Pricing Show vs. Dealer?

[FreeRoamn]

Hi!

We are looking for our 2nd 5er, the first one is 2009 and we want to move up to a Montana from our Wildcat. What is up with pricing for new Montana's or any new RV for that matter? I was at the Florida RV Super Show and met with a Keystone rep and sales manager for Lazy Days about a 2017 Montana 3160RL. Due to travel distance I could not purchase one from the show so when I returned home, I did more pricing research. Here is what I came up with:

2017 Montana 3160RL MSRP price $82,599 (I found one saying MSRP $89,990)
Super Show price $59,995 (was told that you won't find a better price than at the show)
Local dealer - $70,299 but when you click their add for the "special price" they emailed me $64,999 (it was my lucky day because they said they are "on sale" right now!
Another nearby dealer shows straight up sale price of $59,990

How much more if any negotiation can I reasonably expect to go lower than $59k? If going off of what seems to be a loose standard of 33% off MSRP that would be around $55,000.

Thanks for any insight!

[bigskyjimmy]

Make sure you when you look at prices the difference between the Legacy Pkg and NON Legacy Montana's and if it has slide toppers or not there is a few thousand dollar difference between them,I live on the West Coast and they are a little more expensive because the cost of shipping from Indiana,My 2015 with the Legacy Pkg and slide toppers was about 68K and the only option I did not get was full body paint so there is a little guide for ya lately I have seen them a little cheaper 66K or so for the Legacy but there ya go and also I went to the RV show but did not buy it there I bought it at the Dealer a few months after and it was the same price

[1retired06]

Lots of variables, MRSP is only a suggested price. Dealer pricing can vary significantly based on sales volume, overhead oosts, immediate cash flow, trade-in and buyer negotiation effort. Having run a business, I understand folks need to make a living. For all four of my Montana purchases, I researched the internet, captured retail sales on the unit I was interested in, to include options and then went to my dealer and said I would purchase, citing 30% off what I determined was the average retail price, take it or leave it, no discussions. Yes or no. Always for a rig sitting on the lot. Got a yes all four times. Then and only then did the trade-in talk begin. Do not, let them hose you on the trade-in. Bottom line my opinion, if you can get 30% off the regional retail sales price, and an acceptble price for your trade in, based on researched wholesale and retail sales averages for your old unit, you have gotten a fair deal, particulary if the dealer is reputable for good warranty and maintenance service.

[MARK A]

You're probably about there. Look at the 2016 3610 legacy and let me know what you think.

Mark

[FreeRoamn]

Thanks for the replies! Good call on the Legacy package, the listings very as to what is included and you have to expect there to be errors. I'm holding doing an in person visit to a dealer until I'm ready to make a deal. I'm on the West coast so I guess shipping cost could be a factor.

[JandC]

Pricing is another side of the RV industry that is a lot different than the auto industry. I am guessing that for a MSRP price of $82,000 the dealer is actually paying the factory around $40,000 to $42,000 for that unit. Probably most dealers need to make $15,000 or more off of units in that price point to keep their doors open.

[WaltBennett]

quote:Originally posted by 1retired06

Lots of variables, MRSP is only a suggested price. Dealer pricing can vary significantly based on sales volume, overhead oosts, immediate cash flow, trade-in and buyer negotiation effort. Having run a business, I understand folks need to make a living. For all four of my Montana purchases, I researched the internet, captured retail sales on the unit I was interested in, to include options and then went to my dealer and said I would purchase, citing 30% off what I determined was the average retail price, take it or leave it, no discussions. Yes or no. Always for a rig sitting on the lot. Got a yes all four times. Then and only then did the trade-in talk begin. Do not, let them hose you on the trade-in. Bottom line my opinion, if you can get 30% off the regional retail sales price, and an acceptble price for your trade in, based on researched wholesale and retail sales averages for your old unit, you have gotten a fair deal, particulary if the dealer is reputable for good warranty and maintenance service.

Absolutely true, but I've not found any dealer worth anything on the good warranty & maintenance service. Not saying there are none out there, just that I've not come across them.

