Lowest price dealer for new rigs

[HamRad]

We have had the Western Regional Rep at several of our Rallies. He has indicated that Keystone does not have hard and fast control over the dealerships. This includes warranty repairs. They really don't have the kind of control that an auto manufacturer has over their dealerships.

Greg,
Of course you can take your rig anywhere to get it repaired. If still under warranty Keystone may or may not cover the cost involved. If you work with Keystone before the repair is made you may be able to get them to cover the cost. But it is a hit and miss type process. Various members have run the gamut when it comes to getting the repairs done and having Keystone cover the expense. Your best bet, of course, will almost always be to deal with the dealership where you purchased the rig. Good luck, Dennis.

[PSFORD99]

quote:Originally posted by ols1932

You're absolutely right that any Montana dealer will do service on them. But when will they do it? Usually they will put you at the bottom of the list -- they're booked up for three weeks! We've found that it really doesn't pay to go to the "lowest bidder" because they're the ones who will give you the "lowest service" also. My dealer has to put up with this all the time. People go 100 miles out away from him, buy a rig and then demand immediate warranty repair from him. He never refuses but they don't get in right away. I go in with a problem and my rig goes right into the garage and is serviced. I may have paid a little more but I'm still getting royalty service 11 years after purchase.

I've run into a lot of people who have been sorry they bought from the lowest priced sales unit.

Orv

I am not one of those people who are sorry they saved a bunch of money on there purchase. I bought my fifth wheel 1600 miles from home. Local dealer has taken care of a couple warranty problems with no problems. I don't know if it was the royalty treatment, but there was no waiting other than for the parts ,which seemed pretty fast coming from Keystone.

Some things I have to add about purchasing from a dealer with the lowest price. As I have stated before I purchased from Walnut Ridge in New Castle, Indiana. They have a first class sales department, they have a first class service department. They are a first class dealer . I will purchase again from them being 1600 miles away or if I lived a mile from them. Purchasing from a dealer other than a local dealer does not have to be a negative experience.

[CATCRAW]

We purchased our unit through the COSTCO program and the dealer is in another state. They delivered it to us and we have never taken it back to that dealer. The few items we needed to have fixed were all done at our local dealer - under warranty - with no questions asked. Maybe that is not the norm - maybe we are just lucky to have a good local dealer!

[Lee F.]

We went to Alpin Hause in Wilton, NY, the dealer where we purchased our Cougar and he advised us the 2955RL Montana we wanted to trade up to was being discontinued and couldn't be ordered. He suggested several dealerships that we could check to see if we could find an in stock unit. We actually found three on the east coast but RV Outlet USA ( RV007.com )in Danville, Va. quoted us a price aprox. 22% below list, and swapped the China Bombs for Maxxis Radials for free. The rig was ready for us when we arrived and they were very thorough with the PDI and with all our questions. The entire transaction was a pleasure. When I returned home I took the unit to Alpin Hause and they seemed happy to see I found one. This spring I had a problem with the pocket door falling down and I thought the water pump was too loud. They got me in in three days and fixed the door and the pump the same day under warranty. They had no problem at all with me buying from another dealer and actually helped me do it. This is my kind of dealership.

[seahunter]

quote:Originally posted by HamRad



Greg,
Of course you can take your rig anywhere to get it repaired. If still under warranty Keystone may or may not cover the cost involved. If you work with Keystone before the repair is made you may be able to get them to cover the cost. But it is a hit and miss type process. Various members have run the gamut when it comes to getting the repairs done and having Keystone cover the expense. Your best bet, of course, will almost always be to deal with the dealership where you purchased the rig. Good luck, Dennis.

Thanks Dennis for taking the time to explain that.

[seahunter]

quote:Originally posted by CATCRAW

We purchased our unit through the COSTCO program and the dealer is in another state. They delivered it to us and we have never taken it back to that dealer. The few items we needed to have fixed were all done at our local dealer - under warranty - with no questions asked. Maybe that is not the norm - maybe we are just lucky to have a good local dealer!

Thanks again for your help on that Ron. I contacted Alan yesterday and he seems like a really nice guy. He is working up a price as we speak hopefully.

[rames14]

We found out about the disparity in why dealers may/may not service your unit if you didn't buy it from them. We bought our first Montana from Rollin On RV in Indiana. We always got great service. We lived about 15 miles away. I got moved to Wisconsin for work and needed some out of warranty work done. I called the local dealer, Burlington RV, and tried to make an appointment. They said they would call me back to let me know if they wanted to service my unit. I got upset and drove three hours through Chicago traffic to Rollin On. I sat down with the president of Burlington RV before I bought my next unit. He told me on average he spends $1700 on repairs that never get reimbursed from the manufacturer. So, if a dealer sells a unit to someone he knows won't be back for service, he knows he will save $1700. I know some of the deals are good. You just need to go into it with your eyes open. And, unlike the auto industry - they don't have to service you. If you are handy and don't worry about service you can get a deal. If you are looking for great support from a local dealer after buying at another dealer, you're taking your chances. Good luck with your search.