Negotiating Purchase for New Class A Dieslel Pusher

[RamblingRozeta]

New to the forum. Done a lot of research and reading but one topic we could not find.  We have decided on a Newmar Ventana LE and are ready to go to the dealer and put in our order.  We visited once already and got the list of all available options and prices (Same as a build sheet, they call it an order form?).  I have read that we should be able to get 20 -30% off MSRP.  Should the MSRP be with or without the options we want? Do we negotiate on the base price and then the options?  Do the options have a higher markup?  Would love to hear what the buying experience was like with dealers on new vehicles.  Thanks in advance.

[SargeW]

I am about to take delivery on a 2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus.  I obtained the price list from Tiffin, selected all options I wanted and even deleted some. Then I emailed the price list to half a dozen dealers, spread all over the country. They bid it based on their necessary profit margin.  They send me their best price, and I get to take it or keep shopping. I wound up going with a dealer in Tupelo Mississippi, about 50 miles from the Tiffin factory.  They sell LOTS of Tiffins, and have the process down to a science.  You should be able to do the same with Newmar.

[Larry N.]

New to the forum. Done a lot of research and reading but one topic we could not find.  We have decided on a Newmar Ventana LE and are ready to go to the dealer and put in our order.  We visited once already and got the list of all available options and prices (Same as a build sheet, they call it an order form?).  I have read that we should be able to get 20 -30% off MSRP.  Should the MSRP be with or without the options we want? Do we negotiate on the base price and then the options?  Do the options have a higher markup?  Would love to hear what the buying experience was like with dealers on new vehicles.  Thanks in advance.

Newmar makes a good coach. Which model? One note on the LE: carefully check it's cargo and axle capacity. There was a recent post by someone who was having problems finding enough weight capacity on his recent purchase of a 3709 LE.

[RamblingRozeta]

We are looking at the Ventana LE 3709.  I did see the post about weight limits.  Thanks.

[Gary RV_Wizard]

MSRP is the total price as the rig is built, so yes it includes options. I think many dealers will bid around a 14% discount, and some will go deeper. Those are the ones with a higher sales volume that spreads the high fixed costs among more sales. Good luck with your shopping.

[RamblingRozeta]

Thanks everyone for the information!

[captaindomon]

My advice: it's like buying a used car, but often worse. The "MSRP" and "Invoice" etc numbers mean absolutely nothing as far as I can tell. They're completely made up by the dealer or the manufacturer or both. The best thing to do is to compare the same model nationally - if you can get it somewhere else for $1k cheaper, you're probably good and in the ballpark. If you can get it one state over for $10k cheaper, you're being ripped off. Also, same as a used car, don't think about it too much. It will make you crazy. Get a reasonably good deal, and never think about it again, just have fun! Money comes and money goes, but life is fast and short, and you don't want buyer's remorse to hang over every camping trip. That's my personal advice.

[RamblingRozeta]

Thanks.

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There actually is a factory MSRP, but the price displayed at the dealer may not be it. They often add things (other than delivery charges, which are legit) and then (maybe) give it partially back as a "discount". The factory build sheet prices should be legit retail MSRP, though, assuming it is the actual factory worksheet. You may be able to verify that with Newmar.

Get a reasonably good deal, and never think about it again, just have fun!

Words of wisdom! 

[Oldgator73]

We found a much better deal 10 hours away in Michigan (we are in Dover, DE). What we have realized now is no dealer in our area (or anywhere else) will work on our RV. We saved about $4K by purchasing in Michigan but warranty work must be taken back to the dealership where purchased.

[Roy M]

I would be talking to the factory sales rep, that is nonsense. You may not get priority service but their dealer agreement will stipulate that they honor warranty on any product that qualifies.

[Oldgator73]

I did speak to the Warranty Manager for Winnebago. He said it would be best if we bought Local in the future. We found the problem is Winnebago Warranty will not pay the dealerships for the work performed. I did find one dealer in MD that would do the work but when he submitted the invoice to Winnebago they only paid him for 30 minutes labor when he says the job took him 4 hours. He said he's done doing Warranty work on anything not purchased from him. We have an appointment to take our unit to the factory in a couple of weeks.

[RamblingRozeta]

Figure I would close the loop on how it all ended up.   There are not that many Newmar dealers around and we decided to stay as local as possible.   We took in our build sheet with all the options we wanted. The first dealer we went to after much negotiation got  to about 19% off the total of the MSRP and options from the build sheet.  We just did not feel comfortable and they did not seem to know much about the options and floor plan.  The second dealer was closer to us. We were offered 25% without any negotiation. They added a prep and and freight fee and an admin fee but we were still happy with the price.

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We were offered 25% without any negotiation. They added a prep and and freight fee and an admin fee but we were still happy with the price.

LOL! The right hand giveth while the left hand taketh away. But if you were happy with the bottom line, that's all that matters.

[RamblingRozeta]

Gary RV_Wizard:

I know what you mean - but we were still at 24+%

[BennyBurrito]

Hey RR, can you tell me what the is wait time from order to delivery for that coach?

[Oscar Mike]

Good information, I am considering a Luxury Coach. We were offered a 27% break off MSRP on a unit similar to the one we really want, but I can't get past a few of the floor plan options they had installed, or left out. When and if we move forward I am hoping to be around that 27% off MSRP.