[Dam Worker]

There seems to be a lot of room to work down from list pricing on most RV'S. For those on the west coast Tacoma RV in Washington is a dealership that might be worth looking at. Although we didn't buy from them we were invited to come see what they had to offer and they paid for our hotel as we were driving over from the east side of the state. As an interesting note the salesman were all easy to talk to as no one is getting commission for individual sales. It is done through a group bonus on total sales. We ended up buying local but our dealership came way down to match Tacoma's pricing plus we got our generator at cost. What I am saying is do some research and some comparable pricing and you should do better than most people. Also when buying the unit you have a lot more leverage if you want other dealer installed items. Examples are dual six volt batteries, slide out covers, satellite TV. I guess we don't have to worry about upgrading tires any more but you get the idea.
Good luck and happy roads to you.

Tom Marty

[FreeRoamn]

Excellent advice all, thank you very much! RE: Service - Our current SOB 5er was bought out of town, at the time there were no dealers in our area and we were set on a particular model. While still under warranty a new dealership opened in our town and I brought it there for some minor repairs under warranty. When they looked up our serial number with the manufacturer they found that the dealership where we bought it had never registered it as sold.

We have only had to take it in for service to the dealership once and had to book our apt. 6 weeks out only to have them try and reschedule us. After giving the service manager a guilt trip they did the service on time. If I could live another life I'd open an RV service shop for ALL brands and without trying do a 100% better job at providing decent service. I try and do most of my own work/service on my trailer because I know I'll do a better job than most dealers.

I am curious about the Legacy package, especially the remote control on a smart phone for your lights/slideouts. I'm curious how useful this really is and is it reliable or just trying to make cheap high end feature available to the masses?

[mlh]

I think there is about 40% markup on campers. I would be looking at about a 30% discount. The dealer hast to make money and you would like the camper as cheap as possible. 10% gives the dealer a little room.
Lynwood

[bigskyjimmy]

Do not have the In-command system but as far as the Legacy Pkg goes if I was NOT a Fulltimer I would not get it and then you can get down to that 59-low 60K price range But I am a fulltimer and I wanted the LRE4100 Susp.Rear cap,MCD Shades,Cherry wood Frames(stiles) etc... just my 2 bits

[DarMar]

For 2017 the Legacy package also includes a powered cord reel, rear hitch and also the In-Command system.

Once a person gets on to the In-Command and pairs it to the app on your smart phone I do believe it will be super convenient as compared to running back into the camper to control everything from lights, to awnings and slides, etc.

We are not full timing but used our rig 131 nights last year so for us we rationalize the extra cost fairly easily.

[FreeRoamn]

I forgot about the cord reel! That makes sense all the way around, the more you use your trailer the more those options make sense. Thanks....

[jlb27537]

We bought our '14 right at 40% off list. Personally, I would not want a RV with a bunch of stuff running off a smart phone. Most RV tecks do not know water runs down hill, you really think they have a clue on a RV running off a phone.

I am glad I have a dumb '14 that has been to the dealership only for the step recall. The rest I have fixed myself on my nickle.

[bethandkevin]

When we purchased ours nearly 5 years ago, it worked out to be about 39% off their list. I have no idea who set the MSRP though. We bought from a local dealer show, not an association or group show. We did compare apples to apples with other dealers though, no body could touch the price we had through the dealer show. We used the quote sheet that was worked up when we talked to the salesman. In our case we ordered the unit, not "off the lot".

[mazboy]

there are some great rv dealers around grand rapids mi that can beat most prices. drop me a note and we'll talk.

[snowbirds R us]

After reading these posts, I am kind of curious as to what a person might look for as a percentage discount for a used unit. Is there a rule of thumb to look for when considering a used one? Checking the prices of pre owned models would be kind of difficult since prices vary from location to location across the country. Just curious here since spring is coming.

[MARK A]

quote:Originally posted by snowbirds R us

After reading these posts, I am kind of curious as to what a person might look for as a percentage discount for a used unit. Is there a rule of thumb to look for when considering a used one? Checking the prices of pre owned models would be kind of difficult since prices vary from location to location across the country. Just curious here since spring is coming.

I saved about 17,000 when I found our rig. 5 mo old 2016 used 3X. It was better than new with an 1800 watt inverter, 4 6V batteries. It was definitely cleaner than a dealer purchase.

Mark

[Foster]

We are signing papers on ou 3160RL on Tuesday. We were able to purchase ours for 34% off the MSRP. This is the second trailer we purchased from RV Station. They had the cheapest price and I might could have pushed a little harder to get a better deal. I felt like I left a little on the table. Ours isn't the legacy edition and the MSRP was $83,607.

[FreeRoamn]

Thank you Foster, that is great info!!!!