RV Wholesalers

[ddurnell]

BandJCarm, interesting question. We are a franchise without a written agreement with any manufacturer. However, let's say I violate the MAP rule (minimum advertised price) they will take away my discounts. Quickly then I cannot compete with the other dealers. They can also of course refuse to sell me more units. So I can show pricing, but I will lose my discounts and also they can refuse to sell me more units. So, yes, I am authorized to sell their rv's but no written agreements exist. Does that make sense?

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

You say 'dictated by the factories'.

Are you a Franchisee for these companies??

And when you say "Not show pricing", does that include MSRP? Does it mean not showing your potential discount? Who says you cannot show the prices, exactly? And why?

I'm not sure how RVs work, but I can tell you how it worked in the car audio business I used to be in. Say a particular subwoofer retailed at $149. MAP might be $129. Wholesale might be, say $82. So I could actually sell that sub at whatever price I wanted to. But I could not publish a price in any way below the $129. I could quote a cheaper price directly to an individual. If I did advertise for less I would have the line pulled from me and could no longer get the products. If RVs are similar, this is why you can request a quote and get a lower price- it's direct communication to the consumer- but you couldn't post that directly on the website. I've also seen products where I have to add it to my cart to see a sale price- same concept, I would assume.

[BandJCarm]

Thanks for replying. I have discussed this with some factory management folks, and it is admittedly a bit over my head........I've been an employee but I haven't run a business ever.

But I understand that no dealer in the RV business is a Franchisee per se. They have agreements but they are not bound to same rules as, say, a KFC outlet is, or a Car dealership. Some C-stores and Gas Stations are like that, though they normally carry the corporate name (Shell, Exxon, Etc). But they are independently owned and can charge whatever they want to charge.

I just saw your website for the first time.....you don't carry Cedar Creek so I did not peruse it when I bought. It seems you show no prices, but you agree to send the individual the price if specifically asked. Couch's and others show the MSRP, and a fairly meaningless lower price, and then do same as you and say "to see the REAL price, email us".

I will admit, like Captain John, that if I can't see some kind of idea on pricing online, I just move along. I can't compare the bazillion dealers on service, I have no clue and don't live there anyway. So I have to compare on price at least to begin with. If you don't show me some kind of pricing, I'm outta there. That's just me.

It's not just RV's. It's automobiles also. I shop online for trucks to start with, and if I have no idea at all what the price point starts at, I'm in the dark. And I can be in the dark without bothering to click on that website.

Just me. I am probably different...........

[Cowracer]

Originally Posted by ddurnell

BandJCarm, interesting question. We are a franchise without a written agreement with any manufacturer. However, let's say I violate the MAP rule (minimum advertised price) they will take away my discounts. Quickly then I cannot compete with the other dealers. They can also of course refuse to sell me more units. So I can show pricing, but I will lose my discounts and also they can refuse to sell me more units. So, yes, I am authorized to sell their rv's but no written agreements exist. Does that make sense?

Now... If someone can do a little math with your "payments as low as.." number, you cant help it, right? That's what I did when I was shopping for my Roo. It gave me a good "ballpark" figure.

Tim

[itat]

Originally Posted by Cowracer

Now... If someone can do a little math with your "payments as low as.." number, you cant help it, right? That's what I did when I was shopping for my Roo. It gave me a good "ballpark" figure.

Tim

I asked a local RV dealer what their posted bi-weekly payments were based on. He said MSRP for a 20 year term!!! So a $45,000 RV will cost you $135,000.

[wicked1]

Originally Posted by itat

I asked a local RV dealer what their posted bi-weekly payments were based on. He said MSRP for a 20 year term!!! So a $45,000 RV will cost you $135,000.

That all make money on the financing no matter what they tell you, so do Auto dealers.

If I were to save $4,000 on a RV and the cost of the loan was like $1,000 with the interest for 12 months I am still saving, but I won't agree to keep a loan more than that, then it is a scam.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by itat

I asked a local RV dealer what their posted bi-weekly payments were based on. He said MSRP for a 20 year term!!! So a $45,000 RV will cost you $135,000.

