Can someone manage my expectations or is this dealer offer a load of crap?

[Mike Hawk]

And so it begins.

AR dealer called me back. $19,990 and they'd give me $1k cash back or $18,990 OTD. Yes please sir, I'd like to increase my taxable base and have a 6% loan on $1k.

Anyhoo... and so it begins:

Tulsa: $22,000, haven't countered just yet.
Van Buren: $18,990
OKC: Texted me asking when I'd need it but hasn't given me a $ yet. Figured they were fishing to see if I was for real or not.
Springfield: No response yet.

Tulsa guy could have had a sale last Saturday @ $20k.

No haggle pricing needs to hurry up and be a thing everywhere so we don't have to play these stupid games.

[scottnlindsay]

I agree with walk away and shop around. Everything seems high IMO. I have to laugh at the four square, old school.
Also, are they including a spare tire, battery, propane tanks full and a free starter kit/wash kit? Mine came with all that.

[Mike Hawk]

Great question and yes, I assume tire, battery, and filled propane is included at the minimum. Once I decide to start working with a specific dealer I'll nail them down on all that crap with it documented what I'm signing a deposit down for. I might be that pest that says "so and so offers me @ $xyz, will you match and throw in a WDH or abc?. Sigh, I hope it doesn't come to that.

[GoneSouth10]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

Sigh, I hope it doesn't come to that.

Yup, at some point when you get to a comfort level with the dealer and the price, you need to just say, "Okay, if you throw in XYZ, you've got a deal at your price!"
I know some people view the haggling as "sport", but when you're haggling over a couple hundred dollars, I'd focus on which dealer is giving you the best warm and fuzzy, not the last $500. Your purchase is the first step in a long and quite possibly "necessary" relationship - start it off on the right foot!

[scottnlindsay]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

Great question and yes, I assume tire, battery, and filled propane is included at the minimum. Once I decide to start working with a specific dealer I'll nail them down on all that crap with it documented what I'm signing a deposit down for. I might be that pest that says "so and so offers me @ $xyz, will you match and throw in a WDH or abc?. Sigh, I hope it doesn't come to that.

My in-laws bought the exact same camper as mine but two years newer from a different dealer then mine cause mine was out of stock and they really liked my camper.
Anyway, they got none of that without additional cost. I think it was like $500 bucks, they were not happy when they found out I paid nothing for that stuff.

I also got a husky center line WDH throwing in, this was all done after I got their final price and I talked them down $2k from what they were wanting and bought the extended warranty for $1200 less then they normally sell it for. I knew the finance guy, although I did not finance with them. Some dealers will want to earn your business. After all, I take it back there for all the repairs/warranty work.

This was also done at this time (Feb-March) during a huge camper show in my area that I could do my homework at. My dealer was not at the show though.

In a nut shell, I hope you find a dealer that will want to earn your business.

[LegacyFB38]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

...

No haggle pricing needs to hurry up and be a thing everywhere so we don't have to play these stupid games.

You can say that again!

I can't stand dealing with many of these clowns...err salespeople. (And I'm a retired, career long salesperson in the electronic instrumentation industry.)

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

Great question and yes, I assume tire, battery, and filled propane is included at the minimum.

Don't ASSUME anything!
On entry level brands, spare tires are often an option. Some dealers will order them with the spare and others will charge extra.
Batteries are dealer-installed items and almost always the cheapest 12v dual purpose marine batteries they can find. Some dealers will include it and some will charge extra.
Full propane tanks are about the only thing that is consistently included.
Some dealers will include a RV starter kit and some won't.

[Doppleganger]

We bought a new 187RB. Saw a base model for $15k at a dealer in southern PA, basically told them that's all we're gonna pay. Ended up getting a fully loaded model with off-grid, outfitter packages for $15,900. $75 doc fee, $250 DMV (excess will be refunded), and tax. No other fees. Free storage until spring pickup. Both propane tanks filled. Thought we did alright. No arguing over price, the only negotiation was getting a loaded 2020 model, or a basic 2021 model. Was cheaper getting the loaded 2020 by a couple hundred, they were done taking 2020 orders at the factory, it was pretty much a no-brainer.

