Price off MSRP?

[rdentist99]

I'm looking to upgrade. I have a 2000 Monaco Windsor 38ft diesel pusher. I have 4 kids and just back from a 2 week vacation out west. We had a great time. If anyone recalls, I had a "warning" light that came on just before leaving. Stopped at the Cummins shop in St Louis and they worked me in instantly so as not to interrupt our trip. Anyway... with 4 kids (two of them teenagers) this is probably the last year we can easily fit into the Windsor. We are contemplating upgrading to a DP with bunks. I've looked at the Fleetwood products (Discovery 40 & 42, Expedition 38), the Tiffin products (Phaeton & Red) and the Forest River products (Charleston 42 and Berkshire 38). I like the customer service of Tiffin, but the floorplans of the Fleetwood and the price of the Forest River.

So here are my questions. I've read on this forum that 25%-30% is the typical percent off of MSRP that most can negotiate. Is it reasonable to get 30%? Or, is 25% more the usual?

From what I can tell, of the 3 brands listed, quality is best in Tiffin, second in Fleetwood and third in Forest River. But... is there really that much difference.

I'm leaning towards the fleetwood line because I like the floorplans the best.

Thanks, Rod

[campclan]

My wife and I just purchased a new gas unit and I was able to negotiate 28.5% off MSRP. I got additional 15% off parts for 1 year and free storage for up to 6 months a year for the life of our Motorhome. I would say 30% is not unrealistic with today's economy maybe more. Good Luck!!

[texnet]

IMHO the % off MSRP and the price of used RVs may be changing soon... Two things point to this. Fuel prices going down and Winnebago and Thor stocks jumped this past Thursday partly due to the fuel prices but also due to the outlook on the RV industry improving.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Very hard to say. Some dealers discount more than others, and some buyers negotiate better than others. And sometimes you hit a dealer when he wants to move a particular unit right away and you get lucky on the price.

Note that if you get a steep MSRP discount, your trade-in is going to be at wholesale value only. You don't get both, and the wholesale value of a rig is shockingly low.

[B Bob]

Rod,

Just out of curiosity since you are the owner of a Monaco Windsor, a very good motor home, why have you not included them in your consideration?

As far as discounts, depends on the dealer, is it a hot product or cold, time of year. My guess would be that early summer might be the worst time to buy and between Thanksgiving and Christmas the best. This is a generalization. But since you are looking new I think that is accurate.

In general the number tossed around is 28% discount can be had on most new motor homes.

With regards to quality. We have a number of Fleetwood products in our small RV club. The owners say good things about them. We have no Tiffin products and I have not owned one so cannot comment. Same with Forest River.

We own a Country Coach which we are very happy with. Excellent quality. But I think you have to order a Magna to get a new one. That would be a different range than the mo homes you are looking at.

It is great your young adults are still going with you. We just went on a 9 day trip with my 30 year old daughter husband and toddler. It was great fun. We could have really used bunk beds. The best motor home we ever had (rented) for a big crowd was a 31 ft Fleetwood class C with slide. There were seven adults, kids, dog, on a 10 days trip. Everyone fit great. The overhead bed really helps when you have kids. But of course that is a very different ride than a classy coach like a Windsor.

Final comment. If you like your coach have the interior remodeled to include bunk beds.

[njs42]

Dealers often offer 25% on their "Sales". 30% is a good buy IMHO. Any where in between if it feels good do it. One thing for sure, a dealer will not part with it and lose money; so go low and sit back and smile. Who knows you might break new ground.

The very best deal I ever got on a car was when they said they could not do the deal---so I left pleasantly and respectfully---only to be followed to the parking lot by the sales manager. Turns out they could---------

[rdentist99]

Originally Posted by B Bob

Rod,

Just out of curiosity since you are the owner of a Monaco Windsor, a very good motor home, why have you not included them in your consideration?

As far as discounts, depends on the dealer, is it a hot product or cold, time of year. My guess would be that early summer might be the worst time to buy and between Thanksgiving and Christmas the best. This is a generalization. But since you are looking new I think that is accurate.

In general the number tossed around is 28% discount can be had on most new motor homes.

With regards to quality. We have a number of Fleetwood products in our small RV club. The owners say good things about them. We have no Tiffin products and I have not owned one so cannot comment. Same with Forest River.

We own a Country Coach which we are very happy with. Excellent quality. But I think you have to order a Magna to get a new one. That would be a different range than the mo homes you are looking at.

It is great your young adults are still going with you. We just went on a 9 day trip with my 30 year old daughter husband and toddler. It was great fun. We could have really used bunk beds. The best motor home we ever had (rented) for a big crowd was a 31 ft Fleetwood class C with slide. There were seven adults, kids, dog, on a 10 days trip. Everyone fit great. The overhead bed really helps when you have kids. But of course that is a very different ride than a classy coach like a Windsor.

Final comment. If you like your coach have the interior remodeled to include bunk beds.

B Bob,

We are happy with the Monaco that we have. The only reason we have not looked at them is that they don't offer anything different. Fleetwood has nice floorplans, tiffin seems to be great for "after the sale" and Forest River seems the be the lowest price. The Monaco floorplans offer nothing different, probably are the same quality as Fleetwood and after the sale, probably the same as Fleetwood.

