How far would you go?

[hshan]

We sold our high wall pup today, so we are free to buy an aframe (yay!)
Only problem is there aren't any for sale at dealerships in my city. The closest is three hours away and the second closest is eight hours away.
How far would you drive to purchase an aframe? What are the cons of not buying locally (not that it's really an option)?

[CJofWolfcreek]

If we're talking a new A-frame, the top con would be warranty work being 3-8 hours away.

[handbuilder]

I was willing to drive 8 hrs and found a dealer within 3 hrs. If the price is right, and the drive is doable, why not? If your unit needs >warranty< work, per FR, you can get it repaired at any authorized FR service center. If it needs work other than warranty stuff, you'll pay out of pocket anyway.

[rana]

No chance you can go look to decide what you want then special order though a local dealer?

[raspivey]

That's what I'd do...both of mine were ordered that way. It doesn't cost any more to order one although some dealers may try to push what's on the lot. It took almost a year to find our current floor plan on someone's lot so we could actually poke around and make sure it's what we wanted but, after that, went down to the local dealer and told him what we wanted in what colors and it was done.

[rana]

One point to consider... just because a dealer is an authorized FR dealer does not necessarily mean they will do warranty repairs for you if it was not purchased from them. It's probably not a big issue with most FR dealers, but it's also not that terribly uncommon for a dealer to refuse warranty work. When purchasing from a distance, it's always a good idea to check with you local dealer to ensure they are willing to take on any warranty work for your rig.

[Pooneil]

Presumably, you've checked both the Rockwood and Flagstaff dealers. If they carry other campers from the FR popup division they can probably order the A-Frame you want. If they don't carry popups, check that they can actually order them.

As others have mentioned, before you buy from a distant dealer, make sure the local dealer can and will do warranty work on campers they do not sell. If they don't sell popups/A-Frames, they may be unwilling to work on them. FR can not force them too accept work.

Also if you buy from a distance, make sure the sellers service department is open on Saturday. For me, three hours one way would be a pain but livable if necessary. Eight hours away would mean an over night and would not be an option for me.

[hshan]

All very good points. I would definitely prefer to have warranty work done locally.

I spoke with a salesman at one dealership and he said they will probably get a few with their spring shipment, but it would cost a couple of thousand $$ to have one shipped to them by itself.
There's an RV show here next weekend, so we're going to go chat with all the local Rockwood/Flagstaff dealers to see what we can figure out.

[KDHfan]

Originally Posted by hshan

All very good points. I would definitely prefer to have warranty work done locally.

I spoke with a salesman at one dealership and he said they will probably get a few with their spring shipment, but it would cost a couple of thousand $$ to have one shipped to them by itself.
There's an RV show here next weekend, so we're going to go chat with all the local Rockwood/Flagstaff dealers to see what we can figure out.

I'd be skeptical of a dealer that said "probably get a few"... It should take him a matter of a couple minutes to see exactly what they have on order. And if they will get a few, and it hasn't hit production yet, they should be able to add any options you might want. Sounds like a lazy salesperson or a bad dealer.


2015 Coachmen Apex 288BHS
2014 Toyota Tundra 5.7L CrewMax

Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

[hshan]

I agree. We weren't impressed with either the salesman or the dealership. Unfortunately, they seem to be the only one in town that carries Rockwood pop ups/aframes :-(

[rana]

Originally Posted by hshan

it would cost a couple of thousand $$ to have one shipped to them by itself.

That's a load of bunk! Shipping costs for them wouldn't be any different than any other unit they have in stock and already calculated into the price. I would talk to a different salesperson, the owner, or just move on to a different dealer altogether.

Sounds like this one is trying to push you into an in stock purchase. For them, turn-over is key. If they won't give you what you want.. walk on, brother.

[davido_]

Originally Posted by KDHfan

I'd be skeptical of a dealer that said "probably get a few"... It should take him a matter of a couple minutes to see exactly what they have on order.

I experienced that same load of $#@^% from Parris RV in Salt Lake City. We saw a model we liked on their lot, but after doing our due diligence in research, we went back to find that it had sold. We were told that an upcoming shipment would have another on it, and that the shipment should be in within a few days. After three weeks of this, we pressed them to take a cash deposit so that we would have more leverage when calling in. It still took a few more weeks.

Each time we called we were told the same thing; it didn't come in on today's shipment, but should be here anytime.... it's on a truck... it's this, it's that.

For ten years I was a buyer for a chain of hundreds of stores. I purchased product to drive 50 million in annual sales within my product specialty. If I was asked when a $20 item would arrive, I could come up with an accurate answer within an hour, sometimes within a minute. The only reason a dealership would have difficulty telling when an item is scheduled to arrive is if they are unwilling to pick up the phone a couple of times. Every purchase has a purchase order. Every purchase order can be tracked. Once an item ships, there's a shipping manifest, and the shipper has an ETA. Once product is on the road, ETA's can shift by a few days due to weather or routing needs, but not by weeks. And if it's a matter of vendor back-order, manufacturers always know when their next production run will be. Back-orders still have time-frames.

