Internet RV Prices Today

[DallasSteve]

I'm beginning to window shop for an RV for next Spring. I sold my last RV 2 years ago and I see that inflation has hit RV prices significantly. I may go used, but for the moment my question is directed to new RVs. I will probably pick a bumper pull travel trailer this time. I was browsing one on RV Trader. It is a nice Winnebago 36 foot trailer with laminated fiberglass construction. It's probably not the floorplan I will choose, but I'll be in that price range. Their website says the MSRP is $75K which is crazy, and they have discounted it 40% to $45K.

This dealer may or may not be firm at the price, but my question is in general, will dealers discount further than a discounted price like that? I don't want to leave money on the table. I used to hear people say that dealers typically will discount to about 30% or 35% of MSRP, but that was 3 years ago and the game may have changed to discount a little more now. What is your feeling on Internet prices like this compared to the final purchase price in this price range? That price isn't too far off what I expected. When I was shopping models like that about 2019 it was probably at about $40K discounted.

[DallasSteve]

way2roll wrote:
While it's not 2018 anymore the process is the same. You have to run comps. What is the exact same unit selling for everywhere else? Call dealers that have the exact RV you want - anywhere in the US and ask them their out the door price. You might be able to negotiate a bit from there but you'll soon get an idea where the sweet spot is. Maybe your best deal is 1500 miles away. Might be worth it to save a few grand.

This is also a negotiating tool. If an RV dealer close to home has your unit you can tell that XYZ has it for a lower price and you're willing to drive there to get it. They might match the price.

Thanks for the responses. These are all excellent advice. It's similar to what I did the last time I bought one and I got the best price I had seen anywhere. Maybe someone else got it for less, but probably not much less.

[goducks10]

When comparing comps you have to keep in mind that an RV out west made in the east is going to cost $3K more for shipping.

[way2roll]

While it's not 2018 anymore the process is the same. You have to run comps. What is the exact same unit selling for everywhere else? Call dealers that have the exact RV you want - anywhere in the US and ask them their out the door price. You might be able to negotiate a bit from there but you'll soon get an idea where the sweet spot is. Maybe your best deal is 1500 miles away. Might be worth it to save a few grand.

This is also a negotiating tool. If an RV dealer close to home has your unit you can tell that XYZ has it for a lower price and you're willing to drive there to get it. They might match the price.

[magicbus]

When I was shopping in 2018 I compared dealer prices all over the Internet then drove 100 miles to a dealer that had exactly what I wanted in stock. There was a price on the windshield less than what I saw in my research and I asked if that was their out the door price. The response… “No I think that’s not right” and they dropped it another $5K for 35% off. By comparing prices from all over I had a close idea what I should actually pay before going to a dealer.

Dave

[wowens79]

It doesn’t hurt to make an offer and see what they say, just be polite but firm, and don’t be afraid to walk if it’s more than you want to pay.

[DallasSteve]

spoon059 wrote:
Jayco has an MSRP on their website. You can "Build" your trailer and see the change in MSRP. I ordered my 2015 and got 36% below MSRP. That was a far different time, however. $45K for a 36' trailer seems excessive to me. I paid $24K for a 31' Jayco 7 years ago. I realize that building supplies are in short supply, but those prices seem outrageous to me. Unless I had to buy RIGHT NOW, I would probably wait another year or 2 and see if prices drop and quality improves.

Thanks for the tip. Where did you get the discount? On the Jayco website or did you have to negotiate with a dealer on that part?

[spoon059]

Jayco has an MSRP on their website. You can "Build" your trailer and see the change in MSRP. I ordered my 2015 and got 36% below MSRP. That was a far different time, however. $45K for a 36' trailer seems excessive to me. I paid $24K for a 31' Jayco 7 years ago. I realize that building supplies are in short supply, but those prices seem outrageous to me. Unless I had to buy RIGHT NOW, I would probably wait another year or 2 and see if prices drop and quality improves.

[DallasSteve]

goducks10 wrote:

I would wait another couple months and go for 50% off. Sales are about to tank even further. Lots around me are packed to the gills.

That is what's behind my thought process with this thread. I don't need the unit until the end of March, 2023, but if I can save 10% by buying early, I would buy early. Maybe dealers would be looking to reduce inventory in December. First I need to have a good idea of the best price, and then I could offer less and negotiate a truly good deal. In theory. In practice the dealer probably always wins. But maybe I could still do better than waiting until March to buy.

