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Dealer Ordering vs Inventory

Started by baitbucket, June 17, 2016, 11:59:18 AM

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baitbucket

[p]I've never bought a RV before but we are hoping to next year.  I'm looking for some advice on how to buy an RV, assuming your decision making process landed you at buying new and financing.... Do you order directly from the manufacturer and drive there to pick it up or do you have to buy from a dealer?  If you buy from a dealer are you limited to what is currently in their inventory or are you able to order through them to the manufacturer?  Is it cheaper to buy from dealer inventory, should we consider driving out of state to buy from a dealer that happens to have exactly what we want in their inventory?  Thanks![/p]

pjcd

My experience in the past has been to go to a dealer, but I bought my Camplite from a dealer in Fla., I live in NY. I had it shipped and it was a trouble free deal. I think if you order one, you might have a delay until they start up production on that particular model. Some RV manufacturers are direct sales, most are not.

Here's something you might find helpful or may just add anxiety to your purchase experience......8^)

http://www.gonewiththewynns.com/shady-truth-buying-rv

daplumbr

With Livin Lite, they do not do direct factory ordering or pickup; you have to go through a dealer. You can order what you want from a dealer or get one off the lot, whichever you prefer. Travel (sometimes a long way!) to pick one up is common if you don't want to wait for the ordering-construction-delivery time. Dealers in Michigan have very limited inventory, so around here unless a dealer just happens to have the model a buyer is looking for, ordering and waiting is also a common purchase method. Your choice for financing; dealers offer it but credit unions can be good choices for low rates. 

A really important part of the purchase process, regardless of brand, is to seek out and use a good dealer. Look at reviews, get recommendations from others, ask around, and research a dealer fully. As I learned the hard way, they are an important part of the overall RV purchasing, delivery, repair, and maintenance experience and a bad dealer can really mess things up.

Enjoy the search, go to some RV shows, think about what you want while both camping and towing, make sure you factor in your tow vehicle and dream a bit. These things are great fun!

peislander

Baitbucket - where you live can greatly affect the cost. It can cost as much as $3 per mile to have a trailer transported from the manufacturer to a distant dealer. The price varies depending on if it's one trailer or a few at the time of delivery. When a dealer orders a few trailers from a manufacturer the transport cost may be significantly reduced because often more than one trailer can be trucked together. For instance a few truck campers will fit on one flatbed truck reducing transport costs but if you order one -- just the one will be shipped - $$$$.

The third-party transport costs are just a reality of the business. With the North American rv manufacturing epicenter being northern Indiana, dealers in Oregon or Maine need to sell their new inventory for more just to stay in business. All this makes comparing prices on the internet very difficult. It's rarely apples to apples just because transport is part of the equation. Dealers in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio tend to offer the lowest prices -- because of their typically lower transportation costs. [span style="font-size:13.3333px;"]In those states some very large dealers have developed -- large volume dealers with practically 'wholesale pricing'. They are big because many buyers are willing to travel to get the better prices. Typically the cost of driving the trailer home yourself is significantly cheaper than what it costs a dealer as you aren't paying yourself for your time. Of course there can be significant downsides of buying from a distant dealer! For many rv buyers, purchasing from a good local dealer is important -- and worth paying those transport costs. Likewise getting exactly what you want by ordering through a good local dealer, & possibly paying even more transport costs, is an option many buyers think is worthwhile. 

I have seen info on the internet suggesting buyers can expect new RVs to be sold for 20 to 35% below MSRP. That might well be the case in some markets where transportation is insignificant. Here in Prince Edward Island, Canada, rv's sell for far closer the full MSRP. I imagine they might even sell for more than MSRP in Alaska! Its worth noting that dealers in PEI or Alaska aren't gouging with their prices -- there prices just reflect the cost of business in far-flung regions. Dealers here do not advertise prices --- and that seems to be typical for dealers anywhere that face having to carry high transport costs.[/span]

nikolaite

Quote from: @baitbucket" source="/post/22243/thread" timestamp="1466175558[p]I've never bought a RV before but we are hoping to next year.  I'm looking for some advice on how to buy an RV, assuming your decision making process landed you at buying new and financing.... Do you order directly from the manufacturer and drive there to pick it up or do you have to buy from a dealer?  If you buy from a dealer are you limited to what is currently in their inventory or are you able to order through them to the manufacturer?  Is it cheaper to buy from dealer inventory, should we consider driving out of state to buy from a dealer that happens to have exactly what we want in their inventory?  Thanks![/p]
I just bought a brand new truck camper and drove out of state to get it.  I ordered it from the dealer and had to wait 10 weeks for it.  It was not really a big deal, except that when I showed up to pick up the camper, it wasn't the one that I ordered.  It was very nice, there's no doubting that, but absolutely NOT what I ordered.  The dealer obviously desired me to take the camper home and fix the interior as a warranty thing, but I put the brakes on that idea.  I ordered a new truck camper instead...and waited another 10 weeks to get what I wanted. 

The moral of the story is to keep documentation of everything every step of the way.  I was fortunate enough to have saved the floor plan image and interior photographs, as well as have my contract on hand with all the specs. 

Be vigilant and make sure you get what you want and can love for years.  Best of luck!
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