How to buy a new Montana

[rvfirefighter]

I see postings of people ordering their units and waiting months to get their unit.
My question is, why would you order one versus buying one sitting on a lot that the dealer would want to move and possibly give a better deal to sell?

[Mudchief]

Sometimes the dealer does not have the unit you want or it does not have the color and options you want.

[bosan]

We ordered our 3075 vs. buying one on the lot to have the interior color we wanted and several options added that are better added during the build phase. With the exception of our added options, the price was the same. Five weeks is not too long to wait.

[richfaa]

Our personal experience..Had we been able to find one that we wanted at the dealer we wanted to buy from at the price we were willing to pay, We would certainly have purchased one off the lot. We were unable to bring all those conditions together. 6 to 8 weeks seems to be the average time to wait if you order. In my opinion buying off the lot would be our first choice...if all conditions can be met.

[5ER]

David and Brenda,
We ordered our Fithh Wheel and it was delivered quicker than we wanted it, about 6 weeks. Of course we ordered our 03 3295RK in mid January in West Virginia and the Parks did not open until Mid April. At the time I was a newbie and thought it was the best way to get the best price. I called many Dealers telling them what we wanted and went back to our local Dealer telling him the deals I could get elsewhere and they matched the price. Don't know if I could have done this buying one off the lot. Besides that I don't believe they had a 3295 on their lot at the time. I don't know which way is the better way to purchase one. We didn't have a trade in but the next time we will so next time we may buy off the lot.

[beancounter]

We ordered ours, even though the dealer had the model in inventory. Our reason? When parting with this much hard-earned money, we wanted ours EXACTLY the way we wanted it and did not want to settle for "close". In our case, the dealer's unit did not have the freestanding table and chairs nor did it have the second A/C unit (or even the prewire and brace). Our dealer was willing to give us the same price either way.

We decided to order and wait rather than wish we had at a later date. (The rhyme is unintentional )

[rvfirefighter]

My experience with the two units I have bought, the first really doesn't count, I just liked the Montana and bought it. The second unit was who will give me the better deal. I could have bought a unit closer to home, but the dealer in Panama City, Fl. beat their best deal by $3000.00. They had some units on the lot that they needed to move. It was luck to find what we wanted on a lot and not order. The unit we bought actually had more options on it than I would have ordered.
I understand wanting things a certain way, but the dealers I have seen have quite a number of different styles on their lots.

[BirdingRVer]

In our case there just weren't any 3075RLs on the lot. We had seen the 3075 when we were still trying to narrow are search as to which brand and model 5th wheel we wanted. When we decided we wanted a 3075RL the one we had seen had been sold. I think we would have ordered anyway because the one that we had seen was Desert Rose interior and we wanted the Sapphire interior.

I think everyone has a make or break option that they can't live with out and that option might not be on the unit they already have on the lot. Also when buying the off the lot depending on how long that unit has been on the lot; how many people have already walked over those carpets and pulled and tugged at all of the items inside?

[bsmeaton]

David and Brenda-

I'm with you, I think you can probably drive a better bargain on an inventory unit, especially if it's a carry over from the prior year. Our 2003 we just walked in and bought an inventory unit right after the RV show.

However, for our new one we wanted hi-gloss which is not a typical inventory option in this region. That combined with the popularity of the 3400, we could not find an inventory unit after searching across a 4 state area. We ended up ordering one.

I know this can work two ways- but by ordering we got the advantage of the wood on the fridge, heavier axles, LCD TV, and plugs in the basement - all unknown changes that occurred during our order period. We would not have got these from an inventory unit.

[rickety]

We ordered ours simply because we didn't like the idea of thousands of "lookie lous" traipsing through "our" Monty before we bought it. Cabinet doors broken, scratches, blinds messed up. couches broken etc.
We are more than willing to wait for our new Monty with the oprtions that we ordered

[traveltunes]

We ordered ours because of everything which has all been stated above and the fact that having everything thing installed at the factory opposed to Joe Blow installing it. We had a bad experience with the unit we currently have. We wanted some of the ceiling tiles replaced due to mis-matching ones. The dealer replaced all of the celing in the bedroom. They had to remove the shower, vanity and etc. Needless to say it does not go back as easy as it comes out. They have really messed it up. By that I mean the shower was put in crooked and the paper that is on the walls is all crinkled up. The shower leaked also, which I fixed. I know we are still going to have to visit dealers from time to time for warranty work, but on the one we ordered we are having the 2nd a/c, generator, stackable w/d etc. installed and I don't trust the dealer to do it. That is why I am trading the unit back where I bought it from, that way they can have trouble trying to sell it and not us. Also, our dealer only has one Big Sky on the lot and it is the basic model. Hope this helps.

[Montana Sky]

I factory ordered mine for two reasons: first, I was able to get everything I wanted on it. Secondly, I was able to get more options and features on my factory order for less money than the 3400RL my dealer had in stock.

[sreigle]

There were a couple of reasons why we ordered this and the prior Montana.

1) We wanted to work with a particular dealer.

2) It is very unlikely we'd find exactly what we want sitting on a lot.

3) When we told our dealer we want to order one, he said he could give us an even better deal if we order. The reason was that his Montanas sell so quickly he wants to keep them on the lot to show customers. Plus, he has no storage costs associated with a customer ordered unit. Lower cost for him, better deal for us.

There would be times when he'd want to move one off the lot, such as end of model year or he has more coming in and no place to put them, etc. Then you might get a better deal buying off the lot.

[Native Tex]

We have bought both of our units right off the lot. I guess we are luck and our came with most every option except a generator and the second A/C. I am adding that, but my wife even liked the colors. Just call it lucky.....I would have not had a second thought about ordering however to get what we wanted.

[Garin1]

We bought ours of the lot because as Richfaa said"all the conditions were met". The new TV on the other hand, well, that was a eight week wait.

[rvfirefighter]

I can understand wanting special options that seem to not be on very many units. My experience with this dealer in Panama City, Fl. they order their units with all the popular options that are the best sellers. Like slide toppers, all their units have them, fireplaces, aluminum wheels, etc. They also had a very good number of different colors.
I did not want to imply that one should buy a unit just because of price, I just think if a dealer has a unit on the lot, he is quicker to deal to move that unit.

[bsmeaton]

David - the two best things about buying on the lot -

You know exactly what you are getting (no changes from the factory)

AND You can have it NOW!!

[SKOOBDO]

I ordered a 2006 model to get the convenience center and morryde suspension, and the one on the lot didn't have those options or othere options I wanted. The dealer offered me a GREAT deal on the one that was on their lot, but I wouldn't have been happy with it...and I'm very happy with the one I ordered. If the dealer had the one I wanted with ALL the options that I wanted I would have got the one on their lot. The waiting period is really not that long, but I can tell you that you just can't wait for them to deliver it and it's a happy day when you go pick it up!!!!

[Fire5er]

1. To make sure you get all the options you want.
2. If ordered at the beginning of the new build year you get all the new items...for us that included 15,500 GVRW and not 14,000, 7,000 lbs axles and not 6,000, new decor color, and 27" LCD TV and not the tube 27" TV.
3. And like others have said...your not getting a unit that a hundred or more have tramped through, stepped into your shower with their shoes on to try it out for head room (like I did during all the shows), laid on your bed spread and drooled on it like they do when they are sleeping at home, etc...

[Bob & Lee]

We bought off the lot, the one they had met our needs except the King size bed so we were going to order and the dealer took one out of another unit and traded the mattress and base so we got the one on the lot.

Bob