Do RV Dealers Transfer Units Between Locations Like Car Dealerships?

[parver]

Have a model I am interested in but it’s not available nearby. Do these guys ever do trades? Not a trade in, I am talking a dealer trade. Anyone have experience with this? Camping world in particular. If a camping world 500 miles away has a unit can a local camping world get it?

 

[JWood422]

I’ve been told by Camping World that they will get one from another CW. They’ll want a deposit. It may or may not be refundable. Get the answer in writing. My guy at Blue Compass told me that a deposit for that is fully refundable. Just find out for sure.

 

[rich.p]

A decade ago, my dealer did exactly that when I got my current rig, with my understanding that both he and the other dealer had to build some profit into the deal -- hitting me a bit harder in my price bargaining position.

 

[TitanMike]

RV dealers (other than perhaps Camping World) don't usually have the same system as car dealers. Each are independent and own are financing their inventory independent of a central database.

Car dealers can lookup whatever vehicle you want and find a same or similar one in a database of dealer inventories nationwide for that brand. Also, over the last couple of decades small car dealerships have been bought up by large companies. Dealer I bought my truck from is part of a group that has multiple same dealerships spanning several states. All share the same computer system and inventory database.

Dealer i purchased my trailer from has two locations.

 

[Palinduff]

If they have multiple dealerships. I unfortunately worked at a couple of dealerships for a few seasons and they both had multiple dealerships across the western provinces and they would transfer between dealerships. One of them carried quite a few different brands so there was a lot to choose from.

 

[rich.p]

To clarify, the purchase I described above was between two independent dealers about 25 miles apart.

 

[tomkatb]

Moving the rv 500 miles would cost a bunch. So I bet they would charge for it.

 

[JWood422]

You can always ask them. All we can do is tell you our experiences and speculate.

 

[D W]

My dealer operates on a yearly allocation from the Forest River Plant in Oregon. He only orders what he can sell. He said there's too many pitfalls getting units from other dealers.

 

[Off_we_go]

To answer your question in general: sometimes yes, sometimes no. To answer it specifically, you need to talk to the specific dealers (I know you know that). Not sure why it would matter what other dealers do, other than out of curiosity. If that is the case, we bought a trailer from a dealer who had two lots. He didn't realize that the trailer we wanted was about $1K cheaper at his other lot, so he ended up negotiating against himself. And lost, lol! In that he had one in stock at each lot, we got the one at our lot, at the other lot's lower price. Hope you get what you want, at a good price. Happy shopping!

 

[Robin and Bill]

Have a model I am interested in but it’s not available nearby. Do these guys ever do trades? Not a trade in, I am talking a dealer trade. Anyone have experience with this? Camping world in particular. If a camping world 500 miles away has a unit can a local camping world get it?

Yes, the Camping World we went to in NH got our motorhome from SC. We had to out down a deposit first.

 

[Mschuff]

We drove to a Camping World 100+ miles from home and bought our rig from them. We didn’t finalize the deal that day though because I was getting my own financing but I did make a deposit. When it was time to close the deal they said they would deliver it to our local CW about 10 miles away from me and we signed all the papers there. Turns out the 2 dealerships were familiar with each other and worked together before. I would say it depends. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

 

[Missdenise]

Just this Saturday, Camping World offered to get the camper I was interested in from another CW. They said they would look for it within 200 miles, no charge , no deposit required.

 

[redvalk]

Another similar angle. I bought my current camper from a Camping World dealer....in Iowa. I live....in Alabama. They offered a trade in price....and told me to take my old camper to the closet Camping World in Calera Alabama....some 70 miles away. That's where the deal almost went South. Turns out the "local " Camping World in Calera was going to keep the old camper for resale....so of course, they needed a trade in figure that would turn a good profit for them to make it worth their while. Turns out the offer the Iowa selling dealer offered...wouldn't work for the Calera dealer.

In the end, to make up the difference from the amount the local dealer offered, the Iowa dealer threw in a half price Good Sam 5 year extended warranty. Don't usually take extended warranties....but did in this case. And I've used it three times in the less than 3 years I've had the new unit.

Cost over 1500 to ship from Iowa to Alabama. Still saved over 4k....verses what any dealer in the tri state area wanted for the camper I wanted.

 

[Kimberly_25]

Hello, We attempted to do this last fall. Ready to purchase a used travel trailer at Camping World in Council Bluffs, IA. Looked online to do price comparisons and found a much newer, used model, at Camping World in Owatonna, MN for the same price. The CB store could have it transferred to their store, but shipping would run over $500. We opted to drive 300 miles and purchase directly. Side note, the MN store did honor the trade offer made by the CB store.