By Cheri Sicard
Shopping for an RV can be frustrating and buyers have all kinds of pitfalls to try to avoid. We’ve done some good video posts in the past about buying RVs, like this one from a certified RV inspector that highlights the most common RV-buying mistakes that people make. In the video below, however, Patrick from Travels with Delaney says you should avoid RV dealers who do this!
Patrick begins with a list of what the perfect RV dealer would look like, if only we could find such mythical creatures…
Patrick says the perfect RV dealer would:
- Allow you to walk around the lot and browse the RVs.
- Have a knowledgeable salesperson available when you need them.
- Make a fair offer upfront.
- Understand when we say we want to go home and think about it and encourages us to take our time because this is a very large purchase.
Patrick polled Travels with Delaney viewers on what they are looking for in a good RV dealer.
These are some of the things RV consumers want:
- Honesty, especially in the finance department.
- Transparency, especially about all those extra fees.
- Salespeople who aren’t pushy. Consumers need information, not pressure to buy. RV shoppers want some space.
- Salespeople who know the product. Too many RV shoppers know more than the dealers about the RVs for sale.
Red flags: Avoid RV dealers who:
- Hustle you into a cubicle or office immediately upon entering and prematurely try to collect too much personal information.
- Won’t give you the space and privacy to browse and discuss the RVs on your own.
- Ask, “What’s it going to take to get you to buy today,” when you say you were just looking. Know that the salesperson is just looking to make a quick buck and walk the other way.
- Refuse to take no for an answer. If a dealer is exerting so much pressure on you that you almost have to be rude to get out of there, that’s a good sign that getting out of there is a good idea. Beware of RV dealers who use high-pressure timeshare-style sales techniques.
Be sure to watch the video, especially to the six-minute mark where Patrick covers some ways to protect yourself when buying an RV and some best practices when dealing with any RV dealer. He also recommends three reputable dealers that they have worked with over the years.
##RVT1146
When we went to Camping World, we were told we needed to give them a driver’s license to see any RVs and would need to be escorted around the lot. The DL requirement made them a hard NOPE.
They can get more info from the bar code on the back than you can believe.
Problem here is, “These are the three dealerships we recommend”. These are the only dealerships he had any dealings with, all well east of the Rockies. Nevertheless, his info on not getting railroaded into buying something was all good.
I wonder where all those bad RV and vehicle dealers are? When young and buying used cars at the corner pot lot or later when buying a new RV or vehicle at dealerships we have always been treated with respect and did not buy anything we did not want. Whether new or used, a vehicle purchase should always be a pleasure. I cannot imagine anyone who would turn RV’s over when owning them less than two years, new or used. All the deprecation losses make no sense to me.
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 Our current plan is that RV #2 is the last RV, so no more dealers for us. 🙂 Safe travels! 🙂
The bullets in the red flag list are dead on Cheri. You can always tell when a sales person is desperado. And I can’t stand it when a person half my age tries to school me on the obvious…