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tnedator · 04-23-2018, 11:14 AM

Ok, I'm not done yet since I will be buying a '19, but I wanted to share my experience to date, and I'll update this as the sales process continues, and then ultimately and most importantly, after delivery/PDI.

First, I want to say that their first quote beat others by a wide margin. They are often listed as one of the best discounting dealers mentioned on IRV2, so that part isn't too surprising. I'm sure I could have negotiated with the others, but on principle I will never show one dealer another's quote, at most I will tell the salesman they aren't where they need to be.

Second, on the visit there, they were about as laid back as you can get. No pressure to buy a unit on the lot. No pressure to buy an '18, when I was on the fence about ordering an '18 or '19 (June slots for '18s were still available at that time). Where other dealers pressed hard for me to purchase an '18, they laid out when I would likely get the '18 (one of the last produced) vs. what we could probably expect if I placed an early '19 order. No pressure to go one way or the other, but made clear it would "probably only be x weeks later for the '19, so your call." This is exactly the opposite of the other dealers that pushed hard for me to get one of the last '18 slots.

Third, when I asked others about PDI, they talk about how they make sure everything works before I get there and then need about two hours to run through it with me. I would then ask if it's possible to stay on or close to the dealer for a multi day shakedown and then got various responses of if that's even possible. At Coachlight, they said while they go through it to make sure everything is in order before I arrive, they can do a PDI with the customer in as little as a day, but if possible they would prefer I give them three days staying at their attached campground to insure that before I leave together we've found addressed as many, if not all, the issues there are.

Fourth, unlike my current coach, and when my sister bought her second Tiffin (Lazy Days) and others I've read about on here where they won't let you get in the coach and spend the night until you sign the paperwork even if there will then be a multi-day PDI, at Coachlight they said until I sign off on the PDI, I don't sign the paperwork/financing - whether the PDI lasts one day or three days. They said it's there job to address all the issues before I sign on the dotted line.

So, like I said, I'm still in the presale stage and anxious to get a '19 ordered as quickly as possible, but to date I couldn't ask for a better experience. I'll update this as the progress continues, so others who are considering Coachlight RV in Missouri will have details of a recent experience.

NealC · 04-23-2018, 11:57 AM

Nice job and nice report in sharing so others can save some $ and learn good things about not signing until you're ready to drive it over the depreciating curb. PDI in 2 hours? How about giving a customer a full day with a tech to go over the coach? Definitely good to stay on site, let the dealer keep the keys if necessary but don't sign until everything is verified that's possible to verify. Make a good checklist (some are available).

At FPU we spent day 1 on interior, day 2 exterior, day 3 was questions and start addressing problems. Even the steering wheel wasn't quite centered, take it for a drive local AND on the highway at highway speeds and check for vibration. Plan to be there a week, hopefully you'll be there less but it's better to make time for a thorough microscopic inspection.

Smosher · 04-23-2018, 03:01 PM

Tnedator
I bought my 2015 London Aire from Coachlight also. I bought in November 2014, I had the exact same experience as you did. They were great to work with and the warranty work was a great experience also. Would and have recommended these guys.

tnedator · 06-09-2018, 11:52 AM

A few updates.

First, what they told me (and worked hard to make happen) looks to be right, that there would be only a few weeks difference in delivery time between taking one of the final '18 slots (there were 7 Ventana slots left for late June manufacture when I was making my decision) vs. getting an order in for an early '19.

My '19 Ventana is currently scheduled to go to chassis prep on 6/29, so I can't imagine that I'll be more than 3-4 weeks later on delivery of my '19 than I would have been on the last Ventana run of '18s.

Second, finalizing the purchase. They were awesome working with my on special's pricing. On the '18, I was working directly with Michelle, but once I switched to the '19, I ran all future special requests through Coachlight and they then talked to Newmar. In addition to working with me on what specials I could/couldn't get and pricing, they also helped me out by getting pictures of '19 King Aire flooring, etc., since there are no brochures or anything to look.

Third, as we now know, the entire production sold out during the dealers meeting. Neither I nor the dealer knew that was going to happen, but since I wanted to get as early a build as possible, we had already agreed to have him place an order for a '19 4369 based on my option selections from the '18 order sheet, which he did. A day after the dealers meeting (actually, it was still going on, but he left early), he faxed me a copy of the order and also updated me on some of the changes for '19, including the new colors, making it very easy for me to modify my options based on changes for '19.

Fourth, it became a bit of a waiting game, as Newmar was backed up with all those orders until they started working to finalize mine, but as soon as they did, we quickly finalized my order, so that it could get into the Newmar production schedule. While I didn't ask what run it was in, I would imagine between 2 and 5 based on some threads about the production runs I read for '17 and '18 deliveries.

