What's a decent dealer's profit

[wagonmaster2]

What kind or how would a person do an Internet search to find out what a particular coach was or has been selling for? Several places I have tried to look only shows MSRP or "Call us for a price" and if they are sold there's usually not a price shown.

We are looking to order a new coach since very seldom do the ones on the lot have the options we want, especially since most dealers load up a coach with as many high cost options that they can.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Tetonchief

20% tip (on the total including the tax) for restaurant service but then they have heartburn when it comes to paying a fair profit on a high ticket item.

Not us, 15% BEFORE tax is what we go by. The tax is not included in the Federal income tax on tips the server pays so why should we include it? The servers here make a minimum wage of $9.36 an hour (that's what I make too) so any tips are gravy to them.

Anyway, I would ask for 30% off on a Newmar, and settle for 27-28%. Newmar publishes their base price and option list on their website (and it's on this forum too) so you can get an accurate estimate, but then Newmar will do a lot of custom items too which most others wont.

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

What kind or how would a person do an Internet search to find out what a particular coach was or has been selling for? Several places I have tried to look only shows MSRP or "Call us for a price" and if they are sold there's usually not a price shown.

We are looking to order a new coach since very seldom do the ones on the lot have the options we want, especially since most dealers load up a coach with as many high cost options that they can.

Call the dealer, nothing to lose. We bought from Lichtsinn. They gave us the accessory list which showed the prices. We optioned our coach out and then asked them for the out the door price. We looked at a number of coaches but the Winnebago spoke to us.

Contact several dealers so you are assured you are getting the price you are satisfied with.

IMO you can do that with any brand you are interested in.

More important is the reputation of the dealer if you are thinking of returning for service. We will drive a long ways to have the fellows at Lichtsinn work on our coach.

[wagonmaster2]

It seems like it's hard to seriously haggel and be ready to walk out when you know it's the dealer you want to buy from due to his reputation.

[ahicks]

Tell the dealer you are wanting to buy from that you are shopping his price, then go do that. Bring him the best one you can find to see if he'll match it. He can't fault you for trying to stay with him.....

[jones47172]

I had a 2007 Winnebago Sightseer 30B which was listed in the NADA as worth retail about $58,000.

List price for the new coach was $215,708
Trade-In for Sightseer was $101,708
Balance was $114,000
Plus Sales Tax was $7980

I wanted to pay retail less 25% for the new RV and get $50,000 trade-in. Since the Sightseer was purchased a year ago, and I only paid $50,000 for it then, it seemed my asking price was a little high for the old RV. If my math is correct, I actually got about 24 percent off on the new RV. However, I did not pay as much sales tax since they invoiced the trade-in as $101,708. I believe the dealers only profit is going to be from the sale of the new RV, not much on the trade-in.

Sharing actual numbers I thought might help others.

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

It seems like it's hard to seriously haggel and be ready to walk out when you know it's the dealer you want to buy from due to his reputation.

Part of the question is the issue of decent dealer. What is meant by that? To different people it means different things. Highly discounted, good service, quality product.

A good dealer will charge a fair price, give good service, give timely service, and help you with the things you do not know or understand.

I do not mind paying a fair price, even a bit more than the fellow down the street because I want the good dealer to be there next week as well as down the road. It is worth while to have a dealer who will stand behind the product you purchased from him, will help you look after your unit to maximize the use and enjoyment of it and be there if you want to purchase another unit from them.

All in all it comes to peace of mind.

[wagonmaster2]

You've brought up many good issues there Gordon. Guess it boils down to a personal opinion as to how many thousands of dollars over other dealers all this is worth. Takes some soul searching and budget work.

[RoysRV]

Again, thank you all for everything! Just as a side note, what is everyone's opinion on this V10 Gas RV vs the diesel pusher?
2002 Class A, 31ft. Fourwinds, Hurricane

[Mrfoto]

It amazes me how many dealers will let you walk. I have tried to buy a Winnebago Sightseer 35G and dealers in 2 states will not budge over 17% discount. I offered @25% discount and was refused. So I walked after spending a couple of hours in person at each dealer. Had one sales mgr tell me that if I don't take it at 17% discount, somebody else will, so that was his final offer.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by jones47172

I had a 2007 Winnebago Sightseer 30B which was listed in the NADA as worth retail about $58,000.

List price for the new coach was $215,708
Trade-In for Sightseer was $101,708
Balance was $114,000
Plus Sales Tax was $7980

I wanted to pay retail less 25% for the new RV and get $50,000 trade-in. Since the Sightseer was purchased a year ago, and I only paid $50,000 for it then, it seemed my asking price was a little high for the old RV. If my math is correct, I actually got about 24 percent off on the new RV. However, I did not pay as much sales tax since they invoiced the trade-in as $101,708. I believe the dealers only profit is going to be from the sale of the new RV, not much on the trade-in.

Sharing actual numbers I thought might help others.

All I care about is the difference, everything else is just numbers.

[Mike and Cha]

Wagonmaster, for what it's worth during our research we found the dealers with the Newmar franchise to hold themselves a little more accountable than some of the others. We bought from Tom Lindstrom in Moorpark Ca(you can get all his info and see his stock on hand on his website Tom Lindstrom RV), and Tom is the owner and you only deal with him when it comes to price. He is honest and has integrity and will be upfront with you. Remember you can order it anywhere and do a factory delivery so go with whoever will give you the best price for what you want. I understand and can relate to you wanting to buy from the dealer that you feel you will get the best service from AFTER the sale, that is important to me too and why we bought from Tom. Sometimes that peace of mind is worth a little more money, but not thousands. With Newmar you will get a quality MH that will not be sitting in the shop waiting for repairs that should have never left the factory. If you do a factory delivery, they let you spend several days there checking things out, making any necessary repairs or adjustments ect, while you have a tech assigned to you. We have put about 8000 miles on ours so far and have only had a few minor issues which were fixed or adjusted in one day while we waited for our MH. That kind of service is important to me and also a part of the "quality" part of the Newmar.

We got about a 27% discount and thought that was fair in comparison to what other Newmar dealers wanted as well as what some of the other manufacturers wanted vs the equipment and quality we got with the Newmar. We are very happy with what we bought, the discount we got, and the after sale service we have recieved from both the dealer and Newmar. When the deal is done and you start using your new MH, as long as you bought what you wanted and it fit within your budget, nothing else will matter and you will soon forget all the work it took you to get your best deal. Good Luck in your search/purchase.

[RoysRV]

Originally Posted by RoysRV

Again, thank you all for everything! Just as a side note, what is everyone's opinion on this V10 Gas RV vs the diesel pusher?
2002 Class A, 31ft. Fourwinds, Hurricane

Sorry guys, wrong thread! ADmin can delete!

[wnytaxman]

Newmar has a different margin than Entegras and some other brands. From what I've seen on here you would be doing well to get in the 27-28% range on a Newmar. Entegras are more in the 30-32% range.

BTW, Motorhome Specialist is not a Newmar dealer.