How to get the best deal at rv show?

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

Just wondering if anyone has any advice on negotiating prices at the RV show? We'll be trading our too-big TT in & buying a smaller unit in the next month and have been trying to get to the shows in nearby states. How flexible do rv show prices tend to be?

We need to trade this for something more towable...

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

My husband always says the best way for him to negotiate is to leave me at home. Apparently the dealers can tell when I really want something. :bighug:

Seriously though do your homework, visit all the dealers and don't be afraid to pit dealer against dealer.

doodlebug

[TnBob 311]

DaveInTn just bought one at the Nashville show, he should be along in a little while. I remember him saying that at the shows there are reps from the manufacturers that can give some additional price breaks if you seem serious about buying.

On a side note, how stupid are we as people to PAY to go look at RV's someone is trying to sell us. They should be paying us to come see their stuff. Would you pay to go to a car lot and look at new Fords or into the RV dealers lot? Just a side rant.

[BuckeyeFortFan 35]

I have heard, and my own experience has shown, that the RV show price is usually pretty decent and it is hard to get an equal unit for much less than what they will offer at the show.  The show price is comparable to the price a good negotiator could get down to at the dealership.  There are differences between dealers though and that is key - find the dealer with the lowest price.  Some dealers are willing to take less profit on a vehicle than another dealer if it means a sale.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

The reality at RV shows is that the units shown have factory incentives attached.  You may not have much wiggle room with the dealers, and if you go to the dealership afterwards you may not be able to get the same price - factory incentives are gone.  Poof. I have found the prices at show are pretty low.  The drawback is you are buying the unit there which 500 people and their dirty kids have run through, jumping on the beds and dripping ice cream on the sofa.  I have heard some real horror stories from people who picked up their units after buying at a show.  That being said, I have heard many happy individuals who have gotten some really good deals at shows.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

You do not always have to buy the unit from the show most dealers will let you order onet . We bought our Ceard Creek @ the Hershey show over a year ago, we worked the best deal with the dealer @ the show,took that paper work and found our local dealer who also sold Cedar Creek and he matched the deal plus threw in a couple of options for us.

  You do have to know your prices and not get overwhelmed by the wow factor and the hype of the show,know how much you want to spend( research) and be ready to say no I'm sorry that's still to much and walk away. Rememger they have to sell to make a living you only have to buy if you want to.

[bob34787 4]

The reality at RV shows is that the units shown have factory incentives attached.  You may not have much wiggle room with the dealers, and if you go to the dealership afterwards you may not be able to get the same price - factory incentives are gone.  Poof. I have found the prices at show are pretty low.  The drawback is you are buying the unit there which 500 people and their dirty kids have run through, jumping on the beds and dripping ice cream on the sofa.  I have heard some real horror stories from people who picked up their units after buying at a show.  That being said, I have heard many happy individuals who have gotten some really good deals at shows.

this be true! My unit was just about 20,000 less than at the dealer due to it being used for a few shows by Forest River, it did take a few days to clean it

buy my time is free and all the bugs were worked out within a few trips. Personally unless you like to spend a lot of time waiting for warranty repairs don't buy new, I don't care who makes it it will have many little issues.

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

I am so glad that I found this thread!  My DH and I always go to the Atlanta RV Show and the deals are so much better than at the dealerships.  It just seems like we aren't ready to buy when we are at the shows, but we are when we go to the dealership, but the price is too high.  Do you think you get a better price paying cash (or financing) than if you are trading in another RV?

[JCJRSmith 6]

You do not always have to buy the unit from the show most dealers will let you order onet . We bought our Ceard Creek @ the Hershey show over a year ago, we worked the best deal with the dealer @ the show,took that paper work and found our local dealer who also sold Cedar Creek and he matched the deal plus threw in a couple of options for us.

  You do have to know your prices and not get overwhelmed by the wow factor and the hype of the show,know how much you want to spend( research) and be ready to say no I'm sorry that's still to much and walk away. Rememger they have to sell to make a living you only have to buy if you want to.

That's exactly what we did when we bought our Jayco Kiwi.  They had already sold the floor model at the Harrisburg show, so they ordered us one at the same price with the same configuration.  Saved us a few thousand dollars.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

As Bob noted above, we recently bought our new TT at the Nashville RV show.  I had already decided which unit/floorplan we were after, and went to the show prepared to buy if they happened to have that floorplan on display, which they did.  I had negotiated a price with one of the large "internet" dealers ahead of time, which was a pretty much "unbeatable" price by any of the dealers within a few hours of me.  I would have been willing to drive the 5-6 hours to buy at that price, and told the salesman at the show that much.  I did not disclose the price I had been given by the other dealer, but I did tell them I'd be willing to buy if they could come close, as I would prefer to deal with a local dealer.  They quoted a price pretty much dead on with the internet dealer, and with further negotiation I ended up beating it.  And yes, the Keystone factory rep was on hand to answer questions and I was told they were kicking in factory money to sweeten the deals.  I believe it. 

