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Old 11-29-2015, 03:43 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald View Post
Seems like the entire system could be streamlined.

Reading (interpreting) the thread I find it confusing the factory can tell you what upgrades are available but cannot tell you the price while the dealers can tell you the price but not what upgrades are available.

I must make the ordering of a new coach very confusing, time consuming and prone to errors in the final order.
It makes plenty of sense to me. The factory is the only one that can say what can be built. They have to furnish wholesale pricing for the product. But the factory does not sell directly to the public. Only a dealer can sell to the customer, so pricing is really up to him. The dealer will dictate pricing based on his cost and the mark up he wants. Its simply the difference between wholesale and retail.
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Old 11-29-2015, 03:51 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald View Post
Seems like the entire system could be streamlined.

Reading (interpreting) the thread I find it confusing the factory can tell you what upgrades are available but cannot tell you the price while the dealers can tell you the price but not what upgrades are available.

I must make the ordering of a new coach very confusing, time consuming and prone to errors in the final order.
It makes plenty of sense to me. The factory is the only one that can say what can be built. They have to furnish wholesale pricing for the product. But the factory does not sell directly to the public. Only a dealer can sell to the customer, so pricing is really up to him. The dealer will dictate pricing based on his cost and the mark up he wants. Its simply the difference between wholesale and retail.

Nexus is the exception to this as they sell directly to the consumer. They do not utilize a dealer network. Its an interesting concept and quite unusual for any motor vehicle manufacturer.
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Old 11-29-2015, 04:04 PM   #17
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We just finished a special order with Newmar and once we started rolling it was very simple and very fast. I would say that most of your stuff under suggestion #1 is already in place.

In our case, we decided which model that we wanted to purchase, we met with Michelle at Newmar and went over things, decided which specials that we wanted to request. We gave that list to Michelle and left to go home.

By the next day Michelle had the specials filed in their system and within another day or so she had answers on which ones were rejected and which ones could be done.

When we got home we simply sent our order sheet to six dealers for bid and told them what the specials were filed under at the factory. Within a week I had six bids from six different dealers with pricing for my specific coach with specials included.

And that was it.

There was no haggling or negotiating at all as all of the bids included the specials. Since most of the dealers we dealt with are familiar with this kind of purchasing I got some really strong offers. We selected our dealership and there was no subsequent negotiations after that.

It was apparent that a few of the more competitive dealers just pass the factory cost of the specials to the customer without any markup looking only at the order sheet to determine their profit. Some of them even said so right up front.

The whole thing took a week from leaving the factor to having an order in. In order to jump start your stuff, figure out your specials, (aka what it is that you really want to buy) and then have all of the dealerships bid against the actual order.

John
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Old 11-29-2015, 04:21 PM   #18
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... we simply sent our order sheet to six dealers for bid and told them what the specials were filed under at the factory. Within a week I had six bids from six different dealers with pricing for my specific coach with specials included.
That is perxactly what I (OP) tried to do... but, I couldn't make it work.
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Old 11-29-2015, 05:36 PM   #19
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That is perxactly what I (OP) tried to do... but, I couldn't make it work.
So what exactly happened? You couldn't get dealers to bid on a price sheet with a 'specials' id?

John
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Old 11-29-2015, 06:01 PM   #20
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Seems the established procedure is submit the completed price sheet as an order to your selected dealership, then work the specials thru that dealership.

I tried to finish the specials (principally with the factory), then pick a dealership to submit the order to. The dilemma was I could not accurately finish the price sheet until the specials had been decided.
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Old 11-29-2015, 06:10 PM   #21
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Seems the established procedure is submit the order with a dealership, then work the specials thru that dealership.
Exactly what I did with Coachlight RV and the process went very smoothly. I believe some dealerships are a lot more experienced in dealing with specials than others. Other than a visit with Michelle on the interior decor selections, all my specials were coordinated through my dealership, they were very much in tune with the process.

Good luck.
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Old 11-29-2015, 06:12 PM   #22
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Seems the established procedure is submit the order with a dealership, then work the specials thru that dealership.