Again, the rubber will really meet the road during PDI and then post PDI with any issues that occur, but I continue to be extremely impressed with Coachlight, and how quickly we were able to get my order finished and on the manufacture schedule, especially considering the chaos following this years dealer meeting.

I'll post more updates as I go, but I wanted to give another update and bump this thread, especially in light of the recent threads on good and bad dealers.

During presales, I would definitely put Coachlight in the excellent, couldn't have done much of anything for a better experience, category.

Charlievette · 06-09-2018, 12:12 PM

That’s a standard that other dealers (are listening RV ONE) should strive for.
Thanks for the post.

jrs · 06-09-2018, 03:58 PM

Thanks for the report, Added Coachlight RV to the list of dealers when we buy our DS 4369 with a FL chassis next fall.

CentILRVer · 06-09-2018, 04:00 PM

You can rest assured, you’ll be just as happy after the delivery as you are with the process thus far. I think Dave Roe of Coachlight is one of the very best of the best. You’re right, he’s an absolute straight shooter. That is why we’ll be taking delivery of our 5th Dutch Star from him in as many years.

Congratulations. Its a fun and exciting process. We can’t wait.

tnedator · 06-09-2018, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CentILRVer

You can rest assured, you’ll be just as happy after the delivery as you are with the process thus far. I think Dave Roe of Coachlight is one of the very best of the best. You’re right, he’s an absolute straight shooter. That is why we’ll be taking delivery of our 5th Dutch Star from him in as many years.

Congratulations. Its a fun and exciting process. We can’t wait.

I'm working with Doug, but I've had every bit the same experience people have described with Dave on here.

From what I've read on IRV2, and have experienced so far, this is a first class operation.

Newaire1 · 06-09-2018, 07:01 PM

They sound like a great dealer. We had a similar experience with Steinbring. Put them on the short list!

"007" · 06-10-2018, 06:30 AM

With your review so far I can see why they are on our list of EXCELLENT DEALERS.
Thanks for your thread.

oregonhiker · 06-10-2018, 10:55 AM

tnedator, that sounds like great service that you got there. It is great that they are willing to spend all the time that you need there and not just a couple of hours and here are the keys, now get out of here we have the next customer to help.
We just had a similar experience with Midway RV in Michigan. we bought a 2017 not a new one but felt just as important when it came to their customer service. They scheduled us for a whole day for our PDI and said if we need more they were there for us.
We would not hesitate to take a long drive again to purchase from them. They just go the extra mile and so would we.

**TonyDi** · 06-10-2018, 01:31 PM

I love to hear stories about RV dealers doing the right thing for the customer.

Thanks for sharing that experience.

wagonmaster2 · 06-10-2018, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CentILRVer

You can rest assured, you’ll be just as happy after the delivery as you are with the process thus far. I think Dave Roe of Coachlight is one of the very best of the best. You’re right, he’s an absolute straight shooter. That is why we’ll be taking delivery of our 5th Dutch Star from him in as many years.

Congratulations. Its a fun and exciting process. We can’t wait.

Just curious, to trade every year, was there something wrong with each one that you hoped to correct by going to a new one, especially since this recent trade is getting the same floor plan? I know I probably would have be a lot better off by trading my 2015 off the next year instead of enduring all the frustration and aggravation trying to get rid of all the gremlins taking residence in the 2015. I definitely agree Coachlight does a great job but they can"t prevent the problems Newmar causes with lack of Quality Control.

tnedator · 07-21-2018, 06:37 AM

Getting closer to the most important day, which is delivery, three day PDI, and then how any post PDI issues are dealt with. Based on everything I've read and my experience to date, I expect good things.

A few updates from last time.

1. Doug arranged for Newmwar to get me pictures of the coach, some of which I posted in the 2019 deliveries thread. It was nice seeing the coach come to light.

2. I was a little concerned about being able to mate my brake system up to to the Spartan safe haul, Doug said to send them the hose and they would get the end changed out before I got their to make sure all was good for pickup. Same with some other odds and ends, which they are going to source, like a small LED to go in cockpit to show when my M&G brake system is engaged in Jeep.

3. The only thing that I wasn't thrilled about was trade in price (their net price still easily beat other's in the area, since discount is among best in the nation), but he made clear that if I could sell it privately, that was no problem. I think because they are in a small town, keeping a bunch of different brand used coaches isn't ideal, so in my case the Thor he was going to immediately ship out west. In the meantime, I sold it privately and Doug helped me deal with the transaction, as I'd never sold privately before.

So, my old coach (first RV, kind of felt weird seeing it drive away) is gone, my new one went to paint a few days ago and soon the real adventure will begin.