Flagstaff\Rockwood List Price vs Reasonable offer

[Gottaluvlife]

Ha ha great idea. How do they lock you into the year for the loan? They played that game when I bought my 2015 F150 They gave incentives for getting a loan but I wanted to pay cash. They told me you can't pay the loan off in a certain amount of time. I paid it off the next month and never heard a peep about it. Pretty sure I signed something about it also. That was a long time ago.

So you got a loan for the full amount at first? Do they let you put anything down to get there deal? Also after paying 95% of it they changed the min payment amount? What if you paid most of it and like left just a 1000 bucks or less on there loan?

Sounds like a fun game to play back on them...

I also do not like borrowing money for anything.

Thanks for the ideas...

We do not like to have loans and pay interest, but it was worth it in this case. We put down $1k, trade-in of $13k. Loan interest was like 7% (we hv excellent credit & this was 2019 pre-covid) but i knew we would pay off leaving just barely enough to keep to the one year agreement.
FYI..bought a 2021 Subaru 0 % interest..I have to keep myself from paying it off earlier

 

[Chuck_S]

RVWholesalers is located at Lakeview, Ohio, and the lake it views is Indian Lake which passes for a "resort area" in that part of the country. Just search for Indian Lake campgrounds and a dozen will show up. The state park campgrounds is open all-year albeit with reduced facilities during the winter.

-- Chuck

 

[sdp1234]

I appreciate all the input and transparency. I need to learn financing and how it impacts the price and the dealer profit. I'm ok with them making more profit but I don't want it to be at my expense

 

[kendive]

We do not like to have loans and pay interest, but it was worth it in this case. We put down $1k, trade-in of $13k. Loan interest was like 7% (we hv excellent credit & this was 2019 pre-covid) but i knew we would pay off leaving just barely enough to keep to the one year agreement.
FYI..bought a 2021 Subaru 0 % interest..I have to keep myself from paying it off earlier ��

Thanks for the info. We are the same way. If I had a 0 percent interest loan I would pay it off because it still bothers me to have a loan at all.

I wonder what the fine print said about if you paid the RV loan before one year.

 

[Gottaluvlife]

Thanks for the info. We are the same way. If I had a 0 percent interest loan I would pay it off because it still bothers me to have a loan at all.

I wonder what the fine print said about if you paid the RV loan before one year.

we signed that we would owe them the amount of the discount (4k) It was their financing so we assumed they would know if it was paid in full prior..
Not sure in realty if they would have come after us though. We like dealing with them as this was our second time & we did same thing first time couple years prior.

 

[corn18]

Thanks for the info. We are the same way. If I had a 0 percent interest loan I would pay it off because it still bothers me to have a loan at all.

I wonder what the fine print said about if you paid the RV loan before one year.

I have a 30 year fixed rate mortgage @ 2.25% with 27 years left. No way I pay that off.

 

[chriscowles]

Thanks for the info. We are the same way. If I had a 0 percent interest loan I would pay it off because it still bothers me to have a loan at all.

I wonder what the fine print said about if you paid the RV loan before one year.

The fine print at RV Wholesalers isn't fine print. They're very up front about it. They're passing the bank kickback commission on to you so they can make the sale.

If you pay it back early, the bank claws back the commission and RV Wholesalers charges it to the credit card they require you to have on file. You sign an acknowledgement to that effect.

That doesn't mean you can't pay it down. I got the longest loan term available, to get the smallest possible payment. I borrowed enough to get the lowest interest rate. (Lower principals didn't qualify for the best rates.)

When the loan and title transfer was settled and the loan account was accessible online, I paid off most of it. I calculated how much principal to leave so the 12th payment would be the last. That met the condition that I not pay it off before 1 year. The bank didn't claw back the kickback and I got to keep the ~$4K discount.

Having arranged the longest possible term resulted in the smallest possible remaining balance after I paid it down and left a total of 12 payments. The paltry amount of interest I paid on the remainder was FAR less than the discount on the sale. The entire deal, with discount, was FAR better than anything offered by any other dealer.

