Process of ordering a rv from factory thru dealer

[Terier]

Originally Posted by bjjohnstone

We have great news! I took a trip down to RV Nation yesterday. They had 4 units like ours on their lot. We picked out one with more options than the one we had originally ordered, and were able to get it for $2000 less than we were going to pay in the first place! They're going to add a back ladder and slide out awning, and we can pick it up in about a week! I can't say enough about Rick Miller from Forest River and also Brannon, the sales manager at RV Nation in Hamilton, OH. They went out of their way to take care of us and make a bad situation good again. We're happy campers again!

So glad to hear the happy news!

[rip]

Originally Posted by bjjohnstone

I can't say enough about Rick Miller from Forest River and also Brannon, the sales manager at RV Nation in Hamilton, OH.

One other thing, James, over several days you showed great resilience and initiative to make something good happen. Instead of sitting on a pity-pot, you got with it and turned your situation around... and, in such a short time!!!

I'm impressed. You deserve a lot of credit for this as well... not to take anything away from your rep and new dealer. While I'm learning a lot from my thread about ordering a trailer, I'm also learning other inspirational things about people.

[Rmfithen]

We ordered a 340RK the week before Thansgiving! It's suppose to come off line Jan 17th. Anyone know if they run close to the expected date?

[MillerTime]

When we ordered ours and got the online and offline dates those were the actual dates. We had a driver there within a day or 2 to pick it up and we took delivery of the trailer and had it packed for vacation before it was a week old.
- ours was built durring peak season, july 18, I don't know if the holidays may hinder anything or not.

[Rmfithen]

Great!! We are going to become "Winter Texans" in Port Arsnsas!

[rip]

Originally Posted by Rmfithen

We ordered a 340RK the week before Thansgiving! It's suppose to come off line Jan 17th. Anyone know if they run close to the expected date?

I don't know where you ordered your Columbus 340RK but that dealer should have an idea about the schedule for your build date.

My dealer is doing a good job of keeping up with my Windjammer 2809W this month now that the factory is active on it.

Originally Posted by rip

MORE NEWS... THEY'RE COOKING MY NEW TRAILER THIS WEEK!!!!

Today, the dealer's FR rep told them my trailer was due off the assembly line by the end of this week. I noticed it will come out into sub-freezing temperatures.

Maybe a driver will want to come south with it over the next couple weeks. I imagine weather and the snow/salt roads influence deliveries in the last two weeks of January.

It's Built!!! It's Built!!!

Well, my dealer was right. My Windjammer 2809W was completed last Friday. My dealer said they were billed for it last week, and it's awaiting shipment.

And sure enough, just as I thought... I checked the temps in the Elkhart area. My poor baby really did come outside from its nice warm factory into snow and temperatures below freezing on the delivery lot this week. Br-r-r-r-r-r.

No word on shipment yet. Wonder why.

[Rmfithen]

YEA! Our340 RK is ready also! We will be picking it up at RVW late view , Ohio next week!! Here's a delema, if we run the water to make sure everything works, does it need to be winterized again? We are heading back to Arkansas, but will spend at least one night in the freezing cold? RF says yes! Just wondering what others are doing?

[speedcat]

We ordered our 36qbok the Saturday before Christmas. My dealer and Sabre Sam confirmed our unit was on the line this week. I'm guessing it will be off line any time if not already. My dealer rep did confirm the unit is shipped winterized. The dealer will de winterize for their inspection and our PDI. They will then re winterize before I pull off of the lot. If you have one stop while on the way back home the safest bet is to use the bath house at the campground and keep the unit winterized until your ready to go in the spring.

[rip]

Originally Posted by speedcat

We ordered our 36qbok the Saturday before Christmas. My dealer and Sabre Sam confirmed our unit was on the line this week. I'm guessing it will be off line any time if not already. My dealer rep did confirm the unit is shipped winterized.

It's good to know that my 2809W will be shipped winterized from the factory. I was wondering about that with some near zero temps up there.

I was mainly worried about road salt build-up on a trip down right now.

I'm going to ask my dealer a lot of questions about winterizing. We don't see much winter here in south central Texas. Doing homework for my PDI while I'm waiting for shipment.

[speedcat]

Once it arrives I imagine a good ole warm water bath for the undercarriage would be necessary. I will do the same with mine, weather permitting. So, it is not necessary to winterize in south central Texas? That would be nice. We live in Central Ky. Last winter was very mild and it was tempting to camp on those nice weekend (temp is 40's-50's), but didn't want to camp without water and did not want to dewinterize too early. As of now we are in ice/snow with highs in the mid 20's and lows in the single digits. Figures as I plan on taking possession of my unit mid Feb....I am dreaming of spring!! I am going to print out a PDI checklist plus my dealer video tapes the PDI as your parting gift. Might not be a bad idea to take a video camera for your own purposes. I think it will be helpful to review the tape as I won't remember everything, at least that is what the DW tells me

[rip]

Originally Posted by speedcat

Once it arrives I imagine a good ole warm water bath for the undercarriage would be necessary. I will do the same with mine, weather permitting. So, it is not necessary to winterize in south central Texas? That would be nice.

