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Originally Posted by retiredtenn
We have an interest in the LTV, specifically the Unity model, and are just curious about what could be considered standard practice in the displaying or selling of a high demand model that is sitting on a dealer's lot...Do dealers generally display the MSRP and the specs or options for buyers to see? Even just an asking price on the window? Or is it a big secret and do the numbers get finagled according to the whim of the salesman or manager for that particular day or buyer? I seem to encounter some pretty wide discrepancies...Would appreciate any thoughts others may have based on personal experience and thank you in advance!
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Can't offer an definitive opinion here. There are so few LTV dealers and, in light of the Unity popularity, supply and demand have a lot of bearing on pricing. We chose a dealer relatively close (a 5 hr drive). Our son lives nearby so was able to vouch for the integrity of our choice. This also made exploratory visits easy since we could take our time and stay at our son's. This dealer did not have Unity prices advertised; perhaps this is a LTV policy. The few prices we saw listed were "on sale" units - mostly B vans and not LTV). I truly believe LTV is very selective about who they allow to sell their product. I did some research and the dealer we chose fits our needs well.
As far as price, we were not looking for that "fantastic deal" on a Unity. Our desire is for a
quality built motorhome that fits our outdoor RV style, allowing us to enjoy our travels in basic comfort, but without unnecessary amenities. We could have chosen a cookie cutter, mass produced MH for much less and probably found a great deal . . . . but were not willing to pay what still amounts to a lot of money for something of, IMO, inferior quality.
This being said, we were willing to pay MSRP in exchange for a well-built RV with the features we want, from a reputable dealer offering excellent customer service. It's much like the difference between buying a Mazda and buying a BMW. We've done both - totally different dealer approach for totally different clientele.
Paying full price and not pushing for a dealer discount might not be in our best fiscal interest, but I would rather establish a good relationship with the dealer and get the features I want than wheel and deal for a few thousand dollar price reduction and maybe have to make some concessions. There are not many models available for purchase off the lot and with the number of buyers waiting in line for the next production slot, I don't imagine there are many discounts being handed out on customer built units.
On the other hand, if price is important to you, check inventory on LTV websites and see if there are any that are close to what you want and see what kind of deal you can make. You might be lucky and find one close to your needs. Our dealer had a couple of new Unities available on the lot. One was a customer order that was later rejected because the customer had misrepresented his trade in and the deal went sour. We probably could have negotiated a price for this one, but it wasn't anywhere near the configuration we were looking for.
If used is an option, there are quite a few low mile used units advertised. We looked at a 2014 TB, but there were a couple of improvements made since then that we wanted - are you willing to make concessions? Bear in mind, LTVs hold their value well; the price differential was not worth the compromise. Probably could have made a deal, however, and saved a bit. There might also be some used ones available through private party sales, if you are comfortable going that route.
In shopping for RVs, I have found that many dealers do not list a price, especially on higher end MHs. Probably don't want to scare the prospective buyers off
With customers using the Internet as a shopping tool, most know the MSRP. Dealers know the customer has this information and choose to find what the customer is willing to pay, through a negotiation process. The downside is that there is little LTV competition and always another person who will want that unit sitting on the lot, so as not to have to endure the agonizing wait for one to be built to their specs. Supply and Demand shows its face again. Down the road, when all these long waited for Unities are built, there will be a percentage of owners who decide RV life is not for them or they discover they need a bigger, smaller, or non-motorized RV. Then you might be looking at some deals. In the meantime, are you willing to wait?
Yes, you could pay less or you could pay more, depending on many different factors. It is feasible that a buyer might want that unit on the lot so badly that he is willing to pay more than MSRP for the chance to drive it away today and a bidding war could ensue. Probably not going to happen, but possible. I believe if you have $130,000 or so in your budget for a new RV, you can't go wrong with a Unity, regardless of whether you can negotiate that killer deal, which is highly unlikely at this time. Good value and customer satisfaction are worth a lot
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