What did you get with your new RV?

71C10SWB · 03-20-2023, 08:43 AM

We just picked up our 2023 Flagstaff over the weekend and I realized that compared to the camper we purchased in 2016, they don't appear to give you many "essentials" like they used to. Are others seeing this or did my dealership just short me of some stuff.
In particular, we did not get a 50 to 30 amp adapter or a 30 amp to 110 adapter. We also did not receive a sewer hose or a fresh water hose.
Is this typical on new campers? I've heard that since Covid, some perks were cut.

K_M_H · 03-20-2023, 08:52 AM

We got absolutely nothing, but it could be that I didn't try hard enough to get them to throw stuff in.

I think it was in the neighborhood of another $1800 to get all of the necessities.

Since then, we've heard stories of people negotiating an extra battery, or other little things like that out of the dealer, but that all happens when you sit down at the sales table.

I think at the walkthrough the service manager threw in a couple black tank packets, but that was about it.

"We're still making it our own" and now that the factory warranty's up, we're making some of the upgrades we were waiting for that would have voided it had we done it then.

There are places where you can skimp, and places where you can't. One of the things we did for the first year was getting a Good Sam membership, just so we could buy discounted stuff from Camping World (they're close to us).
Things not to skimp on:

Dump Hoses
Water Filters
Electrical Adapters
Surge Protector (When we bought ours, it was around $200)

shopping.google.com was our friend when trying to find things, and comparing between them, amazon.com and camping world.

PopFla · 03-20-2023, 08:56 AM

When we bought our first motorhome (a used 2016 Coachmen) it came with a "starter pack" - sewer hose, water hose, 30amp to 50amp dogbone, 30amp to 15amp dogbone, toilet chemicals, 4-pack of TP, and a few little things like a bubble level,cap with dealer logo, etc. Everything brand new.

Fast forward 5 years - - same dealership, a used 2018 Georgetown, roughly twice as expensive as the Coachmen - - Nada, zip, zilch, goose egg, nuttin!

5picker · 03-20-2023, 08:58 AM

The "perks" you mention are things furnished by the dealership not the factory. They don't "come" with a new unit.

I've bought R/Vs where they "gave" you nothing and some "gave" you many of the things you mentioned and more. But alas, nothing is free. Many build in the price of those perks into the sales price and many of the perks are so cheap I wouldn't want them anyway.

What did the dealer say when you asked about them?

71C10SWB · 03-20-2023, 09:00 AM

Thanks guys! Kind of what I figured. Yeah, we got a starter pack back in 2018 on our used 2016. Thanks for the feedback!

grege · 03-20-2023, 09:05 AM

I'm on my 4th camper and have never gotten anything with them. Even if I did I would imagine it would be very low quality stuff.

**Mr. Dan** · 03-20-2023, 09:19 AM

I received a $50 credit at the dealership’s parts store. It was worth about $20!

**bikendan** · 03-20-2023, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5picker

The "perks" you mention are things furnished by the dealership not the factory. They don't "come" with a new unit.

I've bought R/Vs where they "gave" you nothing and some "gave" you many of the things you mentioned and more. But alas, nothing is free. Many build in the price of those perks into the sales price and many of the perks are so cheap I wouldn't want them anyway.

What did the dealer say when you asked about them?

This!
These so-called perks are provided by some dealers, not the manufacturer.
When I bought my new RVs, the dealers didn't give me any "perks", probably because I got them at rock bottom prices and didn't finance them.

BaldIAGuy · 03-20-2023, 09:53 AM

Brand new camper, and all we got was a $25 gift card for the service department with our purchase. We added $17 to it and got a 25' fresh water hose & a water pressure regulator.

BehindBars · 03-20-2023, 10:01 AM

Back in 2019, I got a quote for a Dynamax motorhome from a Goshen, Indiana dealer. They included a “starter pack” of accessories, at a charge of something like $400. I said I didn’t want it. They said it was mandatory. I didn’t buy an RV from them.

I bought a different motorhome from a different dealer and received no accessories, which was fine because I already had everything I needed.

Getting the RV we wanted for the best price was the main goal, not so much for any added fluff.

Bob K4TAX · 03-20-2023, 10:13 AM

There is no free ride. Everything costs something and that cost is in the purchase price, one way or another.

In an effort for companies and Dealers to keep prices down and competitive, certain "goodies" have to be eliminated. A dollar here and a dollar there quickly add up to $500 to $1500.

Remember when cars had full-size spare tires? Now look at the little knot one is supplied as a spare tire.

Bob

Nick Danger · 03-20-2023, 10:21 AM

My mother loved to tell me - "Everything costs something! We're just trying to figure our who's going to pay for it."

**Iwritecode** · 03-20-2023, 10:27 AM

The first and only time we bought a new RV from an actual dealership it was our 4th RV and we already had everything we needed.

I think we got a $50 or $100 (I don't honestly remember) gift certificate to use in their store.

We bought a set of awning lights with it.

billcrews81 · 03-20-2023, 10:28 AM

Back in the early 2000's All three campers i bought were supplied with all the necessities to start. I'm sure they added a little here and there to cover it. the last class C In 2020, they put in a 1/4 tank of gas and said see ya.

Oaklevel · 03-20-2023, 10:30 AM

The last Rv in 2017 we got no extras as we did not want the cheap starter kit.

The 2 RVs before that we got a starter kit valued at $75 that went straight in the trash. The reason that I know they were valued at $75 was they sat on the dealers shelf priced at that. That was 2007 and 2012

Boomerweps · 03-20-2023, 10:47 AM

The starter kit, if supplied, is the bare minimum to connect at a full hook up site for your RV. Nothing more. You expect electrical adapters?

dtromp24 · 03-20-2023, 10:50 AM

Just a 30 amp cord and a $25 gift certificate. Plus full gasoline and LP tanks.

jbflag21ds · 03-20-2023, 11:06 AM

In 2020 when I bought my trailer the dealer threw in a 5 gallon bucket with a cheap 10ft sewer hose, short white water hose, some wax-n-wax and a wash glove, and a basic 30A-15A adapter

Reverse_snowbird · 03-20-2023, 11:39 AM

When we bought our trailer in 2010, we got the starter kit with stuff like tank treatment.
When we bought our mh in 2015, we got a very large 'repair kit' with wrenches, etc. and a large sticker on the front that advertised the dealership.

Today, we'd probably get nothing. Since we already have what we need, that would be ok.

AlaskaErik · 03-20-2023, 12:36 PM

Those cheap starter kits in the past were total junk. Even when I got my first trailer I could tell that the clamp-on sewer hose was total garbage. With the trailer I bought last year there was some cheap toilet paper and that was it. But I already had all the good quality higher end items I need, so I didn't get a bunch of junk that I would just get rid of anyway.

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