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Old 02-07-2016, 07:46 AM   #1
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Buying from dealers hours away

I read so many stories regarding many fellow rv owners buying from dealers several hours from them then having a lot of problems with their units. Just curious how much are you saving.? And in the end is is worth it? Especially trying to take it back for warranty work or worse trying to find a dealer closer who will actually fit you in . Before we bought our now second camper I thoroughly compared the 7 dealers within an hour from me,comparing pricing , service and any and all reviews on line, even visiting 5 of the seven ( the other 2 were both camping worlds) to see their parts and service areas before buying.


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Old 02-07-2016, 08:05 AM   #2
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By reading replies from Members who "bought Local" and others that traveled to Buy their units,I see NO advantage one way or the Other if they Require Warr. or Service and "Sit on the Dealers Lot for Weeks/Months" After the SALE! Youroo!!
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Old 02-07-2016, 08:08 AM   #3
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I brought a camper from a dealer that was going out of business, thank god that was a good camper, no one wanted to do warranty work on it. Thank goodness I didn't need much


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Old 02-07-2016, 08:09 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by youroo View Post
By reading replies from Members who "bought Local" and others that traveled to Buy their units,I see NO advantage one way or the Other if they Require Warr. or Service and "Sit on the Dealers Lot for Weeks/Months" After the SALE! Youroo!!

Yes, in my case its sitting on the lot for months "before the sale". Bad dealers exist but from what I am seeing the problem with warranty work timeframes starts with the manufacturer and the idiot time consuming process they use the least of which is parts.
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Old 02-07-2016, 08:24 AM   #5
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Yes well worth it to me

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Originally Posted by timothy clancy View Post
I read so many stories regarding many fellow rv owners buying from dealers several hours from them then having a lot of problems with their units. Just curious how much are you saving.? And in the end is is worth it? Especially trying to take it back for warranty work or worse trying to find a dealer closer who will actually fit you in . Before we bought our now second camper I thoroughly compared the 7 dealers within an hour from me,comparing pricing , service and any and all reviews on line, even visiting 5 of the seven ( the other 2 were both camping worlds) to see their parts and service areas before buying.


Clancy vibe272bhs
I purchased my new FR Salem 30QBSS from a dealer in NW Ohio about a three hour drive from my home in Eastern Ohio, my campground where I own two nice big lots is two and a half hours SW of my home. Roughly a 3H trip to get it 1.5H to take it from dealer to camp site. But yes well worth it to me. I got the exact floor plan and color options and I saved over $6000.00 over the dealer less that a half hour drive from the campground. Six thousand dollars off the out the door price was well worth a tank of gas or two.
Now to add I purchased the camper new in 08, it an 09 and as to date I have not had a real serious issue with the unit, a few minor items yes but nothing I had to take it in for. I did travel with the unit the first few years we owned it, not it's set up and we haven't moved it in about two years or so.
Remember it is all about the money.
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Old 02-07-2016, 08:37 AM   #6
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The trailer I'm looking at is a full $29,000, in writing, less than what I can get it for locally........confirmed by the local dealer. He WILL do warranty.......maybe I'm not first in line, but it gets done.

That's the sole reason to buy 'far off'...........for me.
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Old 02-07-2016, 09:18 AM   #7
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Just because you have a local dealer who will service your unit, do you *really* want them to do so. There are so many BAD service depts, it's a total crap shoot if you get service and don't have to keep going back. Plus even the THREAT of service blackmail will send me running somewhere else.

My dealer is 6 hrs away. There is a "local" dealer about an hour away. Doesn't have any stock except a few trailers, 1 maybe 2 service techs, no parts to speak of etc, etc.

Why would I want to buy from a local dealer like that? At least the dealer I bought my unit from had a number of different models to choose from and compare.

The RV industry hasn't changed much in the 20+ years I have been RVing and there is little incentive to change as we keep buying poorly assembled RVs and tolerating the lack of dealer control the manufacturers have since the dealers are not franchised.

I have and will continue to do what maintenance I can myself while saving bigger jobs (that can wait and most really can) for the factory visit that I will make this spring or the national rally and let the folks who know these rigs fix them.
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Old 02-07-2016, 09:27 AM   #8
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Remember it is all about the money.
We also live in Ohio near a couple nationwide RV chains & within a reasonable drive to a couple wholesalers. I found that the local dealers have a couple sales each Spring that match/beat their RV Show prices & come within 5% of wholesaler prices.

What I liked best about buying locally is that for popular brands/models they had about 8 of each on the lot that I could carefully inspect & then choose the best from the litter... For instance, I purposefully viewed new & used units in heavy rains - since the local dealer is only 10 minutes from work... One unit, same brand & model as ours, had poor fit & finish & was leaking water badly. In comparison, the used unit we eventually purchased was bone dry.

I spent about 2 hours inspecting our TT before making an offer. The dealer then spent about 2 hours performing a pressurized leak test & re-caulking, adjusting slides & the awning, etc. BEFORE we joined them for the 2.5 hour PDI. During the PDI they continue to adjust/replace anything that did not pass our inspection.

We have now owned our (used) 2011 TT for 2 camping seasons without any serious issues (not caused by me breaking something...) We have NOT had to take our TT back to the dealer but should something arise, they are good at fitting-in their own customers, but not so good at getting work done (in timely manner) for units purchased elsewhere. With RV sales at an all-time high I would not expect a dealer you did not buy your unit from to fit your repair work in a timely manner.

