Motor Home Specialist and used motorhomes

[Lt Dan]

We also bought our first MH, an '06 Itasca from MHSRV and had a good experience. They don't pressure or look over your shoulder while you inspect the units, but they basically give you a non-negotiable price on most. Of course they will try to steer you away from consignment units because they stand to make a LOT more money on the trade-ins than consignments. Also, they have gone through the trade-ins and checked things out where with the consignments are what-you-see-is-what-you-get. On ours, they had put it on a lift, inspected the underside and did a complete new undercoating.

[Bossasurb]

Originally Posted by marjoa

I think MHSRV is an excellent place to buy and we bought our used MH there. Like you, we had big expectations but we were NOT disappointed. Our salesman was Calvin, a young guy probably late 20's early 30's and he must have call me "Sir" 200's in our conversations over a 10 day period to get this purchase done. Yes sir, no sir, let me check on that sir and on and on. I asked him if he was in the military, he said no. I said well, you've been brought up right then. When I asked him about negotiating a little better price than what they were asking he said this MH was none negotiable. He said any MH on the lot with the price ending in 997 was non negotiable. They always have so many MH's there they made the internal decision to list non negotiable MH's that way so there wouldn't be any confusion among sales people & customers. He went on to say that these MH's are usually there on consignment OR when a customer traded it in for another MH the deal they gave them left no wiggle room to come down.
So we saw our MH price ending in 997 and there you have it. You either like the MH and buy it at that price or move on. We bought it. Like most of you, over my lifetime I have bought more vehicles than I care to remember and I have NEVER had a better, respectful, patient company to work with. EVER! Everyone we dealt with along the way was awesome. I was from Houston (over 200 miles away or so) and they didn't push me at all about my traveling back & forth for inspections, paperwork was mostly done over the internet and on & on. I think they're great and the selection of MH's they have there is quit overwhelming they have so many.

Thanks marjoa. That's a huge help! Just re-checked the web-site, and what do you know... the unit price ends with 997. If what you are saying is correct, then that helps explain a lot and explains his short and simple responses to my request. Thank you for the insight.

[NLOVNIT]

I've found Spring (in the north at least) is prime RV buying time. People who've been to the shows are now ready to buy because the campgrounds are opening up for the season. Dealers are less likely to deal because there's always another buyer out there. All 3 of the RV's we've owned were bought in the "off season", 1 being in late September & the other 2 in the dead of winter. The dead of winter ones (before the RV shows start that get people revved up to shop), we got the best pricing - probably because business was slow & they were hungry to make a sale.

You're probably ready to get out now so you most likely won't want to wait for that off season to purchase. Just throwing that out for consideration.

Best of luck in your future purchase.

Lori-

[HHg]

i think everyone has pretty well covered this, but I will say. I bought 1 brand new coach (from Jimmy) and tried to buy a second (from Cowboy), who absolutely would not deal 10 cents on a used 2013 Phaeton.....not only that, he was a condescending little [moderator edit]. I'll never visit MHSRV in Alvarado again....I ended up buying a new Phaeton from another dealer who treated me fairly, with dignity and respect.

Hhg

[MisterT]

we had a pleasant, relaxed, and non-pressured trip to MHSRV both times we traded with them... walk the lot, see the coaches, tour each one... and no one pressuring you to make a 'decision' while they stare over your shoulder.

while they don't seem to 'dicker' with the price as much as other dealer may seem to, they also already have each coach priced at 25% off the MSRP, they offer $1k or $2k Visa gift card incentives on many new coaches, and they certainly take off $$$ for previous year models still on the lot...

they have covered facilities with full hookups for you to stay for several days after your purchase, and to move any stuff from your trade into your new unit... and their PDI personnel are there the whole time to assist you with any questions or operations of items within the coach.

they also provided us a rental car for several days while we were there since we did not have our toad with us...

