Buying new MH

[nrglog]

Has anyone purched from RVDirect? 
We have been talking to them and they have come up with a great price for a 2008 Jayco Melbourne.  A price I can't come anywhere near with out local dealers.  In fact the local dealers are quoating us the same price for a 2007.  The 2008 loaded 69,995.00 built for us with a delivery date of late October.  All warranties, etc. the same as with local dealer.  We compaired the individual prices for every item we wanted  and it is amazing the difference.

 

[BernieD]

I am not familiar with RVDirect but assume it is a broker. Something you should ask them is who pays for delivery and for PDI (pre-delivery inspection). The PDI is usually done by a dealer to correct any errors made by the factory. It is unlikely that any local dealer would want to provide the PDI if you didn't buy from them and their price usually includes the delivery charge. Delivery and PDI may cost as much as a couple of thousand dollars.

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Glo,

I agree with Bernie. Be sure RV Direct will provide for the PDI and delivery. A PDI will usually take 3-4 hours and the hourly rate is close to $90 with some dealers. Another dealer won't be receptive to providing that service since you didn't buy from them. Most likely there will be things wrong and parts will have to be replaced or repairs will have to be made. If you are close to Red Bay you could take it to the service center for repairs but that could be expensive if you don't live near Alabama. I'm afraid I'm an eternal skeptic so if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

I just looked at their website. It appears they do the PDI with factory trained techs. If they do a good job then most of the problems will be found and fixed. However, once you have the unit,  it appears you have to make arrangements to take it to one of their factory authorized dealers for further warranty work. As far as their statement that it's built with the knowledge of it having been sold to an individual it won't make any difference to the production line. They don't change their build standards because an individual has already purchased the unit.

Delivery is a minimum of $500 with a cost of $1.59/mile or you can pick it up at one of their authorized dealers.  Be sure the delivery charge is included in the final price.

 

[Ray D]

I did a search for rvdirect.com, on the RV Forum page. I found three previous discussions but didn't read them. I was looking for a recent thread that had a caution/warning, that I thought was related to RVDirect, but can't find it. Maybe you or someone else can. I am a lousy "searcher."

Ray D  ;D

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Brokers still arrange delivery through a franchised dealer but Bernie is right - sometimes there are hidden charges at delivery time. Make sure the price you agree on is the bottom line "out the door" price. Fees to the state for tax, tag and title may have to be a separate item, but don't let them stick you with charges for "documentation", PDI, "make ready" or shipping/transportation beyond what is in your contract. And make sure you know WHERE you will take delivery.

What is the MSRP for the unit you are pricing? You should be able to buy it for 20-25% below MSRP if you shop around (which is what the broker is doing for you). You can get the MSRP calculated on the Jayco web site - they have a "Build & Price" feature there.

 

[nrglog]

After much searching, Iowa, Montana, California and Arizona, we were led to World Wide RV in Mesa Arizona by a friend of ours who bought his Seneca there.  We finally got tired of playing the "game" and asked them for their best price and figured as with the other dealers, that if it came in too high we would just walk away.  They came back with their price but added the question "Maybe you would like to counter" well that  opened the door.  We figured what Direct was charging which was around 69,900 and added the trip out to get it etc. We ended up figuring the delivery and countered with 72,049 and they came back accepting.  The said they knew we would be looking locally, Riverside CA, biggest Jayco dealer, and they wanted the sale. 
We feel very comfortable with World Wide they have been very up front with every question we have had.  I told them that I have a 4 page check list for when we pick up and they said they intended to spend as much time as necessary.  My friend spent 4 hours on his check list and only had a few minor problems.

My husband let me make the transactions with all the dealers and it is really strange watching a salesman or manager try to deal with a women they get really flustered when they found out that I had done all the research and was not about to get involved with the numbers game.  Just loved it.

Well now that we have the unit I will be on this site for a lot of questions.  It great.  Thanks for everything.

Gloria

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Gloria,

Congratulations on your research and purchase! I'm glad you found a dealer that seems to be decent. I'm sure you will be much happier having gone through a dealer rather than a third party. Be sure to let us know how everything goes.

 

[Ron]

Congratulation Gloria.  Glad you found a rig that is just right for you and at the right price.  I am sure you will enjoy.