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Old 01-15-2018, 02:51 PM   #21
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Count me among those who has more time than money. I just spent 4 days driving 2,000 miles to save money. Cost me about $700 in fuel and lodging. Time is free and costs me nothing. Nothing against the local dealerships. They seem nice. I'm just not interested in their $3,000 - 3,500 premiums for the privilege of buying in Colorado.

Good luck.
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Old 01-15-2018, 04:30 PM   #22
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We too are making a winter vacation along with fetching the new RV. We'll get to see our niece in Chicago and a dear friend in Detroit.

The biggest benefit - this trip will once-and-for-all erase any ideas the DH has about moving up north. I'd pay any amount for that to happen !

They wanted $2800 to deliver the rv to us. Not gonna happen. Granted, summer would have been nicer, but I'm not griping.
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Old 01-15-2018, 04:59 PM   #23
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There used to be a disincentive to going to other than the dealer, especially for warranty work. I just bought a Berkshire from a dealer about 300 miles away. They said there is no deductible as long as it is an FR authorized dealer.
From my experience, the dealer has little or no incentive to get the work out the door quickly. In fact, by delaying certain jobs he can "level" his workload giving him a steady amount of work allowing him to keep regular employees. Whereas, an independent has an incentive to get the work out the door. That's how he gets paid, that's how he builds his reputation and gets additional work. As long as the shop is an "authorized" FR repair facility, you should be way ahead going to an independent. Sure, there are horror stories on both sides of the argument, but the quality and output of the independent garage is normally ahead of dealers by a long shot IMHO.
I've come across a few dealers that flat out refuse to do FR warranty work because they were not the selling dealer.
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Old 01-15-2018, 05:43 PM   #24
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MSRP × 0.6= 40% off MSRP
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Old 01-16-2018, 02:51 PM   #25
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When we bought our Forester Class C last year, we saved over $25,000 ordering it from RV Wholesalers in Ohio. We live in Oregon and drove to Ohio, picked up the RV, towed our car home and had a great time in addition to saving all that money. When we have needed warranty work done, we have used the local Camping World (11 miles from home) and have been very happy. They have not penalized us at all for not buying from them. The huge savings was well worth it.
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Old 02-09-2018, 08:23 PM   #26
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I've come across a few dealers that flat out refuse to do FR warranty work because they were not the selling dealer.
Yes, it can happen that way. But it makes no sense to me why they would. Whether they sell the unit or not, they get compensated on warranty issues from the manufacturer for the same amount. And they are just digging a hole to fall into when they do this. Word of mouth, social networking, etc can kill a dealership in this day and age.

Take one of the fastest growing independent dealerships in the nation, Haylett RV in Coldwater, MI. They will service any unit that rolls in, irregardless of where it was sold. Likewise, they provide realistic, up front price numbers on for sale units right on their website that cuts thru all the nonsense. And because of that policy, they have risen to the 5th largest dealership in Michigan, and since Michigan is home to the some of the highest number of RV and TT sales in the nation, that means little independent Haylett RV is right up there with the big name chain store dealerships.

And they built that primarily on service to anyone, for any brand, both warranty and general service. By doing that, they have generated tons of additional unit sales by the way they treat owners who show up for service. And they have developed a good reputation on social networking.

For any dealership to refuse to service any unit not sold by them is asinine. It guarantees that those people will never buy a unit from them, and quite possibly multiple missed sales down line because of word of mouth. And what of folks who are 1000 miles from home on vacation and need some warranty work? Just diss them and tell them to move on because they didn't buy the unit there? That is business suicide and any dealer that even hints at such a policy will never get my business for so much as a part purchase.
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Old 02-10-2018, 10:44 AM   #27
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The dealer should be able to produce the MSRP sheet from the manufacturer. They come with every trailer delivered to the dealer.
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Old 03-03-2018, 02:06 AM   #28
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Yes, it can happen that way. But it makes no sense to me why they would. Whether they sell the unit or not, they get compensated on warranty issues from the manufacturer for the same amount. And they are just digging a hole to fall into when they do this. Word of mouth, social networking, etc can kill a dealership in this day and age.

Take one of the fastest growing independent dealerships in the nation, Haylett RV in Coldwater, MI. They will service any unit that rolls in, irregardless of where it was sold. Likewise, they provide realistic, up front price numbers on for sale units right on their website that cuts thru all the nonsense. And because of that policy, they have risen to the 5th largest dealership in Michigan, and since Michigan is home to the some of the highest number of RV and TT sales in the nation, that means little independent Haylett RV is right up there with the big name chain store dealerships.

And they built that primarily on service to anyone, for any brand, both warranty and general service. By doing that, they have generated tons of additional unit sales by the way they treat owners who show up for service. And they have developed a good reputation on social networking.

For any dealership to refuse to service any unit not sold by them is asinine. It guarantees that those people will never buy a unit from them, and quite possibly multiple missed sales down line because of word of mouth. And what of folks who are 1000 miles from home on vacation and need some warranty work? Just diss them and tell them to move on because they didn't buy the unit there? That is business suicide and any dealer that even hints at such a policy will never get my business for so much as a part purchase.