[Mike Hawk]

OKC matched the PA price of $16,999
+ $895 prep
+ $409 doc
=
$18,303

With filled tanks, battery, spare. Of course said I had to finance for 6 months minimum. So that'll be what, ~$200-$300 in interest on $18k @ 6% for those 6 months?

[GoneSouth10]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

OKC matched the PA price of $16,999
+ $895 prep
+ $409 doc
=
$18,303

With filled tanks, battery, spare. Of course said I had to finance for 6 months minimum. So that'll be what, ~$200-$300 in interest on $18k @ 6% for those 6 months?

Well, if you're paying it off in 6 monthly installments of $3,104, I've got you paying $322 in interest. About $549 interest if you just pay it all off at the end of 6 months.
Congrats! (Beats the hell out of $26 K or whatever your local guy was going to charge you!)

[D W]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Just the cost of the WDH and brake controller would have me headed out the door and NEVER come back.
You need to check some prices at dealers closer to Indiana.
IMHO, everything about these prices screams Ripoff!

X2! And never trust a salesman who uses a 4 square sheet, and marks it with a sharpie!

[Mike Hawk]

Word. I'm not evening going to give them a second chance. Which is kinda sad but whatever. Don't rant/vent/badmouth in front of your customer. That's bad salesmanship 101. The fact I had a $16,xxx sheet and he was only gonna go to $24,000 was really telling.

As for OKC we'll probably load up the fam in the TV, drive down there on a Saturday morning and find a near by lake camp ground as a shake out test before heading back on home on a Sunday.

Oh oogly moogly it's beginning!

[dbledan]

Congrats on the new camper! Post pics when you pic it up.

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

As for OKC we'll probably load up the fam in the TV, drive down there on a Saturday morning and find a near by lake camp ground as a shake out test before heading back on home on a Sunday.

If you can manage it, I strongly recommend you take delivery on Friday morning, and stay overnight. Then you have an open service department on Saturday should you need it. You also have fewer deliveries to compete with for the dealer's time on Friday.

Around here, dealers are rarely open on Sunday (state law), and service departments are never open on Sunday.

It's worth a day of PTO to me to make sure the deal goes smoothly.

just our experiences
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[Mike Hawk]

Good idea, thanks.

[Doppleganger]

We went and talked with the parts and service guys for a couple hours, too. Seem like a good bunch, and they were really open with information. Not a single hint of "you should buy everything here" from them. Since those guys are the ones we'll be working with long after the sale, I figured it was good to get an idea of who they were.

[SlowrideHD]

When I bought my CC, they had a big sheet on the table with the base msrp and then all the options listed and a total msrp price at the bottom.

Next to that sheet, they had a big "SALE" price that was $12,600 less than the "msrp" price.

I told the salesman that I was prepared to write him a check for the camper, that day. I figured an amount that was 75% of their advertised sale price (37% off msrp) and made the offer. He asked if I could give them 10K to hold it for the few days that it took to get it cleaned and prepped. No problem. It ended up about $300 more than the 75% of the sale price they advertised. Everybody was happy. Bought it mid December when nobody else is buying.

[GOTTOYS]

Originally Posted by MillMitch

I can't find the 194 locally, but the 2020 193BHS MSRP's at $23.3k and AC Nelsen sells them at $17.6k. We were very happy with them when we bought our 2018 Grey Wolf 23MK a couple years ago.
Good luck.

Bought my Cedar Creek from them in Omaha. Made the deal over the phone and internet, including my trade in. No complaints. They did everything they said they would do. 38% off MSRP, no add-ons and a reasonable price for my trade in.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by Mike Hawk

OKC matched the PA price of $16,999
+ $895 prep
+ $409 doc
=
$18,303

With filled tanks, battery, spare. Of course said I had to finance for 6 months minimum. So that'll be what, ~$200-$300 in interest on $18k @ 6% for those 6 months?

I often wondered why US Dealers charge a prep fee when the manufacturer pays them for it. Outside you haggling to get this price seems wrong.

[rennis]

Very timely discussion. I can't believe the pricing variability around the U.S. for the same damn trailer. It's absurd that dealers in my region ask 20% on average than most other parts of the country.