Just my 2 cents but get the auto level no matter what you end up getting. I am a solo lady and I have the auto level on my 5er. It was on my must have list and well worth every penny!
Have you ever dealt with a car sales person? RV sales works pretty much the same way in that there is an MSRP from the factory which is usually about a 40% markup over dealer's actual cost. Then there is whatever the dealer asks for it and even then he should usually be willing to deal down some from that. As you should now see, that dealer was taking you for a ride.
I suggest that you go back to the first sales person and tell them of the price you have found it for. There is a very strong possibility that he will counter with some price competitive to the one you found at RV Direct.
Commissioned sales people are paid in that way to encourage them to get customers to pay the very most that they can get from you. If he gets you to pay more, he then gets paid significantly more also. Commissions are paid to reward successful sales at high prices and not for integrity. Completely honest sales people are very rare, if they exist at all.
Good travelin! ........Kirk
Professional Volunteer
Fulltimer for 11 years, URL:www.adventure.1tree.net
TaterSr wrote: Thank you, I'm waiting for a quote from RV Direct. I really don't get how this works. I didn't know what options to check. Doesn't it come with a fridge? You check off each item you want? Like A/C? I didn't think that wasn't standard. So I marked a ready unit but they only have 2013 & it's in Iowa. I emailed if they have a way to ship it to us. Can't make it cross country at the moment. So will await response.
Get a build sheet and brochure for the model you are interested in. You can then see what's standard and optional.
TaterSr wrote: Well, I somewhat got a quote back from RV Direct. A ready-made model with some options we need & some we don't would be $60,000-some plus delivery of $2500 plus tax, which I haven't been gotten back to as to what the monthly payment would be. The one with the features I ticked would be $62,000-something with same del & unknown tax. I asked what our monthly payment would be with X amount down. Haven't heard back. There were features I didn't know if were needed ie 'Bigfoot Automatic Hydraulic Leveling Jacks $3,892.00.' I don't expect you guys to do my research so I'll have to Google what that is. I don't want to be in something unlevel or hard to level but am not sure if the standard leveling is ok or easy to do. The made-to-suit model would also be 8 wks, which would take us past that week off end of Aug.
I knew the 2013 dealer's would be more, but like you said not THAT much more! We didn't see anything different from the 2012 that was less but maybe there were unknown bells & whistles we didn't see. They both seemed to have back up cameras which I'm not sure is extra on the check-off list with RVD. I would like the 2012. It would be available right away without someone driving it cross country. Or do they all get here that way? Somehow I thought they put them on big trucks like the ones that pull cars, only maybe two instead of a bunch. Or on a train. You can see how naive I am. The 2013 in the lot was covered with dead bugs like it just got there from Alaska.
So, research goes on. Thanks all for advice!
Since the quote you got from RV Direct was in sync with the suggestions given here, I would offer them $60k and go from there. I wouldn't say just walk if they won't match it but be firm with $60k and see how far you get. If you cannot find this RV that you want with all of these features anywhere else for $60k, then you are just cutting off your nose to spite your face if you won't negotiate anything over $60k. After all is said and done, if this is the RV you want, and you can afford it, and you simply can't find it anywhere else for less, then there is no harm in negotiating a lower price but also no harm in paying a bit over $60k if they won't move to that price. I believe you can get it for less than $77k, but they simply might not be able to bite at $60k even if they want to. Probably around $65 to 70k will be a landing point, but definitely shoot hard for $60k since it is a buyer's market right now for RV's. But even so, the dealers will have a price that they know has to remain firm. You just don't know the firm price yet on that particular rig. I really hate how dealerships operate and would prefer they all just set a value equitable price from the get go and forgo all the smoke and mirrors.
Best of luck to you! (oh and by the way, I think it will be a very slim chance to find a rental that allows pets. My brother in law and his wife just tried this recently and no one allowed them. He had to leave the dogs with his mom. Maybe there is a company they didn't find to ask, but they did ask around to quite a few. Renting first is a good option though so perhaps still rent one and just find a pet sitter if you have to?)
Two, it seems that, like many of us, your funds are not unlimited.
Three, you are torn between older new and new, new.
I would forget the unsold or new unit, find one three to five years old
that more or less has what you want.
Being a complete newbie, you really do not know what will work for you.
Take your short trips, spend your time in the south.
Within a couple of years, you will be retired, know what your budget will be
and have a much better idea of what you really want.
You will suffer much less depreciation in a three to five year old
old unit than you will with a new one that you decide is not at all what you want or need.