We have looked into remodeling ours. In fact, we just did a minor remodel last winter, removed all carpet and old tile, and replaced with new, modern looking tile... what a huge difference in the looks! The problem with remodeling ours is that there's no obvious place for bunks unless we loose lots of storage and the washer/dryer. Or, we'd have to do a complete tear down and redesign. Further, our's only has one slide, and I really like the additional room that multiple slides give.

Speaking of Country Coach, we have seriously looked into buying a used Country Coach w/tag and doing a remodel. I think we'd end up with a much higher quality coach and a floorplan that we like... but I'm afraid the price would be too much.

I'm really glad to see the RV industry waking up to the fact that they need to put bunk beds in higher end Class A's. There are some of us out there who will buy. I really like the 42ft Fleetwood w/tag floorplan the best. It has a bath and a half. The extra half bath I think will be golden with 3 daughters.

[rdentist99]

Originally Posted by campclan

My wife and I just purchased a new gas unit and I was able to negotiate 28.5% off MSRP. I got additional 15% off parts for 1 year and free storage for up to 6 months a year for the life of our Motorhome. I would say 30% is not unrealistic with today's economy maybe more. Good Luck!!

That's great information. Thanks!

[rdentist99]

We are in a situation where we don't have to purchase anytime soon. We have a nice unit that we can keep for a while longer. I don't see a real "need" for the new unit until next summer 2012. So my plan is to sit and wait and look and make lots of offers, and hopefully find a great deal somewhere. I don't mind purchasing from across country if the numbers make sense. I've got time on my side.

[historyljc]

Originally Posted by rdentist99

B Bob,

We are happy with the Monaco that we have. The only reason we have not looked at them is that they don't offer anything different. Fleetwood has nice floorplans, tiffin seems to be great for "after the sale" and Forest River seems the be the lowest price. The Monaco floorplans offer nothing different, probably are the same quality as Fleetwood and after the sale, probably the same as Fleetwood.

We have looked into remodeling ours. In fact, we just did a minor remodel last winter, removed all carpet and old tile, and replaced with new, modern looking tile... what a huge difference in the looks! The problem with remodeling ours is that there's no obvious place for bunks unless we loose lots of storage and the washer/dryer. Or, we'd have to do a complete tear down and redesign. Further, our's only has one slide, and I really like the additional room that multiple slides give.

Speaking of Country Coach, we have seriously looked into buying a used Country Coach w/tag and doing a remodel. I think we'd end up with a much higher quality coach and a floorplan that we like... but I'm afraid the price would be too much.

I'm really glad to see the RV industry waking up to the fact that they need to put bunk beds in higher end Class A's. There are some of us out there who will buy. I really like the 42ft Fleetwood w/tag floorplan the best. It has a bath and a half. The extra half bath I think will be golden with 3 daughters.

Floorplan, floorplan, floorplan! That's 90% of the decision. From what I read Fleetwood is building a good coach and doing a good job of warranty service on them. Nobody will stand behind their coaches like Bob Tiffin. That doesn't make others service inadequate. Just don't count on them going the extra mile like Bob does. Which Fleetwood are you looking at? Does the bath and half also have the bunk beds that you want? Is the price comparible between the different manufactures?

[B Bob]

Rod,

When my wife and I were shopping for motor homes about 20 months ago the new coach in our price range that we really liked the best was the Fleetwood Providence with the full wall slide. We liked the 39' that was actually just over 40'. They also have a 40' that really measures almost 42'. We loved the floor plan. We were looking at demo ones that were around 135,000-145,000. We had had previous experience renting Fleetwoods and had friends that owned them and these were possitive things. However, after a lot of looking and driving we ended up with a high end coach with a few years on it for the same price. Why, the lower end coach interior looked very worn after 17,000 miles. The Country Coach looked wonderful after 80,000 miles.

Our coach is very well laid out for two people and a dog. It is 42' with a tag. Drives great and will likely outlast me in lifespan. The paint looks new after over 8 years. No fading even on red. But I have seen no Country Coaches or Monacos with bunk beds. And I can tell you that our floor plan does not suit taking the family.

As far as new coach quality. We have a variety of brands in our small RV club. Almost everyone is happy with their RV. With great irony the coach that seems to have the most problems of any in the 40 rigs we have in our club is the one that cost the most money. A, bought new, 2005 F#$@%$###l. My point. A lot of makers sell very good RVs. In the same price range you will get fairly similar quality. Buy the one with the floor plan that is the best for your use.

My only bug a boos that for me are a minimum quality requirements are, 1. Any coach you are looking at must have a set of printed documentation. Web sites and CDs are not enough. If a coach does not have that, run. The maker does not care about you when you have a breakdown. 2. CCCs must be enough to carry all the stuff I want to bring and have left over capacity. 3. Chassis needs to be long enough for the house so you can go down the freeway in a straight line easily. 4. Components should be easily available and not offbrand stuff so you can replace them easily.