Went from Pittsburgh to Detroit to buy ours. They had what we liked and warranty work doesn't have to be done at the selling dealer (as per Cedar Creek).
Heck we love to travel so we would have gone wherever!
2012 Cedar Creek 36RE w/ Level Up
B&W Turnover w/ 18k Companion Hitch
08 Ford 350 Lariat DW PSD Crew Cab Long Bed 4:30
Bought mine couple hours away in '06 and haven't been back yet. I've fixed the small issues but did need warranty work done on a leaking tank. I took my 5er to the local dealer and he wasn't a Forest River dealer and all was handled well. Most dealers will welcome your business if all the paper work is in order. I say drive the distance and get it if the local guy won't come close.
Jeff,Julie,Amber,Brandon,and Casey,Dexter(Golden),Bruno(Pug)
Forest River Cardinal 362bhs 2006
2005 Chevy duramax dually 4x4 crew cab,Ultra Goliath wheels with Nitto Dura Grapplers and Banks exhaust.
Bachus wrote: The dealer that gives the best price up front is the most ethical, and will be the better person to deal with, so long as you don't drive him out of business and just leave the sleazeballs to dominate. Think about it.
This may all make sense to you as a small business owner - but you are out of your league trying to compare small business to the way a Dealership does business.
First - the customer has no obligation to keep a dealership in business - he is on his own.
Second - Who cares what the Dealer's Best Price is. Do your research and work from your offer, not the Dealers. How many times have you sold a car and actually told the first grape that asked you what your "bottom line is" what your real bottom line was. Hopefully never or you need to get out of the car business.
2006 Ford F350 4X4 SB CC SRW Powerstroke 6.0
2013 Redwood 36RL - full paint - disk brakes
"Comparison is the thief of joy! - Theodore Roosevelt"
I can't help but think that this relentless race to the bottom, is why we have become Walmart Nation. Our unending desire to get more for less is why so much product is made in China, and why so many people are now unemployed. As was stated earlier, once you know what you want, start asking for prices, and if it's too high, just say so and walk away. If they want your business, they will work for it, but I still believe it is wrong to leverage one against the other. Dealers need to have a moral compass, but so do consumers. Like any other business, there are good and bad. I don't think you should let the bad dealers use you as a tool to close down the good ones. IMHO.
Dean and Tracy Bachellier
Isobel,Evelyn, and Stuart
2012 KZ Durango D355BHS quad bunk with 5 slides
HiJacker 16K double pivot slider
2011 RAM 3500 SRW Crew Cab 4X4 CTD
"It's five o'clock somewhere...."
Bachus wrote: I can't help but think that this relentless race to the bottom, is why we have become Walmart Nation. Our unending desire to get more for less is why so much product is made in China, and why so many people are now unemployed. As was stated earlier, once you know what you want, start asking for prices, and if it's too high, just say so and walk away. If they want your business, they will work for it, but I still believe it is wrong to leverage one against the other. Dealers need to have a moral compass, but so do consumers. Like any other business, there are good and bad. I don't think you should let the bad dealers use you as a tool to close down the good ones. IMHO.
You keep trying to use Dealerships as an indicator for the troubles in the world. Dealerships have built thier own reputation starting with the wide tie and the plaid sport coat. They have nothing to do with the Home Depot or the Wallmart. They are what they are. What other retail business in the world do you have to ask someone for the price, and you don't really care what the answer is, nor do they ever actually tell you anything close to the truth.
Bachus, what kind of business do you own? Just curious because I really doubt you offer your absolute lowest, best price right up front to each and every customer every time. Oh and by the way, do you just "sell" product or do you actually offer some kind of service after the sale?
When I asked our local for his best price and I said that was way to high and walked. He never got back to me with anything different so all I assumed that was their best price.
With one phone call I saved $7K+!
Guess the local didn't read me very well.
?
You "walked" when it was your turn to dance! He'd given you a number- next step in the game is for you to give HIM a number. Instead, you dropped out and took the very next "deal" that somebody else quoted you over the phone.
And unless I miss my guess, you told THAT dealer the "exorbitant" price the first guy was trying to charge you. The new dealer came back with a number that appealed to you mostly because it was so much less than the first quote. So HE had the first guy's numbers to work from.
That's where the O.P. is right now.
I wonder if you might have saved MORE than $7,000.00+ had you gone back to the first guy with the other fellow's quote....
