We ran Part 1 of Linda’s questions about buying a new RV yesterday. Here are the rest of her questions, along with my answers.
Dear Dave,
Why doesn’t the industry offer more RVs between 26 – 28 feet? I fell in love with the Bullet 265FKS. It is my dream camper… but it is 2 feet too long and, as ridiculous as it sounds, we can’t get a 30-foot camper into our driveway. Twenty-eight feet is the absolute limit for us, and it seems that 70% of trailers are either 30+ feet or very small ones.
When a new floor plan comes out, is it better to wait a year or two to make sure they have the bugs out, like you would with a new model car?
Do manufacturers ever take into consideration feedback from RV owners regarding likes/dislikes in a camper? Does it pay to say we like this in a camper, or we look for that in a floorplan? I do realize that the engineers/designers have to work within the size limitations for the trailer. With that being said, how long does it take from the engineering concept to hitting the showroom floor?
I read the comments on the safety features that the Ember RV has and Wow! Do you think it would help get better safety features like these in other brands by contacting manufacturers?
Best time to buy a camper?
Is there ever a best time to buy a camper? Spring or fall? Do you really get good deals at a show? (I remember you saying most will hold a show price for a week or so after.)
Pricing. What is typically the markup of a camper? Typically, what is the amount dealers are willing to go down? I’m guessing that depends on the dealership.
We’d be buying new. Is it better to buy from a dealer or order from the factory. If you order from the factory, can you negotiate price?
Much thanks to you and your team for all your help! —Linda
Dear Linda,
Looking through several companies’ websites, I see quite a few units under 30 feet. Let’s take your example of Thor. The Jayco line has 5 floorplans under 30’ in the Jay Feather, and 7 in the Jay Flight. In the Venture line, all 6 of the Sonic floorplans are under 30’ and 7 in the Sonic Lite. The Starcraft line has 8 in Autumn Ridge, 4 in Super Lite Maxx, and 5 in Super Lite. KZ has 8 in the Connect SE, 1 in Connect, 10 in Escape, 10 in Sportsman Classic, 5 in Sportsman SE, and 3 in Sportsman LE.
Heartland has 5 in North Trail, Mallard has 2, Sundance Ultra Lite has 8, Prowler has 3, Trail Runner has 7, and Pioneer has 7. Highland Ridge has 5 in Air Range Lite, 5 in Range Lite, and 5 in Mesa Ridge Lite. In Crossroads, Sunset Trail has 12 units, Volante has 4, Zinger has 7, Zinger Lite has 7. Cruiser has 2 in Embrace, MPG has 4, Radiance has 2, Shadow Cruiser has 13, Stryker has 3 Toy Haulers, and Hitch has 4; however, they are all smaller units. And there are over a dozen that come in just over 30’ by a couple of inches.
In other words, I think you need to dig a little deeper and not just go by what is on the dealer lot or at a show.
Is it best to wait on a new floorplan?
I don’t think it really matters for a new floorplan and the “bones” of the unit are pretty much the same. Plus I don’t think most people have an issue with a new model car these days. Yes, maybe a minor recall but for the most part they are very well designed and manufactured. Now I won’t say the same for an RV as I am hesitant when a new model comes out and especially a new company. Since the boom we have seen a bunch of new companies and OEMs flood the market and I would be very careful regarding the manufacturing but more important the dealer network and how long they will stay in business!
Do manufacturers listen to RV owners?
The market is driven by what is selling. Most RV manufacturers that I know rely heavily on their dealers in driving design. What is selling at one company will be copied by most other companies, as their dealers want a similar floorplan or model. We used to say what sells is what drives!
Some manufacturers do have owner forums through their clubs that provide feedback. However, “clunkers” sitting on a dealer lot get pulled from the lineup really fast. How long does it take? It depends on the engineering required and the RV manufacturer. Cheap units can hit the sales floor in a hurry as there is little labor time with easy-to-assemble stick-and-tin units. Units with aluminum framework, locking joint construction, and superior materials all take much longer to design, test, and implement.
I have heard good comments regarding Ember RV but have not had the opportunity to use one or spend much time around them. Maybe our readers can help with that, or even RVtravel.com’s Tony Barthel. (Also, here’s a link to many posts on RVtravel.com regarding Ember RV.) However, the consumers drive the market, as I stated before. If you demand more safety features by not buying the ones that seem to lack those features, a company will either put them in or go out of business.
