Does Winnebago offer factory pickup?

WyoFree · 10-26-2016, 12:32 PM

I know that some coach builders offer factory pickup and time with a tech specialist when doing so. Do you know if Winnebago offers this service for their Class A's?

skigramp · 10-26-2016, 12:42 PM

I can't answer your question definitely (I think the answer is NO) but I know that some people have bought from the Winnebago dealer that is about 1 mile from the factory in Forest City. Lichtsinn Motors 1-800-343-6255

Gordon Dewald · 10-26-2016, 12:59 PM

Skigramp is correct. Closest option is Lichtsinn. Great dealer and wonderful parts and service as well.

mgtr · 10-26-2016, 02:49 PM

See above. The Lichtsinn techs I have dealt with are all former Winnebago employees, plus Lichtsinn gets parts the same day. Highly recommended.

WyoFree · 10-26-2016, 03:15 PM

I was surprised when I went to their website and they only have 2 Forza's and they were both 36G. The website says their the largest Winnebago dealer and I thought as such they would have a good selection.

Hikerdogs · 10-26-2016, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

Skigramp is correct. Closest option is Lichtsinn. Great dealer and wonderful parts and service as well.

As mentioned Lichtsinn is only a mile from the Winnebago factory. When shopping there however I would compare prices to other dealers in the Iowa and Minnesota area. We tried to buy there twice. The first time they were $5,000.00 higher than the competition. The second time they were over $14,000.00 higher.

smlranger · 10-26-2016, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WyoFree

I was surprised when I went to their website and they only have 2 Forza's and they were both 36G. The website says their the largest Winnebago dealer and I thought as such they would have a good selection.

Not surprising. Lichtsinn is a nice dealer but not as 'big' as some dealers. Since they are only one mile from the factory, I suspect many of the coaches they sell have been ordered for a specific customer. If they can offer a competitive price, your new coach will only have to move a mile or so to the dealer doing the delivery.

Now, that is going to change when Winnebago moves all of its diesel pusher manufacturing to the former Country Coach factory in Junction City, OR. They are already building Grand Tours there but not in full production until Spring 2017.

Gormleys · 10-26-2016, 03:30 PM

I would search for your particular model and features that you want on the internet (RV Traders or just Google) and do some pricing first. You may find what you want for a better price.

WyoFree · 10-26-2016, 03:31 PM

Do you have any idea when they will start building Forza's there?

smlranger · 10-27-2016, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Do you have any idea when they will start building Forza's there?

I can only say what I have read in the various press releases and what several of the employees told me when we were at the Junction City location in September. Winnebago press releases said diesel pusher production would move to Junction City, OR. Employees there told me the same thing and said they were expecting to be full bore by Spring. I saw about 5 Winnebago Grand Tours in various stages of construction.

RSchleder · 10-27-2016, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skigramp

I can't answer your question definitely (I think the answer is NO) but I know that some people have bought from the Winnebago dealer that is about 1 mile from the factory in Forest City. Lichtsinn Motors 1-800-343-6255

Lichtsinn is an outstanding dealer in all aspects, price, service & customer satisfaction. Give them a "look", you won't be sorry!

Rick FLA · 10-27-2016, 09:06 AM

If you want to get a coach from the Factory the only choice is Litsen.
Did not know about them when I bought mine but will defiantly use them next time. Excellent people to do business with.

tderonne · 10-27-2016, 09:43 AM

Winnebago has offered factory delivery in the past. It was discouraged though. Cost more than picking up a at a dealer.

bobmac · 10-27-2016, 10:02 AM

As tederonne has indicated, Winnebago does offer factory pickup. The cost I saw once was 3-4K and you were still charged the regular shipping charge. Bottom line, they obviously discourage it with their pricing. I dont believe there is a significant advantage to it. If you have issues with a new coach, they can be repaired by either your selling dealer or you can opt to drive to Forest City and have them repaired at the factory. The advantage of the factory service is the techs are excellent and any parts required are available from their warehouse on site. They also have many spots to camp while you are awaiting service. If you do not have an appointment, you can go on a "walk in"waiting list for service and should get fixed in a reasonable time at this time of the year. Good luck,

ArmandV · 10-27-2016, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSchleder

Lichtsinn is an outstanding dealer in all aspects, price, service & customer satisfaction. Give them a "look", you won't be sorry!

x2!

I bought parts from them twice and both times were a pleasant experience.

