Dealer prep cost

[1wayhighway]

What’s the going rate for dealer prep these days? Looking at purchasing a new trailer and compared to the $900.00 we paid back in 2014 $3500.00 seems, well, crazy money.

[16WhiteColly]

What is Dealer Prep? Fixing all the stuff the manufacturer should have done right from the start.

[RogerR]

Dealer prep is just part of the profit to dealers. Try telling them you don't want any prep.
Won't work, but you could try to negotiate it down a bit.

[EA37TS]

Dealer prep varies by dealer and the negotiating skills of the buyer.

[OnTheGo]

Originally Posted by 1wayhighway

What’s the going rate for dealer prep these days? Looking at purchasing a new trailer and compared to the $900.00 we paid back in 2014 $3500.00 seems, well, crazy money.

$3500 seems excessive. Ask them what you get for $3500, and make them be specific and give it to you in writing.

I asked a sales rep in a truck deal to justify the dealer cost and he said "everybody pays that". I said "I don't" and walked out. ... got the same deal from a different rep with the dealer cost included. In some states it capped and others it's outlawed.

[Sundancer330]

Go to Haylett RV in Coldwater they dont charge any of those garbage dealer prep fees.

[bjones211]

I didn't pay any fees for mine. I titled it in another state from where purchased so the price was the price, no extra fees whatsoever...

[kayakterp]

My fee was waived by the salesman so I don't remember what they charged back in 2016 but I'm thinking it was around $500-$800.

[Dbunke]

We also purchased our 2020 out of state. That was one reason why we bought from who we did was No dealer prep fees. Full propane tanks, two batteries, typical starter kit as well as a fantastic walk threw inspection. The unit was setup well and has given us very little problems. Fast forward 1 1/2 years. I don't know if we would get the same free level of service today. I know I would be looking around if I was presented with $3500 prep fee....

[JB13502]

My dealer, family owned and local, doesn't charge a dealer prep fee. At least they weren't when we picked up our unit in April 2021. There was a titling fee, but it was only $50.00 or so.

We've only ever dealt with family owned dealerships, I don't recall ever paying a dealer prep fee. Is this something unique to the chain dealers?

[Randyman69357]

We dealt with a small privately owned family dealership and payed their $1,400 dealer PDI fee. What we received was 4 batteries, and 120lbs of propane and any questions answered on the how tos of the systems of the coach. Also cleaned up and systems all ran and verified to be in working order. They also had washed it and sorta cleaned the interior of the usual sawdust and air conditioning duct stuff. I call it stuff cuz it is a very fine white dust that we are constantly dusting off the furniture and floors. I know it will stop someday as we have had other new units that did the same. They do incur some costs but majority is additional dealer profit.

[Cincinnati Kid]

We've only bought one rv, but the same process works for cars and rv's. We shop around, decide on a model, floorplan and options, then the fun begins.
We shop everywhere we go, at our local dealer, the rv shows, and online.

We always ask for the "out the door" price, with all fees and taxes included. Then you have one number you can compare between dealers. It doesn't matter if they charge a lot for prep if the sales price is thousands lower. Only the "out the door" price matters.

Have your financing lined up with your bank or credit union while the offers are coming in, which avoids another way the dealership squeezes money out of you.
Don't buy fabric protection, or any of the other stuff they try to tack on at the end.

Listen to their financing offers, they might have some kind of incentive from a loan company, but be ready with your own when it comes time to seal the deal.

We found the best RV deal in upstate NY, but ended paying a little more at our local Cincinnati dealer after they came down $thousands to try to match the online company. The NY price wasn't low enough to justify traveling up there to get it.

Another tip- We could have bought it for less money in the Elkhart area. That's probably the smartest idea, because we've had to travel there for repairs so many times anyway-lol.

Prices are definitely higher these days, but dealers would still rather sell you one than let the competition get you.

[1wayhighway]

Thanks for all the info. Ya I kinda gasped when they showed me the break down of costs on the estimate. Won’t pay the 3500, that’s a lot of money for a wash and sweeping the floor.