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Old 06-24-2018, 09:53 AM   #1
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Question Where to buy our first Winnebago??

Hi,

We are Canadians heading to the US to purchase our first Winnebago. We are looking for a fairly new 30-33 ft Class A. We understand that Florida (Miami) and Arizona (Phoenix) are the best places to head. Anyone have any specific suggestions?

Cheers
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Old 06-24-2018, 10:30 AM   #2
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Wow, Miami is quite a drive. Do you have specific dealerships in mind? Check their websites for inventory. Personally I would check out Lichtsinn RV which is located in Forest City Iowa a mile from the Winnebago factory. They have a good reputation as far as dealerships go. (I have no personal experience with them but I have read many positive posts.)
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Old 06-24-2018, 10:48 AM   #3
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Personally, I'd start haunting Craigslist. I'm not sure there are significant advantages of purchasing used from a dealer you'll never see again. You didn't mention what part of Canada but California is another good state for used motorhomes, and vehicles in general, since rust is virtually non-existent.

Your best bet is to narrow your focus as much as possible so you can concentrate on just a couple of models. Otherwise you'll be running around in circles and risk buying something on impulse because it seems like a good deal, is prettier than most, etc. but isn't not the right motorhome for you.
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Old 06-24-2018, 01:13 PM   #4
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Here are a couple of used RV sales websites:
http://www.rvtrader.com/


This one PPL Motorhomes: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/ has three locations in Texas, the Dallas area, near San Antonio, and the original one in Houston. PPL is a consignment place and has some good buys. The also have some pretty poor condition RV's as well.


Craigslist is a good source.



No mater where you buy, hire an independent RV inspector and pay them for 6-8 hours of labor to inspect the RV.



If you buy a new RV, make sure you can spend 24 hours living in the RV before you make the final commitment to purchase. Identify everything that is wrong with the RV and don't purchase until you can spend another 12 hours or so making sure everything was fixed. There are a fairly large number of new RV's that have lots of problems. No matter what the salesman says, once you purchased the RV you are stuck with the RV. Sometimes all the needed repairs take weeks and months to complete.
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Old 06-24-2018, 02:07 PM   #5
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Al, I don't believe any dealership will allow a customer to "spend 24 hours living in the RV" before they buy it. (But I have been wrong before. )

After we bought ours we could stay on the dealer's lot with hookups for up to 3 days to find issues before we left with it, though. We only spent one night and the techs were available to answer our questions, but that was after we bought it.
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Old 06-24-2018, 02:46 PM   #6
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Bullyan RV in Duluth MN is worth looking at depending on where you are coming in from Canada. (They sell new and used).Very good service dept.
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Old 06-24-2018, 03:09 PM   #7
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Can you really take it a couple of times without some sort of payment? That would great and very helpful.
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Old 06-24-2018, 03:10 PM   #8
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I agree. I think we are looking at a 30 ft new, Intent 30 R or Vista 30T.
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Old 06-24-2018, 03:12 PM   #9
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Where did you buy yours Sarah?
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Old 06-24-2018, 03:14 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vandi View Post
Where did you buy yours Sarah?
We bought from Holiday World of Houston, and I would not recommend them. Would not buy from them again.
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Old 06-24-2018, 04:38 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahW View Post
Wow, Miami is quite a drive. Do you have specific dealerships in mind? Check their websites for inventory. Personally I would check out Lichtsinn RV which is located in Forest City Iowa a mile from the Winnebago factory. They have a good reputation as far as dealerships go. (I have no personal experience with them but I have read many positive posts.)
I agree ... check out Lichtsinn RV. We do have personal experience with them. We purchased from them a year ago, had one thing fixed under warranty, and recently had our Jeep outfitted for towing at Lichtsinn, too. We're over four hours from them, but wouldn't go any place else!
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Old 06-25-2018, 12:44 AM   #12
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My experience with Lichtsinn has been when we pruchased, their pricing was very good(we bought new). Our local dealer matched them so we didn't buy from Lichtsinn. We have ued their parts depaartment several times and have had superior service.



They are a Winnebago dealer in Forest City, IA



Stay away from Camping World.
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Old 06-25-2018, 06:40 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahW View Post
Al, I don't believe any dealership will allow a customer to "spend 24 hours living in the RV" before they buy it. (But I have been wrong before. )

After we bought ours we could stay on the dealer's lot with hookups for up to 3 days to find issues before we left with it, though. We only spent one night and the techs were available to answer our questions, but that was after we bought it.
Quite possibly you are correct. However, it is a starting point for negotiations.

Ask for 24 hours and settle for them agreeing to have the RV setup with power and water, so you can arrive at the time they open in the morning and stay in the RV until you are satisfied, or until the place closes.

