MichDoc
Michigan
Senior Member
Joined: 01/02/2006
View Profile
|
On line = no Michigan sales tax, in addition to any lower price.
|
JALLEN4
OHIO
Senior Member
Joined: 10/02/2003
View Profile
 Offline
|
Emann wrote:I'm missing something here. If one were to buy online, who are you buying from? How does one save without buying directly from the manufacturers? Do you really avoid sales tax?
There are less than a handful of RV manufacturers who sell direct to the public and for the most part they have no dealers. Ultimately you are going to pay sales tax at least at the rate where you register the RV.
Everyone knows that you can buy an RV cheaper than where you live. If you live in Florida they are cheaper in California and if you live in California they are certainly cheaper in Ohio.
You see reports on here about people traveling a thousand miles to buy and saving anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. You have to wonder how that happens. Do they wander into a dealership and state "I am just looking", take the posted price or the salesman's first quote and go home and shop the Internet until they drop? Do they ever go back to the local dealer and actually make an offer with a cash deposit based on what they have learned?
When I bought my last DP, I shopped no fewer than ten dealers over a 2,500 mile radius, either in person or via email. I shopped the exact same specifications and after some discussion with each dealer, was never quoted a bottom line price that varied more than a couple thousand dollars. I did spend some time negotiating with each dealer and used the information I had to my advantage. At the end of the day, I bought ten miles from home and paid the same price I could have bought for by traveling. My purchase even involved a trade. I sure wish I could have found that magical spot that was going to save me another ten percent!
|
airsickfish
grand rapids, michigan
New Member
Joined: 05/21/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
Hi everyone back for more advise...how do I know i'm getting the best trade I can get on my trade in. I did research online and came up with trade values
and retail values and was at one dealer who was giving me more than the retail number it said online!!!Should I work my best deal on the new trailer and then let them know I have a trade? Aren't they just increasing the price of the one I'm buying?
|
SemperFiCop
USA
Senior Member
Joined: 10/19/2007
View Profile
|
You Will Always Save 1,000's of Dollars with the Online Dealers
(more than another 10 percent)
The Local Dealers Can Never Match the Online Dealers
|
nickthehunter
Southgate, MI
Senior Member
Joined: 07/18/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
MichDoc wrote:On line = no Michigan sales tax, in addition to any lower price.
You will pay Michigan sales tax as soon as you try to put Michigan plates on it and get a title.
|
|
|
mark1228
Helena, MT
Full Member
Joined: 04/19/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
It is ALWAYS best to buy local if you can strike a deal that is reasonable. Remember, even the "online" dealers are local to someone! Always give you local dealer the chance to match any other deal apples to apples. If they are the same or close, why would you not buy from them? The only reason would be if they had a bad reputation or are dishonest. When dealing with your local dealer, it is best to bring a written quote to your local dealer and ask if they can match it or what they can do.
Sure, you will travel with your RV and may be on the road if you need something done. But MANY, MANY RV'rs camp locally and when you have that list of little things it will be nice to have a relationship established with a dealer for service.
When it comes to warranty work, VERY FEW manufacturers have any kind of written agreement that can FORCE a dealer to do work on an RV they did not sell and since most manufacturers don't pay warranty well, most dealers don't want to do it. Simple as that.
Semper Fi says local dealers can NEVER match an online dealers price, but I have seen it done so it is worth a try.
|
tjholyoke
Maine
Full Member
Joined: 08/23/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
Quote:
There are less than a handful of RV manufacturers who sell direct to the public and for the most part they have no dealers. Ultimately you are going to pay sales tax at least at the rate where you register the RV.
Everyone knows that you can buy an RV cheaper than where you live. If you live in Florida they are cheaper in California and if you live in California they are certainly cheaper in Ohio.
You see reports on here about people traveling a thousand miles to buy and saving anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. You have to wonder how that happens. Do they wander into a dealership and state "I am just looking", take the posted price or the salesman's first quote and go home and shop the Internet until they drop? Do they ever go back to the local dealer and actually make an offer with a cash deposit based on what they have learned?
When I bought my last DP, I shopped no fewer than ten dealers over a 2,500 mile radius, either in person or via email. I shopped the exact same specifications and after some discussion with each dealer, was never quoted a bottom line price that varied more than a couple thousand dollars. I did spend some time negotiating with each dealer and used the information I had to my advantage. At the end of the day, I bought ten miles from home and paid the same price I could have bought for by traveling. My purchase even involved a trade. I sure wish I could have found that magical spot that was going to save me another ten percent!
I am glad that you had the luxury of so many dealers to work with. Some of us shop the internet because we have very limited dealership options. In Maine, very few dealers are selling motorhomes any more. Lots of travel trailers, fifth wheels, and popups. I went to every dealership in Maine that sold motorhomes as well as two in Massachusetts and two in New Hampshire.
After all that, nobody could touch the deal we found in Ohio. The local dealers had similar models but were not within $6000 of what we got in Ohio. It made the difference for us between buying new or used. Almost a year later and the local dealer still has the same rvs on the lot.
Internet is sometimes the only option for those of us in rural states. Otherwise we are locked into styles, brands and floorplans that don't work for us. I am not going to be satisfied taking something local that doesn't meet my needs when I can get just what I want with a little travel.
|
mark1228
Helena, MT
Full Member
Joined: 04/19/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
tjholyoke- I agree with you. One of the benefits of the internet is folks in rural areas have more selection due to the net. If you can't find the make/model or floorplan you decide on locally, you have no other choice.
I just think if you are buying a make/model that is available local, you should try and buy there if you can.
|
kd8wdave
Middletown,OH
Senior Member
Joined: 06/06/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
airsickfish wrote:what about when you need service? or some of the little fit and finish issues that most new rv's need. Its been my experiance that the local dealers are not too receptive to doing the work.
In our area, there are a couple of 'RV shops' that do nothing but service and DO NOT sell any RV's at all. While I have not used them, they basically take away any local dealer's argument for buying 'local'. If you have such a thing, buying from another area is/should not be a concern. JMHO
|
SemperFiCop
USA
Senior Member
Joined: 10/19/2007
View Profile
|
Like Mark stated,
Just Buy from the Cheapest Dealer Online...
|
|
|
