Purchasing a Livin Lite proving to be a real pain rant.

[Cairn_terrier]

We have been looking for a Livin Lite, our first TT.

This has proved to be highly frustrating.

1. After 10' or so hours of research, I know more than most salesmen.

2. Dealers websites are horribly unreliable. 14 db on a website at $19600 shown with what I want actually is quoted at $21800.

3. One dealer said that cash or financing was not different to them, as they would price the unit the same. That it would be unfair to either to price it differently.

Which after thought, begged the question: so all your units you basically sell for the same price?

If yes, why not just post the price?

4. The MSRP vs actual selling price is just pure BS.

5. These guys make car salesman look like saints.

And. In closing, livin lites ..... We are dropping our desire to even buy one for a while as LIVIN LITES ARE JUST TOO EXPENSIVE.

Thanks for everyone's past help. We are done for a bit. Be well.

[pennysmom09]

Qualcity wrote:
Well said Dutchmen.

X2

[free_man_and_do]

darsben wrote:
If you want to buy do research and then make a reasonable offer.
Use the following phrase;
I am not playing games. I am here to offer you $????? for that trailer.

Nice. That's the way I purchased my last three cars and my TT. You won't steal a car that way but you should get a fair deal and like you said, pay what you want to pay.

Geoff

[darsben]

If you want to buy do research and then make a reasonable offer.
Use the following phrase;
I am not playing games. I am here to offer you $????? for that trailer. Your answer is either yes or no If you cannot sell it to me for the price I am offering I will leave. There will be no dickering on price. Here is my name address etc (hand person card with your particulars on it) I will wait here while you find out if you have made a sale.
If salsman comes back with other than an okay. Tell him " Okay I am leaving now if you change your mind you can call me. Goodbye. If salesman says wait aren't you going to talk about it state " I already did I made you an offer which you did not accept there is nothing more to discuss"

If your offer was reasonable you will be called back quickly.
I have bought my last 3 cars that way and have enjoyed the experience. Only once did the salesman try to change the price when I went back. I immediately left again.

Try it see if it works for you.

By the way if you do this you will never wonder if you paid too much as you payed exactly what you wanted too.

[bigdogger]

The OP doesn't want to pay sticker price and doesn't want to negotiate a price. How is that the dealer's fault?

[gmw_photos]

In have no interest in livin lite one way or the other, but in fairness to them, I'll make this observation. They may be going through some growing pains right now, because as I understand it, they have been bought by Thor ( also parent of Airstream ).

I was recently in conversation with them on behalf of a friend who was considering a livin' lite. We had some questions regarding wheels, tire choice and the use of weight distributing hitches on their trailers. I had several emails and a couple of phone conversations with their sales guy at the factory, as well as one of the engineers. I will say they answered all my questions.
So if a person finds that those trailers might meet their needs, then it could be worth going the extra mile to get one.

As for cost, yes they are somewhat pricey. I found that the general pricing of them seemed to be somewhere between a regular white box camper and the price of an Airstream.

For sure, if you want aluminum, especially in structural components like frames, there is going to be a cost associated with it, if for no other reasons that the skilled labor to correctly weld aluminum is more costly.

[wmoses]

Well after reading what the OP posted I decided to actually go have a look-see as to what Livin Lite RVs are like (hardly hear of them around these parts) and I can tell you after 10 minutes of searching I came up with pretty much the same conclusions as the OP. So I can understand his frustration and as someone else said, he just needed to vent.

If they were as great as their hype would have you believe there would be more of them around. Even Camping World of Katy (they claim to be the largest volume CW in the US) who is listed as a LL dealer has none and the make is not even available in the search.

Better to buy an Airstream if you want aluminum and don't mind paying higher prices. Honestly.

[gmw_photos]

A lot of this shopping process depends on whether you actually like going and looking at this stuff. I spent right at a year, and looked at dozens of new and used campers before deciding on the one I bought.
Heck, I took over two months looking and researching to buy a new equipment trailer last year. You can probably guess, I like the process.

Having said that, it could be that camping and RV ownership is really not that important to the OP. It's not for everyone, and if the shopping and deciding process seems over the top to a person, then it could be the whole ownership experience may be more than they want to endure.
If you think buying is difficult, just wait 'til you get to deal with some of the assembly issues of a new RV !

