Advice needed re: RV purchase

D

Doryman

New member
Hey, everyone -- I have been busy with work and have not been on the site for quite some time, but I just signed up for Friday Harbor and LaConner.

In other news, I am in need of advice regarding an RV purchase. This is a camper for my truck. I got a price from a dealer in OR that is in the same town as the factory. Yesterday I got a price from a dealer in Everett which was $5,000+ more than the OR price. So, a couple of questions which hopefully someone will have experience with and can answer:

1. When the Everett dealer found out that I might purchase from out of area (I did not identify the dealer in OR) he got mightily pissed and basically threatened that he would do no warranty work on a unit that was not purchased from him. I thanked him for his time and did not argue with him. My question is, is this "threat" common practice or just bluster to get me to buy from him?

2. The unit I'm buying is from a factory that has an excellent reputation for quality. I am not too worried about QA issues and for anything major I can drive to OR for service if need be. But it is my understanding that subsystems like the reefer, furnace, etc. are all warrantied by their respective manufacturers and therefore I could go to any RV dealer and get warranty work done on that specific subsystem. True?

Thanks for any insights you can provide.
Warren
 
Warren,
I would say that you are right about warranty service. I had the AC repaired on our Tug here in Port Isabel by an authorized repair shop for the AC manufacturer. No pain, no strain and no cost to me. He came to my garage and did the repair, making several trips as the compressor unit had to be replaced. When we did get it in the water, all worked fine.
That said, I can understand the local dealer's frustration, but when there is that much difference in price, it is hard to buy "local". I mean after all it is your money you are spending. That brings up another point, what is local? With my RV, I have had work done all over the United States. After all my home is where I park it. If necessary, a trip down to Oregon would be kind of nice.

Enjoy
 
Warren,

I don't know much about the RV/warranty issue but I just wanted to say it's nice to see you pop up here at the pub again. It's been awhile my friend.
 
Hi Warren,

Glad to see you back. Given what you have described, I would certainly not buy from the Everett dealer. If that is his attitude can you imagine that he is going to be easy to work with, has a good work relationship with his technicians, etc. etc. If you did shift and buy from him do think he would be gracious and cooperative or might he think he was able to bully you once and.... You said he was about $5K more, you can make a lot of trips to Oregon for that amount. I just refuse to deal with people who try to force me to buy from them using threats and bullying. I would also let the factory know of his business approach. And, we have owned both pickup campers and travel trailers with almost no need to have any servicing done by the dealer. FWIW.
 
I am with Barry. We have had a couple of bought new travel trailers that both needed some light warranty work and it was nice to have a willing dealer. We used Poulsbo RV and Fife RV. I would not give that local dealer another minute of your time. Factory direct it is....... Oregon is not that far away anyway and there are other local shops that can be helpful if you really need something fixed as well.

Greg
 
Hi Warren,

We have owned a lot of RVs over the years, and have had to deal with the service issues you are talking about. Getting RV service is more like getting a boat serviced as opposed to a car or truck. Try to get something done at a dealer where you didn't purchase and you are as likely to hear "It will be 3 weeks before we can get you in," as not. Dealers will take care of those who bought from them first. The threats aside, I would drive way out of the way to avoid a dealer who was unpleasant to deal with at any stage of the deal, including getting service.

Yes, all the RV appliances, a/c, furnace, etc, etc are made by a few manufacturers and all the RV builders use their stuff. You should be able to get any of that stuff repaired by any dealer (again, read the first paragraph).

The biggest issue we've run into with RVs is the chassis, the engine, and the "house" on top of it are warrantied by different entities in most circumstances. If you are talking a truck camper, you don't have to be concerned about that.

If you are talking a truck camper, let me ask a couple questions: are you still running the same truck? If I recall, it is a single rear wheel 3/4 ton? A sizable truck camper is the perfect example of a truck that should be 1 ton AND have dual rear wheels... you are carrying all that weight in the bed of the truck. Not necessarily the best truck solution for boat towing, but necessary to haul the weight of most truck campers.

We considered a truck camper after buying Wild Blue, but decided against it because it would have required another truck change, and we weren't willing to do that.

