True cost?

[jkrose]

Hello,

New to forum and about to purchase our first TT. Been around motorhomes and TTs my whole life though. I've settled on the Grey Wolf 26DBH or the wildwood counterpart. I kind of like the GW better and there is a dealer much closer to me. I've viewed at least 5 other brands of the same layout and I always come back to these two, especially the GW.

I went to see the 2018 of the GW today and really loved it. The unit in stock was loaded with almost every upgrade available. I was surprised when the salesman said it was on sale for $19k and some change. I wasn't in the market to buy today and I made that very clear but the sales team kept pushing through their process. The salesman and his mgr were never rude but it was more pressure than I like at a dealer. By the time I left the mgr was offering me this trailer for $0 down and $194 per month. This included all fees except sales tax. It also included a WD Hitch. Out of principle I still walked away but I must say it was tempting. But, I've also kind of felt like there must be a catch. I wish I had asked for the total amount to be financed if I had taken the deal so I would know the true cost of the trailer and how bad they are still hitting me fees. I may call tomorrow and ask for that info.

I'm hoping the forum members here can help me get a typical base price for this TT. What is a good price for this TT? I can't tell if I'm just uncomfortable about the process the dealer forced me through today or there is a catch I am missing. I do know the first trip in my new TT I want to feel like I got a great deal and I just am not sure about what was offered today.

Any thoughts or experiences you all can share would help!

[nuclearelf]

We just bought our first new TT a few months ago, a 23DBH,also loaded, for 18,900 + tax and title. Before that, we were looking at a Coleman that was similar at CW. They were asking 15,900. After talking to them a few times, we found out they would be tacking on a destination fee(for a trailer already on the lot) and prep. Salesman said it would be about 18,100 out the door. I said that doesn't sound bad if that's for all that plus tax and title. He said that doesn't include tax and title. ??? What does out the door mean? So the Coleman was basically just a little bit cheaper than the Grey Wolf, but they could advertise it as 3,000 cheaper. I thought that was sneaky. I felt a lot better going someplace else, even though it was a tad more. Who knows what else they would've tacked on. Hope this helps.

[babock]

Just get the interest rate and the term of the loan and you can figure out the financed amount with an online calculator.

[jkrose]

Thanks, the initial "deal" presented today had destination fee, doc fee, and prep fee. They had essentially eliminated or reduced all of those by the time I left. I agree this seems shady to me but I understand it's typical in the industry.

[jkrose]

Originally Posted by babock

Just get the interest rate and the term of the loan and you can figure out the financed amount with an online calculator.

Good idea! Thanks

[jtstromsburg]

Not sure if this helps, but here's that camper for sale near me, there "special edition" patriot package.
https://www.acnrv.com/product/new-20...6dbh-756911-29

[The_Rhino]

At RV Shows & RV Trader I've seen Grey Wolf 26DBHs sell for around $16,500, especially near end-of-season.... Keep in mind that these entry-level stick & tin bunkhouses drop to <$10,000 in 5 years...

IMO, if you want more bang/buck consider buying a better quality mildly used unit... Folks sell 2-3 year-old bunkhouses all of the time simply because their kids hit the high school/college years & they don't have as much time to camp together due to sports/summer jobs, etc.

In 2014 with a budget of $20K we took a good look at a new 26DBH for our family of 5 but did not like the build quality. When I told our salesperson that we wanted better quality but only wanted to spend $20K she showed us a mildly used Primetime Tracer 3150 which is made of the more desirable lightweight aluminum framing/fiberglass siding. For about the same weight as the 1-slide 26DBH (6,400 empty), it has 2 slide-outs. The 2nd slide-out gives our 3 boys their own bunk ROOM combined with a large outdoor kitchen. I LOVE the outdoor kitchen & would not buy another RV without one... PT also makes an AIR series which has similar floorplans & even less weight...

I spent about 2 hours thoroughly looking it over & taking flash pictures behind every cubby before making an offer. Our dealer provided a "free" Equalizer 4 1200 WDH & installation, pressurized leak test & re-caulking, new battery, CO2 detector plus filled propane tanks, adjusted slide-out & awning tracking, and provided a 2.5 hour PDI (which we videotaped...) Before our first trip I replaced the cheap tires & mattress. We camped for the next 3 seasons without any issues & have never needed to take the TT back to the dealer for anything... However, prior to our 4th season I replaced the stock fridge with a larger residential model.

With 0 down, our payments are $188/mo. for 144 months but we make extra payments often. Our TT depreciates about $1000 per year, so at the end of 5 years of ownership it will still have a resell value of $15,000 vs. the 26DBH's $10,000 value.... These prices can be confirmed on RVTrader/Craigslist by looking at used TT prices...

[asquared]

A great place to comparison shop is www.rvtrader.com. You can search using the advanced search function for that exact tt. Pay attention to location as different areas of the country tend to run a little differently on price. This is likely related to destination charges. When I shopped, I took a somewhat nearby tt price quote from a different dealer. I showed my dealership all the options for that trailer so they could see how their fiver lined up in options and price. I gave them allowances where theirs had more options. I also allowed the difference I would save in fuel from the 3 he drive to the other dealer. They came close in price and I had a local dealership with a good service rep to work with. By the way another good site to use is See Dealer Cost

I use these sites to come up with what I am willing to pay out the door (I usually bring one financing). I don't care how they break it down for taxes, dealer prep, doc fees, etc. This is what I'm willing to pay or I walk. I have walked. Some have come back and met my price, others I never heard from again.

By the way, even more important is how the dealership will work with you after the sale. Do your research on the dealer. Check out google reviews and yelp. Also check out our dealer reviews section on these forums. You want a dealer who will take care of you after the sale as every trailer (regardless of brand) ends up getting some sort of warranty work.

