When to buy

[RobinM]

We are looking to buy our first RV. We are considering the 2501. Living in Michigan, it’s unlikely that we’d be able to get out in it before spring. We had almost decided that waiting until spring would be smart so that we didn’t have to concern ourselves with winterizing and storage.

Any insights about two things:
1. Is there much difference in price between fall and spring?
2. Is there an advantage to purchasing now, get out for a short trip or two and have any issues taken care of over the winter?

Thanks!

[frank4711]

Not sure about fall vs spring ... we bought wholesale from RVone national sales with good savings ... camper was delivered to dealer in Tampa and they did PDI and will handle any issues ... many on here have bought from RV Wholesalers and WANA with good luck ... there are good savings and you have time to order what you want and have it here for spring ... any I listed will do build sheets so you can compare prices ... Frank

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by RobinM

We are looking to buy our first RV. We are considering the 2501. Living in Michigan, it’s unlikely that we’d be able to get out in it before spring. We had almost decided that waiting until spring would be smart so that we didn’t have to concern ourselves with winterizing and storage.

Any insights about two things:
1. Is there much difference in price between fall and spring?
2. Is there an advantage to purchasing now, get out for a short trip or two and have any issues taken care of over the winter?

Thanks!

IMHO, Fall prices are much cheaper than if you buy in the high season of Spring. Dealers have plenty of customers in the Spring and don't have to deal, ESPECIALLY on RVs that are ordered.
During Fall, dealers want to get rid of old stock, to make room for the new year models that come out in Spring.

[Oldbears]

Keep your eyes peeled for end of season deals. Sometimes dealerships are eager to clear out to make way for the next year's models.

We purchased our most recent camper in Michigan as we found it to be $3,000- $5,000 cheaper than the same model in our local area. Seems the closer to Indiana manufacturing the cheaper RVs seem to be. ?

Winterizing is a simple task. As far as storage, that depends on your own situation... If you are able to store it at home then great. But if you have a need to pay for storage, then you can compare your potential savings with an Autumn purchase to what you'll have to shell out in storage costs over Winter.

[frank4711]

Starting to see ads on my pages "end of season deals"

[A2pfunk]

Hi there,
I am also in Michigan. If you plan to buy in spring, then I would suggest you be patient and look for last year's models. Otherwise, I think (as others have pointed out), dealers will be less likely to bargain when everybody is trying to buy. We were planning on buying in the off season, but we happened to find our camper for sale at a dealer in Warren (about 45-60 mins away) in July and it was a steal since it was a last year's model and the dealer wanted to get rid of it. I called and gave what I thought was a lowball offer and they accepted without blinking. I wish I had offered a little less! I highly recommend cruising RVTrader.com and not looking with just one dealership. And for the love of all that is holy, I would recommend you steer clear of General RV.

As far as winterizing, it takes about 45 minutes and a few gallons of antifreeze. If you can operate Youtube, you can do it. Storage... depends on your situation. I lucked into a great deal on indoor storage, but I could also store it at the house if I had to. Worst case, expensive storage is TOPS $80 a month in SE Michigan. So, is that price prohibitive if you get a good deal now?

Good luck, and enjoy the new camper. Michigan has a ton of great places to camp!

[dward51]

The other argument for late winter or early spring is they will be good discounts on the 2020 models left in stock (2021's should be out). Around here, last year's model will get you a great discount even though it is still a new trailer. Depending on model, there may not really be much difference in floor plans or options, but you will be limited to dealer stock on hand (no ordering the fabric, interior colors you want or any factory options, but a lot of "options" can be dealer of owner installed).

It's sort of a toss up on late fall, December end of year (before inventory and taxes) or wait until late winter for the clearance on existing inventory IMO.

Also if you are not dead set on buying new, a lot of owners are trying to sell their last year or two model as they are also upgrading during this same time period. You can find decent for sale by owner deals sometimes, but be very careful on craigslist and similar. We bought our 2015 for $3,500 under low trade in book value because the prior owner had already bought their new larger trailer and were making 2 payments. They needed it gone.