order or purchase off lot

[larrybessette]

DW and I are contemplating the purchase of a new 5er. I am thinking of ordering one but know nothing about it. Any advice would be appreciated.

[dblr]

Do you have a brand or floor plan that your interested in now?

[Oaklevel]

Either way will work the same if you are cautious. The nice thing about ordering one is you do not get the walk through sales lot traffic (I have seen new trailers with worn carpet)....and you can order what you want as far as options.

Some will say you can get a better deal off the lot. That can be true but not always.

Good Luck either way !!!

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by larrybessette

DW and I are contemplating the purchase of a new 5er. I am thinking of ordering one but know nothing about it. Any advice would be appreciated.

If you're not in a hurry and have looked high & low for that "perfect" 5'er and can't find it then order the one that will give you most of the bells & whistles you're looking for.

If you've seen one on the "lot" that you like & fills the bill to your satisfaction then go for it!

[bikendan]

Both our new trailers were year old on-the-lot models and got amazing discounts that an ordered one couldn't come close to in price.
Our current TT was almost 50% off of MSRP.

[rmac04401]

I bought off lot on my first new RV, second one I ordered because I was looking for specific options that non on lots had. Both worked out well, off lot you don’t have the long wait, and may not get the mid year redesign.

[KEN9XL]

Got my first TT direct from dealer lot.
Second one we ordered. Ones on lot were almost exactly what we wanted, except for dark colored furniture. Other half wanted the light color furniture. Either dealership had to order or we did. We ordered and changed free standing kitchen table to a booth which had extra storage space underneath and stand alone did not.

You must make your own decision as to options or changes you want vs what you see on lot. If you can live with one off lot, make your best deal.

[itat]

I had intended to order ours so we could get exactly the options we wanted but when I saw the changes coming in the next model year, I liked the previous model year a bit more so I bought off the lot.

[smgelsie]

We have only bought one camper, a Rockwood Windjammer 2018. We visited many local dealers until we found the floor plan and features we wanted. Once we settled on the right model, the dealer wanted $34,000. We then did some on-line pricing and found RV Wholesalers [in Lakewood, OH], for thousands less, and with the specific features we wanted. We ordered in November and got delivery in early March [but production was slow due to demands after a hurricane]. We went to OH to pick it up, and haven't regretted our decision since. 2 minor warranty issues were dealt with by RVW, who contacted Forest River, who approved the repairs with a local and willing dealer. If ever we shop again [we love our unit, why would we ???], we'll definitely go thru RVW.

[Semperfi24]

We have done it both ways. First one we ordered. 2nd and 3rd ones we bought from the lot.

We like the ability to see the unit in person first. Our current trailer we visited 3 different dealers that had the model we wanted. We looked at 5 of them (total) at the 3 dealers, and we made notes for ourselves. And after seeing all 5 of them, we determined which one seemed like it was the nicest of them all. They were all nice, but there were a few that had some things we didnt like and we eliminated them right off the bat

[Dirt Sifter]

We've never owned a 5th wheel. We've purchased TT's both ways. After reading these forums we had a lot of trepidation waiting for the one we special ordered because of quality control issues discussed. Our dealer detailed it before letting us take it, and did a good job. They were no help after we carted it home 300 mi away. The next one we made a list of options that we wanted, and because of these forums, decided we wanted to see the condition of everything before we put money on it. We bought from a different dealer; this one has been great to work with. My point is the dealer is a big part of the package in our experience.

[W5CI]

from my experience you can get a much better deal on anything that the dealer has on their lot. plus you can check it out as much as you like before purchase, once you order a unit you are locked into it regardless of the outcome.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by W5CI

from my experience you can get a much better deal on anything that the dealer has on their lot. plus you can check it out as much as you like before purchase, once you order a unit you are locked into it regardless of the outcome.

Exactly my sentiments.

Sometimes you even get more options included in that lower price.

As for the "walk through wear", the dealer I bought from had carpet runners down and when I took delivery everything was spotless.


Also, when you decide to buy you get to take it home a lot sooner than if you order. I wonder how many people placed orders just before the pandemic hit and are still waiting? Even without a pandemic waits can be long. The previous TT I owned was a "factory order" unit. Took 4 months by the time it arrived at my local dealer. Not just waiting for a production slot but also had to wait for transport.

[powerboatr]

we ordered our 2nd fiver. we added some not on the books options at the time,
and when we placed the order we were told 6 weeks, so we planned everything for 5 weeks. RV ARRIVED 4 weeks after ordering

it was a cedar creek 36rlts, it was great for our needs at the time

we looked at many lots with the models we were interested in, but when it came to dollars and sense, it made better deal for us to buy and order the unit. we had financing already from our credit union and that helped, like paying cash

do what works best for your situation, but i would stress having financing already planned and approved unless you are paying cash

[Texas LT and LL]

We found a 2020 Cedar Creek we like at a local dealer on Saturday the 11th, and asked about special ordering for specific options, and the salesman told us FR is not accepting special orders at this time due to the back log of units going out to the dealers. Has anyone heard that this is the case? TIA

[Oaklevel]

Originally Posted by Texas LT and LL

We found a 2020 Cedar Creek we like at a local dealer on Saturday the 11th, and asked about special ordering for specific options, and the salesman told us FR is not accepting special orders at this time due to the back log of units going out to the dealers. Has anyone heard that this is the case? TIA

Not at all surprised with many plants being closed to covid. Auto manufacturers are trying to catch up so no surprise with RV manufacturers are too. Many dealers are low or out of stock to sell.

[ciditad]

Not to hijack the thread, but how does one know what options are available and who do you order from?

[Oaklevel]

Originally Posted by ciditad

Not to hijack the thread, but how does one know what options are available and who do you order from?

RV dealer for that make. They would have a list of options. Also look online for the make and model that you are interested in on one of Forest Rivers web sites for a list. They can also show you the closest dealer.

[Texas LT and LL]

Originally Posted by ciditad

Not to hijack the thread, but how does one know what options are available and who do you order from?

You can download the brochure for any FR model you are interested in. In the last few pages of the brochure, they list all standard items and options. If furniture substitutions are set up for those models, they will be listed there also.

[Texas LT and LL]

Originally Posted by Texas LT and LL

We found a 2020 Cedar Creek we like at a local dealer on Saturday the 11th, and asked about special ordering for specific options, and the salesman told us FR is not accepting special orders at this time due to the back log of units going out to the dealers. Has anyone heard that this is the case? TIA

Got the answer by asking on Facebook, someone who works at a dealership, he thought that was the funniest thing he had heard all day. They are taking orders at the dealerships, the salesman at our local dealership just wanted to move this 2020 unit. We declined for multiple reasons, one of the biggest was being lied to....doesn't work with us at all.