[vito.a]

I tried to purchase a used diesel pusher from MHSRV last year. Flew in twice to visit their lot. They were very difficult to deal with. The saleman was so busy he just gave me the general location and a golf cart and said go find it. I did enjoy being able to travel the entire place and tour all the coaches without oversight.

When it came time to deal it was the same attitude, take it or leave it. The real problem was what were they going to repair. They wanted me to sign on the line and then they would pick and choose what to repair. I wanted a firm written list.
Also, I thought it was odd that they would not let me test drive a used coach.

If you wait 1-2 months and the coach doesn't sell, then they will usually lower the price. However, you cannot ask or offer a lower price.

[mwallin]

Have to say sorry for bad experience, but dont feel alone. If they are the last MH dealer we will buy a tent. Went there looking for a new coach and after 3 hours we decided ours is fine and quit wasting time. Nobody took me serious and I had enough of the snide comments my wife and I drive by there and say [mod edit] Buck. BUCK was the [mod edit] we were dealing with.

[garbonz]

One consideration if buying used is that many larger dealers have prearranged financing if you need it and that is hard to match at your local bank.

[rewillia]

Our experience with MHSRV when shopping for a coach late last year was that they do advertise at fairly significant pricing downward of the MSRP but of course that really means little considering the RV manufacturers and their authorized distributors are not bound by the same laws/regulations that apply to conventional automobiles and therefore can manipulate the MSRPs in certain aspects.

Secondly, they most certainly get many email type pricing inquires every day that may be construed to be only price shopping/hopping to which they may likely not provide the absolute best prices unless face to face with a potential customer. We experienced this when we were considering the purchase of an American Eagle Heritage 45P only to be asked before driving off "what will it take for you to buy this coach today" which lead us to believe there was more "wiggle room" vs the advertised pricing. Since we refuse to "negotiate with ourselves" by answering such a question, we drove off and purchased our new coach elsewhere.

As well (as another reply'r indicated), the particular unit you are/were interested in may be a consignment wherein MHSRV does not have back office incentives from the manufacturer to leverage toward a minimum selling price which has likely be set by the actual owner. If that were the case, then too MSHRV would likely prefer to sell a new coach from their inventory vs. the consignment unit. This may further support why the asking price of the used / pre-owned unit is close to the same as a new one - due to the possibility that the actual owner is upside down on an existing loan. Happens frequently.

Lastly, MSHRV is clearly a "wholesaler to the public" and as many reviews imply are not recognized as being a true servicing dealership.

[Bossasurb]

Just to close the loop on this thread…

I was finally able to find a used Class A from a private party, for a TON less than what MHSRV had their used unit listed for. In addition to full body paint and numerous upgrades, the private party deal offered so much more and worked out best for us both. Thank you for the responses on this thread, you were all a great help.

Couple lessons learned:

1. Patience. If you have the time, patience is what serves you best. Whether it’s from a dealer or private party, being willing to wait for just the right deal made all the difference in the world. I'm glad I didn't grab up so many of the deals that were “somewhat” close to what I was looking for.

2. Private Party units (generally) are easier negotiations. Generally speaking, each private party owner I spoke with were friendlier, nicer, more mature and even fun to talk to. Most private parties would just cut to the chase, “I owe X on this unit, so I’d like to be able to pay that off.” From that point many negotiations were quick and easy. Contrary, many dealers were just what you’d expect, smarmy, vague and sometimes deceitful. Getting a good number was a game that became exhausting after several weeks. We all know and come to expect this, but it still makes you feel like having to go to the dentist, it’s a necessary evil.

3. If money is an issue, broaden your search radius. Once I was willing to expand my search nationwide (and even into Canada), so many more units came into range. It would be nice if I could just drive down the road to my local dealer and buy our dream unit, but as many of you know, many local dealers prices suck. But there seems to be no shortage of people who are willing to just settle for what the dealer gives them. In my search I frequently found the price vary from 20k - 40k for the exact same unit depending on where you bought it from. So if you have excess funds, search close to home. However if you don’t, then try searching nationwide.