I tried to finish the specials, then pick a dealership to submit the order to... I could not accurately finish picking options until the specials had been decided.
It would likely be hard for a dealership to offer pricing without knowing what your options would be.
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Old 11-29-2015, 06:24 PM   #23
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It would likely be hard for a dealership to offer pricing without knowing what your options would be.
I sent my TENTATIVE price sheet to a number of dealerships, and asked they give me their estimate as a % of the MSRP total of that price sheet. I explained that since the specials had not been decided, the price sheet options could change, and could we go with the same % of MSRP. Some dealerships didn't seem to speak that '% of MSRP' language.

Also, almost every dealership I had any discussion with agreed to price the final list of specials 'at dealer cost,' which made things a lot simpler.
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Old 11-29-2015, 06:36 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 99phantoms View Post
I sent my TENTATIVE price sheet to a number of dealerships, and asked they give me their estimate as a % of the MSRP total of that price sheet. I explained that since the specials had not been decided, the price sheet options could change, and could we go with the same % of MSRP. Some dealerships didn't seem to speak that '% of MSRP' language.

Also, almost every dealership I had any discussion with agreed to price the final list of specials 'at dealer cost,' which made things a lot simpler.
Now you've got the right idea; your initial price sheet with options is always subject to change. It might change because you decide that you prefer storage space over the dishwasher, for example. Or, as you alluded to, it might change due to the acceptance or denial of a "special". That being said, once they lock you into a production date, then there is a deadline for all changes, regardless if they are options or specials.
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Old 11-29-2015, 06:39 PM   #25
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I sent my TENTATIVE price sheet to a number of dealerships, and asked they give me their estimate as a % of the MSRP total of that price sheet. I explained that since the specials had not been decided, the price sheet options could change, and could we go with the same % of MSRP. Some dealerships didn't seem to speak that '% of MSRP' language.

Also, almost every dealership I had any discussion with agreed to price the final list of specials 'at dealer cost,' which made things a lot simpler.
My guess is that you will have a very hard time getting a dealership to quote percentage off of the price sheet versus actually quoting a price. I wouldn't think that they would want to hamstring their negotiation that way, and from their perspective, you are coming to them asking how much they will discount for you vs how much you will have to pay. Those are very different opening positions. Besides, in the end you will agree to a price not a percentage, so it makes sense to talk with them with respect to dollars.


In my case I never even discussed percentages, I asked for a price and went from there. In the end I had bids all across the board, but the most aggressive were with fairly high percentages off. I still got the large discount off of MSRP, but without ever discussing it.

John
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Old 11-30-2015, 05:54 PM   #26
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Just be carefull

It is never clear with the way Newmar is pricing specials. Is the quote on specials that the dealer shows you MSRP or the dealer price for the specials that may or may not have some dealer margin built in. I agree with some of the responses you have gotten, find out how much the dealer wants for the base price of the MH and the options from the sheet.

Then work up the price on the specials and negotiate them as a separate package.

Regards,

Jim

Quote:
Originally Posted by 99phantoms View Post
I sent my TENTATIVE price sheet to a number of dealerships, and asked they give me their estimate as a % of the MSRP total of that price sheet. I explained that since the specials had not been decided, the price sheet options could change, and could we go with the same % of MSRP. Some dealerships didn't seem to speak that '% of MSRP' language.

Also, almost every dealership I had any discussion with agreed to price the final list of specials 'at dealer cost,' which made things a lot simpler.
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Old 01-24-2016, 04:14 PM   #27
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After a factory visit last July, I decided to proceed with a London Aire order.

This $$ half-million coach will be the only RV I ever own, so I’m making every effort to ‘buy my last coach first.’

The 4519 price sheet w/options was resolved quickly, but my list of ‘specials’ took much longer. I finally got them submitted Oct 22nd, even though I still had unanswered questions.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ORDERING PROCESS -

> the process (sequence, timing) of requesting competitive bids from dealerships, submitting an actual order, submitting a list of specials, has been confusing

> I believe the traditional method is pick a dealer, agree on a price, & they submit your specials… one & done

> it didn’t happen this way for me - long story short, l never submitted an actual order with a deposit, even though I was ready & willing

> I was either told directly, or acquired a strong presumption (don’t recall which) that I could get the list of specials (mostly) resolved before committing to a specific price sheet order… this seemed logical, as a few of the price sheet options were contingent upon the outcome of the specials (eg, I asked if they could split each pass-thru basement storage tray, half out each side)

> most dealerships I contacted for a bid, wanted to submit my list of specials (lock in the order)