Our dealer recently expanded their repair facility & the service staff we met appeared to be very knowledgeable. Friends & family have had good experiences getting service work done vs. another nearby dealership. If my experience continues to be good with our TT & dealership & will likely buy from them again if they are within 5% of the wholesalers.
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Old 02-07-2016, 09:45 AM   #9
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I bought from the closest local dealer..Their service was terrible...Never again. I'll go whever the price is lowest. I seldom camp in my area anyway. If it breaks down I'm usually several hundred miles away. There isn't much I can't fix myself as it should be. With factory authorization I can usually find a mobile repair service to take care of it.
Just some things to think about..
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Old 02-07-2016, 09:58 AM   #10
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This is a very complex decision. You need to figure in the following. What kind of service reputation ( after the sale support) does the dealer have, How handy are you, How often do you use the RV during the season, is there a good RV service center near you, how much are you saving.
Insure everything is working before you sign the paperwork then figure in the above factors.

If you save $4000 on a unit, you can do a lot of repairs at a local repair shop ( on your nickle) and still be ahead. If you are not handy, and have a good dealer service dept, buying local may be worth a premium.
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Old 02-07-2016, 10:53 AM   #11
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We bought our HTT from a dealer 2000 miles away.
FR found us a number of local dealers who would do the warranty work.
Would do the same thing again.
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Old 02-07-2016, 11:05 AM   #12
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Living in a large metropolitan area like Houston, you would of thought I would have bought local. Nope.

None of the dealers wanted to play ball. Too many "big fish" who buy on impulse and do not understand the game. They would rather keep their inventory and wait for the next person who thinks they are getting a great deal when they toss out that "low" price.

If you pay more than 30-35% off of FACTORY list price, you paid too much.
Another game they play. They inflate the Retail price.

Go to the manufacturers website, build your unit the way you want it, go out for bids on the internet, and then hit your local dealer over the head with your quotes. If your lucky, they will come within about $1000 of your on line quote but they did pay shipping.

But, in my case, I had to go 1200 miles for the best price. But, it was worth the thousands I saved and I got to tour the factory where my unit is built.

I prefer to service my own units and most manufactures will find someone to work on your unit if required.

Don't be the next "Big Fish".
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Old 02-07-2016, 11:10 AM   #13
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We purchased our first trailer from a dealer that was 8-9 hours away. Never had a minuets problem with that camper. Great dealer , had us stay there for several days to work out any kinks.

Our current trailer we purchased from a local dealer (one hour away) and it has been a nightmare! This unit spent 16 weeks at the dealer the first year getting work done. And we continue to have issues with the unit. Only two years old and now the roof is leaking!

They both were Forest River products.
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Old 02-07-2016, 12:40 PM   #14
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I always try to buy local. I will even pay a grand or 2 more to buy local. Our most recent rv purchase was $17 THOUSAND less to drive 1250 miles (bottom line trade difference) and so far, local dealers happy to work on it.
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Old 02-07-2016, 12:59 PM   #15
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Unless you have a local dealer with a reputation for exceptional service after the sale; I'd say purchase wherever you can get the best deal.
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Old 02-07-2016, 01:05 PM   #16
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If you want to be that mr feel good guy and buy local and that's ok but don't think for a New York second you will get better service .once you sign on the dotted line you become just like any other customer . I myself went to FLA for my unit it was all about dollars and cents saved a lot .so if something goes bump in. The night I just use. The money I saved to pay to fix or if something major. Go to factory
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Old 02-07-2016, 01:36 PM   #17
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It's a sorry fact that there are plenty of dealers who are ready and willing to sell units and very few who have a similar commitment to service after the sale. Unfortunately, it will probably take a catastrophic event and significant financial impact to make any meaningful changes to the industry.
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Old 02-07-2016, 04:55 PM   #18
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I'll buy where the price is right.I did on our 5er and will do it again.I have yet to have a problem that happened in my driveway. I may be just lucky,but I'll chance it. I'm pretty handy and can do most repairs. My dealer in Tulsa sent me parts or had them drop shipped. I'll buy from Jim at Hunter RV again.I can save many $$$$$$ and drive the three hours if I need to.
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Old 02-07-2016, 04:59 PM   #19
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We drove an extra 30 miles for our Wildcat Maxx 5er, and saved about $12k over the closest dealer with what we wanted. The service isn't the greatest at either dealer, though we get great service at a dealer 40 miles in the other direction with no questions about where we'd bought it. We would have purchased from them if they'd had the floor plan we wanted.

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Old 02-07-2016, 08:11 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by timothy clancy View Post
I read so many stories regarding many fellow rv owners buying from dealers several hours from them then having a lot of problems with their units. Just curious how much are you saving.? And in the end is is worth it? Especially trying to take it back for warranty work or worse trying to find a dealer closer who will actually fit you in . Before we bought our now second camper I thoroughly compared the 7 dealers within an hour from me,comparing pricing , service and any and all reviews on line, even visiting 5 of the seven ( the other 2 were both camping worlds) to see their parts and service areas before buying.


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I wish I had 7 dealerships in my area to choose from. I'm looking for a new TT and the nearest dealer is over 4 hours away (according to the manufacturers web site). Does anyone know any good web sites to go to for info on dealership reviews?
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