Where did you buy your rig?

wnytaxman · 11-24-2009, 09:31 AM

I want to preface my question that I am not taking a shot a Forest River, but simply asking a question based on what I'm experiencing.

We have been looking for a bunk house model diesel pusher. Our search is pretty much narrowed down to the Damon Astoria 3776, Tiffin Allegro 38qba, and the Berkshire 390bh. All list out fairly close to each other on MSRP at a little over $200,000. The Damon is lighter on equipment than the other two. The Tiffin and the Berkshire are pretty close in equipment with the Tiffin having a slight edge.

So far I have talked to two Berkshire dealers, one in Michigan and one in Texas. In both instances the trade they are offering is giving me less than low wholesale book for my 2007 Itasca Sunova 35j. This difference puts them between $20,000 and $30,000 more than the comparable Tiffin and Damon. Now I'm in business too and I realize that someone has to maintain a profit to stay in business but, by my calculations the Berkshire is costing the dealer about $130-140 and their profit on the sale of the Berkshire and the subsequent sale of the Itasca would net them between $45-55,000. That seems excessive.

My questions to you are where did you buy your RV and how happy were you with the dealer? I think the Berkshire is really nice unit, but I can't justify the price difference. Perhaps I'm just talking to the wrong dealers. Any suggestions?

chevy02 · 11-24-2009, 09:47 AM

Just a thought try this site i hear they are restructuring after a BK and selling motorhome fairly cheap www.leescountryrv.com i know someone who saved alot of cash there.Just looked and they have a 40' 07 charlestown listed for 120,000

NWJeeper · 11-24-2009, 10:48 AM

Try out www.rvdirect.com Price your rig online and it will give you the MSRP and then their price to you immediately. We bought our Georgetown from them and they beat the local dealer by 17K!!! Our local dealer also wanted to low ball the crap out of our trade so we sold it outright for double their offer. If you don't want to buy from RVdirect you can still use their price as an indicator as to the price your local dealers are offering. I have to say I was amazed at the difference between their price and the local, a real eye opener as to how RVs are priced. I know they are in business to make money but you are right 45-55K is way excessive.

We were extemely happy with the buying experience from RVdirect and the price was unbeatable.

dezolen · 11-24-2009, 04:51 PM

If you can afford to hold on to your rig and sell privately you will always be way ahead of the game. If you price your old one fairly it should sell.

TulsaSteve · 11-24-2009, 08:32 PM

I bought mine from a nearby dealer (Daves RV in Claremore OK) I had a great experience with them. I didn't trade anything in so that helped keep things simple.

They are the ONE dealer in my area that everyone recommended. A great way to get the inside scoop on your nearby dealers is to talk to a nearby credit union.

Go in to talk to a loan officer about RV rates. Ask if they have any repos or if they expect any soon. They can tell you what dealers they like to deal with.

IMHO, a good dealer starts with a good business office.

wnytaxman · 11-25-2009, 09:42 AM

I've thought about selling mine outright, but I don't know if I have the time or the inclination to do that. I do have it in inside winter storage at another dealers who doesn't sell motorhomes. I told him to see if he can sell it outright for me. The commission would be worth it to sell it. I'm looking into the other suggestions and seeing what I can find out. I did find a used 2009 that looks pretty good, but again, the price is high compared to a comparable model of a different brand and with no warranty on the coach, it's a pretty big gamble.

I also did contact RVDirect and got a quote. We'll see what they can tell me about a trade. I never thought about contacting the local credit union. You have all given me some good ideas. Many thanks to those that have replied!

Dave_Monica · 11-25-2009, 02:40 PM

There's always the tax implication to consider...if its the same as here, you only pay tax on the net price after the trade in. Just a thought...

Dave

TulsaSteve · 11-25-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnytaxman

I've thought about selling mine outright, but I don't know if I have the time or the inclination to do that. I do have it in inside winter storage at another dealers who doesn't sell motorhomes. I told him to see if he can sell it outright for me. The commission would be worth it to sell it. I'm looking into the other suggestions and seeing what I can find out. I did find a used 2009 that looks pretty good, but again, the price is high compared to a comparable model of a different brand and with no warranty on the coach, it's a pretty big gamble.

I also did contact RVDirect and got a quote. We'll see what they can tell me about a trade. I never thought about contacting the local credit union. You have all given me some good ideas. Many thanks to those that have replied!

You likely have a warranty on the chassis that would transfer to you which covers the engine, drivetrain, etc. Also you can buy a warranty for the coach. I paid ~$4500 for I believe a 6 year warranty on the coach. If I don't use the warranty, I get $3500 refunded. Fingers crossed!

Used is definitely the way to go if you can get close to what you want and it's got low hours/miles.

MtnGuy · 11-25-2009, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_Monica

There's always the tax implication to consider...if its the same as here, you only pay tax on the net price after the trade in. Just a thought...

Dave

You lucky Canadians !!! Here in VA. you pay the state sales tax on the total price of the vehicle.

TulsaSteve · 11-25-2009, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtnguy

You lucky Canadians !!! Here in VA. you pay the state sales tax on the total price of the vehicle.

Okie tax is based on the value of the vehicle. Something like 3% of the value that the state says it's worth. The state said my rig was worth more than I paid, so the check for the taxes that the dealer cut to me (they rolled it into the loan) was short!

I smiled, payed the rest in cash and decided to consider it evidence that I got a great deal!

wnytaxman · 11-26-2009, 09:34 AM

Here in NY we also pay sales tax on only the difference between trade and new. Our sales tax rate is almost 9% so it is a pretty big number. I am considering the possibility of the Montana LLC. From the research I've done, it appears to be legal as long as you meet certain requirements. This eliminates the sales tax all together. In our case it would be between $7,000 and $8,000. That's a pretty substantial savings.

Joeboats · 11-27-2009, 12:04 PM

I saw this on the net, thought it might interest you. http://www.rvtraderonline.com/find/l...QS-40-95241477
NY and MI have tax agreements, so any you pay there is credited when you bring it in to NY. I bought one from these people and found them easy to get along with. To get a better amount on your trade, take lots of photos and email them. The salesman I dealt with is named Matt Walker and I found him to be upfront throughout the sale. I did have a few minor things that needed to be corrected and they couldn't have been easier to work with.
I bought mine in October and have really enjoyed it. The ride is really good and the mileage is so much better than the 2000 Pinnacle with a Titian V10 gas engine, that I traded. And Yes the NYS tax is hard to swallow.

Hope this helps

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