Community Forums

afrank1971 · 02-20-2008, 06:41 PM

Just curious, I know everyone throws around the 25% off list number, and I know that's what I was able to negotiate on my Winnebago, and from search's of this forum, it seems one should reasonably expect to be able to negotiate that on a Newmar as well. But, how many people actually manage to get that 25%, how many settle for a litte less, and how many manage to get a little more? And this should not include trade allowances, dealer installed options, etc... just percentage off Newmar Factory Suggested List Price on Class A Newmar Diesels. Thanks for the feed back.

afrank1971 · 02-20-2008, 06:41 PM

Just curious, I know everyone throws around the 25% off list number, and I know that's what I was able to negotiate on my Winnebago, and from search's of this forum, it seems one should reasonably expect to be able to negotiate that on a Newmar as well. But, how many people actually manage to get that 25%, how many settle for a litte less, and how many manage to get a little more? And this should not include trade allowances, dealer installed options, etc... just percentage off Newmar Factory Suggested List Price on Class A Newmar Diesels. Thanks for the feed back.

afrank1971 · 02-21-2008, 04:55 AM

PS: If you post above 25%, please, tell us your story.

soricobob · 02-21-2008, 05:02 AM

I was willing to give North Trail the price which Pete (salesman) and I negotiated. However, my wife said that 30% was her figure. Joe Biela (sales manager), Pete, and Ken Williamson (who happened to be at North Trail for a Newmar promotion) all spoke with HER (in person, and by phone, after we walked out). 24 hours later the price for what we ordered was 30% below the MSRP (including everything, with no trade).

Shaun and Amy · 02-21-2008, 05:07 AM

Well, I just voted and then realized it pretained to Diesels pushers. Sorry. But, we got somewhere between 24%-25% off list on our new Kountry Aire. I think there's less to play with on 5vers than Motorhomes.

Spikester · 02-21-2008, 09:58 AM

My original offer to the dealer was 32% off MSRP, dealer came back with an offer that was approx 25% off MSRP. I countered with 28% offer which they took. This was on a factory special order coach.

Spike; Enjoying the sunshine in Tucson AZ.

GaryKD · 02-21-2008, 11:46 AM

The poll chart does not go high enough. I got 31.3% off the Newmar MSRP. I was in no hurry to buy and North Trail must have been in a hurry to sell. The coach was on their lot for 6 months before I bought it. The entire negotiation process was pleasant and courteous. It took about 2 months total time for the deal to close.

The bottom line is customer does not know what is going on behind the sceens with the dealer and manufacturer. They are not going to sell unless the profit goal for the day or month is met. Be in no hurry, let things drag out, offer a low figure and see what happens.

MT flyfisher · 02-22-2008, 07:08 AM

I'm not responding to your poll because I'm not in the Diesel pusher market. I'm buying a Diesel PULLER though

(Ford F450) and just ordered a Kountry Aire 5th wheel, so maybe if I drove my truck in reverse...

?

I do have a question or two though on how people calculate their percentage discount.

Did the dealer add separately the cost of shipping your motorhome from the factory? If so, how do you account for this in your discount %?

Two Newmar dealers that I talked with quoted me a flat % discount off MSRP, but then added the shipping cost to the price, while a third Newmar dealer simply quoted a single bottom line price which included shipping.

How do you account for any "extras" that the dealer may have included in the purchase price?
I'm sure many of you have your own list of these items -- it would also be interesting to hear what "free" extras you got.

On our Kountry Aire, for example, the dealer agreed to charge us the same as he was charged by Newmar for any customizing done by Newmar with no added markup. He also added several roof vent covers at no cost, and gave us a break in price on installing a new 5th wheel hitch, balancing the trailer's tires (I'm surprised this wasn't normally done by the factory), and a couple other items.

John

Shaun and Amy · 02-22-2008, 07:39 AM

Hi John,

We just picked up our new Kountry Aire a couple weeks ago. The precentage off I have was based on the final numbers. There were no charges added on to this other then tax and a small misc. things. Shipping charge was never talked about, just part of the price. I think the shipping should just be in there. It is what it is. It's like telling you what the windows cost. Why bother, because you getting them no matter what. Just my opinion.

I did however have some after thought items added to the unit after we gave our deposit, that the dealer absorbed the cost of, but I added a rough number back on to figure out the percentage.

