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Old 07-08-2016, 11:19 AM   #1
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Dealer advice/ recommendation

I am currently trying to trade up on my 2012 390-60. A dealer I have been talking with is "typical". Trade is worth nothing and their unit is the best ever. Does anyone have a good recommendation to a dealer that doesn't play the typical games. It's exhausting and wastes time. Any and all advice is welcome.


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Old 07-08-2016, 11:57 AM   #2
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I don't know any RV dealers in my area, southern California, that won't lowball a trade in. They give you a story about how they have to do a safety inspection, yada, yada. Then have one of their service guys look at it for an hour and put it up for sale for double what they paid you for it.

If you're not upsidedown in it, go through the hassle and sell it yourself. It may take a long time, but your wallet will thank you.
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Old 07-08-2016, 12:11 PM   #3
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Unfortunately the RV industry is experiencing the best years it has seen in a long time and they can sell them faster than they can get them ( Supply and demand) so there is not a lot of motivation to negotiate. That being said, there are still some deals out there if you are patient and do your homework. Check out local shows. As mentioned, if you can sell your unit yourself, you are usually better off although it can be a hassle. If you are handy and can handle many of the small repair items, you can buy from a dealer a distance away. Understand that warranty service could be an issue, but if you save enough on the purchase, you can pay a local shop to do the repair and still come out ahead. Lots of options, just have to decide what is best for you. My last two purchases have been from distant dealers ( one by choice and one not). Both had some issues that I repaired with parts provided by the dealer.
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Old 07-08-2016, 12:59 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by klucas View Post
I am currently trying to trade up on my 2012 390-60. A dealer I have been talking with is "typical". Trade is worth nothing and their unit is the best ever. Does anyone have a good recommendation to a dealer that doesn't play the typical games. It's exhausting and wastes time. Any and all advice is welcome.


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PM me and I may be able to help you out. A good friend of mine owns 5 RV dealerships and I can put you in direct contact with him.


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2016 Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Boss (toad)
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Old 07-08-2016, 01:03 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Flybob View Post
Unfortunately the RV industry is experiencing the best years it has seen in a long time and they can sell them faster than they can get them ( Supply and demand) so there is not a lot of motivation to negotiate. That being said, there are still some deals out there if you are patient and do your homework. Check out local shows. As mentioned, if you can sell your unit yourself, you are usually better off although it can be a hassle. If you are handy and can handle many of the small repair items, you can buy from a dealer a distance away. Understand that warranty service could be an issue, but if you save enough on the purchase, you can pay a local shop to do the repair and still come out ahead. Lots of options, just have to decide what is best for you. My last two purchases have been from distant dealers ( one by choice and one not). Both had some issues that I repaired with parts provided by the dealer.

Just an FYI, any local dealer that sells the same manufacturer ( Forest River) not brand (Berkshire) will and can do the warranty work. I live in VA and there are no Berk dealers around me so I take my coach to any FR dealer and they do the work. If ever you have an issue, call Randy at the Diesel division and he'll talk to your local dealer to ensure they do the work.


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Old 07-08-2016, 02:39 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by klucas View Post
I am currently trying to trade up on my 2012 390-60. A dealer I have been talking with is "typical". Trade is worth nothing and their unit is the best ever. Does anyone have a good recommendation to a dealer that doesn't play the typical games. It's exhausting and wastes time. Any and all advice is welcome.


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I thot my dealer was fair but I'm way over here on the east coast.
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Old 07-08-2016, 07:09 PM   #7
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Try motorhome specialist in Texas...


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Old 07-08-2016, 07:14 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by JTN8 View Post
PM me and I may be able to help you out. A good friend of mine owns 5 RV dealerships and I can put you in direct contact with him.


Jason

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2016 Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Boss (toad)

Pm sent. Thank you.


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Old 07-08-2016, 07:17 PM   #9
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Dealer advice/ recommendation

I don't mind traveling, especially if the deal is right.


