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Old 10-09-2016, 03:42 PM   #1
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"Prices Go Up In The Winter"...Really?

So was chatting with a sales person at Couch's and told him we are going to order a Cedar Creek 34RL2 but will probably wait until spring of 2017. Our reason is that we are in Oregon and Couch's is 2400 miles away. We want to drive out there to pick it up and then bring it back, camping along the way to find the bugs that we need to write up and turn in for warranty work. We won't be able to make that trip until spring of next year. Anyhow when I told him that he said that now is the best time to order/buy because the prices go up in the winter time. When I asked him why he said, "because that is when all the RV shows are".

So...is this true or just another sales tactic to get me to buy now? When I told him that I can't make the trip out there until spring he stated they have free winter storage and I can order/pay for it now and then pick it up in the spring. Not sure if I'm too crazy about the idea of a trailer sitting for months in a dealers lot, while I make payments on it and not being able to use it. Plus the 1 year warranty clock ticking away as it sits there.

Any opinions? Thank you!
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Old 10-09-2016, 03:54 PM   #2
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I think the CC is eligible for the two year warranty from FR.

Prices tend to go up in the winter due to delivery issues and demand so if the prices are down it is low demand.

Have you found a dealer willing to work on your yet to be unit that you did not buy from them?
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Old 10-09-2016, 03:59 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Xpresser View Post
So was chatting with a sales person at Couch's and told him we are going to order a Cedar Creek 34RL2 but will probably wait until spring of 2017. Our reason is that we are in Oregon and Couch's is 2400 miles away. We want to drive out there to pick it up and then bring it back, camping along the way to find the bugs that we need to write up and turn in for warranty work. We won't be able to make that trip until spring of next year. Anyhow when I told him that he said that now is the best time to order/buy because the prices go up in the winter time. When I asked him why he said, "because that is when all the RV shows are".

So...is this true or just another sales tactic to get me to buy now? When I told him that I can't make the trip out there until spring he stated they have free winter storage and I can order/pay for it now and then pick it up in the spring. Not sure if I'm too crazy about the idea of a trailer sitting for months in a dealers lot, while I make payments on it and not being able to use it. Plus the 1 year warranty clock ticking away as it sits there.

Any opinions? Thank you!
Prices go up, but lately not by any amount that raises eyebrows. And RV shows are where most of the lowest prices there are occur. Couch's doesn't care, though, their listed price is the price, period.

I bought at Couch's.......after almost a year of questions, research, etc. I ordered what I wanted.......the chances of them having the exact trailer I want on their lot is close to zero. I waited a year, I could wait another 7 weeks for goodness sakes.

Buy when YOU can, and do it YOUR way and be happy and don't worry about small stuff. You'll spend 10X the amount of any price increase just driving on that trip. This is not a cheap investment. Just get what you want, in YOUR time, YOUR way.
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Old 10-09-2016, 04:03 PM   #4
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I think the CC is eligible for the two year warranty from FR.

Prices tend to go up in the winter due to delivery issues and demand so if the prices are down it is low demand.

Have you found a dealer willing to work on your yet to be unit that you did not buy from them?
Guess I never realized the the demand for RV's was high in the winter.

Yes there is a shop out here that is FR authorized...they are not a dealer. Heck even a mobile RV tech that lives near me says he does warranty work on most makes. Besides I would never do business with a dealer that said they would not work on a trailer that I didn't buy from them but I do understand some have the issue.
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Old 10-09-2016, 04:13 PM   #5
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Prices go up, but lately not by any amount that raises eyebrows. And RV shows are where most of the lowest prices there are occur. Couch's doesn't care, though, their listed price is the price, period.

I bought at Couch's.......after almost a year of questions, research, etc. I ordered what I wanted.......the chances of them having the exact trailer I want on their lot is close to zero. I waited a year, I could wait another 7 weeks for goodness sakes.

Buy when YOU can, and do it YOUR way and be happy and don't worry about small stuff. You'll spend 10X the amount of any price increase just driving on that trip. This is not a cheap investment. Just get what you want, in YOUR time, YOUR way.
Exactly why we decided to order. Couch said their discount is the same whether we buy a trailer off their lot or order one and we want to get EXACTLY the options we want...not just close enough.

Yes it will cost a pretty penny to go out there and pick it up but still not as much to have it delivered to us. Couch quoted a $4k delivery fee and the best bid I've had so far from private hot shots is $3,800. Even with the costs of going out to get it or have it delivered, it still beats what my local dealer can do by at least $3k.