[jkrose]

Thanks for the e cells that feedback and suggestions. This is very helpful.

[KyleStout]

I bought a 2017 Wildwood 261BHXL
$11,999 Sale Price
$250 Title/Doc Fee
$749 Blue Ox Weight Distribution Hitch
$909.86 7% IN sales tax
$38.50 temp tag
------------------
$13,946.36 Total out the door

[HangDiver]

With all due respect to other contributors to this thread, if you have to use a calculator to figure out how much you're paying for your TT, you're buying from the wrong dealer.

My .02

[jkrose]

Originally Posted by KyleStout

I bought a 2017 Wildwood 261BHXL
$11,999 Sale Price
$250 Title/Doc Fee
$749 Blue Ox Weight Distribution Hitch
$909.86 7% IN sales tax
$38.50 temp tag
------------------
$13,946.36 Total out the door

Seems like a great deal to me!

[KyleStout]

Originally Posted by jkrose

Seems like a great deal to me!

https://www.holmanrv.com/
is where I bought it..
brought it back once for warranty work, had it back in a week.

Great place

[ProCharger]

I purchased the exact trailer you are looking at (26dbh) in May. Had all the packages (core, XL, value, limited) and we also added mini camp kitchen (Worth it's weight in gold to us for the 2nd fridge), 15k a/c, spare tire, with an out the door price of $17,800. Our dealer had nothing added to the price. Payment is $163.xx a month putting $500 down to place the order. That did not include a hitch setup, paid out of pocket instead of financing that. We have yet to find any quality concerns as of yet and we have been on 4 trips now and leaving again the 18th. Trailer sits next to our house plugged in as well.

One recommendation I would have though is ditch the mattress on the grey wolf. In about 7 days it was already forming deep spots. The interior is more like gauze, it is a pad, not a mattress! Went with a 10" gel memory foam and could not be happier.

Our sales tax and tags were paid for later at the dmv.

Hope that helps.

[jkrose]

Originally Posted by ProCharger

I purchased the exact trailer you are looking at (26dbh) in May. Had all the packages (core, XL, value, limited) and we also added mini camp kitchen (Worth it's weight in gold to us for the 2nd fridge), 15k a/c, spare tire, with an out the door price of $17,800. Our dealer had nothing added to the price. Payment is $163.xx a month putting $500 down to place the order. That did not include a hitch setup, paid out of pocket instead of financing that. We have yet to find any quality concerns as of yet and we have been on 4 trips now and leaving again the 18th. Trailer sits next to our house plugged in as well.

One recommendation I would have though is ditch the mattress on the grey wolf. In about 7 days it was already forming deep spots. The interior is more like gauze, it is a pad, not a mattress! Went with a 10" gel memory foam and could not be happier.

Our sales tax and tags were paid for later at the dmv.

Hope that helps.

Perfect! Thank you!

[z_hall83]

Wow...that trailer on the west coast would coast that much used! We have a smaller Grey Wolf 23bd..nice trailer, but if I have my way we will upgrade to something bigger next year..one thing I have found on this forum to be 100% correct and applicable to all post is that your first trailer is a starting point for the next!

[67L48]

Originally Posted by nuclearelf

[...]I said that doesn't sound bad if that's for all that plus tax and title. He said that doesn't include tax and title. ??? What does out the door mean? [...]

There are some alternate definitions, but the most accepted meaning for "out the door" is essentially the money that goes to the dealership. So, price, options, prep fees, shop fees, donut fees, etc. All of these things go to the dealership as its revenue. There are accounting reasons why a dealer will want to hold his fees constant and discount the trailer. But, that stuff doesn't really affect you much.

So, out-the-door is going to refer to all the cash that gets paid to the dealership that the dealership keeps.

Taxes, title, registration, and similar charges don't go to the dealership. The dealership might be required to collect those things by law, but that money goes to the state/county/city. For example, in Colorado, a dealership is required to collect state sales tax at 2.9%. Later, when I register the vehicle, I pay county/city sales tax (2.5-7%, depending on where you're at), registration fees, etc.

These government fees are generally not included in the "out the door" price. They are in addition. So, if you negotiate an "out the door" price of $20,000, the check you write that day will be a bit more than that, depending on what government fees the dealership is required to collect.

Originally Posted by asquared

A great place to comparison shop is RVTrader.com: RV Sales - Class A, B, C Motorhomes, Travel Trailers, & Pop Up Camper RVs For Sale. [...]I use these sites to come up with what I am willing to pay out the door (I usually bring one financing). I don't care how they break it down for taxes, dealer prep, doc fees, etc. This is what I'm willing to pay or I walk. I have walked. Some have come back and met my price, others I never heard from again.
[...]

Depending on the dealership, they'll generally talk "out the door" to be exclusive of tax. Just make sure that you're on the same page, so you're not surprised.

But, otherwise, this is exactly the right approach to take when making a car/RV purchase. You should really know your price before you ever step foot on a dealer's lot or pick up the phone.

Sometimes there won't be a meeting of the minds. The dealership will value the vehicle more than you do. You should walk and the dealership should let you walk. No hard feelings, just differing opinions on value.

And, you should already have your financing worked out. At the very least, you should have an extremely clear picture about what interest rates look like ... it takes all of 30 seconds to do a web search for RV loan rates.

Generally, the dealership will at least match whatever loan you prequalified for at your bank. And, if I'm financing, I let the dealership have the loan. A 5-year, 4.2% APR loan is the same to me, regardless of who writes the paper. Let's the dealership make a few extra bucks and we're all happy.

Good luck.