Purchasing at RV show question

[chiwawamama]

We are planning on attending the RV show in Hershey next month, and hopefully purchasing our travel trailer there.

My questions are:

1.  If we find a travel trailer, but it doesn't have the options we want (like a second air conditioner) is this something they can do during the show dates or can it be added at a later time by another dealer/shop?

2.  Our show prices usually lower than what you would find normally at a dealer and can you still haggle?

Thanks for your help

Tim

[Tom]

I'd think the answer on the a/c would depend on the techs an other resources a dealer would have on site or close by. It's not something I'd expect them to do at the show.

As for prices, you could probably get an equally good deal outside the show. You can haggle at the show or at the dealership. How good a deal you can strike will depend in part on how much the dealer wants to sell.

[pondguy]

We will be there too, just looking at upgrading ours at a later date.

Odds are you will not buy/tow away your new trailer. They are PACKED in and most can't be moved until the show is over. Depends on what options you want to add. Some dealers will put you low on their list if you did not buy from them. Odds are you won't get anything done at/during show week.

I have seen some good show prices, some not so good. A lot of what I have seen at the show have a upgrade features, not base models. They aren't going to show off too many of the plain models. You can always haggle, but you could be getting a good deal already. This is where adding your options might come in. Might be easier to get a deal on an option/upgrade than getting their price down.

[chiwawamama]

"I'd think the answer on the a/c would depend on the techs an other resources a dealer would have on site or close by. It's not something I'd expect them to do at the show."

I understand that they would need the resources.   I have never been to the Hershey show and didn't know what resources were available.  For example:  a local shop that has a booth. 

I have seen detailer's working at shows, so I was curious about other types of work being offered at the show.

[chiwawamama]

We will be there too, just looking at upgrading ours at a later date.

There seems to be a lot of forum members going to the show.  We should have some type of meet up.

Odds are you will not buy/tow away your new trailer. They are PACKED in and most can't be moved until the show is over. Depends on what options you want to add. Some dealers will put you low on their list if you did not buy from them. Odds are you won't get anything done at/during show week.

We have gone to other shows where the units have been packed in, so we booked a hotel for the entire run of the show.  Just in case we did make a purchase and had to wait until the end date for pick up.

I have seen some good show prices, some not so good. A lot of what I have seen at the show have a upgrade features, not base models. They aren't going to show off too many of the plain models. You can always haggle, but you could be getting a good deal already. This is where adding your options might come in. Might be easier to get a deal on an option/upgrade than getting their price down.

Good to know!

[Lou Schneider]

From a customer standpoint, going to an RV show is a great way to see lots of different brands and models - to comparison shop.

For a dealer, the show is all about impulse buying.  You see a rig that seems right, it's being offered at what seems like a generous discount, so you jump at it.

In reality, you should be able to buy an RV for the "show price" at any time from the dealer's lot.  It may take some negotiating to get around the typical dealer's sales tactics, but when push comes to shove few dealers will let you walk away from a deal that lets them make a profit on the sale.

Think about it for a minute - the show costs the dealer money.  He has to rent the space and pay to transport the RV there and back.  Plus staff the show with salesmen who would otherwise be manning his lot.  All of this adds costs to any rig he sells there.

If he can afford to sell the rig at the show for a given price, he can sell it at his lot for the same price and still make a profit on the sale.

[ArdraF]

Show prices also can depend on badly the dealer does NOT want to take it back to his lot.  It costs a dealer to have someone tow it in the other direction and if it's a good distance the dealer might be more willing to deal.

ArdraF

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Good point, Ardra. Sometimes the best deal can be made the last day of the show, when the dealer is anxious to show some good sales numbers and maybe avoid moving a rig back to the shop, though often it still has to go back to the shop anyway, for final prep or upgrades.

However, I thinking most cases you aren't going to drive away from the show display area with your new trailer, for the reasons already cited above. I also think you can get every bit as good a price outside the show, per what Lou Schneider already said.

[scottydl]

No reason to PLAN on buying your trailer at the RV show.  As already stated, just plan on doing a LOT of research by looking at numerous makes, models, and floorplans.  Don't get caught up in the moment or the salesman pitches of "this pricing is ONLY AVAILABLE NOW!" to make you buy on the spot.  If they want your business, they will give you the same pricing later.  If you find the model you want, get online and search nationwide for only that make/model to see what other pricing options are like.  Even finding a rig at a distant dealership can give you bargaining power locally, if you'd rather buy from a place close by.