To me, it's worth it, to have my own bed, my own things to use daily, and to be able to take my dog with me when I travel.
My brother thinks I'm nuts. He'd much rather fly, and stay in hotels. To each his own.

To the OP, good luck with whatever you decide. You would not be the first person to come to this forum, pick some brains, then decide, nope.....not for me....see 'ya all around.

[Pool]

We knew what trailer we wanted but had to wait for someone else to get tired of it and wanted to sell. If paying cash you find one that is "not what they hoped" or "tired of the payments" A 2-4 year old rig can still be a good deal.

[free_man_and_do]

5. These guys make car salesman look like saints.

I PM'd you. You were almost there. See Dave at D&H in Apex NC. You were close, don't give up yet....

Geoff

[2012Coleman]

rbpru wrote:


Dealers have a business model that they follow. If you do not like the price, move on.

He is moving on and said so. I'm sure he wil be back and was just using this fourm to vent as many of us do.

[Speedogomer]

Cairn terrier wrote:
We have been looking for a Livin Lite, our first TT.

This has proved to be highly frustrating.

1. After 10' or so hours of research, I know more than most salesmen.

2. Dealers websites are horribly unreliable. 14 db on a website at $19600 shown with what I want actually is quoted at $21800.

3. One dealer said that cash or financing was not different to them, as they would price the unit the same. That it would be unfair to either to price it differently.

Which after thought, begged the question: so all your units you basically sell for the same price?

If yes, why not just post the price?

4. The MSRP vs actual selling price is just pure BS.

5. These guys make car salesman look like saints.

And. In closing, livin lites ..... We are dropping our desire to even buy one for a while as LIVIN LITES ARE JUST TOO EXPENSIVE.

Thanks for everyone's past help. We are done for a bit. Be well.

It can be frustrating, but also fun to get out there and shop. Some dealers are scam artists for sure, but some are also really fair. Sounds like you've just found a few dealers that aren't great to deal with. I wouldn't give up hope yet.

Going to an RV show can really help. Go to a few and check them out. It's worth a drive. You'll be able to compare lots side by side, and see what kind of prices are on each. Show prices aren't always rock bottom prices, but usually they're reasonable.

I agree MSRP is ridiculous. My units MSRP was 33K. I bought for 22k.

[Qualcity]

Well said Dutchmen.

[CKNSLS]

Getting a better deal because you pay cash is a myth. It didn't use to be...before the age of electronic transfers. It's like this-a bank can look at your credit history - and you can get pre approved (assuming good credit) almost immediately.

After you decide on a unit...you fill out the paperwork - it's sent to the bank for final approval and the dealer gets a wire transfer.

BTW-If you get the financing at the dealer - the dealer can make some money from the loan as well.

Paying cash is a myth these days, the dealer would rather you finance because he makes money from the loan.

[DRKMinWA]

You paying cash has no clout with the dealer in that they are always selling for cash.

Doesn't matter if you write them a check or your title holder writes them a check. The dealer is not financing the purchase so will have their money immediately on any sale.

Remember a price is just a starting point. Nobody pays asking price.

[DutchmenSport]

We looked for 5 years for our first pop-up. We looked for 2 years for our first, second and 3rd travel trailer. We looked at a multitude of brands and models, and had discussions with more RV salesmen than I can possibly remember. I did my own research too. I knew when to walk, and I knew when to negotiate, and I new when to finally find the camper and the deal that worked.

It takes time, it takes effort, it takes energy, it takes thick skin, it takes will power, it takes patients, it takes research, it takes good financing, good credit, and a good frame of mind. It's not easy purchasing an RV. It's not for the faint of heart, or anyone who thinks their RV is an investment and they can flip it some how and get a return on it some day. Nope! That will never happen.

As one dealer told me, people who purchase RVs are usually very happy people because in order to purchase an RV you have to have a certain amount of "disposable" income. Which means, people who purchase RVs have a good enough income for their life style they can afford to spend money on an item that is pure luxury, non-essential, and often times, makes no sense. He was right.

We all DO have to shop wisely, look for the best deal, and really evaluate the financial constraints owning an RV occurs. We have to be responsible with our money.

All of this takes TIME! And I think you need more time to continue researching, learning, and weighing the cost of a very expensive endeavor that will not return nothing on your investment, except intangibles like memories, comradely, and sense of joy and fun time experiences.

You're not buying a car, you are buying a life-style!