Good luck,
Shaun and Amy

Ecker · 02-22-2008, 08:52 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MT flyfisher:

I do have a question or two though on how people calculate their percentage discount.

Did the dealer add separately the cost of shipping your motorhome from the factory? If so, how do you account for this in your discount %?

John </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I require a fixed "out the door" price written on a slip of paper. The words "out the door" must be written on slip as well as price.I don't listen to anything about the trade, shipping, title, etc. I carry this slip with me through all the paperwork machinations. I do this on car sales and recently it came in very handy. I got though the process and financial guy did the paperwork and it was $200 (for something, I don't recall what right now) more than my slip. I told him no and showed him slip. He went off to consult and came back and changed the paperwork.

Nathan Focht · 02-22-2008, 11:13 AM

I negotiate similar to what Ecker does. I enter the dealer with a number. This number is what I will have financed when I drive off in the coach. I do not care what all of the other numbers look like (MSRP, trade, tax, etc). I tell them the coach I want, what I am trading, and I ask them if they would like my business.

It is amazing how quickly you will get a yes or no. The difference with mine from many is you need to be prepared in advance with all of your research and math. I purchased my coach with 3-4 emails and a couple of calls. Maybe 35 minutes of work.

afrank1971 · 02-24-2008, 05:37 AM

Well, just posted my own vote. Was going to vote once for 26% and once for 27% since we actually got 26.5%, but the system wouldn't let me vote twice. Anyway, we inked the deal yesterday and now have a Kountry Star 3943 on the way. We managed to get there by insisting on 25% off list, and then insisting that the dealer pass through a $4,000 rebate that Newmar made available on the deal. It wasn't as easy as some posts make it sound, as was my experience with the Winnebago as well, but it is certainly possible to get 25%, and then some.

As far as including tax/license, I don't believe thats a fair way to consider it for this type of poll given that tax is all over the map from state to state. For instance, here in Orange County, California, I pay 7.75% in tax, in LA County, I would have paid 8.25%, and thats on the full purchase price regardless of any trade, yet in New Mexico one would pay 3%, and in Arizona, one would pay 6%, but only on the difference between the new and the trade. So, it's probably a good way to negotiate your particular deal, I agree with Ecker and Nathan on that, but probably not a valid way nationally to discuss amongst ourselves percentage off list. The only way to normalize that is to leave tax and license out. In my particular deal, I know I pay about 8.5% combined for tax/license/fees, so after coming to an agreement, when they bring out the final paperwork, I just make sure it agrees before signing, which it did, within $50.

Nathan Focht · 02-24-2008, 05:56 AM

That is a great point! I purchased from NM because of the 3% and the ability to register in NM for the first year. This is a large savings in tax over many states and more than pays for the gas to go there. This is why I think bottom line because it is all cash at teh end of the day.

ScubaPro · 02-26-2008, 05:01 PM

I know a sales manager at a large RV dealership and he shared with me that the markup for the RV industry is generally 40% all across the board for generally all makes. (We were discussing Class A's) Given that math, you can look at the MSRP and see pretty close to what the dealer paid.
He also stated that anyone should be able to get 25% off. Go in the off season and you can most likely get more. A variant here is if you have a trade. Most people associate the value of their coach with their purchase price minus a little for Mileage and years old. Most people cannot accept in their minds the true value of their trade. Remember, it was marked up 40% when you bought it. A $500,000 coach when new was only really worth $300,000 to the dealer. Now that it is used, the price plummets from there.
Good dealers know the psychological difficulty people have with this and try to go down the retail to retail route when writing up the deal. That way they can use their "wiggle room" to make it appear that they are giving you a good price for your coach. You feel good about your trade and you are more likely to make the deal. If you bought your coach used, you may have an offer for your coach that is more than you paid for it! This really gets people excided! It is all a game of the mind.
If you force a dealer into negotiating wholesale to wholesale be prepared to be in shock in awe at how much your trade is not worth. If you can accept this as reality, it is a better way to deal and you will know the reality of the value of your old and new coach.
Remember, the sale of the coach is not the only way the dealership gets money. They get a cut of the Extended Warranty sales price, markup on all of the extras you want and need. To top it off they also get a bank commission if they arrange the financing. The cut is dependent on how much of an interest rate they can get the loan at. They have no incentive in offering you the best rate at initial offer. If you are buying all services they offer, you can most likely call this out and get a better deal on your coach and your interest rate.
Just my thoughts...