Buying a New Motorhome

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4ducksrus

4ducksrus

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Joined
Nov 17, 2010
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Someone suggested that I ask the forum what they thought I should pay for a new motorhome.  We are looking at a new Winnebago/Itasca and either the Journey or Meridian.  We have two that we've been dealing with and have the price down from MSRP about 22%.  Have any of you recently purchased a new rig and if so how much off did you pay?  Or, what do you think I should pay?  Thanks in advance for your help. :D
 
Thanks for replying.  I'm thinking we've done a pretty good job at getting them down too.  I just wanted to get others opinion especially in this economy, we want to try and squeeze every cent out of them we can!  LOL
 
Is it a new 2010? or 2011?  Should have considerable more leverage on a new 2010.  I'd aim for between 30% and 25% on the 2010, and as close as humanly possible to 25% on a 2011. 

How much the dealership is wiling and/or able to deal also depends on how long its been sitting on the lot, how much inventory they have and how large a dealer they are, and also if you have a trade or not. 

If it might help you to evaluate this deal, perhaps get some other price quotes online from a few other dealers on the same model as well.  When you're dealing with these prices, a few %s off really add up. If nothing else might give you a greater comfort level with what you're currently looking at and help you determine whether or not to pull the trigger.

Best of luck - that's a really nice rig!
 
might wanna compare the MSRP in 2009 to the current one.  If they raise the MSRP 10%, then give you a 20% discount, you are still on the high side?
 
While Im not going to chat about MSRP I would ask if the 2011 was built on a 2010 chassis. The difference is that the 2011 on a 2010 chassis will have the roof A/C units and no Urea tank for the pollution control. When we were at the Winnebago GNR in July the coaches they had for displays  were 2011 units built on left over 2010 chassis'. I think that before the GNR was over almost all those were sold. We understood that Winnie was going to build the 2011 units on 2010 chassis until their 2010 stock was used up and then build on the 2011 chassis.The 2011 coaches on the 2010 chassis' had the extra storage because the did not have basement air or the urea tank.
 
Usually 20 to 25% off is a good deal. But also don't be afraid to ask for anything else you may want. I made my best deal on our 2010 rig, then the DW had them include a new Washer/dryer unit, I got a satellite dish and an additional 2" receiver welded on the back to attach my 10HP outboard motor.  I also stripped my old rig that I traded in for about 3K worth of add ons that I didn't want to repurchase. Don't be afraid, tell them what you want!
 
Gotta throw this in - is there a reason you are not considering a good, used motorhome?  Something a few years old with low miles can get you a great bargain, and a lot of the "new RV bugs" would hopefully have been worked out by the first owner. ;)
 
Hopefully I can answer all these questions...thanks for all of your great comments too!  Yes it is a 2011, and we are waivering between the 2011 built on the old chassis without the urea, and the 2011 on the new one with the urea.  Trying to do the research but at times it's mind boggling.    A new twist occurred yesterday when we test drove one they brought in for us to see, the "residential refrigerator" dilemma!  I just found out that this refrigerator only runs on electricity or battery.  So, for those of you that have residential refrigerators, what do you do when you boon dock?  Or, don't you every boon dock?  I'm concerned with running out of power in the middle of the night, had that issue with my old Super C.

And to answer the question as to why new and not a good older model, well we just seem to like to buy new, like the warranties, and not having to work on them ourselves.  Worked hard all our lives and this is something we had always planned on doing.
 
I'd love to have a residential; fridge - it is larger, colder and has a lot fewer foibles. The downside is you need a larger battery bank to make sure you have adequate power for boondocking. If the rig is factory equipped for it, they should have provided enough, but one should never trust the factory too far.  Some of the new residential fridges actually consume less power on electric than an RV fridge of half the size, but of course they don't have the LP gas alternative.

Our boon docking is usually limited to a day or two, and our rig is a power hog, so we have to run the genset a few hours every day to recharge anyway. Our Onan Quiet Diesel genset is not noisy, so it's no big deal.
 
>>So, for those of you that have residential refrigerators, what do you do when you boon dock?<<


Batteries & genset.... dry-camp about 2 months a year.
 
4ducksrus said:
And to answer the question as to why new and not a good older model, well we just seem to like to buy new, like the warranties, and not having to work on them ourselves.  Worked hard all our lives and this is something we had always planned on doing.
Click to expand...

Just a few things to consider... new RV warranties aren't like car warranties.  RV's have shorter coverage (often just a year), and if you do happen to have a problem needing service it is quite probable the dealership will have to order parts.  That can take you out of commission for weeks or months (as far as camping goes) which can be pretty frustrating.  You will take a HUGE hit on depreciation buying new, as RV's lose value quicker than almost anything else you can name.  And if you own an RV long enough, you've GOT to be willing to tinker with it and fix little stuff yourself... that's why helpful forums and great folks like the ones around here exist.  If you have the money sitting around, then by all means spend it on new; but there really are advantages to buying used.  RV'ing is a great lifestyle and most of us wouldn't trade it for anything else in our free time!  ;D
 
I am currently looking at a New 2011 Journey 40U.  I am wondering what a reasonable % would be for this unit and is it even wise to consider it?
 
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