One lesson we learned as buyers was to never trust what vendors (manufacturers) tell us, only trust what they can show us. So if the status is "back ordered two months", we would request a copy of the manufacturer's internal production schedule showing that product. If the answer was "It's on a truck", we would request the shipping manifest showing the item, and showing the trailer number so that we could contact the trucking company and ask them. We had to do this, because it is terrible customer service to advertise a product that doesn't show up in time for the ad. And it's terrible business to let a new product arrive and sit around for weeks before advertising it. Timing was everything, and there was always a way to find out.

So you'll have to excuse my frustration when a dealer tells me it's on a truck and will arrive in a few days, and that turns into well over a month in reality. It means the dealer never bothered to actually check.

[tomrob1161]

The problem when buying from the local dealer is, when you need service, they are going to put you at the bottom of the pile and take care of the customers that bought from them first. Most dealers will service a traveling customer, one that is on the road, passing through, and get them back on the road quick. But, if you are local and didn't buy the rig from them, they don't have to take care of you. You will notice on the Forest river website, they say, Buy Local.

[Jim in Halifax]

The reps from FR are usually there...talk to them.....J

[KDHfan]

Originally Posted by Yarome

That's a load of bunk! Shipping costs for them wouldn't be any different than any other unit they have in stock and already calculated into the price. I would talk to a different salesperson, the owner, or just move on to a different dealer altogether.

Sounds like this one is trying to push you into an in stock purchase. For them, turn-over is key. If they won't give you what you want.. walk on, brother.

Right... As a matter of fact, when I purchased my Rockwood, they actually didn't want to sell me the one on the lot because it was their last one of a popular model. We customized our camper top to bottom for the exact same price as the one sitting on the lot.


2015 Coachmen Apex 288BHS
2014 Toyota Tundra 5.7L CrewMax

Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

[geotex1]

Originally Posted by Yarome

That's a load of bunk! Shipping costs for them wouldn't be any different than any other unit they have in stock and already calculated into the price. I would talk to a different salesperson, the owner, or just move on to a different dealer altogether.

Sounds like this one is trying to push you into an in stock purchase. For them, turn-over is key. If they won't give you what you want.. walk on, brother.

Being that a close friend is a PUP/A-frame dealer, I can tell you that you are incorrect. PUPs and A-frames are delivered by trailer and not towed out to dealership individually like TTs and 5ers. So the dealers prefer to pay for a full load (usually 3 to 5 units depending) and divide that transport cost across the multiple units in the single load. If they have to get a single unit shipped, the full price of transport hits the one unit.

Aside from that, OP DW and I wouldn't hesitate working with dealers within about an 8-hour drive, and that's what we did last year buying our new camper. Given the limited span of warranty versus expected ownership, and because I do all my own maintenance and repairs after warranty, that's acceptable to us. We ultimately found our perfect camper 5.5 hours from home.

Good luck and happy camping!

[mustardbucket107]

We drove about 10hrs one way to pick up our 5r, but it was about 16k cheaper than the local stealer which was still 3hrs one way

Sent from my SM-N910V

[00buck]

Service from dealerships is really spotty, and mostly bad in my experience. I'd make a trip to save money on a new unit and wouldn't worry about warranty work. I saved about $3500 on the price of my 21FRBS, plus got $15k more for my trade (a really nice motorhome) than I was offered locally. On the other hand, after two worthless five hundred mile trips, I will never make the drive to look at another "mint condition" used unit.


Edit: it was about a 6 hour drive one way for the 21 FBRS.

[D-mo]

for only an Aframe ... which is about 11 grand ... i would drive only 2.5 .. and yes warranty is an issue .. so you may take it back for service.

now .. if im buying a 45 grand 5th wheel .. yea .. i would go and do the drive for 10hrs to get that discount ... its all a matter of how much you want to do.

Starcraft and others have come up with the same designs for Aframes .. im sure you can find one locally ...and save yourself a bucket load of headaches.

d-mo

[RedLdr1]

Originally Posted by hshan

I spoke with a salesman at one dealership and he said they will probably get a few with their spring shipment, but it would cost a couple of thousand $$ to have one shipped to them by itself.

When I ordered my T21QBHW back in December my local dealer quoted me a shipping price of $450 if it didn't get it shipped with a scheduled "full load" delivery. That "couple thousand $$" shipping quote you recieved is ridiculous.... If a dealer does business like that it is time to keep looking around!