Purchasing locally vs. out of state

Love To Travel 2 · 08-09-2017, 06:59 AM

We are days away from ordering our 2018 29MV from a very large Internet dealer that is about a 5 hour drive from our home. The price is much lower than anything I can find locally by thousands of dollars, but now I'm having second thoughts. When I read posts from all of you about 'issues' and repairs, everyone comments about taking the rig back to the dealer, which I am assuming is the seller.

For those of you who bought your Jayco a great distance from home, have you taken it back to the seller, or do you use a Jayco dealer closer to home for warranty and other repairs? Does it make a difference? I am mechanically inclined, like all RV owners must be, but when I read horror stories about owners waiting weeks or months for repairs that must be done by an authorized dealer, I'm wondering if we should pay the extra money and buy it closer to home, if only for the convenience.

And, if we purchase it out of state, and take it locally for work, how will we be treated? Does that make us second class citizens in the eyes of the local dealer? When I call the seller where we purchased our travel trailer and ask about scheduling service, the first question they would ask is if we purchased the unit from them. I've never said no, so I don't know what the difference would be.

Thank you for your help...any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Kim Gass · 08-09-2017, 07:40 AM

You have to check out your local dealers policies on repair work if you were not a customer
In our area there are just two dealers and both cannot give low prices due to transportation charges . They tell you that upfront and also tell you their own customers come first. We bought local and the couple of times we needed service the repairs were done that day

rdlouks · 08-09-2017, 07:42 AM

I did purchase my 2018 Pinnacle 36KPTS from an out of state dealer. Reason? They were $5,000 less for the 2018 than any local dealer wanted for a 2017 model. (hard to ignore) Like you I am mechanically inclined so repairs do not intimidate me. In fact this is the forth Jayco I have owned and only took one in one time for warranty repairs. The rest were minor enough that I did the repair myself. (Dealer sometimes would supply parts)
Now as far as getting a non selling dealer to perform warranty work, good luck! Unlike Automotive dealers RV dealers are not required by the manufacturer to perform warranty repairs.

Here is Jayco's Customer Service Number if you have any issues. They can and will authorize repairs from other repair facilities in the case of a major breakdown. 800.283.8267.

Other than that one has to weigh cost savings versus convenience.

Siamese · 08-09-2017, 08:08 AM

I'd take the better deal out of state. Who knows whether your local dealer will behave ethically if you need them, regardless of whether you bought from them.

MrJackSprat · 08-09-2017, 08:10 AM

We bought local (30 minutes away) at Rick's RV in Joliet IL. Before we bought our first back in summer of 2015, we did do our homework and found numerous dealers around the country that had advertised the exact same RV for less ($2-4K) but felt the extra cost was worth the piece of mind in buying local. The next closest full-service Jayco dealer is about 2 hours away... but the big savings dealers were 6+ hours away.

Though Rick's does service other makes and models, I can only say that we are in/out for service in days rather than weeks. Plus they are a Jayco exclusive dealer and many at the dealership know us by name, which is comforting when you really need to ask a special favor. They may be this way with all customers (sale & service), but I have read about other dealers that put non-purchasers at the bottom of their schedules when service is needed.

DanNJanice · 08-09-2017, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

We are days away from ordering our 2018 29MV from a very large Internet dealer that is about a 5 hour drive from our home. The price is much lower than anything I can find locally by thousands of dollars, but now I'm having second thoughts. When I read posts from all of you about 'issues' and repairs, everyone comments about taking the rig back to the dealer, which I am assuming is the seller.

For those of you who bought your Jayco a great distance from home, have you taken it back to the seller, or do you use a Jayco dealer closer to home for warranty and other repairs? Does it make a difference? I am mechanically inclined, like all RV owners must be, but when I read horror stories about owners waiting weeks or months for repairs that must be done by an authorized dealer, I'm wondering if we should pay the extra money and buy it closer to home, if only for the convenience.

And, if we purchase it out of state, and take it locally for work, how will we be treated? Does that make us second class citizens in the eyes of the local dealer? When I call the seller where we purchased our travel trailer and ask about scheduling service, the first question they would ask is if we purchased the unit from them. I've never said no, so I don't know what the difference would be.