Warm bath is a good idea. A friend said my two door will get a lot of road build-up on the rear metal step unit (right behind the wheels).

The temps here are low @ 50 and high @ 80. We have a cold front due next week and we'll have a few days of low @ 40 and high @ 70. A couple weeks ago, we had a couple nights that reached down to the low 30's. Hoping we have a mild Feb too.

Fishing has been great. Bass are staging pre-spawn on the so-TX lakes.

[dfskinner]

We wash the rear steps after every trip. I've even started spraying the joints down with silicone spray to make sure they don't rust out....

In the next couple of months I'm planning to put mud flaps on our 2809w to guard the rear steps. I've talked with several RV dealerships, taken pic, and looking for the best fit mud flaps now. I'll be sure to document the process.

Originally Posted by rip

Warm bath is a good idea. A friend said my two door will get a lot of road build-up on the rear metal step unit (right behind the wheels).

The temps here are low @ 50 and high @ 80. We have a cold front due next week and we'll have a few days of low @ 40 and high @ 70. A couple weeks ago, we had a couple nights that reached down to the low 30's. Hoping we have a mild Feb too.

Fishing has been great. Bass are staging pre-spawn on the so-TX lakes.

[mackman1994]

All of this talk about ordering a new trailer gets me thinkin!!!!

I have been looking for some time for what I want just can't seem to find the right one.


The main question I have is:

Will you get as good of a bottom dollar deal by ordering as you could buying off of a lot????

[Oaklevel]

I personally think so unless it has been sitting on the lot for a couple years. If you order it you will get what you want not what the dealer likes. THe dealer does not have money tied up long in the ordered ones.

[RodeoGeorge]

In some cases a better deal by ordering, since the dealer is really acting as a pass through and scraping some profit off the top.

The dealer does not have to either "buy" the unit for resale or "floor" (a type of dealer finance) the unit.

Of course, if the unit sits on their lot in either case, they are sometimes more motivated to sell it.

The key is, finding a unit with the options that YOU want, and of course without the option that you either do not want or could live without. I always think of the "Premium Sound" packages that are frequently an option. I'm 70 years old with a nice set of VA hearing aids (24 years in the USMC to thank) and believe me the sound options are not a selling point for ME. LOL

We just ordered our 7th RV, and 5 of the 7 that we've had were custom orders, and some (when we were full timing) with major changes to the standard floor plan. I guess we like the Burger King philosophy, our way.

Dealers, for us, serve a great purpose. Let's us eyeball the various floor plans, colors, options, etc.

RodeoGeorge

[speedcat]

I think you pay a little more when ordering vs. buying a unit on the lot. The dealer is more willing to discount inventory on the lot in order to move it. The difference was not excessive but we think it was worth it as we got exactly what we wanted.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by speedcat

I think you pay a little more when ordering vs. buying a unit on the lot. The dealer is more willing to discount inventory on the lot in order to move it. The difference was not excessive but we think it was worth it as we got exactly what we wanted.

I, for one, think the opposite is true. The very best deals I have worked involved special orders (truck, car, and camper). The dealer's "labor" involved mostly paperwork in the title transfer process.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by herk7769

I, for one, think the opposite is true. The very best deals I have worked involved special orders (truck, car, and camper). The dealer's "labor" involved mostly paperwork in the title transfer process.

I felt the same way as Herk- I literally told one dealer that I couldn't believe he's hold out for $2,500 when he has had next to NO work in the sale (I emailed the exact order to him ahead of time). Same with the truck- I emailed 3 or 4 dealerships with the exact truck I was ordering and let them fight over price. I didn't have to haggle with just one for a truck that they had on their lot.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I felt the same way as Herk- I literally told one dealer that I couldn't believe he's hold out for $2,500 when he has had next to NO work in the sale (I emailed the exact order to him ahead of time). Same with the truck- I emailed 3 or 4 dealerships with the exact truck I was ordering and let them fight over price. I didn't have to haggle with just one for a truck that they had on their lot.

That is exactly why. When you are ordering, everyone is working off the same sheet of music. Dealing with units on the lot EVERY unit is different and every deal is different.

When dealing on ONE unit on the lot you are at a severe disadvantage.

[mackman1994]

Just wondering what you guys thought.

I have been lookin at the Wildcat 344QB.

I for sure want the auto leveling system and they seem to be alittle hard to come by on the lots.

The prices that you see on the net alway vary so much so it is hard to tell what is a good price.

Is financing harder to arrange on an ordered unit??