We are looking to buy our first RV very shortly.  We would really like to buy it within the next month or two but I was wondering if it would be best to wait for the RV show that is in town in Sept to get one there.

We are looking at Travel Trailers and need a pretty specific floor plan where there are 2 bedrooms (we have a 20 month old son who needs a room to nap for our sanity  ).  My real question is do you get a better deal at the shows VS just going to the dealer?  We pretty much know what models we like from floor plans - it's just about what's the wise decision on purchasing it :) 

If we wait till the RV show we will have to move in w/ friends for a month or two because we are renting out house in before Sept (RVing full time)  Also, anyone have suggestions on financing?  The dealer we spoke with this week said interest rates were about 7% - it seemed a little high but I could be way off.  We got 0% on our last car that cost more than the RV will (not that I expect to get 0%)

Any thoughts/suggestions would be great!

Thanks,

Blythe

I would think that now is a good time to buy....seems like there are sales out there.

As far as financing.....the rate that the dealers have from their loan sources are always higher than elsewhere.  Banks can be a little high on RV loans.....we found that going through a credit union brought the best rate for an RV as well as a vehicle. I believe we got about 4.5% back in October for our 5th Wheel.

For you to consider, Blythe-

1. You want a specific floor plan, and this may not be available at a show, as it is not the most impressive or popular for manufacturers to have at a show.
2. Many prices at shows are "touted" to be special, but usually the sales at shows are used to defray the cost of the show.  In a buyers' market, manufacturers/dealers are usually willing to deal anytime.  Remember, it is your money, and to fall in love with a 'particular' RV removes a lot of power you have to negotiate.
3. There are likely RV's with the separated sleeping areas that are in almost new condition for sale.  As the kids get older, the parents may want a different RV.  Searching on-line will at least give you a feel for this.
4. Waiting until Sept. and being in a position that you must buy is not in your best interest.
5. Research, reserach, search and search now.  Be open to your needs for storage as well as living space.

Just my two cents, and it did not even cost you one.  Waiting until you must buy in September may well cost you far more than two cents.  Falling in love with an RV can do the same.

Good luck!

I've puchased both at the show and months after and I got the better deal after the show. The big thing that I did different was research. I found the model that we wanted and then found the lowest priced one a couple hundred miles away for home. Then used that price to get the local dealer to lower their price to match. A little time spent in research saved $14000.

Thank you all so much!  This has been very helpful.  The floor plan we like comes in a few lines and I cannot even count the number of hours we have spent online researching prices, rates, etc.  I feel much better knowing now can be just as good of a time to buy (plus, who wants to wait if they don't have to!).

Did you all buy from local dealers or National ones?  One place I found a new model we loved was Jeff Couch's RV Nation.  Ever heard good or bad for this company?  It's a 2012 so that might hurt our negotiation powers, not sure.  This is the one I liked http://www.couchsrvnation.com/2012-forest-river-v-cross-32vbhs-new-frameless-windows-outside-kitchen-OH-i231599   $24,490 is what they quoted me.  We are still very early in looking for pricing but wanted to see if anyone knew good/bad about this dealer.

Thanks again :)  So wonderful to get free advice and tips!

I wouldn't judge a business by one instance of a seemingly rude salesperson.What one person calls rude another may not feel that way at all. Couches RV hasn't been in business all those years without doing something right. Just saying.

Again, I may have some recent experience that will help. As you've seen by now, that's what we do here. Once more, solid advice has been given. Once we decided what we wanted (essential, I think, to do first). We found that our local dealer had it, but at a price that once I got an online price from another dealer,was too high. I let them know that I was prepared to go to Michigan (I live in Nevada) to buy. The salesman kept telling us he didn't believe we were prepared to do that.(Trust me, I was)! At that point, I asked to speak with the owner,(from advice I got here), and she matched the price,when one considers the expense of delivery,etc, but prior to that, they were way off.

The loan we got from a credit union we used previously was 5.25%.(April). If the dealer quotes you 7%, and they write it, they are geting an upfront commission on that rate, most likely. We went to two "shows"here, and found an obvious slant to what they wanted to push. Unless you can get to a big show, like Hershey,Tampa, or Pomona, you won't see a wide range of what's out there.

Don't get discouraged. I wish we had decided to F/T years ago (we almost did). We've had every type of RV made,over a 43 yr. period and still researched extensively. Like everybody else, we don't want to make costly or irreversible mistakes. It can be overwhelming.