Only if you make the minimum payments. It's not a horrible idea to get a longer loan to get a lower payment and interest rate and then just pay double every month or whatever you can afford. Then that 20-year loan is paid off in 10 years.

Plus you have the flexibility to make that "lower" payment if needed. Although it does take some discipline to make sure you put that extra in each month. It's easy to fall into the cycle of only making the minimum payment with the plan to catch up later.

[wicked1]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

Only if you make the minimum payments. It's not a horrible idea to get a longer loan to get a lower payment and interest rate and then just pay double every month or whatever you can afford. Then that 20-year loan is paid off in 10 years.

Plus you have the flexibility to make that "lower" payment if needed. Although it does take some discipline to make sure you put that extra in each month. It's easy to fall into the cycle of only making the minimum payment with the plan to catch up later.

But for the most part these loans are often at a higher rate then say a car loan bc it is a luxury item, and if you take a loan it will take a while for you to pay down the portion of the RV that depreciates the quickest Say 20-25% on the first 2 years. It is not a bad idea to take a loan on these just I won't do it if I can't afford the rate and terms @ 60 months or less

[itat]

Interest rates at RV dealers here are not as low as from car manufacturers. To get the lowest rate up here in Ontario, Canada, you need to get a home equity line of credit on your home and arrange for a fixed repayment schedule at a fixed interest rate. You can get an interest rate of under 3%. I don't know what kind of interest rate RV Wholesalers offers or the terms of early repayment but I wouldn't want a loan that I can't pay off within 60 months.

[Cowracer]

Originally Posted by itat

I asked a local RV dealer what their posted bi-weekly payments were based on. He said MSRP for a 20 year term!!! So a $45,000 RV will cost you $135,000.

possibly... but if you know the APR, the payments, and length, there are any number of calculators online that will give you the amount financed. It's called "reverse engineering" and it ain't just for the Chinese

Tim

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by itat

Interest rates at RV dealers here are not as low as from car manufacturers. To get the lowest rate up here in Ontario, Canada, you need to get a home equity line of credit on your home and arrange for a fixed repayment schedule at a fixed interest rate. You can get an interest rate of under 3%. I don't know what kind of interest rate RV Wholesalers offers or the terms of early repayment but I wouldn't want a loan that I can't pay off within 60 months.

Here you can get a rate in the high 2%'s to mid 3% range easily @ 60 months. The best place to get the best rate is when a bank has a booth setup at one of the winter RV shows. I am not a big fan of "RV show special pricing" and have found I can beat those show prices consistently. someone pays for that floor space, its not the dealer. To be clear I had the deal on the Roo way before the RV show, just picked up on the financing there.

I walked out of the Pittsburgh show approved by the sponsoring bank at a rate lower than the dealer had already confirmed. When we finally took delivery 3 months later I informed the dealer I was bringing my own financing to the table and they instantly matched the rate. In hindsight I should of told them it was another point or half point lower, and I bet they would of matched that too.

[wicked1]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

Here you can get a rate in the high 2%'s to mid 3% range easily @ 60 months. The best place to get the best rate is when a bank has a booth setup at one of the winter RV shows. I am not a big fan of "RV show special pricing" and have found I can beat those show prices consistently. someone pays for that floor space, its not the dealer. To be clear I had the deal on the Roo way before the RV show, just picked up on the financing there.

I walked out of the Pittsburgh show approved by the sponsoring bank at a rate lower than the dealer had already confirmed. When we finally took delivery 3 months later I informed the dealer I was bringing my own financing to the table and they instantly matched the rate. In hindsight I should of told them it was another point or half point lower, and I bet they would of matched that too.

The key is research and negotiate, also don't settle unless your sure it is the best deal you can get. So far my credit union has outbeat any other bank even Ford when I bought my 2016 F350 PS. Also I really only have two credit cards and my truck loan all thru them so much easier to deal with one bank especially that they consistently match or beat other banks. The only dealer I have dealt with on financing was more than 3% but I really never did more research and did not buy from them as I always pay Cash.

