Between a ROCK and a piece of WOOD

[bikendan]

We bought our HTT from a Chicago dealer 2000 miles away because we saved $4000 even after trip costs.
FR found us local dealers that would do the warranty work.
And we could've used a independent RV shop to do the warranty work if I got pre-approval from FR.

[BusyRetirees]

I had a problem with my Rockwood and I contacted them and told them flat out that I did not want to deal with my dealer because of poor service and misrepresentation. They provided me with a local dealer that does warranty work for them. You may want to contact FR directly and ask them who locally does warranty work for them.

[DKRITTER]

Originally Posted by BusyRetirees

I had a problem with my Rockwood and I contacted them and told them flat out that I did not want to deal with my dealer because of poor service and misrepresentation.

The irony is that FR continues to keep a dealer that purposely misrepresents in the market place.

[rsdata]

why not show your local dealer the quote you have from further away and see if they will work on their price to get it closer to the discounted price... that way you can say that at least you tried to buy local... often I find many dealers, tires for one, will meet or sometimes beat an advertised price if challenged...

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by mulltrr

When it comes to warranty. I was so disappointed with dealer I purchased from I wouldn't go there again if I broke down. In front of the dealership. I went to my local campers world and they were more than happy to do warranty work for me luckily i only needed some minor fixes. I know I'm I. The minority here but my experience with campers world has been very good

CW in Myrtle Beach has been fantastic!!!!! I pass 2 independents on my way there.

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

My understanding is they don't have to do warranty work. I may be wrong and someone on the forum will know. FR does authorize SOB dealers and repair centers to do work I've been told

Our dealer is only 55 miles away but still a pain. We found an independent shop 12 miles away or so who in Forest River factory authorized. Had us in and out on a couple warranty things in under 72 hrs.

[spock123]

I brought my Cedar Creek from Tom Johnson in Marion NC and that's 320 miles from me, I got the best deal from them but I got the camper worked on at my local Camping World.


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[RSchleder]

Buy from the cheapest priced dealer. Stick the $8K in a sock so if you need to pay for repairs you'll have the cash. Chances are, even worse case, you'll have a large portion of the $8K left even if you have to pay for all repairs during the 1 year warranty period.

[bmcilravey]

If you can get one from local dealer. Do it. We went to our local dealer and found a u it we liked, but needed a different floor plan. I found one 6 hrs away and the dealer promised me it could be serviced local.

Guess what? Not true. Found out the "new" unit I bought was a demo unit, had tonnes of warranty issues and local told me it had to go back to selling dealer, 6 hrs away.

Turned out my dealer actually bought it from their sister dealer, so in the end they are servicing local. But I would always stick close to home when buying RV. There is no loyalty whatsoever from the dealers. If you didn't buy it from them they don't give a crap.

[kennyairport]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

You are definitely in the minority group...

CW is good at procrastinating.

[SweetOleBill]

We recently bought a 2503S and drove 650 miles to save $3500 versus our local dealer. The rig has been perfect.

[Ian Walker]

Will tell you my experience. Bought my FR new from the local dealer but
their Tech is a real goof so what does it matter if I take the unit back to
the dealer. Had a warranty issue with the built in switches on several
ceiling lights. Took it in to my dealer. The goof repaired them under warranty but did a really lousy job of it. I could do way better myself.
But I can't do it under warranty.
The other issue was I was down in Arizona on a camping trip and
lost shore power. Asked around at the CG and they recommended a
certain Mobile Tech. Called the Tech. Told him the story and he told me
he was authorized to do FR warranty work on my trailer. I hired him,
FR approved the repair, and 4 hours later I was a Very Happy Camper!
So even if you take it back to where you bought it doesn't mean you'll
be satisfied with the work. Also there's some "really good" Mobile Techs
out there.
Also I recommend you only buy used. There are 2 or 3 year old
trailers out there in excellent condition. Why pay new rates? Plus as
someone else mentioned above you are better to drive a long distance
to get the trailer you want rather than settle for something else.
I've never heard of any dealer "refusing" to fix your trailer just because
you didn't buy it there. Usually the issue is it's camping season and
they are booked solid.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by DNA Dan

Hello,

I am interested in purchasing a new TT - Rockwood 2504s to be exact. Nearest dealer to me is 300+ miles away. We did drive to this dealer and checked out the unit for the first time, we really like it. This dealer however quoted me a price that is 8K+ more than average of what I see this trailer selling for. So to the internet I go, finding dealer after dealer that can sell me the trailer MUCH cheaper. Then I see on the back of the Forest River brochure that dealers give "priority" service to folks that purchase at their local dealer. Reading stories on these forums about dealers denying service to "non-local" folks I am concerned about purchasing out of state for a cheaper price. 8K though? I am sure the dealer had more to give on the price, but it seems like there are some huge fluctuations in price on these things.

