Manufacturer or Dealer, that is the question?

[Oscarthecat]

Quest. 1.....My fellow vets, need your input. As I research and prep for a mid year purchase I wonder if it would be cheaper to deal with and buy directly from the manufacturers instead of the dealer??????? (the dealers in my area only seem to sale lower and mid level 5th wheels anyway) I think I would like to cut out the middle man.

Quest. 2...Anyone with input on Spacecraft Manufacture that custom makes 5th wheels would also be appreciated.

[Ray,IN]

The only thing I've noticed it some manufacturers are switching from a dealership-based sales network to factory-direct. Some (NuWa?) even take trade-ins at their factory sales location.
IMO this is a move to eliminate the middle-man and realize the profits they gained from being the middle-man.

The downside for consumers is the lack of a widespread supporting dealership network. When an RV repair service center is located that will do warranty work, it is logical you would go the the bottom of the work-order stack when units they sold are coming in.
At one point we considered Americana 5ers, but decided otherwise for the previous reasoning.

[450Donn]

Depends on what you want. I have not looked at Spacecraft in a long time, but I remember then as pretty ugly and outdated. IMHO you would be better off picking what you want and then shopping dealers for the best combination of price and service. Remember, warranty is only one or two years. After that they are all the same basic components so it then really comes down to what are you happiest with.

[PyrateSilly]

It might be cheaper to get pre-approved at your bank or credit union. I know with my CU I get a way lower interest rate and I could buy from a private individual if I found the deal I wanted, which I did. Also if you get pre-approved you know how much you can afford or not.
We do that with not only cars but motorcycles too.

[99-Am.Star]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oscarthecat Quest. 1.....My fellow vets, need your input. As I research and prep for a mid year purchase I wonder if it would be cheaper to deal with and buy directly from the manufacturers instead of the dealer??????? (the dealers in my area only seem to sale lower and mid level 5th wheels anyway) I think I would like to cut out the middle man. Quest. 2...Anyone with input on Spacecraft Manufacture that custom makes 5th wheels would also be appreciated.

If you want to buy new, I would say find the unit that you want to get and make the dealer an offer. In my looking around, many dealers will go for between 30 t0 35% off list. (I have heard of some giving 40%). That's just like eliminating the middle man. If the first dealer doesn't go for it, try another dealer.

[ImagineIF]

Unless the manufacturer sells factory direct, then you have little choice. Keep in mind that often times the selling dealer has to support initial warranty claims. If this is the case with the unit you are looking at then make sure you don't shop too far from home.

If you can use one of the high volume dealers or buy old stock at a smaller dealer you'll likely do better. If you can buy st a large RV show you should also do better because the manufacturers throw in some marketing funds for show inventory and units sold during and shortly after the show.

Gil J