Pricing disparity on new FFs

[Eagle]

Originally Posted by runner421

So, my question is two-fold: First, do we know why there is such a different advertised price range, especially when it's so easy these days to compare prices in your home state and nationally? I'll go with supply and demand being one factor. If a dealer has one on the lot (and maybe the only one in the area) - he may be patient, set a high price and wait for the buyer. If a dealer has ten on the lot, or lots of dealers nearby, competition may result in lower prices. Also, the farther the dealer from the manufacturer, the more the dealer pays in transportation from manufacturer to lot.



Then secondly, what would be a good price for my new 233RBS if the MSRP is $25k? For what it's worth, a good price is what you're willing to pay - factor in travel to/from an out-of-area dealer, convenience, etc. The minute you settle on the absolute lowest price you'll buy it and do a search two weeks later and find one cheaper. It's inevitable.

I'll toss in my 2 cents worth:

I searched the internet, looking, reading, pricing, etc. until I decided on which unit I liked best for my purposes. A Fun Finder XT 276 met those requirements.

There were no Cruiser dealers where I live so I did a search for dealers on the internet map. There were several within a 400 mile radius which was as far as I wanted to travel to get one.

Then I checked prices at each dealership on the net and called several to discuss adding options I desired and get a 'firm' price. Also questioned their preparation for delivery procedures, walk thru procedures, etc. The internet shows you their sales lot/facilities, etc. Also you can determine their annual sales volume and reputation. YELP is worth checking but take with a grain of salt.

I opted for a dealership 300 miles away based not only on price but how I was treated on the phone and responses to internet questions. Once I felt comfortable with the dealership, I placed my order.

I was and have not been disappointed.

There ~ that is my 2 cents worth on shopping for my RV.

BTW: I just did the same purchasing a pickup from 1600 miles away: found with an internet search and several phone & email exchanges.

Also pleased with that result. Do your homework about the product and ask questions ~ you can weed out the scammers who feed you bs to get a sale.

[Michigantraveler]

" another mere 1200 miles ? Besides, I like to drive. The words "road trip !" .....still light me up ..."
ME TOo! Driving through freezing rain as I type! But Paul is driving.

[AnimalHungry]

Thanks for the insights. I, too, love a good road trip, which is pet of the reason for looking at getting a TT. So driving across the country to find the right deal is something I really don't mind doing.

By way of an update, wife, dog and I went to our local dealer yesterday and looked at the 214WDS and the 233RBS and really liked the 233 with the dual slide-outs. However, I noticed a load of those little snagging jobs where the manufacturer didn't quite finish the job. In fact, I managed to get stuck in the bedroo when the pocket door jammed closed. The culprit was a little wood screw holding the top rail on which hadn't been screwed in properly and the door stuck on it. I also noticed that the finish was most certainly not up to my home remodeller standards, but nothing I felt I couldn't fix ("some assembly required"!!).

We're going to rent a TT in the next few weeks to see if we like the actual experience. If we do then I'll get on the research for the right FF from the right dealer at the right price.

Cheers
Simon

[jbfunfinder]

Simon-
I read through your posts and I cannot figure out where you live (not that it is any of my business). I live in Southern California where we prices tend to be higher than in the saner parts of the country. This was true for our current FunFinder too. You can tell that we really like a road trip when I tell you that we drove to Muskegon Michigan and back (4500 miles) to pick up ours. On a $17,000 purchase, we saved almost $4000 over the dealer price in our area. All Seasons in Muskegon had the best price I could find at that time. Needless to say, we spent some great camping time seeing the country between here and there while on our road trip. On the other hand, perhaps you live near ground zero of the RV industry (Indiana-Ohio) and can find a great deal locally??
Jamie

[AnimalHungry]

Thanks Jamie. I'm in Breckenridge, CO in the mountains. Interestingly, I had a very illuminating chat with a dealer in Denver about pricing and he raised two really good points. First, the manufacturers tend to prefer dealers that are close to them, so you'll often find the biggest FF dealers are close to Indiana. Then secondly, the manufacturers give much bigger discounts to those dealers who sell more units. So when you combine the extra shipping distance to, say, SoCal for you, plus the fact that your local dealers probably don't sell as many FFs as the Indiana dealers, you can easily have a $4,000 difference. So it looks like a road trip might be on my horizon if we decide we like the TT experience when we rent one.

Cheers
Simon