Community Forums

Mr. M · 11-29-2013, 10:02 AM

So my upcoming purchase of a coach may be the largest I have ever made.

I want to make sure that I make a good deal. I know some of you crafty RVers on this forum have made some deals way below MSRP.

Please share your experiences on how you got such a great deal.

Did you time your purchase to your advantage?
How did you avoid some of the dealer ploys to grab more cash?
What was your strategy going into negotiations?
How did you get your dealer to accept your low offer?
Did you use a trade in in your dealings?
Any other advice for novice RV buyers?

Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
James

CampDaven · 11-29-2013, 10:39 AM

Did you time your purchase to your advantage?
- It was August.

How did you avoid some of the dealer ploys to grab more cash?
- I said no to everything.

What was your strategy going into negotiations?
- Gave them a price that they laughed at, but they took it.

How did you get your dealer to accept your low offer?
- They had no choice.

Did you use a trade in in your dealings?
- Yep. The deal was that I gave them a price that included absolutely everything (except their add-ons). And Out The Door Price. Worst case, it would have been a low point to bargain from.

Any other advice for novice RV buyers?
- It is your money. Be brutal. I have bought 3 rigs. Only had to deal on 1.

Best of luck.

bronk · 11-29-2013, 10:48 AM

An easy answer would be is to do your homework!!!!

We purchased our coach new in 2011. We bought it at a large RV show in KY. We did our homework and had settled on 3 makes and models that we intended to pursue and went from there. We checked the MSRP on each and then decided what we could reasonably afford and not to go above that predetermined amount. The day of the purchase we thoroughly examined each of the makes/models and took our time over lunch to narrow the search. Once we had decided to "bargain", we made an offer for the one we had selected that had the floorplan we liked better than the others. The sales rep. played the "I will have to check with the boss" yada, yada. We held firm and decided to give them time to "consult" and looked at RV supplies for about 2 hours - went back and they accepted the offer, reluctantly, or so they said. We had a Travel Supreme 5th wheel that we had sold outright before shopping, so no trade-in. We believe that we got a great deal and have thoroughly enjoyed the MH. We now have over 25,000 miles on it and although not trouble-free, it has not had major issues. By the way, if you live close to Indiana, there are some good deals to be had in and around the Elkhart area - assuming the coach was made there. Good luck with your search and PM me if you would like additional information.

Bronk

UsualSuspect · 11-29-2013, 10:52 AM

I looked it over, gave them a take it or leave it offer. They said no initially, I said call me when you want to sell it. The rig was sitting in a snowbird area and it was June. I figured they would either sell it at a heavy discount or have it sit on the lot until November, maybe longer. Took them 1 week and 3 offers, but they finally came down to what I offered them. I held my ground on what I was willing to pay, said no to any extras or any offer other than mine.

**CountryFit** · 11-29-2013, 10:59 AM

Did you time your purchase to your advantage?
- yes, when econo was at the lowest; supply >>> demand

How did you avoid some of the dealer ploys to grab more cash?
- i don't buy vehicles from dealers. the good deals are in private parties'.

What was your strategy going into negotiations?
- use the power of walk away

How did you get your dealer to accept your low offer?
- n/a for me; but you should always be in control.

Did you use a trade in in your dealings?
- n/a for me but not necessarily bad

Any other advice for novice RV buyers?
- price wise, do not over stretch... always keep a cool head.

SeeTheUSA · 11-29-2013, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. M

... snip ...
Any other advice for novice RV buyers?
... snip ...

Remember, stories about miles per gallon, length of fish caught, and deals got on an RV purchase are wrought with wishful thinking.

COMer · 11-29-2013, 11:29 AM

I think you need to convince them that you will walk if they don't take your effort. If you are not convincing on this, they will never believe you and take your deal.

CampDaven · 11-29-2013, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeTheUSA

Remember, stories about miles per gallon, length of fish caught, and deals got on an RV purchase are wrought with wishful thinking.

And there are always doubters.
Some think 25-30% off MSRP is a deal. I start way waaaaaay below that. And stayed there 2 of 3 times.

SeeTheUSA · 11-29-2013, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CampDaven

And there are always doubters.
Some think 25-30% off MSRP is a deal. I start way waaaaaay below that. And stayed there 2 of 3 times.

No doubter here . . . just a realist with the knowledge businesses normally make a profit, at the very least minimize their loss.

Jack1234 · 11-29-2013, 12:58 PM

We recently sold our MH and during the process we had a couple of people take the time to "educate" us about the "real" price of our MH, A couple of folks were even kind enough to leave us there name & contact info so that we could call them when we came to our senses and reduced our price!

They were such nice knowledgeable folk ....and I don't want to appear ungrateful or unappreciative of their free advice....so I keep wondering if I should call them and let them know how lucky we were to sell the MH at many thousands $$$$ more than they offered? They are probably sitting by the phone waiting for my call & I feel bad about disappointing them....maybe I'll call them tomorrow.

YZF571 · 11-29-2013, 01:30 PM

I think be realistic, it goes a long way. Do your homework, you know they are not in business to lose money. I made an as determined by me, reasonable offer on a nice unit I really would have liked to have had at McClains RV in OKC. They yucked it up pretty good, told me how ridiculous I was, and how unreasonable I was being. Me, I knew I was not being any such they and that my offer was reasonable. I walked away, drove to Texarkana and bought one a few days later from a private seller. McClains called me back to sell me the RV they initially wouldn't they were a day to late. Also, for sure keep in mind what SeeTheUSA stated, I took it to mean "eyes wide open"!

Ron & Kerrie · 11-29-2013, 02:35 PM

When I found ours (1999 Dutch Star) on craigslist. We discovered the owner listed it with the wrong phone #. And no email address I figured out the right phone number, called him and he was real anxious, To sale

b-Bota · 11-29-2013, 02:43 PM

Sorry, I can't help you. According to my friends I always pay to much. Btw my friends always get better mpg then I do.

Alan Wilson · 11-29-2013, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b-Bota

Sorry, I can't help you. According to my friends I always pay to much. Btw my friends always get better mpg then I do.

This made me laugh! I have worked with people that always could have gotten it cheaper if I had only asked or they know of something that is better, cleaner, faster, stronger yada, yada, yada. For the OP, do your research in-depth and decide what a fair price is for a unit and make your best offer with all the bells and whistles you want on it and then wait and see what comes back to you. Decide up front what you are willing to pay and if you decide that is the one and you buy it, pay no attention to the hordes of people that will tell you how you got taken advantage of. They are everywhere.

Alan