Agree about buying used, but know that unless you buy used from someone who is going to show a total newbie ALL the ropes, it'll be a learning curve at first. But not rocket science. We're newbs, and bought used from an individual, who patiently answered all our questions and was very helpful. We're happy with our purchase, knowing that if it doesn't work out for us, we could sell or trade up and not lose our socks.
We only bought so soon after our initial decision to get one, because the exact unit we wanted came up on Craig's list, as if from above. Otherwise, we'd still be looking.
We were told at one place they don't work on commission (ueah, right), and at another, the manufacturer's build sheet didn't match their own sheet they had in the trailer listing the amenities. When we found that the outside kitchen didn't actually exist, they still wouldn't come down off the "sale price", even though the "sale price" sheet listed an outdoor kitchen!
Good luck!!
TaterSr wrote: Well, I somewhat got a quote back from RV Direct. A ready-made model with some options we need & some we don't would be $60,000-some plus delivery of $2500 plus tax, which I haven't been gotten back to as to what the monthly payment would be. The one with the features I ticked would be $62,000-something with same del & unknown tax. I asked what our monthly payment would be with X amount down. Haven't heard back. There were features I didn't know if were needed ie 'Bigfoot Automatic Hydraulic Leveling Jacks $3,892.00.' I don't expect you guys to do my research so I'll have to Google what that is. I don't want to be in something unlevel or hard to level but am not sure if the standard leveling is ok or easy to do. The made-to-suit model would also be 8 wks, which would take us past that week off end of Aug.
I knew the 2013 dealer's would be more, but like you said not THAT much more! We didn't see anything different from the 2012 that was less but maybe there were unknown bells & whistles we didn't see. They both seemed to have back up cameras which I'm not sure is extra on the check-off list with RVD. I would like the 2012. It would be available right away without someone driving it cross country. Or do they all get here that way? Somehow I thought they put them on big trucks like the ones that pull cars, only maybe two instead of a bunch. Or on a train. You can see how naive I am. The 2013 in the lot was covered with dead bugs like it just got there from Alaska.
So, research goes on. Thanks all for advice!
I will answer the two questions that you have here - last one first. I, too, thought that they put these on trucks and delivered them and I quickly learned that this is not the case. My RV was made in Canada and was driven from the factory to my dealer's lot in Pennsylvania. Mileage for the warranty actually starts at the miles on the odometer when you are handed the keys for a new unit.
As to the Bigfoot Automatic Hydraulic Leveling Jacks - I don't know about these specific ones, but if it were me, I would get them. My experience so far is that actually level campsites are few and far between and I would love to be able to just push a button and get level. I have a very different RV, but from what I have seen of all that are larger than mine - you will be happy to have an easy way to get level.
And as to financing. You don't have to use the dealer to finance. Shop RV financing and see what the rates are that you will qualify for. Generally, the dealer submits your financial records to several banks and finance companies and sees who responds. If he has your best interest in mind and wants to make a sale, he makes sure it is a good rate. Without providing financial background and data, it is unlikely that you are going to get an accurate picture of what the financing is from them yet. Check around for rates - and then Google loan calculators -there are many free sites with these - you put in the rate, put in the terms, put in the down payment and the amount of the loan and you get a payment schedule for those amounts. With this you can play to see what will make a difference.
Try and get your financing in place before you buy. And, you'll find it easier to finance when you both still have a job so don't wait too long if the plan is to retire in Oct.
2003 Ford F-250 King Ranch 4x4 6L PSD
2012 Jayco 31.5FBHS
DW and an African Grey chatterbox
retired IT tech
Am looking into the RV Direct angle. I wonder if the 'Bigfoot Automatic Hydraulic Leveling Jacks' are worth the extra cost? Is a new class C not going to be level? If you don't buy this option, do you manually level it?
It seems like people have had good luck with RV Direct. Yes, we have purchased several cars, most brand new. We never spent this much for any car & I'm sad to say we didn't dicker. Husb just pd the asking price. Now money is an OBJECT because we want to retire & every penny saved will go towards travel & other expenses. The more I look, the more overwhelmed I feel. Found out the U-shaped dinette we liked isn't standard but is extra. If we skip the TVs is it hard to buy one in a store that fits or is it best to buy one ready for the opening?
So many questions. The quote said our monthly payment would be 'about' $. I want an exact amt but she said have to do the credit app first. I feel like I'm doing all the research while husb just sits there. But will keep looking. Thanks for all advice folks
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