Importance of dealer location?

[Crabman]

Buying away from home is kind of a crap shoot. I bought mine 430 miles away at RVdirect Albany because I tried two dealers (still around 100 miles away, no local dealers here) one was 4 grand higher, and I did not get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the salesman. He quoted me a price, and said that was it and they "were selling like hotcakes at that price". Keep in mind this is Summer of 09, financial crisis, and one of the worse RV sales years ever. I`m not stupid. Tried another one, filled in the "request a quote" site on their web page twice on two units. Never heard back from them. Did not want to sell very badly did they?

I have been lucky, in nearly 5 years my unit has not been back to a dealer for any reason. Any issues have been minor in nature and I have taken care of myself. That being said I have always wondered what the course of action would have been if I had encountered a major warranty problem. And some of the larger 2-4 slide units are much more complex then my humble 28BHS. More to go wrong, so more chance of warranty work requirements.

So my conclusions after being active on this forum for 4+ years and seeing what members post as their experiences:

Some that bought from a distance have posted that they had their units serviced under warranty by RV repair/service facilities that do not sell RV`s.
And others were able to get the local Jayco dealer to service it even though they bought elsewhere. Still others as posted were denied service altogether or put on a long waiting list. And of course a great many of us never have a need for warranty work, and are quite handy and willing to do many things ourselves. But some are not mechanically inclined, or physically able to work on their units.

So as I say, its a crap shoot what your experience will be like. Its not like buying a Ford or Chevy. You could call Jayco and see what services are available in your area. I would have preferred to make a local deal, even if it was 1500 more, but it was not to be so I made the trip. Next time I will try to buy local again first, but will have a quote from RV direct in hand just like last time. If they are willing to work, meet me in the middle and talk to me with respect, a deal will be made closer to home!

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by clubhouse

I wish you were right, but unfortunately you are not. I called Jayco, they told me that dealers who sell there products are just that -- they are NOT Jayco dealers. As such the dealers have no requirement to provide warranty work.

Well, then I'm confused. When is a dealer not a Jayco dealer? Guess it depends if they just "sell" Jayco rvs rather than being certified Jayco dealers. Go to the Jayco web site and go to their dealer locator. It will show the "Jayco" dealers closest to your location. They are identified as Jayco dealers and not just an RV seller who happens to sell a Jayco rv. As such would they not be required to do warrantee work?

[clubhouse]

When you think in terms of franchises that we are all familiar with it gets confusing. To be a GM or Ford franchise you have to go through all these approvals, sign contracts, meet rigorous financial obligations, provide dealership facilities to meet specific requirements. Same holds true for most franchise type businesses -- think of examples where the brand does the advertising and retail establishment simply sells it.

On the other hand to be a "authorized dealer" for for every RV brand I am aware of it is nothing more than agreeing to purchase/sell X number of units per year. If there is another well established and successful dealer in the area the brand may say no for fear of losing a known producer vs unknown -- but otherwise the prospective dealer will often get the brand and if they don't meet expectations the brand will simply stop selling to them.

How many major brand car dealerships "went out of business" in the last economic recession. How many RV dealerships? Then how many major brand dealerships were "closed" by the brand (GM, Ford, Chrysler). That is the difference with franchise and "authorized dealer".

[cb1000rider]

My advice:
Your new unit will have problems. I say that without exception to every make and model. Decide how handy you are.

Investigate two things:
1) Dealer reputation on sales.
2) Dealer reputation on service.

Usually the reviews are co-mingled, but good sales does NOT mean good service.
If you buy locally, I'd ask for a turn around time guarantee on "warranty" issues, subject to part availability. You read stories of new RVs being down for multiple months as service bays are backed up.

It seems the best situation is being near the manufacturer itself...

[SouthCo]

We drove 2 hours and saved $2500. Only local MD dealer is Chesaco/ Happy Travelers RV. They are so incompetent that I would pay to have my trailer serviced somewhere else instead of letting them work on it for free under warranty.