Where to buy your RV from

As I'm researching rvs, I was wondering, where does everyone buy their RV from? Bigger stores like Camping world, Explorer RV USA, local, or random off the internet? I bought my last from Camping world, did "OK" at best. Does it really matter where, or are all the prices comparable to one another? Is it better to finance with them (through the store you buy from), or get it first through a bank. Yes, cash is king... I know.

Anyways, just trying to get an idea where y'all are buying from?

Cash isnt always king dealers get money back from the banks when they finance you so you can often get a better deal financing your trailer then paying it off after 30/60 days
The last trailer be bought (sept 14 ) we  searched and prices fluctuated a lot, this time of year is the worst we found as dealers didnt care if we bought cause someone else would - be bought at year end they seemed more apt to deal
Cheers

Hey IdahoCountryBoy.

My Wife and I have always financed.  We started out with a 19' Skyline Koala because we thought it would be cool to tow a camper to the campground and have it be ours instead of renting it.  We went to a boat show and ended up finding out that we could afford an RV based on the loan we got approved for on the boat we were looking at.  So we went to a big dealer in Virginia Beach and drove home with our Koala.  We used that a lot and eventually upgraded to a 29' V-Cross.  We went back to the big dealer with the Koala and told them we wanted to trade this in for something bigger and they wouldn't deal with us at all.  We ended up going to a Mom and Pop Dealer in Carrolton Va called "Coastal RV" and traded in for the V-Cross.  We kept that for a few months and then moved into it.  We quickly discovered that it wasn't big enough for two of us and went back to Coastal and traded it in for our current rig, the 36' Cedar Creek.  No problems ever on warranty items, the owners personal cell phone number and friends with him on Facebook.

I guess that was the long way of saying that we'll always go with locally owned small business dealers because of the locally owned great business connection. 

When you can call the owner and know he'll answer, there ain't no substitute for that.

Priveat sale.  Visa craigslist

I shopped on the internet after determining what type of RV we wanted and the down to a specific brand. Our first purchase was in Warren, MI from a small dealer we found a brand new 2007 trailer in 2010 and got a great deal knowing if something were to go wrong I would be fixing it or being in the wait line at a local dealer because we didn't buy it there.  Our next purchase was also online from Tiara RV in Elkhart, IN a used 2010 in 2012 for half the going rate of the same coach elsewhere and only because I kept looking as I still do, you never know when some great deal will pop up. This is probably our last unit but I just keep looking.

I searched for months here in Arizona and finally decided to buy in Michigan because I saved $5,500. Transportation costs to get the unit from factory to dealer played a big part in the price difference. I was fortunate that my daughter lives near the dealer I am working with, so it was not an extra trip.

A lot depends on the brand you are looking for.  We wanted an Arctic Fox or Outdoors RV product and found Thunder RV in La Grande, Or. to have the best prices by far on AF products.  Dennis Dillon RV in Boise has decent prices by some of their service department reviews caused us to stay away from them.  Use the net as much as you can and you'll be surprised at the info available.  Good luck.

Bought my 2000 Jayco Eagle used at Camping World in Nampa, ID.  8)

It all depends on what you are looking for, new or used.
If you are looking for a used trailer, then RV Trader online is a good source along with Craigslist or local RV dealers that sell used in your area. In most cases you will pay less buying from a private party than purchasing used from the dealer. You just take a chance because there is little to no recourse if you have an issue with the trailer. RV dealers can offer warranties and might help you with a problem after you purchase it. I have seen this first hand with a friend of mine. It is also easy to read the seller of an RV by the condition of the trailer and how it's cared for. I have looked at many a used 5th wheel and it's easy to see if they are cared for or beat to death.
On the other hand, if you buy new, I would consider a local dealer that sells the trailer that you want. The reason would be service and believe me, you will take your new trailer in numerous time for repair in the first year. Small things happen and you will need that warranty work done. RV dealers can put you on a back burner when it comes to repairs if you didn't buy from them. I was lucky and got the best price on our Fox Mountain 5th from Sierra RV in Colfax about 45 minutes from our home. They are great people with first class customer service. It has been in twice for small warranty stuff and they get on it quickly so we can use it as soon as my wife says........lets get out of here ;D

Thanks for the feedback everyone

I am leaning to buy new, because I'll be full timing here hopefully by summer. I have narrowed it down to about 5 or 6 options, best deal and I'll pull the trigger type thing, really looking at 3. I have quickly realized that full timing with my wife, Lab, and my 11 month old daughter, there is NO PERFECT RV out there. Just like there is no perfect gun, truck or home.