[Cowracer]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

Here you can get a rate in the high 2%'s to mid 3% range easily @ 60 months. The best place to get the best rate is when a bank has a booth setup at one of the winter RV shows. I am not a big fan of "RV show special pricing" and have found I can beat those show prices consistently. someone pays for that floor space, its not the dealer. To be clear I had the deal on the Roo way before the RV show, just picked up on the financing there.

I walked out of the Pittsburgh show approved by the sponsoring bank at a rate lower than the dealer had already confirmed. When we finally took delivery 3 months later I informed the dealer I was bringing my own financing to the table and they instantly matched the rate. In hindsight I should of told them it was another point or half point lower, and I bet they would of matched that too.

Usually my credit union cannot be beat for rates. But we had to finance about 45% of the new Rockwood and the best they would go was 4.9%. The dealer asked if he could try to beat that, and came back from another local CU with 2.9% Guess who got my business?

Slightly O.T. but years ago, I made a total wreck of my credit. No bankruptcies or repos, but still, my FICO was in the mid 400's. When we would try to get a loan for a car, we were happy if anyone approved us. I found a forum called Credit Boards and I read and learned. We started turning our credit around, and it took years, but now I am mid 700's and I can call the CU and get approved before I hang up the phone. And that feels GOOD!

One thing that impacts your score is inquires. Too many inquiries will definitely drop your score. But shopping a loan to different institutions does not. As long as they are pretty much the same amount, and within a few days to a week of each other, the FICO scores that as only one inquiry. So go ahead and shop your loan. It doesn't hurt and you might get surprised like I did.

Now, of course... If you put in for a loan in March, and then change your mind and put in for it again in May, that will definitely hammer your FICO score. And tell your College age kids that the booth on the campus where they are giving away free hats or subway sandwiches or whatever for applying for a credit card is pure evil. I told my boys, if they need a sandwich or a hat that bad, I will buy it for them.

Tim

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by Cowracer

Usually my credit union cannot be beat for rates. But we had to finance about 45% of the new Rockwood and the best they would go was 4.9%.

That's actually pretty good when compared to the credit union we belong to. At ours the rate for new RV's is 8% with a max term of 120, and for used RV's 10%. I was on the board of directors for a year about 20 years ago. Boat loans were the highest risk offering by a long shot, closely followed by RV's, and I assume that's still the case.

[garybeau]

I just ordered a rockwood mini lite 2507s last Friday.Only two dealers in Phoenix sell that model and one was after a show at the local spring training parking lot. At their show price, I will save over $4000 by buying at RVW and that includes the .5% increase in interest that I'm paying them for financing and I allowed $2000 for transport. It's looking like it will cost me about $3000 to get a good transporter so we will probably go pick it up ourselves and save even more money. Even at the $3000 for shipping, we would still save over $3000 compared to the "SHOW" price that the local dealer had. Based on many on this site who have used them , I'm not worried about warranty issues.

[wicked1]

Originally Posted by garybeau

I just ordered a rockwood mini lite 2507s last Friday.Only two dealers in Phoenix sell that model and one was after a show at the local spring training parking lot. At their show price, I will save over $4000 by buying at RVW and that includes the .5% increase in interest that I'm paying them for financing and I allowed $2000 for transport. It's looking like it will cost me about $3000 to get a good transporter so we will probably go pick it up ourselves and save even more money. Even at the $3000 for shipping, we would still save over $3000 compared to the "SHOW" price that the local dealer had. Based on many on this site who have used them , I'm not worried about warranty issues.

I think they big key with RVW is you save big upfront, even if you buy local you never save that much and the dealer you bought it from still always has some excuse for warranty work.

I highly doubt I would go new again but if I did would use them.

Just asked another CW dealer for a quote not only is their price $2K higher then RVW, CW unit has less options and they hit me with $2K in fees that makes no sense