When to buy
The best time to buy depends on several factors. Spring is a good time to buy a trailer as the RV manufacturers are gearing up for the camping season and there are more to choose from. However, the price most likely will be higher. Buying a trailer in the fall typically means less inventory to choose from, but dealers are willing to cut prices to get rid of last year’s inventory.
Show prices are typically only good for the show, as dealers are looking to sell now and not have to pay “floor plan financing” or interest. Plus, the price on that unit will go up if the unit sells at the show or just after, and when you go to the dealership and it is no longer there. The new unit they have to order will cost more.
Many times they cut the price at the show to get rid of old inventory or a unit that is not selling well, so they can replace it with something hot that will make them more profit. I do not remember saying that prices are good for several weeks after the show. However, every dealer and every model are different, so I recommend discussing that and price with the dealer.
There is no “standard” price to offer as there are too many factors, and I never talk price. I do not know of any RV manufacturer offhand that will sell direct. Lazy Daze and Born Free did in the past; however, they are no longer in business.
You might also enjoy this from Dave
What advice would you give to someone buying a used RV?
Dear Dave,
We are about to purchase a Starcraft Launch Ultra Lite travel trailer to go full-time. We’re in our 60s. We need alllllll the information on what to know before buying this used unit, please. What are the most important things to check out in order to buy this RV? Thank you! —Lynn
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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Perhaps all the 25′ models have all been sold, it is a popular size, and the dealerships are full of the long, heavy option laden models that they need to sell.
“Show” pricing can be good or really bad. I’ve seen units at shows that would normally sell at 35% or more off MSRP have “Big Show Savings!!!” signs on them with a measley 10% discount. Laughable.
We go to shows to see what’s out there, get a feel for what’s happening, listen to other people looking and hear their comments, and talk to factory reps (sales people many times have no clue). We have never bought at a show. We get better deals deciding what we want and then negotiating across several dealerships.
One of the problems is the way they the model number length is deceiving.
A Grey Wolf 22RR has an inside living length of 22 feet. The overall length from bumper to coupler is almost 30 feet.
My KZ 270thle has a body length of 28 feet. The overall length is 30’10”.
A Jayco 247RBS, is 28 feet total length.
Sounds like the the OP is looking for something under 30′ total, which means the are going to be limited to the 22-24 foot models.
Yes. The OP is right, there really is a gap, very slim pickin’s between 24 and 30 foot in the marketplace.
Fiberglass trailer RVs such as Escape and Scamp are sold direct – factory to consumer.
Outdoors RV and Northwood are some of the best units serious RV’ers can buy. No corporate cracker boxes for this cat.
The longest Escape trailer is 23′.
I agree with the OP. It’s hard to find floorplans in that length. We had a trailer designated as a 2410rl that had approximately 25′ feet of living space. But with the tongue and the bumper, it was well over 28 feet long. Last year we stepped up to a 5th wheel that is tip to tip 26′-11.” Because it’s a 5th wheel, all of that almost 27 feet is living space and much roomier than the longer trailer we had. We are at least a foot shorter, but gained 2 feet of living space. Maybe the OP might look at a small 5th wheel.
Scamp still sells direct and I think Burro does too.
Thank you, Dave! Interesting information. 🙂 When we were at REV Group getting warranty work in 2017, I was told by another owner that American Coach would basically spec a unit for a specific price. The invoice resulting could be shopped across dealers. The “expert” owner added that General RV tended to add a nominal administrative charge to REV’s price. We never pursued this tactic, so I cannot attest to its accuracy. We did specify what options we wanted on our RV and sent them to several dealers. We chose based on anticipated delivery date and price. Guess we’ll never know if we got it right or not. Either way, it is 19,000 miles later and we’re dialing it in. Thanks, safe travels! 🙂
I thought you had a Newmar?
You’re right, Dave. I omitted part of my story. The American Coach was #1 RV. The #2 and current RV is a Newmar. We traded in July 2022. We ordered the Newmar and tried to shop our build sheet across dealers; not sure how well that really worked though. We ultimately chose between General RV’s internet sales shop and North Trail RV. North Trail claimed an earlier delivery date and won our business. I don’t know if we’d have done as well, or better if we’d gone with General
It’s one thing to offer a >30′ camper. Trouble is very few dealerships have even one, and if they do it’s an extremely cheap camper.