Glad you think you got a good deal with somebody else, but who knows how much more you might have saved had you had TWO dealers actively competing with each other for your business.
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies toJ.R.R. Tolkien
Because you asked;
I own and operate a fluid power business (hydraulics/pneumatics). Everyday I do dozens of quotes, and I base my price on my knowledge of the market, and the competition. Some customers buy in volume, and some buy one tiny piece. Volume customers, and repeat customers get a better price. My pricing is based almost entirely on a "cost up" approach. That is, I take my cost of the item, calculate how much it has to be marked up to keep the lights on, and then add a profit margin. Sometimes (most of the time), I get the order. But sometimes I don't. And sometimes the customer takes my price to another shop and I lose the deal because of it. So I know how much that stings. There are some in my business who will sell below cost because they have deep pockets and want to squeeze out the competition. Others try to retire on every sale. In essence, I work to get the business, and my customer walks way happy, and returns. After the sale (and sometimes before) I am involved in design, set up, repair, maintenance etc. etc. I've seen a lot competitors come and go, but I'm still here.
I also do all of the buying for my company, so I get to see both sides of the equation. (That's the number one reason for my opinion)
I will pay more for good service. At the end of the day if the consumer feels they got a good product at a good price, then that's a win/win. Everybody needs to make a buck. Even RV dealers. The good ones just know how to price their product the first time.
When I asked our local for his best price and I said that was way to high and walked. He never got back to me with anything different so all I assumed that was their best price.
With one phone call I saved $7K+!
Guess the local didn't read me very well.
?
You "walked" when it was your turn to dance! He'd given you a number- next step in the game is for you to give HIM a number. Instead, you dropped out and took the very next "deal" that somebody else quoted you over the phone.
And unless I miss my guess, you told THAT dealer the "exorbitant" price the first guy was trying to charge you. The new dealer came back with a number that appealed to you mostly because it was so much less than the first quote. So HE had the first guy's numbers to work from.
That's where the O.P. is right now.
I wonder if you might have saved MORE than $7,000.00+ had you gone back to the first guy with the other fellow's quote....
Glad you think you got a good deal with somebody else, but who knows how much more you might have saved had you had TWO dealers actively competing with each other for your business.
sorry but I don't dance and was upfront with our local dealer that I wanted their best price no haggling.
I also don't believe in giving prices from one to another just to get a better price. We actually had three different prices from three different dealers and the dealer we ordered from just blew everyone away.Three quotes is enough for me to make a decision which we are happy with.
Please don't assume that everyone, like you say "dance", because that's not always true. I just don't like to play those games and say so upfront.
Bachus wrote: Because you asked;
I own and operate a fluid power business (hydraulics/pneumatics). Everyday I do dozens of quotes, and I base my price on my knowledge of the market, and the competition. Some customers buy in volume, and some buy one tiny piece. Volume customers, and repeat customers get a better price. My pricing is based almost entirely on a "cost up" approach. That is, I take my cost of the item, calculate how much it has to be marked up to keep the lights on, and then add a profit margin. Sometimes (most of the time), I get the order. But sometimes I don't. And sometimes the customer takes my price to another shop and I lose the deal because of it. So I know how much that stings. There are some in my business who will sell below cost because they have deep pockets and want to squeeze out the competition. Others try to retire on every sale. In essence, I work to get the business, and my customer walks way happy, and returns. After the sale (and sometimes before) I am involved in design, set up, repair, maintenance etc. etc. I've seen a lot competitors come and go, but I'm still here.
I also do all of the buying for my company, so I get to see both sides of the equation. (That's the number one reason for my opinion)
I will pay more for good service. At the end of the day if the consumer feels they got a good product at a good price, then that's a win/win. Everybody needs to make a buck. Even RV dealers. The good ones just know how to price their product the first time.
Thank you for your reply and I agree with everything you said. You do say that you will adjust your price based on the customer(high vs low volume for instance) so you don't simply offer your best price up front every time like I think you are suggesting the RV dealer should do. Here is where you and I differ. If you were a local business in my town and I got a quote on from you and then a different company from out of town gave me a quote cheaper, I would prefer to buy local and would come back and ask if you could do any better. I understand that different business's have different overhead and maybe you can't offer a better price to everyone all the time and keep the door open, but maybe you would be willing to adjust your price to keep the business in town this time. Maybe you wouldn't or couldn't for whatever reason. I just believe in keeping my business local if I can. JMHO
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