Thank you for this thread. I am looking at a unit tomorrow in northern Michigan and if they are not willing to deal Haylet is my next place.
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Old 03-03-2018, 08:03 AM   #29
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35% is the best you can get with ideal conditions. We are approaching the busy season and 2019 models are going to be hitting the lots. I had to drive 200 miles on January to get 33% off. If you are getting between 25-35 you are doing great imho!
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Old 03-03-2018, 10:16 AM   #30
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We bought our new TT this January at TerrtTown RV in Grand Rapids MI. We cut a deal at 36% off.
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Old 03-03-2018, 01:34 PM   #31
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I live and Louisiana and bought my MH from MHs2Go in Michigan. I would do it again if I had to.
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Old 03-03-2018, 01:43 PM   #32
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Take about $10k off the MSRP and you'll be around the dealer cost price. Options. take 20% off the MSRP same thing. How do I know. I had a dealer send me the Cost sheet on a camper instead of MSRP. He really gave me a lot of leverage when I ordered my camper. I thanked him but he wasn't amused.
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Old 03-03-2018, 01:45 PM   #33
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Hello,

Getting down to the nitty gritty before buying a camper and I was hoping someone could help me or point me in the right direction. I am looking at a 2018 Grey Wolf 26bhse. According to the dealer website (which I know they can set the msrp at anything) the msrp of this unit is 25,228.00. When asked the out the door price the salesman said 16 and some change but has since came down to 15,420, and will not budge anymore. If the msrp they listed is the correct msrp and based on other posts on here I should be able to get about 30-35 percent off. Based on the msrp provided and 35 percent off the price would be 16,399. So thats a grand higher than what he would go for. I basically want someone to check my math and tell me if I am getting hosed or not. First time buyer if it wasn't obvious. Also, I have found this unit about 12 hours away for about a grand cheaper, but one perk to this dealer also is that storage is only a dollar a foot. Maybe I could get them to throw in a year storage for free and call it a win? Any help is appreciated.

here is the dealers site
#FR0389 - 2018 Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 26BHSE for sale in Benton AR

Thanks for taking the time to read my rambling.
Oh boy, buy anything but a stick and glue camper, you'll be glad you did. resale and quality compared to laminated is way lower. Don't do it.
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Old 03-03-2018, 01:51 PM   #34
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Thank you for this thread. I am looking at a unit tomorrow in northern Michigan and if they are not willing to deal Haylet is my next place.
You can get a head start by checking Haylett's online pricing on their website. Those prices put a lot of dealerships to shame. Everything is in the asking price except sales tax and tags. And they will usually come down a little from the website price also.

They post the MSRP from the manufacturer in their photos of the RV you are looking at online. Compare a number of those and you can get a good idea of what percentage off MSRP things should be.
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Old 03-03-2018, 01:57 PM   #35
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Oh boy, buy anything but a stick and glue camper, you'll be glad you did. resale and quality compared to laminated is way lower. Don't do it.


Opinion.

I assume you are referring to a metal sided RV? I disagree as I prefer the metal sides...never have to worry about delaminated siding.
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Old 03-03-2018, 01:57 PM   #36
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Below is a link to a web site that is pretty close to giving you the dealer costs. This should help in your negotiations.

Recreational Vehicles | See Dealer Cost
Site is close to accurate, although the cost sheet I've got for the flagstaff v lite 30wtbsv is listed at $26,349 on my sheet and $25,861 on the site. So for a reference the site is helpful.
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Old 03-03-2018, 02:32 PM   #37
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Opinion.

I assume you are referring to a metal sided RV? I disagree as I prefer the metal sides...never have to worry about delaminated siding.
Well, you may be in the minority. Everyone knows metal sided campers are far more prone to water intrusion, hail dents, etc.. There is no way to seal uneven ribbed metal sided campers from eventual failure albeit from wind, towing at highway speed and metal flexing. Common sense say's that it's a terrible design, but people ignore it keep buying them so they keep producing the thing. The RV companies don't care they're making money and in the end the consumer pays.
Good luck.
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Old 03-03-2018, 02:51 PM   #38
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As with anything, it is a matter of build quality. There are laminated units that I would never consider. There are stick and tin units that are built pretty good and worthy of consideration. Some of the best floor plans can be found in stick and tin trailers.

Stick and tin tend to be a little heavier per foot of trailer compared to their laminated brethren. That may not be an issue depending on the TV being used. Laminated cost more per foot to build, but that doesn't always mean superior quality. With either unit, the roof is generally of the same type, so water intrusion is an equal opportunity issue.

Don't equate price with quality. They do not necessarily go hand in hand.

There are definite advantages to each style. For one, structure. Stick and tin trailers are far easier and cheaper to repair and can be done in sections by most any repair facility. Laminated units are far more complicated and expensive to repair. If a wall fails, it generally has to be replace in total. And stick and tin units tend to hold their shine longer and not fade.

Laminated seem to offer far more structural options and somewhat better insulation. They do tend to offer more in terms of eye candy.

As with anything, it is how you take care of it and use it. There are stick and tin units that have lasted for almost decades when taken care of properly. There are laminated trailers that are only a few years old that look terrible because they were taken care of poorly.
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Old 03-03-2018, 04:56 PM   #39
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That's a lengthy explanation to say basically nothing. Fiberglass laminated campers beats aluminum hands down in every category but initial cost. Look on any selling site rv trader, craigslist, whatever,Look how many 1 or 2 yr old stick and glue rv's there are. it's because the owner realized what junk they are and they're unloading them to some other sucker. You're not gonna convince me otherwise and anyone who buys one is asking for problems. Sold. 2018.5 Rockwood 3006 on order
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Old 03-03-2018, 05:17 PM   #40
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But you are only speaking of resale values. That is not indicative of the quality, primarily the demand. I have no doubt I will convince you differently. Not really worried about that. That doesn't negate the realities of the pros and cons of each type.
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