The other reason I'm leaning to new is as stated above, the warranty and service. Because of this, I hope to buy from a national store. I will be living/working/RVing in the Mountain states of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. So I think that may be my best bet. With my old RV I had, I needed some service work, had to call a mobile guy out there for some black tank valve work, still didn't work right after he was finished and yes, it was expensive. Just didn't know how much more if at all I would spend with a big national dealer. 

Idahocountryboy said:

Anyways, just trying to get an idea where y'all are buying from?

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I started looking for a new travel trailer at local RV dealers (Houston, Texas vicinity).
I found the travel trailer I wanted.  Local price, about $21,000.  (MSRP $28,000)
Logged onto the internet and searched for the same travel trailer.
Terry Frazer (Eldridge, Iowa) had the same exact model in stock for $17,500.
I saved about $3,000 by avoiding the high markup by all RV dealers in Texas.  ($1600 delivery charge plus another $1500 for their "personal profit").
It cost me about $600 in gasoline to drive 1,000 miles to Iowa, and 1,000 miles back home to Texas towing my new travel trailer.
Plus I got a "free" 3 day camping trip on the way home.

If you can afford the time and distance, shop the best price on the internet and drive some miles to pick up the best deal.
One problem with this method is that the local dealer was very reluctant to do warranty work and had to be coerced into doing the repair after I called the travel trailer manufacturer customer service.

I moved this topic to "General Discussion" because it's a good discussion topic for all types of RV's.

I bought my 35' Class A from a private seller, driving across 4 states (from central IL to upstate NY and back again) to see and purchase it.  After researching for a year and knowing exactly what make/model I wanted, I found our rig advertised on ebay.  I watched the listing end (with no bids) once, get re-listed at a lower price, and then end again with no bids.  I had sent the seller a couple ebay inquiries during the listing, and after the second auction ended I got his phone number and called.  We had a couple detailed phone conversations that were at least an hour each, and made a deal over the phone.  It was a risky trip (kind of) in that my wife and I knew that we might travel halfway across the country and come back home empty-handed (if the RV wasn't what we expected).  But we made a vacation out of it to Niagara Falls, bought the RV, had some misadventures on the way back, but nonetheless ended up with an eye-opening and fabulous RV adventure in the process.  Here's a thread that details our "purchase" trip.  I couldn't quantify that experience, especially compared to walking around on a giant concrete RV lot and picking out one to buy.

I am not a fan of dealerships OR financing, especially for RV's that have such a history and depreciate like crazy.  I'd much rather buy from the actual owner and know the background of the rig, as well as buy used and pay in cash rather than fighting to stay right-side-up on an enormous loan.

its funny i was on rvtrader.com and if you search for a specific trailer like i did prices range i was looking this morning for a Voltage 3305 which i have and prices ranged from $52000 to $97000 even with all the options possible for that trailer they total about $10000 so thats a huge range makes a fun game lol

Interesting, the ways people come at this:

1) I am leaning to buy new, because I'll be full timing here hopefully by summer.
2) In most cases you will pay less buying from a private party than purchasing used from the dealer. You just take a chance because there is little to no recourse if you have an issue with the trailer.

AND

3) I am not a fan of dealerships OR financing, especially for RV's that have such a history and depreciate like crazy.  I'd much rather buy from the actual owner and know the background of the rig, as well as buy used and pay in cash rather than fighting to stay right-side-up on an enormous loan.
==========

The third point of view is how I have come to look at it, as well as getting the training so I can do most of my own repair and maintenance work myself. I don't consider full timing a buying new justification, but more of a quality and home-like new options desired issue that can be had with buying used.

