Buying from out of state? (Jeff Couch RV Nation)

[SomersIsles]

Hello! Just joined the forum because I’ve been internet stalking a specific travel trailer and I’ve recently learned about Jeff Couch’s RV nation and I’m seeing great prices and great reviews.

I’m curious if anyone has purchased from them from out of state? I’m in Massachusetts.

I’m less inclined to make the trip and am entertaining delivery... but how does that work for an inspection?? (Especially if a problem is discovered)

I’m also curious if they do trade ins... if we do decide to drive. We own a Jayco hybrid right now.

Any other thoughts on buying from so far away? I haven’t seen the model I’m interested locally.

[bikendan]

It would help us, help you, if you posted what make and model of RV you are looking at.

[Dakota 1120]

Purchased mine from a dealer out of state because no dealer in-state for the make/model I wanted.
I didn't have a trade-in, purchased outright.
Viewed all features, etc. on the internet, several emails to the dealership, finished up with phone calls to the dealership to finalized exactly what I wanted for options, etc. and the total price. They didn't have it 'in stock' so a factory order that took about 6 weeks to arrive at the dealership in mid-March of that year.
Dealership did their prep work before I arrived. They had it ready the morning scheduled, did a very detailed walk thru with me, hooked me up and I was on the road home.
A good experience, no issues on the trip home and have never needed to return to the dealership for any issues.
I'm pleased.
:-)

[TheWolfPaq82]

Son got his Jayco in OK and drove back to Nebraska. Had a few minor bumps while picking it up...dealer wanted different price than quoted and some options it stated as having...it didn't. Co-worker bought a car out of state and had it delivered...$8000 dollars "Extra" finally had a safely running vehicle. There's your "Pro / Con" of the situation.

P.S. Dan ? what does it matter with make / model the poster is looking at ?

[Flybob]

You really need to ask two questions. One is purchasing out of state with warranty and repair issues and the second is purchasing sight unseen and delivery. The out of state warranty issue is fairly easy to answer. You can most likely still get warranty repairs locally, but you may have to wait and might need to pay upfront and be reimbursed by FR if approved ahead of time. My bigger concern in buying sight unseen. Every brochure or online description in the RV industry has a disclaimer that it is subject to change at any time. It is possible that the unit you look at near you may be different than an identical model somewhere else. Also you don't get a PDI if you have it delivered. The delivery driver is obligated to get it to you period. Some members have had good luck with this type of purchase and others have had a nightmare. Personally I would never buy an RV unless I saw it and had a chance to see everything work. The ideal situation is to do the PDI and spend a day or two using it at or near the selling dealer to put it through its paces. When considering price differences, don't forget to add in down time and frustration.

[formerFR]

having an RV 'delivered' has some interesting draw, but the reality is that you probably really want to 'see' your purchase BEFORE you purchase it, where it sits, and have the dealer RIGHT THEN take care of issue, because there WILL BE some.

Delivery may sound enticing, and maybe it has worked for some, but it sure sounds like it could be full of problems of it's own, and then 'where' would you then have warranty work done for the problems you DO find? The driver is not going to be able to help, they only transport the RV, they don't do work on it.


DRIVE to the dealer, and do the deal, IF you like it and want it... a purchase of this size is not something to take lightly - it's WORTH the effort.

[TheWolfPaq82]

X2 Bob and Former.

[Chuck_S]

Hot shot truckers deliver trailers all the time. They're independent and not camper trailer specialists or repair guys, they just drive the truck. I want to inspect anything before acceptance especially since travel trailers are infamous for poor factory quality control and the dealer is expected to make final repairs.

The trailer is coming to you on it's own wheels anyway so why not pull it yourself? A one or two day drive is fine with me.

-- Chuck

[pkmkaz]

Originally Posted by SomersIsles

Hello! Just joined the forum because I’ve been internet stalking a specific travel trailer and I’ve recently learned about Jeff Couch’s RV nation and I’m seeing great prices..........

Have you tried calling and asking your questions to them directly?

[tomkatb]

We happen to live about 40 miles from Couch in Hamilton Ohio.

I thought they did a good job in delivery prep at their shop in
Hamilton.

Our fifth wheel was nearly perfect.

CC Hathaway. The factory forgot to hook up the arc cable to the tv.