Yellowboat · 10-27-2016, 11:32 AM

I ordered my new 2016 Sightseer last year.
It took Winnebago about four months to build us a coach. I asked my dealer if I could pick it up at the factory and they didn't know but they contacted Winnebago. The answer they gave me was yes but it would cost about $1,000 plus still paying the delivery charge. Can we believe what a dealer tells us?

I was also negotiating with Lichtsinn Motors. I belive they are the best option for a factory pick up.

I chose a local dealer over Lichtsinn because I had back issues at the time and I didn't think my back would allow me to drive very much at that time. We have circled the United States since then and my back is now doing fine.

I sent Lichtsinn and several local dealers my Winnebago pick sheet of desired options. We picked our exterior and interior design plus size of bed, and etc. This way we ordered from Winnebago and we got the exact coach that we wanted.

I negotiated with my local dealers via email. Lichtsinn would only negotiate verbally over the phone. I don't think they wanted their bids forwarded to other dealers. I didn't let any of the dealers know who they were bidding against.

I reached a 20% discount offer about the time my back pain was so bad that there was no comfort standing, sitting, or laying down. And I had a condition where my narcotic pain meds reversed and started causing general pain so I had to stop pain meds.

I believe that there was still a little discount left on the table but I didn't feel like negotiating any more and I accepted a local dealers bid.

My back pain relief came after I got a steroid shot near my spine. I've had very little pain for over a year.

Enjoy the process of finding your new coach.

Safe travels. JD

WyoFree · 10-27-2016, 11:51 AM

Hey JD, good news on the back! It's amazing how you can have a back pain and if an eyebrow moves the pain sends you to the moon! So good for you!

I just spoke to Winnebago... They do allow factory pickup for $1400.00 and you spend 4 to 6 hours with a service tech going over the coach!

They also said if anything was found out of order they would fix it immediately. And if you stayed around in a campground for a week or so and found other problems they would take care of that as well! And as stated you still have to pay the freight cost!

NYBobbo · 10-27-2016, 12:00 PM

Lichtsinn worked great for me! I got prices locally and at a dealer in FLA. and Lichtsinn. The dealer in FLA was a few hundred less than Lichtsinn but the RV would have 1500 miles on it. You must negotiate for yourself and decide what's the best.

I chose Lichtsinn so I could get my RV with almost no miles on it. I had a mechanic go over the entire coach and how to use it all - several hours. Everything I ordered was on the coach. Free electric hookup when at the dealer and a loaner car as needed. The service advisors, parts people and mechanics are great to work with.

I usually schedule work when in the area (5hrs away) and have whatever work needs to be done. They have gone above and beyond on their service. You get an appointment and they work on your RV- none of the leave it in the back for weeks on end.

I just had a propane reg replaced at the local dealer and he had no problem with where I purchased my RV.

Would I purchase from them again - absolutely!

powercat_ras · 10-27-2016, 12:21 PM

If you want a coach with minimal miles driven then now that Winnebago has a second factory in Oregon you will need to research which factory the model you are buying is built at and buy from a Winnebago dealer near that factory. Lichtsinn is near the Forest City Iowa factory. I think most coaches are still built in Forest City except for maybe some of the high end DP units.

I bought a Vista 27N last and wanted to buy a 2016 from Lichtsinn so I do the break in drive myself. For me it did not work out, as found that my net cost was $ 10,000 higher than the Camping World in Meridian Idaho I eventually purchased a unit on their lot from. Last year, for me they were not doing the largest % discounts off of MSRP, at least for units they did not already have in stock, and were offering me less for my Winnebago trade in than elsewhere. I tried to negotiate and they said "take it or leave it" and I left it.

Did not have any problems with my local Kansas Winnebago dealer doing warranty work or with them ordering parts for me now that I am out of warranty for the items that were warranted for 12 months.

two-niner · 10-27-2016, 01:18 PM

Two trains of thought about factory delivery.

1. You get a factory tech, camp for a week trying all equipment, parts are right there.

2. Buying with a thousand miles on motorhome. Any faults would show themselves and if it's a big Winnebago dealer (Lazydays) the will receive "overnight" parts.
We stayed 3 weeks at LD while things were quickly fixed. A good example was the backup camera, replaced in about an hour. Winney also send new style slide rollers and paid LD to put them on. I'm reasonable certain everything worked when our 2012 Tour left the factory. LD did many other things in addition to what was mentioned. Best three weeks spent. Learned from other owners while there.

So speaking for me, and only me, LD had the best price and service. Other experiences may vary.