Again, if I recall correctly, the last time you mentioned RVing, you were pulling a travel trailer, right?

So, tell us a bit more about what you're considering for an RV.

In years past, we've had more bad dealings with RV service than good. Since buying the 5th wheel, that has changed. Maybe we're just more careful about who we let work on it... or maybe those doing the work have gotten better? I do as much work as I can myself, too... being retired has given us more time options to get that work done.

Good luck with the RV search. The last time we did the RV buying thing, different dealers were as much as $10,000 apart on the same optioned out unit - pretty significant. We bought from the dealer who had the best reputation for taking care of people, who also was the most competitive price-wise... that says something about the way dealers do business, too.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Warren,

The Roy Robinson Chevy/Subaru/RV dealer is located in Marysville and provides service on RV's. You could contact them to see if they service RV's they did not sell.

I would never buy from someone who sounds as rude as that fellow in Everett.

There are a couple of RV dealers in Burlington/Mt Vernon who might provide service on appliances if needed.
 
Any dealer that does not want to or threatens to not warranty a product line he sells just because you did not buy it there is some one to avoid whether you buy out of state or locally. I would call the manufacture of the line you are thinking about ask them how they feel about the threat against one of their potential customers.

Aside from that you may want to look in to what its going to cost you to register that out of state RV in Washington. between gas and tax, that you don't pay in oregon but will be charged here, you might be better off buying here and not in OR. Look at all your cost not just the price tag.

Chance are when you do have a problem it will be while you are out on the road not near your local dealer. So looking at a company with a national dealer network over factory direct pricing, as the only decision point, might be better. Now if you can get factory pricing and a good dealer net work that would be best.

As for this local only mentality, what a bunch of small minded BS. I am not a citizen of Washington state. I am a U.S. citizen and Iam a local anywhere in the U.S. I happen to be standing. As I have moved around a lot in my life since birth, 13 schools in 12 years in 8 states before I joined the Corps and five moves since then, I have dealt with a lot of Local only bs from people. Lots of fisherman think that certain rivers lake and areas are for "locals only" and will try to run you off or damage your stuff. I have even had people tell me I was taking a "locals" job because I had moved from out of state or even from another county. Well you all know me so you know how that went :wink: I just hate to see this small minded local only mentality continue. Warren please email me the dealer that told you that so I never send someone there or take my camper there for service. thank you.
 
We have only had chassis built RV (not truck slide ins)--but in those we do find that often service appointments are necessary some time in advance. The exception is if you are on the road and have an "emergency".
 
Welcome back Warren. RVs are a little like boats in the warranty aspect. If you buy a new one, each item (like the water heater/stove/etc/etc) has a factory warranty from the mfr of that piece of equipment.

Good luck!

Charlie
 
If you can do simple service around your house, there is little that you can't do on your camper. The exceptions are the fridge and water heater and cabin heater. However, those are serviceable as well if you are willing to study a bit. Those items are national and you should be able to get service at any legit RV dealer or manufacturer. I always buy price, but am willing to stay local for up to 5% more over a non-local dealer. Not more than 5% premium though, and I've told dealers that who are higher in price than someone some miles away, and they have always come down to at least the 5% premium mark. Any more than 5% and you are wasting your money to buy local if you can save more by going out of town.
 
I/we had a camper deal threaten not to honor or do warranty work for us, if we did not purchased the unit from his dealership.

So, I called the factory and visited with their VP of Sales, amazingly the dealer called me and for some reason had changed his tune, he would be very glad to work with us no mater where the unit was purchased.

Amazing what good communication can achieve.

Regards,

Ron Fisher
 
One exception to warranty repair would be if you ever had any issues with water intrusion. Then it would need to be taken to the dealer or manufacturer of the RV.
 
Warren,
In the year 2000 we had a new 9' camper built to carry on our pickup. 1 year later the factory went out of business.
I was worried about the 1 to five year warranty on everything inside the camper. When I asked a local dealer about warranty work he told me not to worry because all the components were warranted by their individual mfg.
We have had no issues with the camper until this year when we had a huge power surge. It took out the 12 volt to 120 ac converter and the frig. After checking with several RV dealers the work is being done by Baydo's in Chehalis wa.
Systems in newer RVs are pretty darn good and idiot proof. If something will work for me for 12 years it must be tough.
When I get it back you can bet it will be plugged into a surge suppressor.
 
