Large vs Small Dealerships

jdunkmg

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2021
Messages
114
What are your thoughts on buying from a small dealership vs a large dealership.

We bought our first travel trailer from a large local RV dealership. They sold tons of RVs and as such got a pretty good deal. Problem was they had one maintenance bay and after sale service was not very good.

When we opted to move to a 5th wheel we looked at the same large dealership, but they didn't have a 5th wheel with a floor plan that worked for us.

A small local dealer had the floor plan we wanted. This dealership started as a RV maintenance facility. A few years ago the son started the RV sales side of the business. They might have 15 new campers total on the lot. We got a fantastic trade in on our Sprinter Select 31BH and because or the large the after sales service has been outstanding.

I don't know if I would ever buy a camper from a large dealership ever again.
 
Large or small dealership doesn’t matter. I want the best price, and then I want them to send me the necessary warranty parts for free, because with any luck, they’re never gonna see my RV again, and I’m never gonna have a reason to take it there. With my latest purchase in 2019, that has all worked out as planned.

As it happened, I did buy from a fairly large dealership.
 
No cut and dry answer.

We got a great price once from a small dealer since they had a lower overhead.
The smaller dealers labor rate was 1/2 of the big dealer.

But found out they paid more wholesale for their trailer because the big dealers paid less for the trailer due to volume purchases.

Nothing new just the way it is........

:signhavefun:
 
We're on our 6th camper, 5 pull behinds and now a motor home. We've purchased from mostly individual dealerships, not a chain, and found we got a great price and personal attention and service. Unfortunately most individual dealerships are getting gobbled up by the big chain dealerships where once you sign you're at their mercy for service. Looks like you scored with the floorplan you wanted and a dealer that will take care of you in the future.
 
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As a former small business owner when I walked into the fancy huge showroom of the large RV dealer down the road from me the first thing that came to mind was how much do they need to markup the RV's to support this overhead cost?
 
I bought my first TT a few months ago from a small family owned dealership, and it was a great experience. The sales rep spent quite a bit of time with me over the phone, even going out to the lot to verify some things I had questions on. They had the make/model I wanted on their lot, used.

I had visited all the large dealers and did not get the same level of service as I did from the small shop. The Camping World rep I met walked away from me completely when I told him I wanted to look at his used inventory.

Also, the dealer actually did do a REAL PDI and not just a quick walkaround. I hired a certified inspector and confirmed that the TT was in great condition. The dealership welcomed me bringing in the inspector.

To me these are all benefits of dealing with small independent companies, regardless of industry.

EDIT: The dealership is Topper's RV in Waller, TX. I'm not affiliated with them other than just being a satisfied customer.
 
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Large or small dealership doesn’t matter. I want the best price, and then I want them to send me the necessary warranty parts for free, because with any luck, they’re never gonna see my RV again, and I’m never gonna have a reason to take it there. With my latest purchase in 2019, that has all worked out as planned.

As it happened, I did buy from a fairly large dealership.
x2 regards to sale price. Inventory.

The large dealer we bought the rv has vast inventory! But is almost 100 miles away from me. If it's within 20 mile range, I wouldn't mind taking warranty work there.

I have been lucky to have a factory rep that response to my inquiries in minutes regarding any issues with the rig. All of my requests were granted including taking the rig to local rv shop.

Smaller dealers near me do not have the floor plan we need and want. We prefer buying local, but did not happen coz of pricing and inventory.
 
Dealerships

We’ve bought from large and small. We found what works best for us is to work your best price/deal. If it isn’t something you can repair yourself find a good independent RV repair shop that will do warranty work for the manufacturer you choose. In 40 years of RVing the worst place to get service is the dealerships!
We found a great family owned shop near home that does great work and stands behind their repairs.
 

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