Debt is a financial tool that, when used wisely, can be very advantageous. I didn't care that I owed somebody some money. I already had the cash on hand to pay it back. The bank wasn't taking advantage of me, I was taking advantage of them.

 

[chriscowles]

I appreciate all the input and transparency. I need to learn financing and how it impacts the price and the dealer profit. I'm ok with them making more profit but I don't want it to be at my expense

Dealers get a kickback from the bank if you finance through them. Most don't mention it. They take it into account when making the sale, I'm sure, but only RV Wholesalers is so transparent in applying it as a discount, in my experience.

If not loathe to take a loan, inquire with each dealer whether financing through them affects the price. Prearrange a loan with your local credit union or other cheap lender so you know what market rates are available to you, before considering the dealer's loan.

 

[kendive]

I have a 30 year fixed rate mortgage @ 2.25% with 27 years left. No way I pay that off.

You might call me crazy but we have two homes paid off ones a rental and the one we live in had a rate like that with Navy Federal and I still paid the house off.

Everybody has different outlooks on it. Dave Ramsey says be dept free LOL

I listen to alot of podcasts and all like talking real money also on bogleheads. Most will tell you to pay the loan off. But everyone has different situation. I still invest in tons in ETF's and enjoying the over 5% return rates on Money Markets and CD's

At the end of the day I still think I made a good decision to get rid of the NFCU mortgage.

 

[corn18]

You might call me crazy but we have two homes paid off ones a rental and the one we live in had a rate like that with Navy Federal and I still paid the house off.

Everybody has different outlooks on it. Dave Ramsey says be dept free LOL

I listen to alot of podcasts and all like talking real money also on bogleheads. Most will tell you to pay the loan off. But everyone has different situation. I still invest in tons in ETF's and enjoying the over 5% return rates on Money Markets and CD's

At the end of the day I still think I made a good decision to get rid of the NFCU mortgage.

I have the cash available to payoff the mortgage. But it is earning 5.1% in rolling CD's right now. The arbitrage between 2.25% and 5.1% is enough to cover my P&I. So I effectively have no mortgage.

 

[kendive]

I have the cash available to payoff the mortgage. But it is earning 5.1% in rolling CD's right now. The arbitrage between 2.25% and 5.1% is enough to cover my P&I. So I effectively have no mortgage.

Yes it's great the CD's and Money Markets are doing so well right now.

 

[sarz272000]

Careful with units in stock. Dealers tend to strip them to fix other new units. Have unit inspected before giving any money. They also tend to leave the slides out which could attract water leaks.I think they keep slides out because one cannot stand on a slide unless it is fully retracted. Otherwise damage could occur. I will order my unit next time unless I find a used unit one to my liking.

 

[mstrken]

buying a newtrailer

Contact Cheyenne Camping Center, Walcott,, Iowa. Just go on line and you will get their best price right up front.
Worth the drive.

 

[sdp1234]

I initially inquired about 25srk's and 2515s's at these locations. Our first visit was to Stoltzfus RV in Adamstown. I was looking at a Apex Nano but realized the bathroom was not big enough for my wife.
While at Stoltzfus RV they showed us the 25srk (2024)
I was not ready to buy and I really wanted a used unit.

After we decided the 25srk and 2515s fit our needs then I created a spreadsheet with all the 2024 units I could find. Needed to wait until late September or early October to make the decision because of work issues.

Casually watched units at these dealers

• Chesaco RV
• Bills Happy Camper
• ParkView RV
• Keystone
• Stoltzfus RV
• Meyers RV
• Allseasons RV

I was surprised at the fees and differences in how the individual dealers show their prices.
Started asking via email for them to list the price with all fee's and options detailed.

Decided it was time to move forward and make this happen.
Went to Parkview RV and looked at the used unit.
Tried, to no avail, to get a reasonable price on the only used unit I found (Parkview RV)

Up to this point I was simply asking for prices and fee's, not lowest price or any type negotiation.
I was told that 35% off MSRP might be reasonable.