Thank you for your help...any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Does this large dealership have repair facilities? Is so, then you are probably OK to buy it there. Worst case, you drive/have it towed 5 hours and they fix it.
Most likely you will be serviced below customers that purchased from your local dealer, that is a chance you take.
Lastly, sometimes Jayco will authorize independent repair shop to do repairs. So, that is another option.

submariner · 08-09-2017, 08:34 AM

This is a very interesting subject,especially to me.We have a 17 greyhawk mv and are possibly considering a new seneca.I can save almost 20K by ordering from an on-line dealer,rather than the local stealership.The thing is,aside from the huge price difference,I am worried about buying new, afraid of all the problems that the new models may have.It seems from reading on here ,these things are far from perfect and without flaws.Pretty scary thoughts for a motorhome that lists for a quarter mil.

jkaras7 · 08-09-2017, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

We are days away from ordering our 2018 29MV from a very large Internet dealer that is about a 5 hour drive from our home. The price is much lower than anything I can find locally by thousands of dollars, but now I'm having second thoughts. When I read posts from all of you about 'issues' and repairs, everyone comments about taking the rig back to the dealer, which I am assuming is the seller.

For those of you who bought your Jayco a great distance from home, have you taken it back to the seller, or do you use a Jayco dealer closer to home for warranty and other repairs? Does it make a difference? I am mechanically inclined, like all RV owners must be, but when I read horror stories about owners waiting weeks or months for repairs that must be done by an authorized dealer, I'm wondering if we should pay the extra money and buy it closer to home, if only for the convenience.

And, if we purchase it out of state, and take it locally for work, how will we be treated? Does that make us second class citizens in the eyes of the local dealer? When I call the seller where we purchased our travel trailer and ask about scheduling service, the first question they would ask is if we purchased the unit from them. I've never said no, so I don't know what the difference would be.

Thank you for your help...any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

We struggled with the same issue though not thousands less but $750 less. However, knowing that we would have to take the RV back to the dealer for warranty work we knew this was not a good nor convenient thing. Second, we reviewed all the dealers in the Las Vegas area and talked to people we knew who had RVs. We found a local family owned RV dealer who has a great reputation for honesty and backing up sold products. After much thought, we decided to buy locally. Don't regret this decision one bit.

As for internet sale, make sure you know exactly what ALL the charges will be on the RV. Many of these internet sales programs don't tell you about dealer prep fees, etc. Our local dealer listed all fees etc.

Good luck on whatever decision you make.

chasfenwick · 08-09-2017, 09:10 AM

We saved ~$11,000 by buying our Precept from a dealer 1100 miles away. Everything arranged via the internet. That is A LOT of money. I'll worry about finding service closer if and when it becomes necessary.

jkaras7 · 08-09-2017, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chasfenwick

We saved ~$11,000 by buying our Precept from a dealer 1100 miles away. Everything arranged via the internet. That is A LOT of money. I'll worry about finding service closer if and when it becomes necessary.

WOW! $11,000 is a huge difference. For that kind of difference we too would have bought in the Phoenix area instead of Las Vegas. Our difference was about $750. Trips to and from the Phoenix area would have consumed this difference in a hurry.

LI-Camper · 08-09-2017, 12:08 PM

I bought our 2016 29MV from Albany,NY RV One which is about 6 hours away. I negotiated a good deal (~30% off MSRP) and got what I wanted for a trade-in. I was treated very well and everything was done to my satisfaction. The PDI last 4 hours and I had a long checklist. There isn't a Jayco dealer nearby who sells motorhomes unless you order one and wait a long time for delivery. The local Jayco dealer (he sells trailers almost exclusively) couldn't come close to the price that I paid. Jayco service understands that some dealers will not do repairs under warranty so they send you the parts and let you choose someone else to do the repair if you wish. At least that is my experience.

bdreinv · 08-09-2017, 12:43 PM

Best price money is money once you've owned a couple campers.Service in Arizona is pretty much the same no matter where you go!Not so good,I am trying to be nice!

Love To Travel 2 · 08-09-2017, 03:41 PM

Well friends, I think the decision has been made. But first, thank you all for your informative responses. They looked at both sides of the issue, and of course brought up some nuances that I never thought of.

Today I contacted a local family-owned Jayco dealer. It would be a 45 mile drive from our home and we were there several months ago looking at a 2017 29MV. It is a very nice, small dealership, where everyone is friendly and on a first-name basis. Just like Cheers! I spoke to the salesman we met during our first visit and asked for a price on a 2018 29MV exactly the way we wanted it.

But first, one of the posts on this thread indicated that the purchaser saved $11,000 on a Precept from an Internet dealer 1,100 miles away, compared to buying at their local dealer. To me, that sounded a little far-fetched until the salesman called back several hours later and gave me the bottom line. The difference between the local dealer and the Internet dealer was exactly $14,000. Yes, you heard correctly, FOURTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS! No small change.