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Old 07-08-2016, 07:41 PM   #10
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When I was trading in my last rv, two years old and 6,000 miles with $8000 worth of add ons, all of the dealers low balled me, even the one that I bought my Berk from and traded there. But, I got such a good deal on the buy side, it offset the loss on the sell side and I didn't have the hassle of trying to sell it myself. What they'll give you on the trade in isn't always the whole story... Look at the bottom line out of pocket cost on your new vehicle. Have a number that you're willing to spend and if their entire deal hits that number, you both win.


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Old 07-08-2016, 07:45 PM   #11
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When I was trading in my last rv, two years old and 6,000 miles with $8000 worth of add ons, all of the dealers low balled me, even the one that I bought my Berk from and traded there. But, I got such a good deal on the buy side, it offset the loss on the sell side and I didn't have the hassle of trying to sell it myself. What they'll give you on the trade in isn't always the whole story... Look at the bottom line out of pocket cost on your new vehicle. Have a number that you're willing to spend and if their entire deal hits that number, you both win.





Rich

Agree 100%. This dealer was high on the new coach and very low on the trade. And I am surprised as this dealer has good reviews on this forum.


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Old 07-08-2016, 07:56 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by gasman94 View Post
When I was trading in my last rv, two years old and 6,000 miles with $8000 worth of add ons, all of the dealers low balled me, even the one that I bought my Berk from and traded there. But, I got such a good deal on the buy side, it offset the loss on the sell side and I didn't have the hassle of trying to sell it myself. What they'll give you on the trade in isn't always the whole story... Look at the bottom line out of pocket cost on your new vehicle. Have a number that you're willing to spend and if their entire deal hits that number, you both win.


Rich
That's exactly how I look at it.
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Old 07-08-2016, 08:03 PM   #13
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Try motorhome specialist in Texas...


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I will thanks. Have you had a direct dealing with them? If so was a trade involved?


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Old 07-08-2016, 09:56 PM   #14
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I bought my coach used off a private seller. Sale was very easy for him and us. He had the dealer he was buying new coach from write up all the paperwork for the Berk he was selling us and they did all the paperwork all we had to do is sign papers and it was very simple process.

Not sure if this is something you would want to look into or not but thought I would share as it is another option.
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Old 07-09-2016, 05:43 PM   #15
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I did not deal with them but used them as leverage against my dealer in az. Walked out of negotiations stating mhsrv.com... Ended up they got real close in price... And I had no trade...


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Old 07-09-2016, 05:55 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by JTN8 View Post
Just an FYI, any local dealer that sells the same manufacturer ( Forest River) not brand (Berkshire) will and can do the warranty work. I live in VA and there are no Berk dealers around me so I take my coach to any FR dealer and they do the work. If ever you have an issue, call Randy at the Diesel division and he'll talk to your local dealer to ensure they do the work.


Jason

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2016 Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Boss (toad)


That's not exactly true, my local dealers will not work on my unit because I did not but it from them. The manufacturer told me that they can not force them to work on it because they are independent dealers. The dealers say that the factory does not give them enough money for the warranty jobs so they only work on what they sell. I had to take mine 4 hours from home back to the place I bought it from to get the slide repaired.
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Old 07-09-2016, 06:18 PM   #17
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I do most of my repairs myself and call a mobile repair guy to help on the big or scary stuff. I just haven't had any luck with local dealers around here. For major structure issues I would still call the factory either for help finding someone local to help or take it back to the factory. To be blunt at this point if you aren't prepared to do some repairs and tweaks to make things work for you I would recommend either renting a rig when you want to camp or sticking to cabin rentals, resorts and hotels. Something built to be as light as possible, as cheap as possible that rattles down the road will always require something we can just hope that the somethings are minor like resealing and retightening as needed.
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Old 07-09-2016, 06:39 PM   #18
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I've had good luck with Sean Kwant, the internet manager, at CW in Myrtle Beach. Service has been great but no warranty work required and nothing found on the last two at PDI either.
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Old 07-10-2016, 07:01 AM   #19
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KOA's and Camping World should be last resort decisions!
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Old 07-10-2016, 08:55 AM   #20
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KOA's and Camping World should be last resort decisions!
Just as some dealers in everything suck but cw at Myrtle has been good for me for decades
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