At this point I tried Wana RV and RV Wholesalers. They both had about the same price but RV Wholesalers required their financing to get the 3000 discount. There may have been a couple hundred difference because RVH added 150 for the hide a bed and everyone else subtracted it?

Wana RV is 10 hours and RV Wholesalers is about 8.5 hours. Thinking I'd go with RVH because they seemed responsive and I kind of like their business model.

Decided to send a message to Bill's Happy Camper because they had 2 in stock and my wife wanted it now. Seems from them that ordering a unit was less money than taking one they had in stock. They were 4 hours closer (and also close to my daughter) a bit more but less travel days and diesel money.

Figured I'd take care of it the next day. Emailed Lee at Stoltzfus since he is 1 hour away and the first one we talked with. Thought his price was too high but I didn't ask him before about fees and never asked him about a better price. He emailed back a quote for what we wanted and it almost matched the RVH quote.

Made the Deal with Lee at Stoltzfus. May not have been the absolute lowest price but I think it was probably a fair price. Probably could have played one against the other but seems that being on site makes this easier and I didn't want to visit dealers.

RVH did call back and say they may be able to deliver for free but I already made the decision.

All my conversations or correspondence with the following dealers was good. They were all responsive and quick to get back to me. Those with a * were my favorite based on Price and interaction

• Chesaco RV
• Bills Happy Camper*
• Keystone
• Stoltzfus RV*
• Meyers RV
• Allseasons RV
• RVH*

I was surprised that 25 model years were almost exactly the same price after negotiation and ordering was less money than purchasing stock.

 

[dblr]

WOW, you definitely did your research and even happier my suggestion to check Stoltzfus and Lee worked out for you, another advantage is all your paperwork will be done in your home state so one less hassle to deal with, congrats and make sure you do a good walk thru.

 

[RobbieH]

I waited 2 months then paid it off. No issues at all, never got a call, nothing.

 

[sdp1234]

Our trailer is scheduled to come off the line next week. We should be picking it up in 2 weeks.


What should I do at the dealer? I have always purchased private in the past.



We have a long check list I downloaded from this site. I'm pretty handy and it would be no problem going through it on the lot.



Will the dealer allow us to go through the long inspection and checklist?
If so, do I inspect it before or after their inspection?
Do I insist on doing this before signing paperwork?


I don't want to be a pain for the dealer but I don't want to find something after the fact and have to drive back.


Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[aceinspp]

You diffidently do the PDI before signing and make them fix any issues then not later as it will take for ever if you do it later. If it takes longer due to your questions so be it that is what they are there for and don't let them cut you short. I hope you down loaded the PDI form from this web site and take it with you. Take good notes and ask a lot of questions. Good luck. later RJD

 

[Gottaluvlife]

Our trailer is scheduled to come off the line next week. We should be picking it up in 2 weeks.


What should I do at the dealer? I have always purchased private in the past.



We have a long check list I downloaded from this site. I'm pretty handy and it would be no problem going through it on the lot.



Will the dealer allow us to go through the long inspection and checklist?
If so, do I inspect it before or after their inspection?
Do I insist on doing this before signing paperwork?


I don't want to be a pain for the dealer but I don't want to find something after the fact and have to drive back.


Thanks for all the help so far.

Definitely bring list & don't feel bad about taking your time! Dealer doesn't feel bad about taking your money..lol!! Also, if possible find campground nearby & stay a night or two to really test things like:freezer, refrig (bring thermostat), electric, water, door locks, a/c, heat, etc. Expect to find lots of things needing attention & you'll be happy to find only a few things!!

 

[GolfingDave]

If you have a set time for the appointment I would ask to be able to roam around the camper at least an hour or so before hand.

Just to get familiar and possibly come up with more questions if needed. Most people just feel more comfortable looking things over on their own and would most likely take away any feeling of being rushed during the PDI.

I came across two dealers who just left me alone to roam around campers without a salesperson tagging along. I was left alone in the camper I finally bought twice.