Forum Discussion

patperry2766's avatar
patperry2766
Explorer II
Jun 12, 2013

Mfg volume discounts to dealers?

I know when I was in the car business, there were some dealers that would state that since they were a high volume dealership, they would receive special discounts and volume pricing discounts from the manufacturer. This was pure BS because all dealers paid the exact same price for the exact same vehicle, irregardless of what they sold it for or how many they sold.

Is this true in the RV business as well, or do certain dealerships get price breaks based on volume sold?
  • WE are considering driving to the Elkhart, IN area to pick-up our new TT in a few months. The savings appear to be well worth the trip.
  • There is also who is fronting the money to have the rig at the dealer. Is it the builder (which he has to build into his cost) or the dealer (which he has to build into his cost).

    Which is why you may be able to get a better deal on a custom order, since there is no capital cost for the rig sitting on the lot, waiting to be bought.
  • Certainly can't speak for ALL dealers but I do know that all dealers do NOT get the same deal. There are OTHER types of "volume' issues they have to deal with and SOME manufactures will not sell individual units for the same price they sell a group of (say 10 or 20) units which shuts out many small dealers from the best deals. Of course there are the "shipping charges" also and a dealer that is located a couple of thousand miles further from the manufacture would pay higher shipping so their PRICES would have to reflect these increased costs. Then there is the unequal "overhead costs" which would be different for each dealer and THESE also would be reflected in pricing. CARS and trucks have always had MSRP listed from the manufacturer but not so with RVs. Even when they DO POST an MSRP it is OFTEN not the manufacturers price, only the dealers normal price. There are LOTS of trucks in both business that effect prices. Being a "high volume" dealer can certainly allow them to operate more efficiently.