I just spent the weekend stocking the trailer, making a few mods and looking it over.  I haven't noticed any damage or "dirtyness" from being on display at the show.  I'm very pleased so far with the purchase experience and the trailer.

Have fun with the process! 

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

I had negotiated a price with one of the large "internet" dealers ahead of time, which was a pretty much "unbeatable" price by any of the dealers within a few hours of me.  I would have been willing to drive the 5-6 hours to buy at that price, and told the salesman at the show that much.

Have fun with the process!

Would you be willing to share the name of the internet dealer?  I keep hoping to find a good deal on a Tiffen Phaeton.  Do they take trade-ins?

[ftwildernessguy 778]

As Bob noted above, we recently bought our new TT at the Nashville RV show.  I had already decided which unit/floorplan we were after, and went to the show prepared to buy if they happened to have that floorplan on display, which they did.  I had negotiated a price with one of the large "internet" dealers ahead of time, which was a pretty much "unbeatable" price by any of the dealers within a few hours of me.  I would have been willing to drive the 5-6 hours to buy at that price, and told the salesman at the show that much.  I did not disclose the price I had been given by the other dealer, but I did tell them I'd be willing to buy if they could come close, as I would prefer to deal with a local dealer.  They quoted a price pretty much dead on with the internet dealer, and with further negotiation I ended up beating it.  And yes, the Keystone factory rep was on hand to answer questions and I was told they were kicking in factory money to sweeten the deals.  I believe it. 

I just spent the weekend stocking the trailer, making a few mods and looking it over.  I haven't noticed any damage or "dirtyness" from being on display at the show.  I'm very pleased so far with the purchase experience and the trailer.

Have fun with the process!

That's cause you are dealing with a higher class of people in Tennessee.  In Pennsylvania, all the farmers come into the trailers and kick the cow shit off their boots.

[Dreamin5 0]

Unless you just really want a brand new unit, I really think your best money spent is in a used unit. We just bought a "new to us" camper back in November and it has everything we wanted and more, I could have never got it for a good price brand new. There are so many nice used campers out there that are far better priced than a brand new one.

[AuburnJen 771]

The reality at RV shows is that the units shown have factory incentives attached.  You may not have much wiggle room with the dealers, and if you go to the dealership afterwards you may not be able to get the same price - factory incentives are gone.  Poof. I have found the prices at show are pretty low.  The drawback is you are buying the unit there which 500 people and their dirty kids have run through, jumping on the beds and dripping ice cream on the sofa.  I have heard some real horror stories from people who picked up their units after buying at a show.  That being said, I have heard many happy individuals who have gotten some really good deals at shows.

you weren't supposed to squeal about my kid and the ice cream :heart:

[JCJRSmith 6]

Unless you just really want a brand new unit, I really think your best money spent is in a used unit. We just bought a "new to us" camper back in November and it has everything we wanted and more, I could have never got it for a good price brand new. There are so many nice used campers out there that are far better priced than a brand new one.

This is true.  They do tend to depreciate rather rapidly in the first couple of years.  We bought our Kiwi new, but our class C and our class A were "new to us" and saved us a bunch over new.

[.....Gary 85]

I sold RVs for five years after I retired from my real job.  You can get good deals at shows because of the Dealer incentives, but you have to ask hard!!  Play one against another?  Sure!  Remember these people have to make a living and MOST are honest people & companies.  The main thing is  be honest, if you're ready to buy say, so they'll deal.

When you pay to get in the show, you are paying the promoter not the dealer, they paid to get in also.

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

The used TTs we looked at last year are priced within a thousand or so of many new ones. Maybe it's just the dealers in the mid-atlantic area but honestly, we've seen quite a few new units for less than some wanted for used. I did ask the Forest River rep last weekend about buying one from a dealer I named that we'd been to in Elkhart, IN but he said we'd likely pay more there b/c they'd overbuilt and had more overhead than here. He said the VA/MD/PA/NJ area were among the most competive in the nation and Massachusetts was the least. I'd always figured it's be cheaper to buy closer to the factory. It sounded odd to me, but I figured he's the expert so who am I to argue.

Our deal is also a bit more complicated b/c i don't want to finance so they won't make any money there on us. We're looking to trade & pay cash for the difference. We don't have a choice though. DS is still paying off a loan they took to give us a clear title to the TT when they tired of it and, even though we traded them DH's mid-life crisis car, it'd be just plain ignorant to advertise where they might see it and sell the TT outright for cash. It'd be different if they were strangers but we're dealing with family - albiet ones who make really poor money choices and can't resist impulse buys even when they have no clue what to do with them.  :kickinass:

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

They had already sold the floor model at the Harrisburg show, so they ordered us one at the same price with the same configuration.  Saved us a few thousand dollars.

How is the Harrisburg show? That's on our agenda in two weeks if we don't make a deal when we go back to the MD show this weekend. We're holding it out as a sort of last chance. Hope that's not a mistake...

