Tips for RV Show

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blakerandy

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May 30, 2014
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Kailua Kona, HI
Hi All,  My wife and I are making a trip to the mainland Oct 10 to visit the kids and also go to the California RV show in Pomona to get our first look a what we might want when we purchase our first fifth wheel.

Never having been to an RV show and knowing how large they are, does anyone have any tips for checking things out?

Thanks, Randy
 
Take a smartphone or tablet with you so you can check out the non-show prices on whatever you're looking at.
 
That's a good show - lots of rigs to see. Tips??? Don't get pressured into making a deal you're not comfortable with. They can smell blood in the water when you walk through the gate and they'll often hint that you won't be able to get the same deal after the show. Impulse purchases of large ticket items like RVs can be expensive mistakes. Shopping for an RV should be fun. Take your time and enjoy.

Kev
 
The great deal they are supposedly  giving you will still be available at the dealership after the show for several weeks. If you go to them and say you're going to walk out if they don't give you the same deal, they'll change their tune fast.
 
    We have always felt that floorplan was the most important decision when looking at an RV.  The shows will allow you to see a lot of differing plans in a short time.  I'd recommend you try to narrow down which floorplans best suit your needs and desires, then concentrate on those models.  Make note, take business cards, then narrow it down even further.  Virtually every dealer will offer show prices for at least up to a week following the show.  Then negotiate from those prices, there may be wiggle room.

Ed
 
We always ask for a brochure of the model we are looking at and then make notes directly on it.  Price and special features, etc.  We have often gotten home and then tried to remember which rig had a feature we liked and it gets complicated.  Keep the brochures with your notes and it is easier.
 
find out how long the show offer is good for. usually up to 2 weeks after the show
say no to the first deal. take a brochure, and walk away.
go have a coffee, and discuss with family.
if you have not already, when you come back, lay on the bed, open all the cabinets, and outside storage doors. Sit on the potty. (lid down of course). Now they know that your interested. Try to get some quiet time, inside, and run some ideas through your head on how you will be using it. Like indoor cooking in the rain. Or whose gonna sleep where.
Say no to the second deal. now they know they have a fish on the line.  step outside of the rv, and meander around in front of it. Do'n some internet reach while at the show, it also a good idea. They will make a final offer. This is when you ask them about stuff you want thrown in.  This is gonna be your best deal. If you put a deposit down, get it in writing, if you change your mind, it's refundable.

Enjoy your new rv. You've just been hooked
 
Great advice everyone.

We aren't going to be buying yet.  I am still about 5 yrs away for when we move back to the mainland.
This will just be a first experience of actually seeing what the brochures show.
 
Arrange your trip so you visit the show mid-week.  It's almost a ghost town then and you'll have all the time and space you want.

If you go on the weekend you'll find shoulder to shoulder crowds and lines waiting to get a glimpse into RVs filled with other people.

Go midweek and you'll have the place practically to yourself.
 
All good advice above.  If you walk into one that looks like you could actually live in it, then sit down and watch how people move around in it.  More important, be an eavesdropper.  Listen to what others like and dislike, especially if they appear to be experienced RVers who actually have lived in one.  If you hear something you wonder about, ask what they mean or why it's good/bad.  When a group of us who have been RVers a long time walk into a new motorhome we usually express our likes and dislikes!  It may take the form of "I wonder what idiot thought that stupid little sink was a good idea for an RV" or "Where on earth would we put such-and-such" or "Why on earth do they think we would want four TVs when we're out camping and enjoying nature?" or "Oh I love that kitchen counter."  You get the idea.  Some of us aren't bashful about expressing our opinions so you might get an ear full!  Of course, salespeople hate people like me, but we're the ones who have to live in it and we want what we want, not what someone sitting in an office in front of a computer thinks we should have.  Envision how you would live in this space under varying conditions such as a week of rain with everything damp and the kids cranky because they can't play outside.  Women will probably look at the inside differently while men will concentrate on what's outside but each should listen to the other because you have to agree together in the final analysis.

ArdraF
 
ArdraF said:
All good advice above.  If you walk into one that looks like you could actually live in it, then sit down and watch how people move around in it.  More important, be an eavesdropper.  Listen to what others like and dislike, especially if they appear to be experienced RVers who actually have lived in one.  If you hear something you wonder about, ask what they mean or why it's good/bad.  When a group of us who have been RVers a long time walk into a new motorhome we usually express our likes and dislikes!  It may take the form of "I wonder what idiot thought that stupid little sink was a good idea for an RV" or "Where on earth would we put such-and-such" or "Why on earth do they think we would want four TVs when we're out camping and enjoying nature?" or "Oh I love that kitchen counter."  You get the idea.  Some of us aren't bashful about expressing our opinions so you might get an ear full!  Of course, salespeople hate people like me, but we're the ones who have to live in it and we want what we want, not what someone sitting in an office in front of a computer thinks we should have. Envision how you would live in this space under varying conditions such as a week of rain with everything damp and the kids cranky because they can't play outside.  Women will probably look at the inside differently while men will concentrate on what's outside but each should listen to the other because you have to agree together in the final analysis.

ArdraF

Best post award.....
 
Take notes on units you are in interested in.  Your smartphone can come in handy for pictures and video taping.  After a while of seeing one RV after another they start looking alike.  When I brought my TT and took a peek inside I thought a fast one had been pulled on me.  Thank goodness for my smartphone that proved me incorrect.

I find taking a break and stepping back I can think clearer.  A couple of years ago I started falling for an RV at the show and started picturing myself in it.  When I went back about a week later it was nice but didn't have that magic it once had.

Have fun at the show!  I'm thinking of going but it depends on how hot it is.

 
The last show I went to I walked out with $150K in my pocket minus $40 I spend for lunch. Great place to save money, frustrate salesmen, and buy nothing.
 
RodgerS said:
The last show I went to I walked out with $150K in my pocket minus $40 I spend for lunch. Great place to save money, frustrate salesmen, and buy nothing.

I don't mean to be a smart aleck, but I have to ask. Are you really interested in BUYING a RV or are you more interested in finding fault with every aspect of the lifestyle...
 
I don't have any problem with you being a smart aleck, please ask away.  What always amazes me is how some people want to buffalo me into buying emotionally and prematurely. That those people want me to please them and justify their ways of buying or way of life...like what class to buy or how to live in it or how to think about it. And that unless I'm a mirror of them I should have no say so.

There is no question that some buyers walk in the door, immediately fall in love and buy their dream, and are happy they have made a good deal and this is done simply with a glance and a hug. I don't expect those buyers or even most buyers (regardless of how they buy) to buy like me or go through a buying process like I do or even understand me - so what, not a problem.

I don't get the idea that I have to buy a motorhome to enjoy a motorhome. I can rent anytime I want. Heck, I spent years with my parents in three different configurations and learned a lot about buying mistakes, compromises, and making do.

I don't get the idea that I have to be a low information buyer to buy a motorhome, that somehow because I'm willing to put the effort into doing the research and learning things beyond being impresses by the outside wax shine, that my efforts somehow disqualify me.

Really, it is fun seemingly being surrounded by one or two fun spoilers and sad sacks.
 

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