So finally my questions - Does it pay to buy from a local dealer or not? At what point does it not make sense?$500? 1k? 2? Given that my nearest local dealer is 300+ miles away, should I just buy a brand that is local to me? In other words, is having a dealer nearby a very important aspect of owning one of these things? Do they require a lot of warranty work? Once out of warranty, will just about any dealer work on them?

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide.

- Confused potential future trailer owner

My 2 cents,,, I would look for something local,,, if @ all possible ???

Your relationship with the dealer will become very important !!!

[stevejahr]

Responses here are all over the map...

As already pointed out, with Rockwood you can also play the Flagstaff card (as OP has figured out).

A big part of the question is how willing and capable are you of making your own repairs? Just how dependent on "warranty" are you?

In my own case I can fix most anything and do not pay too much attention to warranties.

My research indicated a substantial regional difference in prices with the west coast being more expensive than the midwest. I was not willing to travel quite that far just to save money (travel costs would offset and exceed savings quickly). The research did give me a very good idea what range of prices were out there so I knew "market value".

The closest dealer was an hour away... but they were inflexible on price thus driving further afield to a bigger dealer 2+ hours away (bigger: you know the type that advertise on TV all the time and such). The story there shifted because in spite of listing 6 units on the internet as in inventory they in reality had NONE. And none of our second choice. And one already sold but we could look at it of our third. They also had a sharp sales guy who listened to what we were saying, understood features of what we wanted to look at, and asked us to humor him and look at a different unit he *did* have. The DW liked it, bigger than what I was thinking of but had some nice features I could get behind so we took it home (but that required a second trip...).

Never been back since.

So to me this is a simple cut and dry decision... I would go further for a $8000 savings. I would not worry about warranty and fix it myself. Of as others have pointed out FR does seem to support alternatives for warranty service (that mobile tech sounds like a great way to go to me: no towing to them and waiting).

[Rollingdunder1]

Seems to be a lot of thoughts and discussion about possible warranty repairs. Most people plan to keep their unit longer than the warranty period. A few dealers are good and will try to accomplish repairs in a timely and competent manner. Most dealers provide little if any reliable service after papers are signed. Each owner needs to learn and perform basic maintenance and repair as well as research for reputable service providers in your area. Keep timing in mind. If you take your rig in during slower seasons, you may get faster service. Good luck and happy trails.

[DNA Dan]

Thanks for all the suggestions! You guys are awesome!

Crunching the numbers is pretty sickening. I can get a new model DELIVERED to my house cheaper than buying from a "local" dealer 300 miles away and STILL COME OUT AHEAD!!. I completely agree about the west being substantially higher, at least with models I have looked at. I am in the northwest rocky mountains and there is a ton of camping/fishing/hiking outdoor stuff here so I guess they figure they can charge a premium for units. With dealers spaced so far apart distance-wise they probably feel they have the market cornered. I can do warranty work no problem. I actually prefer to do it my way. Can you order parts from FR directly or do they only sell parts to dealers?

[crookedread]

Everybody has the right to their own opinion but here was my thinking. I talked to the dealer and he told me the price. I told him that I could get the trailer for $8,000 cheaper. I told him I would prefer to purchase locally so would he be willing to deal with me. He said no and he would be reluctant to do my warranty work. I asked him if he got paid for warranty and he said yes. He then added that I would have to get the trailer to Oregon. I told him I could get that done for $900. The deal was pay my $8000 or I won't do your warranty. I paid $950 to have it towed to my house and parked in the driveway, including a $50 tip. Found a repair shop that was authorized to work on FR. Had minor repairs performed on warranty at that shop. Had $7050 in my pocket to add a couple of items to the trailer. Before you pay an extra $8,000, check into the options you might have. Many shops are authorized for warranty work, or can be very quickly. Of course this is not the solution for everyone but it worked for me.


Crookedread
2016 Duramax
2011 Stealth 2312

[NorSnrub]

Falstaff & Rockwood are exactly the same. We ordered ours over the internet and called and saved enough. The Dealer we bought form was near the factory and had no delivery charge. We saved about 6k.

[NorSnrub]

The markup on rvs is about
40% over msrp.

[Oaklevel]

Being the dealers are independent you hear everything. Of course we did not buy.... but were in one dealership that stated they would work on any trailer at their rates but...... would only do warranty work for their own customers that bought the trailer from them..(They sell Forest River Salem and Cardinal models)

Also was told the only way they sell campers is at full retail..... If we were not interested there were plenty of people that will pay.....and they do..... sad.