[tiggerinbama 11]

Hey, guys and gals!

We had done alot of research of what we wanted, and knew the price before we went to the show, and decided after we got there to buy our camper( I was afraid if I didn't see the others first I would be disappointed) they asked if people could come thru, and we said yes. Most people if they know it's sold, will take more care when looking. They cleaned the camper up, before they let us have it and we did our inpection.  We had a Fleetwood that I loved and I still miss, but we wanted something for the golf cart to be put in so I wouldn't have to drive two seperate vehicles to disney. I love my new camper! When we went to one dealership they wouldn't deal with us, because fleetwood went out of business, and they said you couldn't get parts for it anymore. (THAT WAS A CROCK). When we traded our very first time we had a good experience, but the new camper we traded for we took to the fort, and a stom and a tree limb popped 7 holes in it, it was our first trip in it, and it wasn't two weeks old yet.

When we went to get it fixed( I wanted a whole new Roof on it instead of patching) the guy driving it ran into a motorhome, and totaled it. I made them get me another new camper since it was their fault. We had left our tag receipt in the other one and they tried to sell it as new, and told the people it had never been off of the lot, and we couldn't  afford it and decided not to keep it. SO be careful if you buy a used camper, we wouldn't of even of know but the lady that got the old one found the receipt and called us to ask about the camper.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

If anyone is interested threr is a show this weekend @ the fairgrounds in Timonium Md. it is a indoor show and the last time we were there the deals did seem pretty good.  It is a show that only has dealers from Md. but I do think they have a lot of factory reps at this show so that might have better deals.

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

We were at the Timonium show last weekend and have passes to go back this weekend for a more relaxed look. Hoping to strike a deal and hand over that deposit check then. If not, we'll probably buy at the Harrisburg show. Spring's coming and I was literally chewing aspirins while hauling our too-big TT as it swayed across the interstate lanes last summer. No way, I wanna do that again... ever. I'll go back to tent camping first.

Anyway, while I chatted at the Timonium show with CG owner friends from last summer, DH went around entering his name into all the drawings. As of yesterday, he'd already gotten two calls telling him he won free stays at two different CGs. Shame they weren't giving away cruises, with this year's crazy weather I could sure use one of those... :rofl2:

[dblr....Rennie 224]

We were at the Timonium show last weekend and have passes to go back this weekend for a more relaxed look. Hoping to strike a deal and hand over that deposit check then. If not, we'll probably buy at the Harrisburg show. Spring's coming and I was literally chewing aspirins while hauling our too-big TT as it swayed across the interstate lanes last summer. No way, I wanna do that again... ever. I'll go back to tent camping first.

Anyway, while I chatted at the Timonium show with CG owner friends from last summer, DH went around entering his name into all the drawings. As of yesterday, he'd already gotten two calls telling him he won free stays at two different CGs. Shame they weren't giving away cruises, with this year's crazy weather I could sure use one of those...

What dealer are you working with we tried to but a unit from Leo's Vacationworld, never made it but not for trying very hard they were pretty good to work with just had a son starting college and was nervous with getting school loans and all. We did and up buying @ the Hershey show that Sept. after things were done for school.

[JCJRSmith 6]

How is the Harrisburg show? That's on our agenda in two weeks if we don't make a deal when we go back to the MD show this weekend. We're holding it out as a sort of last chance. Hope that's not a mistake...

The show is quite amazing - it is the largest RV show on the east coast.  A few years ago it got too big for the Harrisburg Farm Show complex so they moved the show to Hershey.  The RV's are set up in the parking lot of the Giant Center in Hershey, and the arena is opened up with booths and seminar space both down on the floor of the arena and around the common areas of the arena.  If you make a whole weekend out of it, Hershey Park is open as well (the Giant Center and Hershey Park share a common parking area and entrance).

Depending on what you are looking for, plan to spend many hours at the show here. 

For me, I get to see the RV's coming in for the show a week in advance. My office is across the street from the Giant Center 

[dblr....Rennie 224]

For your info the show @ Hershey is not until the 3rd weekend in Sept. I do not know of a show in Harrisburg but the Farm show complex has had so many events as of late I lost track of what is there.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I had negotiated a price with one of the large "internet" dealers ahead of time, which was a pretty much "unbeatable" price by any of the dealers within a few hours of me.  I would have been willing to drive the 5-6 hours to buy at that price, and told the salesman at the show that much.

Have fun with the process!

Would you be willing to share the name of the internet dealer?  I keep hoping to find a good deal on a Tiffen Phaeton.  Do they take trade-ins?

Hey Holly, it was Holman RV in Cincinnati.  I don't think they deal in Tiffins...in fact they mostly deal in TT's and Fivers AFAIK.  I think they take trades, but not sure. 

Lazy Days in Florida seem pretty hard to beat with Tiffin prices.  have you checked them out?