I like your advice and I thank you!!!!!
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Old 10-09-2016, 04:27 PM   #6
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I ordered our Cedar Creek in late January. We wanted thermo pane windows, (heat rejection and as a bonus, oh so quiet). They were still building 2016's. I had them tell the factory to hold till building 2017's. Got it in April, love it.
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Old 10-09-2016, 04:38 PM   #7
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I ordered our Cedar Creek in late January. We wanted thermo pane windows, (heat rejection and as a bonus, oh so quiet). They were still building 2016's. I had them tell the factory to hold till building 2017's. Got it in April, love it.
I'm not too sure which way to go regarding the windows. My uncle, who has a 36CKTS, has the dual pane and really likes them. I've read several stories on dual pane windows in RV's having to be replace/repaired sooner than expected due to the rocking/twisting etc that all RV's experience. It causes the gas that is between the 2 panes of glass to leak out which results in bad fogging. On top of that I guess there are quite a few companies out there that are performing these repairs incorrectly. Here is one of the articles I read: https://goo.gl/MXFVSN
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Old 10-09-2016, 04:53 PM   #8
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Cedar Creek does increase their prices every January. That is why we are ordering ours in late December and then working with them on a build date. We also live in Oregon, so can't pick it up until maybe early April. We bought our current CC in Michigan and saved over $30k from Oregon prices. We are leaning to an Iowa dealer this time, after getting four bids.

We also have the thermopane and will never purchase another RV without them.
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Old 10-09-2016, 09:12 PM   #9
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Besides I would never do business with a dealer that said they would not work on a trailer that I didn't buy from them but I do understand some have the issue.
The majority of dealers (not just CC) will either not perform warranty work or put you at the back of the line when you didn't purchase from them. Been there done that and never again.

This week we will be ordering a 34RL2 as well, from the local CC dealer. This dealer has a very good record of working with owners and the factory. However, they do just as I posted above about not working on units purchased elsewhere.

I would not go out of state to save money on a purchase again; a good service relationship is worth money in the long run. When I go for service I would like the work to start when I do the drop off, or at least within a day or two; sitting in a maintenance waiting lot is not where I want my unit to age and rot in the sun.

On a different note: I had dual pain windows on a motorhome and they fogged after several years. If I lived/camped in Canada I might consider dual pain but not for the lower 48.
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Old 10-09-2016, 10:54 PM   #10
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Op....so there is alot of different stuff going on in this thread, but to answer your original question.

After being in the auto industry for years and now that i am "part" of the Rv and marine industry I've noticed that usually all sales across all bigger ticket consumer markets (other than real estate ) go up late winter and early spring.
Rv sales are on the decline after labor day oftentimes but really drop close to the holidays, boat sales decline after 4th of July, and auto sales decline somewhere around the sept.- oct. area.
The reason they go up around February .....
#1 -is tax money dollars.
#2 - everyone has been couped up in the cold and is dreaming of warmer weather.
#3. Its after all the holidays that everyone has been spending money for, for months
#4. There are a lot of boat, rv and auto showes
....then there is spring break vacations and other things.

Honestly just check prices now and keep track of that price and try to use it to negotiate a price in the spring when your ready.

And don't think your going to get a better price at a show! At a show We were quoted a price over $6,000 more for our camper with less options than we ordered one for a few weeks later at another local dealer.

