The way people shop for RVs is varied. While traditional dealerships still dominate the industry, other buying options like RV shows, factory-direct sales, and even online purchases are options. This week’s reader poll asks where you physically bought your most recent brand-new RV (as opposed to a pre-owned model).
Did you walk through dozens of models at many dealerships before choosing? Or maybe you just visited one dealership and fell in love with a particular RV and bought it right on the spot?
Or did you attend an RV show, where rows of gleaming rigs and tempting “show specials” from many dealers influenced your decision? Some buyers prefer dealing directly with the manufacturer, cutting out the middleman, and buy that way.
In today’s digital age, a small number of consumers buy sight-unseen online, a method that RVtravel.com editors have repeatedly warned is asking for trouble.
Your feedback helps us and fellow RVers understand how shopping habits are evolving. If you selected “Other” please take a moment to tell us more about your experience by leaving a comment.
We’ll report the results in an upcoming issue of our newsletter.
You might enjoy these other popular polls:
• For couples: How many times a day do you kiss your partner?
•Do you lock your RV when you take a 10-minute walk around your campground?
•How would you describe the quality of workmanship on your RV?
• Should drivers with RVs 40 feet or longer need a special driver’s license?
•How far away do you store your RV when not using it?
RVT1219
I ordered my new factory built motorhome over the phone from a dealership from which I had previously purchased a motorhome. Never physically visited the dealership for this purchase. After the motorhome was built, the dealership delivered the motorhome to me where I lived, almost a thousand miles from the dealership.
I found mine on the internet and bought it without seeing it in person. Had a certified RVIA inspector inspect the TT. Then paid a trucker firm I found on uShip to deliver it from Washington to Pa. I was getting treatments for cancer and couldn’t go to Washington to look at them and bring one back. But knew I was going to get cured. Had seen a used model like I bought previously and liked it. Would have waited, but Outdoors RV switched to Schwintek slides on the new model year and didn’t want Issue down the road with the Schwintek slide.
Wise move. I have Schwintek slides and hate them.
Ordered my Hoosier Custom Cruiser directly from Earl. Able to add items to my needs without question. Ordered exterior paint scheme, interior materials and colors.
A beautiful Class C for 2.
I guess I should know who Earl is, but I don’t. Who is Earl?
Hi, Heather. I Googled it. Here ya go– Meet Earl. Have a great day. 😀 -Diane at RVtravel.com
I voted other. I bought mine at a dealership, but is was a privately owned one. Not a big RV chain.
Much better customer service and they know me when I come in.
I drove 700 miles to a dealership to buy a fifth wheel , because of price. They are up front on price and no games some dealerships play. I knew I would not return for warranty issues, we have private repair service nearby. I guess I was lucky we have had the fifth wheel 9 years and never needed any professional service.
We were looking for a small basic camping trailer, after a long internet search we found exactly what we wanted. Eureka travel trailers in Tennessee, “Everything you need, nothing you don’t need”. Saw the one we wanted on line, ordered it and it was delivered to our home in Florida for $200. Unfortunately when the owner passed away they sold off the assets, they were wonderful people to work with and we purchased another TT from them.
Though we ultimately purchased at a different dealership, we initially found the model at a local winter RV show. Unfortunately the model never became available locally again so we had to look further afield.
Found it on Marketplace. Travelled 250 miles to look at it and then payed cash (bank check) to buy it from the private seller
The last new RV we bought was in early 2009 during the Financial meltdown. While I worked with a Newmar dealer over the phone, it was a special order 2010 model year from the factory, so I had never seen it, except the floorplan and generic brand pictures in a brochure. It was a 32′ Newmar Bay Star. We kept it 8 years traveling around the country.
I’m pretty sure that was the last new RV we’ll ever buy as new prices have gone berserk! Late model used now for us.
I ordered online, but made sure it was new stock and personally took delivery AT the RV dealership where I could do a traditional pre-delivery inspection before signing the final paperwork (and I made sure I had copies of the paperwork BEFORE I showed up at the dealer).
Our last Travel Trailer was a LANCE. We viewed our particular model at 3 different Dealers in Florida. ALL were priced too high, even after much negotiating. My wife & my decision was to order the Model we wanted from a wholesale dealer near the LANCE Factory in California. The money we saved was enough to cover our trip to the west coast and the cost of most of our entire 2 month vacation. What minimal warranty expenses were covered by several LANCE Dealers in 3 different States across the U.S. Would I do this again? You Bet!
We drove to the largest dealer in Texas and spent 6 1/2 hours walking the lot looking for the size and floorplan that compliments our intended use. My wife and I each wrote down our Top 4, returned to the hotel that night and slept on our thoughts. The next day, we consolidated our short list and prioritized duplicates. It was an easy process as the Georgetown 36D7 was at the top of both our lists. We studied two on the lot and picked the one with the fewest obvious defects and more appealing paint scheme. It’s been good and we’ve yet to find a better choice.
We looked at several versions of the model we purchased at shows and other dealerships, and then ordered it directly from Wanna RV which is just down the road from where it was manufactured. We also researched and spoke to several dealerships to get the best deal on exactly the trailer we wanted with all the accessories included. The dealership was about 4 hours from our home, but worth buying from for the service and price.
Will never again buy a new RV. Let someone else fight through the manufacturing defects. 2+ years of grief that probably cost me 10 years of my life!
Hear, hear! For most brands, buying anything newer than 2019 is a losing crapshoot.
If I’ve learned anything from reading RVTravel, and other publications, all these years it is that I most likely will never buy a new RV from a dealer, and will be very cautious of a used one from a dealer too. The negative comments outweigh the positive at least 10 to 1.
We bought our first Rv (class A) from an ad in the local Elec. Coop mag. From a farmer in a small town. It had numerous problems, all of which I repaired or modified myself. Never went to a garage or mech.. The 2nd (and last) Rv – a class A, I bought on Ebay from many pictures and a some bidding competition. It turned our to be a good Rv – some minor items needing attention, mostly cosmetic. (Ebay has a buy back policy – so I had no concerns about not seeing it first). I also bought my 1987 El Camino on Ebay. – Actually bought 2 with the first one being stolen the nite before delivery to a trucking firm in Calif.. I verified it with the Orange Cty Sheriffs dept.. I received a full refund.
I bought mine from a friend who buys rv’s from an auction that sells repo’s. It needed lots of love but for price it was well worth it.
I went with other because we went to several RV shows, toured the basic model, but wanted it equipped a bit differently. We wound up ordering it customized from an indiana dealership close to the factory. NO dual pane window equipped models were available in Colorado. Good thing they were in Elkhart, as they had to take it back to the factory to fix the main slide before we arrived to take delivery
Thank you for the question, RV Travel! None of the answers seems exactly right. I chose the “ordered on-line” option. In fact, we went to the Tampa Supershow and talked extensively with Newmar people and North Trail RV (which had brought all the RVs present at the show from Fort Myers) people. We ordered RV #2 from Newmar through North Trail. RV was delivered to North Trail in Florida. Seven hundred miles later, we arrived a few days later (after North Trail concluded its pre-delivery inspection) and formally traded RV #1 for RV #2. So, met the dealer at RV show, bought from RV dealer, after ordering on-line. Have a great week and safe travels!
We bought our 2025 Sun Lite RB19 LTD off the lot from Brewbaker Housing & RV, in Onaway, MI. Long-standing business, and they happen to be the local dealer for the model of camper we decided we wanted (after doing our research online, first!)