> I was advised to pick one dealership & submit thru them, even though I may very well buy from another

> I picked a dealer & sent them the specials and a pdf of the 4519 price sheet… about 5 weeks ago

> when that dealership learned I was seeking other bids, that may be when I became invisible

> I traded about 2-3 more emails directly with factory sales reps, and that became the end of it

> all along, getting answers to some of the ‘can you do this, can you do that’ type questions has been elusive & time consuming

> many questions never got answered - configuring the tv & satellite systems, changes to the kitchen under-cabinet lighting, changes to the basement slide trays, installing a soft water system, and others

> the tpms that comes standard on an Essex, why can’t that be optioned in a LA? (it’s the same chassis)

So, my 2016 London Aire 4519 order is stalled. Not sure who to call, or if to call. Due to the backlog in orders, I may be running out of calendar for a 2016. I may simply wait to see who offers what for 2017. This is not what I expected.

_________________________

That was background. Now the proposed letter -


Matt Miller,

Allowing your customers to make free-style changes on new coach orders makes Newmar ‘special’ among its competitors. We all hope you continue doing that.

My recent experience trying to get a London Aire order submitted, has not gone as expected. So, I have come up with these 2 recommendations for you to consider, with the goal of streamlining the ordering process.


RECOMMENDATION #1

> designate an office at the factory, that deals directly with the buyer, who’s function it is to resolve the list of specials with the buyer

> by eliminating the (sales person) middle man, and by allowing the buyer to simultaneously (and independently) work the specials with the factory and work his best pricing with a dealership, the entire order process moves more quickly, and my order spends less time in your ‘pipeline’

> having a designated office that can quickly & authoritatively answer the ‘can you do this, can you do that’ type question would expedite the specials process, and likely reduce disruption to the factory operation

> once a specific change request has been approved or disapproved, post it to a ‘specials’ web site (blog, forum) to avoid duplication of effort with other buyers

> assign an actual price to any approved change, so the next customer can determine if that change is worth it or not (separate the wheat from the chaff)


RECOMMENDATION #2

> designate an office at the factory, that deals directly with the buyer, who’s function it is to advise & install the various technology items available in today’s new coaches

> this office would be the single point of contact for both buyers & vendors, determining which tech items can, and cannot be installed on the various Newmar models

> the factory experts could keep up with the latest technologies, & determine suitability, function, etc.

> this could include -

- television systems - satellite receivers, DVR’s, sound systems, switching boxes, etc.
- internet systems - routers, boosters, network systems, etc.
- cellular systems - boosters, mifi systems, etc.
- chassis information systems - engine & chassis parameters, trip travel info, etc.
- collision avoidance & adaptive cruise control systems
- navigation systems - dash mounted, and mobile
- radio systems - Sirius, XM, cb
- lighting & intercom systems
- coach security systems - cameras, alarms, etc.
- remote control systems (control the coach from a cell phone, tablet)
- tire pressure monitoring systems, boosters
- dash & interior video recording systems
- water systems - additional filters, soft water, de-ionized water, R-O water, etc.
- pressure washer systems
- electrical protection devices - surge & low voltage protection
- solar power systems

Many of today’s technologies are intimidating, and the consumer is frequently befuddled. This would be an opportunity to take an industry-leading position providing a wide range of hi-tech systems in a manner accommodating to the consumer.


Respectfully,
Well said
Thanks for sharing
I have experienced similar confusion, frustrations, and inefficiencies in progressing my order with numerous specials.
I find that the selling dealership is totally lost in the process, and at the mercy of the black hole in Nappanee that makes the decisions.
My only hope to get resolve, clarity, and decision is to now involve the Near regional rep to assist.
Still not finalized, but very close... finally.
I think your letter is perfect... please send it.
I am optimistic that Matt Miller is keen enough to want to improve the process.
Thanks.
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Old 01-24-2016, 04:30 PM   #28
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When we bought our '02 DSDP the "factory" price sheet that we were given had a $2,500 line item for "excise tax". This was not disclosed to us when we ordered the rig. Turns out it's a tax from the state on the dealer cost. Called the state about it and was told it was legal to pass it through. Wish we had known about it because we ended up paying $2,000 more by going with a local dealer PLUS the $2,500 excise tax that wasn't added at order time.
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