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Old 03-29-2017, 11:28 PM   #1
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What’s up with Motor Home Specialist?

Have you ever had something that you expected to be amazing, turn out to be a total dud? Like when all your friends tell you about an awesome movie or wonderful new restaurant, yet when you finally go try it you wonder, what was all the fuss about? Well, that’s how I’m feeling right now about Motor Home Specialist. I had such high expectations, but have received a less than stellar experience so far.

Just over a year ago the DW asked me to begin the RV search. We attended the RV Show at Hershey PA, and visited a few local dealerships to get a feel for what was out there and to let her decide on what she really liked. She finally settled on a particular make and model (Georgetown 364TS) The only caveats she gave was it had to be used (the price point we could afford), and we had to wait until spring of 2017 to buy it. I spent the entire 2016 year watching the online market for the unit we wanted, tracking prices, taking note of the availability at the different dealers and begin to narrow down my list of potential dealers.

These forums were an awesome source to hear stories about dealers. Certain ones come up a lot, Lazy Days, RV Wholesalers, etc. But I’m sure many of you may agree that Motor Home Specialist is a major player in the RV sales world we live in. After reading reviews on this site, checking online reviews and navigating their site countless times, I would say we were looking forward to doing business with them. So when it came time this spring to finally pull the trigger (thanks DW), one of the first places I checked was MHSRV. I checked the forums for a recommended salesman. “Jimmy” came up a few times so I made contact with him. Our phone conversation was great and he seemed friendly. I told him the make and model I was looking for and to please let me know if any used ones come in as we are ready to buy now. Couple days go buy, I check the site again and guess what? The unit I’m looking for had just been listed. I contact Jimmy, he said he missed it. No biggie, I know they have a ton of units there. However when I mentioned that we’d love to make an offer on this unit, he says, “Sorry, there is no room to negotiate on that unit.” Excuse me? No room at all? Again, no biggie, we’ve all seen this game before. You let it go, let it season a bit, then call back later with another offer and then they will play ball. So I did just that. I wait over a week, and contact him over email this time (so it’s in writing). To my surprise, he emails back and says, and I quote, “Hi Chris, I don’t want to waste your time, but $XX,XXX.XX is my best price. Thanks, Jimmy”. So the asking price was firm, no negotiating and not one dime less. I was under the impression that Motor Home Specialist was good at dealing. Not necessarily always the best, but at least always willing to cut some sort of deal.

My question to you the folks in the forum is, what do you think is going on? My wife says it’s because it’s used, she thinks Jimmy only deals in the new DP market and doesn’t give a rip about a used unit. One friend (who was in sales) thinks that this unit is used to drive folks to buy the new units because although it’s almost two years old with 13k miles, it’s is priced the same as a new unit (explain that one to me). Another friend says to cold call the dealership and try to get a different salesman. And yet another friend says sit on it even longer and then make another offer. What do you folks think? Is this the way MHSRV does this stuff? Is it Jimmy? Or it just me? Perhaps I should just let this one go. Other dealers I have contacted have dropped their initial price at least a token amount, but not MHSRV.

I’d love to hear your feedback on what you think is going on, the answers on our forum are always useful. Many thanks!

Chris

(Side note: The biggest surprise so far when shopping for a used motorhome has been that private parties have flexed the most on their prices, not the dealers. Is that normal?)
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Old 03-30-2017, 03:09 PM   #2
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FYI, this is also posted on iRV2 forum. Replies are there if anyone is interested.
Motor Home Specialist and used motorhomes
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Old 05-22-2017, 06:33 PM   #3
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Have you checked on used units in Florida? There are a lot of RVers selling well kept RVs because they can't or don't want to RV any more and retire in the warm climate.
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Old 05-24-2017, 10:18 AM   #4
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I bought a new Class C from MHSRV. Same story, no nego on price. Their reasoning was they had the best price in the nation. I had checked and he was correct so i accepted the price. Did you find another Georgetown with a lower price anywhere else? I do know there is another RV dealer in New Braunfels texas that sells many a used georgetowns.

Robert Jordan
Winnsboro Texas
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Old 05-24-2017, 10:29 AM   #5
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From my last post on iRV2 forum:

Just to close the loop on this thread…

I was finally able to find a used Class A (2016 Georgetown 364TS) from a private party, for a TON less than what MHSRV had their used unit listed for. In addition to full body paint and numerous upgrades, the private party deal offered so much more and worked out best for us both. Thank you for the responses on this thread, you were all a great help.

Couple lessons learned:

1. Patience. If you have the time, patience is what serves you best. Whether it’s from a dealer or private party, being willing to wait for just the right deal made all the difference in the world. I'm glad I didn't grab up so many of the deals that were “somewhat” close to what I was looking for.

2. Private Party units (generally) are easier negotiations. Generally speaking, each private party owner I spoke with were friendlier, nicer, more mature and even fun to talk to. Most private parties would just cut to the chase, “I owe X on this unit, so I’d like to be able to pay that off.” From that point many negotiations were quick and easy. Contrary, many dealers were just what you’d expect, smarmy, vague and sometimes deceitful. Getting a good number was a game that became exhausting after several weeks. We all know and come to expect this, but it still makes you feel like having to go to the dentist, it’s a necessary evil.

3. If money is an issue, broaden your search radius. Once I was willing to expand my search nationwide (and even into Canada), so many more units came into range. It would be nice if I could just drive down the road to my local dealer and buy our dream unit, but as many of you know, many local dealers prices suck. But there seems to be no shortage of people who are willing to just settle for what the dealer gives them. In my search I frequently found the price vary from 20k - 40k for the exact same unit depending on where you bought it from. So if you have excess funds, search close to home. However if you don’t, then try searching nationwide.

Thanks again to all who participated in this thread. DW is so very happy she got just what she wished for in our new (used) unit, and the kids are looking forward to our summer camping trips.
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Old 05-24-2017, 10:45 AM   #6
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You'll always find a private seller to be less than a dealer. The dealer has to make a profit or he won't be a dealer very long.
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