Warren,

Good to see you back. What brand and size are you looking at? We have had campers from 8' all the way up to 10'-11". Most of them were Lance Campers. Host also makes excellent campers that I would consider if buying again. We even pulled the TomCat behind the 10'-11" Lance, but on a Ford F450 diesel dually. Stay away from the Everett dealer.

Brent
 
I used to work in the RV industry at Camping World a number of years back. I learned a few things while working there. One of the most important ones was the nobody HAS to buy an RV. It is just one of those things that we really can live without. So, if you are the salesman, or work in service (where I worked), don't be an ass as that is what closes RV dealerships. Threatening to not perform a repair outlined in the contractual agreement because you didn't buy the RV at their store falls under being an ass......

I understand his frustration, but he should have politely stated that his offer was in good faith and the best he could do. He also should have thanked you for at least considering their business.

If this is a common event, he probably won't be around long enough for you to take your unit to him to repair even if you did buy it there......
 
Warren, I hope the camper you are looking at is an Arctic Fox from Northwood Industries in LaGrande, OR! Apache Camping Center in Everett is a dealer, but there is also a dealer in Sumner, and I think one in Lynden.
 
Warren, I am not sure which unit you're looking at, but if we were to replace our truck camper, there are only two that I believe I would consider. One is a Northern Lite, the other is a Bigfoot. Both have fiberglass shells. My Caribou (aka the Cari-boo-boo) was made here in Oregon by cretins. Poor workmanship and materials. Oh well, it's paid for, and I think I have the leaks finally stopped (maybe).

I believe that both Brent and Dixie, and Jim and Joan recommended a one ton with duals. I could not agree more. I've pulled the CD 22 on my F250 with the camper on, but I would like to have more suspension under me.
 
Steve - are you familiar with the Arctic Fox campers? They have a fiberglass shell as well, and feature true 4 season insulation. Pricey but gorgeous and well built...

Wandering Sagebrush":1ynnjf2b said:
Warren, I am not sure which unit you're looking at, but if we were to replace our truck camper, there are only two that I believe I would consider. One is a Northern Lite, the other is a Bigfoot. Both have fiberglass shells. My Caribou (aka the Cari-boo-boo) was made here in Oregon by cretins. Poor workmanship and materials. Oh well, it's paid for, and I think I have the leaks finally stopped (maybe).

I believe that both Brent and Dixie, and Jim and Joan recommended a one ton with duals. I could not agree more. I've pulled the CD 22 on my F250 with the camper on, but I would like to have more suspension under me.
Click to expand...
 
Pat Anderson":223worgx said:
Steve - are you familiar with the Arctic Fox campers? They have a fiberglass shell as well, and feature true 4 season insulation. Pricey but gorgeous and well built...

Wandering Sagebrush":223worgx said:
Warren, I am not sure which unit you're looking at, but if we were to replace our truck camper, there are only two that I believe I would consider. One is a Northern Lite, the other is a Bigfoot. Both have fiberglass shells. My Caribou (aka the Cari-boo-boo) was made here in Oregon by cretins. Poor workmanship and materials. Oh well, it's paid for, and I think I have the leaks finally stopped (maybe).

I believe that both Brent and Dixie, and Jim and Joan recommended a one ton with duals. I could not agree more. I've pulled the CD 22 on my F250 with the camper on, but I would like to have more suspension under me.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Pat, the Arctic Fox campers that I have seen had aluminum frame construction with fiberglass composite sides, the same as my Fleetwood Cari-boo-boo. I believe the people who make Arctic Fox spun off from Fleetwood. I believe they also have the rubber roof. For a truck camper, I would have nothing other than a fiberglass monocoque shell for construction. I've fought too many problems on what was purported to be a 'top of the line" camper.

I agree that the AF looks great, and many people like them a lot, but I would only go for something like the Northern Lite or Bigfoot if replacing the boo-boo...
 
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