And I'm not worried about lack of recourse as I believe you can minimize the risk to make the risk of buying new very reasonable, particularly with an extended warranty, if you invest the time to learn how to evaluate a used rig, and use a couple of professionals to assist in the evaluation.

But, such an astute third point of view, like Steve's, is not easy to put ones arms around initially with all the pressure to just buy and get out on the road. I think a lot of people who have been through a lot want others to suffer by experience as well.

[quote author=RodgerS]
I think a lot of people who have been through a lot want others to suffer by experience as well.
[/quote]

...hmm!  I don't think I've ever heard anyone express this observation here before, nor do I agree that it is fact.  JMHO

It was a risky trip (kind of) in that my wife and I knew that we might travel halfway across the country and come back home empty-handed (if the RV wasn't what we expected).

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I like RV Trader and other sites similar to that because you can compare prices and stuff. But I feel like you do. What would make it good enough to take the chance to drive  across several states? The only way I would do that is, like you, making a vacation out of it. You could only do that so many times though.

Ive looked at several, and though theres no definite make or model I want, I do know the ones I would not even consider, and I know the features that are must haves, want to haves, and wont even consider if they do haves.

We are going to Rockford Illinois this weekend for their RV show, since I could not go to the one here in Minneapolis in February.  We are not ready to buy yet, but Im excited to be looking now that I know what Im looking for. And if I find the perfect one? Who knows what may happen? lol

cadee2c said:

We are going to Rockford Illinois this weekend for their RV show, since I could not go to the one here in Minneapolis in February.  We are not ready to buy yet, but Im excited to be looking now that I know what Im looking for. And if I find the perfect one? Who knows what may happen? lol

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Just remember... RV shows are made to draw customers in (obviously), and convince a certain percentage of them to sign papers on the spot.  But don't be fooled by the "temporary" sales.  Any price you see at an RV show can be had any other time during the year, if the dealer actually wants to sell it.

Oh Im aware of that all right. Im just going to get a good look at a variety of brands, and go from there. If I can narrow it down to a certain brand, I will then look around for the best price and see if its doable. As much as I wanna be in an RV sitting in the middle of nowhere in the peace and quiet,,, Im leaving my checkbook at home and taking my D.. he is really good at saying no... when I need him to say no that is.

RodgerS said:

I think a lot of people who have been through a lot want others to suffer by experience as well.

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Wow....... what sick individual would want to see someone suffer though lack of experience?? ???
Talk about" interesting the ways people come at this"!!
I thought this forum was to help those that lack experience so they don't suffer the hardship that some have. I know that the great folks in this forum have and will continue to teach me about RVing. Most all I know about RVing is from this forum and through my experience. That said, I will payback and try to help those that can use my experience to make better decisions.

Stan

steveblonde said:

its funny i was on rvtrader.com and if you search for a specific trailer like i did prices range i was looking this morning for a Voltage 3305 which i have and prices ranged from $52000 to $97000 even with all the options possible for that trailer they total about $10000 so thats a huge range makes a fun game lol

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This is my exact experience! After 30-40 hrs of researching there, then cross referencing with the the manufacturers web site, I have a list of possible RV for my soon to be full time RVing. For example: on RVtrader, I like the Sierra 376 BHOK, SIERRA SIGNATURE PKG, ULTIMATE PKG. One is about $50K, and the other $65+K

Thus, why I was asking where people buy their RV's from. There have been some great responses y'all, thank you.

Here is my 2 cents. Because I'm going to be full timing, I want everything to work, I want anything that does not work to be fixed by the pro's for two reasons. 1) I will not have a ton of time working and living out of my RV to fix it, not to mention I don't have a lot of tools to do the repair. 2) I could quit possibly make the "Repair" I do, have a much bigger problem... ie electrical wiring (shorts = fire), Plumbing = water damage and so on.

Sounds like there have been people that Have "made a trip" to buy an RV over the internet and it has worked out.