybe its just the big cities.

[braindead0]

usersmanual wrote:

braindead0 wrote:

usersmanual wrote:

braindead0 wrote:
Doesn't matter one bit to me. I've never been back to the dealer for anything. I can fix any problem better than they would for warranty repair. I checked everything before accepting the TT, so there were no major problems.

actually this is the Class A discussion forum so we are talking motorhomes here not a simple TT
HUGE difference. you take a diesel pusher that needs a roof rail warrenty replacement and u wont be doing that yourself in the back yard my friend

You're assuming. My TT was just an example, I don't need/want a class A but I've fixed every system in my sisters DP (full timer). I'm confident in my ability. Local shops, no confidence at all.

great I fix my own stuff also but not when/while under warrenty I doubt you fixed every major or semi major issue on her MH while under warrenty though

OP asked a question of opinion, I provided mine. Feel free to disagree, but do not presume to speak for me or what I have or would do. You know zilch about any of that.

[usersmanual]

braindead0 wrote:

usersmanual wrote:

braindead0 wrote:
Doesn't matter one bit to me. I've never been back to the dealer for anything. I can fix any problem better than they would for warranty repair. I checked everything before accepting the TT, so there were no major problems.

actually this is the Class A discussion forum so we are talking motorhomes here not a simple TT
HUGE difference. you take a diesel pusher that needs a roof rail warrenty replacement and u wont be doing that yourself in the back yard my friend

You're assuming. My TT was just an example, I don't need/want a class A but I've fixed every system in my sisters DP (full timer). I'm confident in my ability. Local shops, no confidence at all.

great I fix my own stuff also but not when/while under warrenty I doubt you fixed every major or semi major issue on her MH while under warrenty though

[braindead0]

usersmanual wrote:

braindead0 wrote:
Doesn't matter one bit to me. I've never been back to the dealer for anything. I can fix any problem better than they would for warranty repair. I checked everything before accepting the TT, so there were no major problems.

actually this is the Class A discussion forum so we are talking motorhomes here not a simple TT
HUGE difference. you take a diesel pusher that needs a roof rail warrenty replacement and u wont be doing that yourself in the back yard my friend

You're assuming. My TT was just an example, I don't need/want a class A but I've fixed every system in my sisters DP (full timer). I'm confident in my ability. Local shops, no confidence at all.

[usersmanual]

braindead0 wrote:
Doesn't matter one bit to me. I've never been back to the dealer for anything. I can fix any problem better than they would for warranty repair. I checked everything before accepting the TT, so there were no major problems.

actually this is the Class A discussion forum so we are talking motorhomes here not a simple TT
HUGE difference. you take a diesel pusher that needs a roof rail warrenty replacement and u wont be doing that yourself in the back yard my friend

[braindead0]

Doesn't matter one bit to me. I've never been back to the dealer for anything. I can fix any problem better than they would for warranty repair. I checked everything before accepting the TT, so there were no major problems.

[Mr_Mark1]

usersmanual wrote:
sorry no offense just based it on things like a brand new four slide full loaded unit $1,599,000 ask ?(retail at 2.1 buts that so much bs its not worth mentioning so assumed a 2015 may be less and don't really know how far up the food chain your unit was so guessed at 1.5 maybe out 100K but so what
was at a marathon private showing and they had one at 2.1 ask show sale was 1.6(2016)

Sounds like a decent buy.

MM.

[JFC]

We bought our last two HRs from the same dealer, the second one new, based on cost and his having the coach we wanted. Got real tired of the six hour round trip to drop the coach off for warranty and service and another six to pick it up. Service was less than average at that. Made one trip to the factory for warranty service. Found a very good local service center and there was never a problem with factory covering the warranty repairs. I would buy from this dealer again, but I wouldn't consider them for service, so their location isn't that critical.

[usersmanual]

sorry no offense just based it on things like a brand new four slide full loaded unit $1,599,000 ask ?(retail at 2.1 buts that so much bs its not worth mentioning so assumed a 2015 may be less and don't really know how far up the food chain your unit was so guessed at 1.5 maybe out 100K but so what
was at a marathon private showing and they had one at 2.1 ask show sale was 1.6(2016)

[Mr_Mark1]

usersmanual wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
In the 9 yrs. of owning 2 Class A motorhomes (2008 Monaco Dynasty and a 2015 Liberty), we have never had the experience of weeks waiting for parts or service. There is no way I would do business with a service dept. that had me wait like that.

MM.

in all fairness both ways mark when u spend in the 1.3-1.5 million area like u one should never expect nor run into a warrenty wait issue

I didn't buy a used motorhome! LOL! ha ha.

MM.

And, it's spelled 'warranty'.

[usersmanual]

Mr.Mark wrote:
In the 9 yrs. of owning 2 Class A motorhomes (2008 Monaco Dynasty and a 2015 Liberty), we have never had the experience of weeks waiting for parts or service. There is no way I would do business with a service dept. that had me wait like that.

MM.

in all fairness both ways mark when u spend in the 1.3-1.5 million area like u one should never expect nor run into a warrenty wait issue

[Mr_Mark1]

In the 9 yrs. of owning 2 Class A motorhomes (2008 Monaco Dynasty and a 2015 Liberty), we have never had the experience of weeks waiting for parts or service. There is no way I would do business with a service dept. that had me wait like that.

MM.

[usersmanual]

2gypsies wrote:

Mile High wrote:
What I would call a typical Dealer service experience, at least in my experiences:

4-6 weeks out for an appointment
Appt day means you get to park it on lot and 1-3 weeks for a tech to look.
If parts are needed from the manufacturer, up to 4 more weeks.

I've planned ahead before allowing 2 months for repair, and it always ends that I get the delivery the day before vacation and only after getting aggressive.

If anyone has had a better experience than that, outside of new purchase "we owe" items, they sure don't talk about it! From what I can tell, my experiences are the normal.

I don't think this is the norm. How do you think the thousands and thousands of full-timers out there deal with this? Sit in a motel for months? Definitely not.

exactly and to the point its all sour grapes and not true at all
(maybe true in his case) but not in thousands of others