I would say drive there and pick it up. About 50 miles away is Cesar’s Creek state park. Spend a couple of nights there on the way home. I live ten miles away and can help you if necessary. I am retired.

Figuring everything out takes time. Brown pop and grape juice helps!

[n-e-d]

Welcome from Southern Worcester County. We bought from out of state tho only a 2 1/2 hr drive into NY because of price and have not regretted it a bit. Local FR dealer was pricey and heard from friends that service wasn't that great. Found several independent rv shops in the area if we needed service which we haven't needed yet.Figured even if we had to pay the service up front for warranty work with the 10k+ savings on price we were a head of the game. Not going to repeat the advice from previous posters- all good advice- would just add that we went and picked up our MH and did a checklist PDI before finalizing deal. Good luck

[BandJCarm]

I drove a long way to Couch's because I saved about $26,000 from MSRP. They treated me quite well.

These things roll. Dealers exist to sell, I'm not going to use them for service.....though SOME are good at it, not many.


I have time, though, retired. If you work, there are considerations about that, I'm sure.

[sherman12]

Looking to buy new, many members of The Forum have had good success buying from out of state, or, city. It sounds like you have already gotten a few excellent reviews of the dealer you are working with, which in my mind should lessen some of your worries.
Another dealer that folks drive across states to buy from is RV Wholesalers, I think in Ohio. The same deal regarding PDI and warranty service and I've read countless Forum posts on this forum and others on how well they take care of their customers.

Shopping for RV's of any nature is hard. I recently bought a used class A diesel from a local dealer because I didn't have the time, money or energy to go around to different dealers that had the gas used Tiffin my wife and I were most interested in. We very happy with the decision we made, and, the few items that needed to be addressed were taken care of almost immediately by the local dealer, Buffalo RV (part of RVOne) even though we bought it used as is.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

P.S. Dan ? what does it matter with make / model the poster is looking at ?

Yes, if we knew what they were looking for, others could recommend closer dealers that might have similar prices.
Like RVW or RV Direct. RV Direct has dealers in the New York area.
Also those that own the same RV model, could help the OP maybe find one closer to home.

[n-e-d]

RVone/RVdirect was the dealer we used in Albany,NY. Couldn't beat the price and ordered a unit with all the bangs and whistles. MH did have a few glitches that I missed on PDI but was easy enough to fix once we got it home

[BigGuy87]

Chuck

DW and I did this with Couch RV Nation in the spring of 2016 and had a great experience. We made the trip from South Central Nebraska and made a vacation out of it. We have family in KY and spent a few days in the area just incase we had any issues. Knowing that I typically do the majority of all our RV maintenance anyways, we couldn't pass up the major $$ savings compared to local pricing.

Mike

[cyclepuck]

I bought from Couch's two weeks ago. Drove 4.5 hrs from MI the day before and stayed in hotel. They had it inside the bay to do the walk through plugged into 50 amp with both fridges running and both ac's to show it works and let us test everything. Allowed me to go on roof to inspect seals, run slides in and out approx 6-7 times along with awning. The few issues I found they fixed right away and this was all before doing the paper work. I'd definently buy there again but I would not have it delivered for the reasons above.

[Chuck_S]

The local Jayco dealer has always been happy to service my Roo. I obviously didn't buy it from him.

-- Chuck

[Ida Ratherbe Camping]

We bought from them out of state. Drove up there and got it ourselves. TT was ready and waiting when we arrived, clean and ready to go. Did the PDI, spot on with zero problems. Lucky I guess. Make a vacation out of it,we did. Stayed in Cincinnati a couple days checking camper out, stopped in ky and did some state park stuff. Then on to Memphis for the sights and sounds.

I personally would not like deliver., As stated, hot shot driver, time is money, what you see is what you get, sign here please.

As far as trade in, they don't want it. They sell enough new not to worry about your trade. Expect a very low ball figure. I asked, what I was told..

Good luck on your decision

[Bigruh36]

I bought mine from out of state and had it delivered. It was a terrible experience. The driver damaged the roof and the PDI wasn’t done properly. I had leaks in several spots (not the roof) and the fresh water tank was being held up by the wiring and coroplast. Some of the issues I have had would not have been fixed under a PDI but you really need to look at it before buying it. I just looked at a Sierra the other day that looked terrible, when all the others I have looked at looked great. There is always the possibility of getting that RV built the week between Christmas and New Years when all the good people are off on vacation.