Best time of the year to buy?

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jandyman

Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2013
Posts
16
Hello,

Are there times of year that are better to buy a TT? Of course the local outlet says now is a good time, and that makes some sense. But if we don't buy now, when is good? Anything wrong with the fall? That would likely be our next buying slot.

Same question would apply to a tow vehicle, though that is not the focus of this forum.

- Andy
 
Not sure where you live, but here in Ontario I think the best time to get a deal on a trailer is in the fall after hunting season in November. People who dont know how to winterize them or have no place to store them will sell at a discount to get rid of them. Probably the worst time to buy is at the start of summer. These rules may not apply to the southern states because snowbirds are migrating there in the late fall so prices may go up there. As far as tow vehicles I think the prices stay fairly consistant year round. Four wheel drives in snow areas might be a little more in demand in the fall.
 
It varies by region, since weather and customer interest varies seasonally. Traditional wisdom is that you should buy in the off-season, when dealers are supposedly hungry for sales, but there also can be good deals when business is brisk, e.g. the winter sales season in Florida. When sales are good, a dealer may accept a lower margin on each one because the monthly sales total is still plenty to cover his fixed operating costs.

Another factor is model availability. When buying used, the selection is larger (and changes regularly) when sales are brisk - there is a continual supply of used trade-ins coming along. And dealers typically increase their new inventory when the prime selling season comes along.

Some dealers seldom discount very deeply, while others (usually larger ones) may use steeper discounts to drive up sales volumes. At the end of the day, it depends on the individual dealer's cash flow and reserves, so it is not very predictable in general terms.
 
The best time of year to buy is when I have mine up for sale ;D

Seriously though, there is no best time. RVs are priced obscenely all year long. It just takes a lot of shopping to find the unit you love at the price you want to pay. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you kiss a prince.
 
I would say in the off season for your area. Like here in Idaho I would say from November to March would be the excellent time to shop for RV's being the dealers are hurting to sell. I bought mine in November and the dealer was willing to bend over backwards.  8)
 
We just bought a 2013 and got 17K off MSRP on a 68K trailer. Pick it up Wed. I guess this was the best time of the year for us  :).
 
Many say to buy in the "Off" season.  Generally good advice. 
The only down side to this is that in the Off season, Units for sale is usually "Off" as well.  It seems to me that Inventory is higher and this can lead to more choices and a better deal at times.

Patience, Knowing WHAT you want, and recognizing a good deal are paramount while shopping.
 
More important than WHEN you buy is HOW you buy.  3 lists:

1.  What the unit MUST have.
2.  What the unit CANNOT have.
3.  What would be NICE to have.

1 & 2 are hard and fast....don't compromise or you will hate the unit later.  Check off as many on list 3 as you can. 

As for when, I vote for whenever the inventory is best.  Yes, maybe you can save a few bucks in the off season, but what if you wind up buying an RV and a few months later, the "RIGHT ONE" shows up on the dealers lot? 
 
...as far as buying a tow vehicle goes: if you're planning on buying a pick-up truck - DO NOT wait until the end of the year! All sorts of tradespersons need trucks. By Nov. - Dec. they are starting to think about their income for the year and are looking for ways to reduce their tax liability. Nothing reduces the tax you owe like spending $40K - $60K+ on a new truck (or some other piece of equipment you need) because it can be fully depreciated the first year. So their taxable income is reduced 100% by the purchase price. Dealers and manufactures know this so you won't have much leverage for negotiating late in the year because the demand is there. Though, often there will be 0% interest offers to draw these folks in. ?Let?s see, I need the truck, I get a huge tax savings, and I get to use their money for free??
I've found early in the year and late summer/early fall best, unless you live in snow country and are looking for a 4-WD, etc.
 

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