Thanks again to all who participated in this thread. DW is so very happy she got just what she wished for in our new (used) unit, and the kids are looking forward to our summer camping trips.

[Sunny1]

Chris,
Congrats! Sounds like all your research and patience paid off. Did you end up purchasing a Georgetown like the original one you liked at MHSRV, or something else?

Perfect time of year to get out and enjoy it, and make some great family memories for your kids. I warn you though - our kids seem to laugh the most and think very fondly of the times when nothing seemed to go right at all on some of our past trips when they were much younger. Not at all funny then, but funny years later ... good family bonding - Lol.

[deputybubba]

[QUOTE=Bossasurb;3565211]Just to close the loop on this thread…


3. If money is an issue, broaden your search radius. Once I was willing to expand my search nationwide (and even into Canada), so many more units came into range. It would be nice if I could just drive down the road to my local dealer and buy our dream unit, but as many of you know, many local dealers prices suck. But there seems to be no shortage of people who are willing to just settle for what the dealer gives them. In my search I frequently found the price vary from 20k - 40k for the exact same unit depending on where you bought it from. So if you have excess funds, search close to home. However if you don’t, then try searching nationwide.

So this is exactly why I had to go to Denver from Phoenix to buy our new renegade.
Dealer in town had the EXACT same unit, color, options, everything.
Said we need $xxx,xxx for this unit.
I said I have a quote from Denver for $25,000 less.
Their response, 'well if they want to sell it below cost'
WTH ? So I took 4 days vacation and drove my trade in to Denver.
No drama, sale went EXACTLY as it was lined out.
Funny the unit here in Phoenix is still for sale.

Glad they NEED to get a certain price.

[Statgeek]

[QUOTE=deputybubba;3565342]

Originally Posted by Bossasurb

So this is exactly why I had to go to Denver from Phoenix to buy our new renegade.
Dealer in town had the EXACT same unit, color, options, everything.
Said we need $xxx,xxx for this unit.
I said I have a quote from Denver for $25,000 less.
Their response, 'well if they want to sell it below cost'
WTH ? So I took 4 days vacation and drove my trade in to Denver.
No drama, sale went EXACTLY as it was lined out.
Funny the unit here in Phoenix is still for sale.

Glad they NEED to get a certain price.

This is precisely what happened to me when we bought our 2013 Discovery. At the time, we lived in TX, and our local dealer had an early 2014. That unit had a smaller kitchen table (go figure, it was already small for a family of 4, and this is a bunk house model, so it seems obvious that at least 3 or 4 people will be dining). Otherwise, this unit was the exact same as a brand new 2013 in Arizona. I offered my local dealer a little more than the price I was quoted in AZ for the "1-year-newer" idea, even though we liked the 2013 better due to the larger table (everything, I mean EVERYTHING else was identical). Nope.. Local dealer wouldn't even come close to the price I was quoted in AZ. I guess he figured I'd be nuts to drive all the way to AZ with my trade in.

Call me crazy then. Drove in Thursday after work, signed paperwork Friday morning, and had it parked in my driveway for a weekend of cleaning and moving in! My local dealer sat on that 2014 40G for at least the full year, until I stopped paying attention what was on their lot.

[Sunny1]

Stat,
It sounds like you did everything right, and even offered him a bit more to purchase local, but for whatever reason the dealer let you walk. Makes me wonder if he had to eventually discount substantially in order to sell it after sitting on the lot for a year. I'm sure dealers understand that customers have a ton of information available via this internet thing, and that it's not a big deal for many consumers to travel virtually anywhere in the country if the potential savings of doing so are substantial. I guess a potential blowback on doing so is if you eventually need service from the local dealer, who'd then probably tell you to go pack sand, but then again there are other options available to getting things fixed.

On another note - how do you like the layout of your discovery with a family of four? Is there anything you don't like about it?

Kirk