So unless something drastically changes, we're taking a 299 mile trip to purchase the 29MV.

pconroy · 08-09-2017, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

Yes, you heard correctly, FOURTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS! No small change.

So unless something drastically changes, we're taking a 299 mile trip to purchase the 29MV.

Easy decision for me too. I'd do what you're doing.

Couple of closing thoughts:

Minor Maintenance Items - you'll want to do those things anyway! You won't want your motorhome locked up at the dealer for weeks waiting on them fixing little stuff.

Big Maintenance Items - You might want to schedule a visit to Factory Service in Indiana. The forums are filled with horror stories of dealers messing up big ticket fixes. From what I can read pretty much everyone's happy when Jayco is fixing things.

And that just leaves stuff in the middle. Take your two year warranty and figure out whether you want to let you dealer whack at these during the off-season, or if you just hold off until your annual trip to Mecca, err, Indiana...

Finally - our 2106 31FK has been pretty much problem free.
That could happen too -- nothing goes wrong.

bluegill1 · 08-09-2017, 04:08 PM

I walked into one of our local Jayco/Family owned dealers looking to get a price on a 34RSBS. I had a manilla folder in my hand with all my internet research and prices from other dealers including the Big Internet guys.Even had some of the low prices marked clearly on the outside of the folder where he could see them.
He saw my folder and even commented that the internet makes things easier for shoppers.
His price was within 1,200 of the big internet guy. For me, it wasn't worth spending hundreds of dollars in gas, my time (10hrs plus PDI time).
What if I travel 10 hrs only to find something that needs to be repaired before I take it home? What do I do, go 5 hrs back home to return when its done?, another 10 hrs (gas, food etc…)
Not worth it too me.
I suggest presenting prices to your local dealer to see if he's interested in coming close.

chasfenwick · 08-09-2017, 05:48 PM

Another factor that I didn't mention before is that the folks 1100 miles away had EXACTLY what I wanted in inventory, whereas it would have had to be a special order with indefinite delivery for the local folks. Score more points for the distant guys.

Love To Travel 2 · 08-09-2017, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chasfenwick

Another factor that I didn't mention before is that the folks 1100 miles away had EXACTLY what I wanted in inventory, whereas it would have had to be a special order with indefinite delivery for the local folks. Score more points for the distant guys.

The units that the Internet dealer has all have the $pecial paint and 4-door fridges, which we don't want, so ours will be a new build. They estimate 10-12 weeks which is OK with us.

Love To Travel 2 · 08-09-2017, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegill1

I suggest presenting prices to your local dealer to see if he's interested in coming close.

Good idea!

Love To Travel 2 · 08-09-2017, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pconroy

Easy decision for me too. I'd do what you're doing.

Couple of closing thoughts:

Minor Maintenance Items - you'll want to do those things anyway! You won't want your motorhome locked up at the dealer for weeks waiting on them fixing little stuff.

Big Maintenance Items - You might want to schedule a visit to Factory Service in Indiana. The forums are filled with horror stories of dealers messing up big ticket fixes. From what I can read pretty much everyone's happy when Jayco is fixing things.

And that just leaves stuff in the middle. Take your two year warranty and figure out whether you want to let you dealer whack at these during the off-season, or if you just hold off until your annual trip to Mecca, err, Indiana...

Finally - our 2106 31FK has been pretty much problem free.
That could happen too -- nothing goes wrong.

In the 4 1/2 years that we have had our travel trailer, it went back one time for warranty work, so we're hoping the 29MV has the same record.

jkaras7 · 08-09-2017, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Love To Travel 2

Well friends, I think the decision has been made. But first, thank you all for your informative responses. They looked at both sides of the issue, and of course brought up some nuances that I never thought of.

Today I contacted a local family-owned Jayco dealer. It would be a 45 mile drive from our home and we were there several months ago looking at a 2017 29MV. It is a very nice, small dealership, where everyone is friendly and on a first-name basis. Just like Cheers! I spoke to the salesman we met during our first visit and asked for a price on a 2018 29MV exactly the way we wanted it.

But first, one of the posts on this thread indicated that the purchaser saved $11,000 on a Precept from an Internet dealer 1,100 miles away, compared to buying at their local dealer. To me, that sounded a little far-fetched until the salesman called back several hours later and gave me the bottom line. The difference between the local dealer and the Internet dealer was exactly $14,000. Yes, you heard correctly, FOURTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS! No small change.

So unless something drastically changes, we're taking a 299 mile trip to purchase the 29MV.

WOW! That's incredible!

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