[goducks10]

Whatever the MSRP is and even with a 30% discount you're probably paying close to the MSRP of 3 years ago but getting nothing better in the RV. New colors and maybe some different looking furnishings. But in the end it's the same mass produced hastily constructed stuff.

Even if the MSRP's real that doesn't mean it's not jacked up to cover the discount. Last I read RV manufactures were making record profits and selling less units. Hmmm.

I would wait another couple months and go for 50% off. Sales are about to tank even further. Lots around me are packed to the gills.

[Pbutler97]

Believe it or not Forest Rivers Rockwood / Flagstaff brands have an official MSRP. It's an actual document that is shipped with every unit from the factory, and actually has verbiage to the effect of "to be left in the unit for the purchaser" or something like that. It is taped to the counter and also lists all options installed and the dollar amount of each option.

Unfortunately that's the first thing most dealers toss in the trash when they take possession.

[DallasSteve]

MSRP probably means about the same thing as "List Price" as when you see something at a store and they say everything is 30% off list price. It is the price they invent so they can put it on sale and the buyer will think they are getting a good deal. I'm not trying to understand MSRP. I'm just checking so see if there are some recent buyers here and if they were able to get a new RV for less than the heavily discounted price on RV Trader. My guess is they may be able to get it for a little less, but not much less. But then maybe that's what the dealers what you to think when they price it on RV Trader and a sharp buyer might get it for a little less than "a little less". Like I said, I just don't want to be the fool who paid too much.

[MitchF150]

No idea what the "MSRP" for an RV means?? It does seem to be some made up number so that they can then say "35% off MSRP!!"...

Of course the dealer still has to make a few bucks on any deal they make.. Just as the manufacturer has to make a few bucks on any deal they make. That seems to be the 'game' of it all.. You want the best price and the dealer will either let you walk or not.

I compared prices and found the rig I wanted back in 2019 for the price I was willing to pay for it.. I think I can still get that same price I paid for it back then if I were to sell it now.. But, then to replace it, I would be paying a lot more.

Just like my house.. I can sell it now for a lot more then I paid for it back in 1998.. It's actually paid off now too! 🙂 But, to get into anything even close to what I have now I'd be back to a having a mortgage again!

Anyway, buy what you want when you want it, as the prices are not going to get cheaper the longer you wait these days...

Good luck! Mitch

[way2roll]

The RV market has seen such an ebb and flow in the last 2 years it's nearly impossible to know if you are getting a good deal. Prices were stable and the scenario you describe of 25-30% off MSRP was the norm. BTW MSRP is supposed to be set at the factory and dealers are supposed to abide by a MAP (minimize advertised pricing) to keep the dealers from the same manufacturer from putting one another out of business. But all that changed with Covid. Crippled supply chains, manufacturers losing employees, supply was at an all time low. Meanwhile, covid made conventional travel come to a halt. So everyone started buying RV's. Dealer lots were empty. Supply low and demand high to the extreme. Prices no longer needed to be discounted and people were falling over themselves to over pay just to get an RV. Now the market is saturated, supply chains restored and demand is low. Anyone who wanted an RV bought one, seasonality, conventional travel is restored and interest rates are at a historical high. Supply high, demand low. Ok, that was a lot to unpack, but if I were to forecast, come spring you'll see the used market saturated. But unless the Fed loosens the grip on money, people will still be hesitant to buy. If you have cash, it might be your time. But getting a good price and financing costing more, means your good deal still costs you more in the long run.

All that said, the only real way to know if you are getting a good deal is a LOT of homework to see what like models are listed and have sold for and a lot of shopping around and asking for best and final price. In the end, the seller and the buyer should both give a little and you just need to feel good enough that you got a deal that works. It's still a depreciating asset so it's always going to be worth less than what you paid.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Educate me a little bit here, since it's been a long time since I've bought a new RV.

Since new RV's don't have monroney labels as new cars do, how would I know what true 'MSRP' might be? Or, would a dealer show me an invoice, and work from actual dealer cost upward?

I hate to deal with pie-in-the-sky fabricated numbers, but unfortunately that looks like the way it is more and more today. Even when purchasing a new car, 'addendums' added to the factory monroney label can change the 'MSRP' drastically. Then, it is no longer an MSRP, since M stands for manufacturer, but it becomes a dealer's suggested retail price.

I was in the automobile business for 30 years, and I hate games and deception as much now as I did then.