Bottom line, you want to be able to inspect the RV before signing the final papers.

If you need to put down a $500 deposit with the stipulation that whatever you find in your inspection will be fixed or your deposit will be returned. This is a perfectly reasonable request which should be honored by a reputable dealer.

By finalizing the purchase and paying your money, you open yourself to delays in repairing whatever if found to be wrong with the RV. There just have far too many reports of people not being able to use their RV for several months after buying the RV because of delays in repairs.
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Old 06-25-2018, 10:59 AM   #14
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I find to very disappointing that possibly 99% of RV owners would not recommend the dealer they purchased theirs from. I have purchased 12 new RV's since 1975 and stand at 100%. Some things never seem to change, you have to wonder why all the terrible dealer reviews out there don't seem to have any impact.
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Old 06-30-2018, 04:25 PM   #15
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For probably the best price and the worst service go to LaMesa RV. If you are heading toward Phoenix I would highly recommend Affinity RV in Prescott, Az. Great deal and great service. If you are looking used then RVTrader and other online sites.
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Old 06-30-2018, 04:26 PM   #16
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There is absolutely no question where to buy! I bought from Lichtsinn Motors in Iowa and would buy again without reservation. By far the best purchase experience I have ever had. I dealt with the owner Ron Lichtsinn and would strongly recommend you deal with him. He actually encouraged me to hold off on several add-ons and use the unit for a year before I spent more money. A first class guy.
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Old 06-30-2018, 04:42 PM   #17
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Research and shop around

I am assuming you have done enough research to know you want to get that specific model.
I would first definitely check out the Rvtrader.com
to compare prices and value. I know Litchsinn is a good place to check out and they have a good reputation. Also it’s closer than Florida .
We bought a used View Profile from a private party through RVtrader without a hitch. Good Luck!
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Old 06-30-2018, 04:54 PM   #18
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Winnebago purchase

We purchased a 2014 Winnebago Tour last winter in Apache Junction AZ from a private seller on RV trader. Took a look and the unit was immaculate. Great deal. Make sure all the paper work required is in order and submit through a broker to customs. I had extended warranty on mine so I wasn't concerned if there were any small issues. I immediately took it to Freightliner for a complete inspection and service. Not an issue found. I insured it through Progressive insurance. Great company. I got a travel permit from Arizona licence bureau.Cost $15 for 3 months.
Good luck. Watch the Canadian dollar. It was almost a deal breaker for me.
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Old 06-30-2018, 05:09 PM   #19
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Vandi
I would do your homework on the internet searching dealerships and other sales venues. There is really no reason to travel the country searching. You should also exhaust the new and used markets in Canada and the Northern US. Since the Intent came out in 2018, you wont likely find many used ones.
The 2019 models are out now and the 2018s are being cleared likely for very favorable prices. With a new Winnebago, you should get something in the range of 27% plus off the list.
Think those selling recent models are prone to over price their units to mitigate losses. There is usually a good reason people are selling one or two year old models so I personally would search for their reason.
If you have never had an RV before, they likely will have several issues that need attention under warranty. It is very likely that you will only be able to get that done at the dealer that you purchased from. Otherwise, be prepared to drive 900 plus miles to Forest City IA.
Good luck
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Old 06-30-2018, 07:13 PM   #20
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I recommend my dealer to everyone that asks. Roy Robinson in Marysville, WA. They treated me well in the two years I researched for a new RV, treated me fairly with the purchase, and most important, treated me fairly after the sale.

Yes, there are several glitches in new RV's, shouldn't be, but they are there. Make appointments ahead of time, don't expect the dealer to drop everything for you just because you bought your rig there, but do expect them to work with you, and repair things in a professional manner.

In our first year, under warranty, we made five pre-arranged trips to the dealer, gave them a list every time, and all warranty items were handled. In the second year, we needed repairs to a 3rd party appliance, they couldn't fix the problem right away, but did the diagnosing, and pointed us to the proper repairman. All fixed.

In the third year, we returned and had accessories added to the coach, again, parts and visit were pre-arranged, all went according to plan. In the 4th year, we returned for some periodic maintenance, all went well. In the 5th year, we had an emergency power issue, they helped diagnose the problem, as it was right in the middle of their busiest time, they couldn't fix it without ordering parts. We ordered the parts and fixed it ourselves with their direction as we traveled farther down the road.

And periodically, we have ordered parts through them, and they shipped them to wherever we were parked in the country.

And one trip to the factory in Forest City, great experience there as well. If you are reasonable, most of the time, you will get reasonable in return.

But we have heard stories of other dealers that are unreasonable, no matter what. Not in our experience, but trust those who told us.
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