People don't realize how much trade shows cost vendors. Yes it helps with sales, but its not cheap. Besides the fees you have to pay to be at a show, you also spend countless man hours transporting, setting up and then working the shows. So everyone needs to do their research on the models they want BEFORE they go to a show. It will probably be a real eye opener at how little if any, a discount there is.
Good luck with your decision op!
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Old 10-09-2016, 11:16 PM   #11
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I went out of state and saved $11,00.00. I can hire a lot of mobile techs for 11 grand if I have to. I bought my last one locally thinking I would need the local dealer for service. The service was terrible. I ended up fixing most of it my self...Buying locally doesn't always mean good service...I'll drive a little and save the dough..
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Old 10-10-2016, 09:19 AM   #12
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Xpressor, we spent several months working with two dealers locally after looking throughout the state of Texas. As we spent time negotiating both continued to reduce their price. So you might try to play couch against your local dealer. We hammered them a lot and got a great deal. As for service I have been able to perform all of my maintenance. Also on a couple of occasions I worked direct with CC and they sent me the parts. If you are able to perform maintenance you most likely will not need your dealer except for something critical.
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Old 10-10-2016, 11:14 AM   #13
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Xpressor, we spent several months working with two dealers locally after looking throughout the state of Texas. As we spent time negotiating both continued to reduce their price. So you might try to play couch against your local dealer. We hammered them a lot and got a great deal. As for service I have been able to perform all of my maintenance. Also on a couple of occasions I worked direct with CC and they sent me the parts. If you are able to perform maintenance you most likely will not need your dealer except for something critical.
Hi ttanous! Our closest CC dealer is 50 miles to the south in Salem, OR. Met a great sales person there by the name of Barry and we showed him the email from Couch's with their discount price. The trailer we had specced out at the time was $52k from Couch. After going back and forth a couple times, the best the local dealer could do for that trailer was $57,500. It will cost me approx $2k to drive out to Couch's in Ohio and bring back the trailer so that brings it up to $54k....still $3,500 less than local dealer. Not a huge difference I know and we do like the local dealer. But on the other hand the wife and I are kind of looking forward to making the trip out to Ohio and camping in the new trailer on the way back. It's a tough choice
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Old 10-10-2016, 11:22 AM   #14
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Good luck in your search. Understand the trip that is the fun part. Might continue the conversation with your local dealer sometimes we found they prefer to sell at a lower cost when they have a serious buyer. I bet there is some give in the 3500 if not all of it.
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Old 10-10-2016, 11:49 AM   #15
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Depending on the time of year you come to OH, there are a couple nice campgrounds nearby to try it out and shake it down before you head back to OR. I've bought from Couch's and was treated good. I also live close enough that they are considered a local dealer.
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Old 10-10-2016, 12:19 PM   #16
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Guess I never realized the the demand for RV's was high in the winter.

Yes there is a shop out here that is FR authorized...they are not a dealer. Heck even a mobile RV tech that lives near me says he does warranty work on most makes. Besides I would never do business with a dealer that said they would not work on a trailer that I didn't buy from them but I do understand some have the issue.
It's more than "some." It's more like "most."
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Old 10-10-2016, 12:39 PM   #17
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It's more than "some." It's more like "most."

If it's "most" then what about those who buy local but then move to a different area/state and still need warranty work done? What about full timers, who many are traveling around the country, and need warranty work done far from their purchase place?
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Old 10-10-2016, 12:49 PM   #18
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We have been talking to Couch's for close to a year. The discount they offered (%) has remained consistent no matter the time of year I contacted them. I do believe RV manufacturers do a general price increase in January. I'd bet that was what they meant.
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Old 10-10-2016, 01:24 PM   #19
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So was chatting with a sales person at Couch's and told him we are going to order a Cedar Creek 34RL2 but will probably wait until spring of 2017. Our reason is that we are in Oregon and Couch's is 2400 miles away. We want to drive out there to pick it up and then bring it back, camping along the way to find the bugs that we need to write up and turn in for warranty work. We won't be able to make that trip until spring of next year. Anyhow when I told him that he said that now is the best time to order/buy because the prices go up in the winter time. When I asked him why he said, "because that is when all the RV shows are".

So...is this true or just another sales tactic to get me to buy now? When I told him that I can't make the trip out there until spring he stated they have free winter storage and I can order/pay for it now and then pick it up in the spring. Not sure if I'm too crazy about the idea of a trailer sitting for months in a dealers lot, while I make payments on it and not being able to use it. Plus the 1 year warranty clock ticking away as it sits there.

Any opinions? Thank you!
1. Yes prices are higher at shows as it costs so much money to put units in a show. Shows are usually put on by a for profit promoter, who makes big money...ie..you can always buy the same unit for less money at the dealers lot. In addition why buy a unit that 1000's of people have walked in and out of

2. Why would consider buying somewhere other than the dealer in your hometown? Who will you beg and plead with to get something fixed in the middle of next camping season? Surely not the dealer who you didn't buy it from.

3. Dealers as a rule don't make money on warranty work, so they really prefer that you buy from them if you expect them to work on it. The factories often don't re-imburse for all the time, parts, and engergy required to complete a warranty repair

4. Take the time to work with a local dealer....except for freight all dealers pay the same for a unit.
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Old 10-10-2016, 01:44 PM   #20
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A dealer I was dickering around with told me that the best prices were right before the show, not during it. Surprised me so I asked him why. His answer was that the dealer has to pay for space at the show and it is expensive. That cost comes off of the negotiating room. If you can buy what you want before the show, then you get the extra savings.

Is this true? I have no idea. But it does make sense to me.
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